Southern California; . ivalattacked them with bows and arrows, killing one of theparty, while the guns of the mission soldiers repliedwith deadly effect. The gentleness and forbearance ofFather Serra and his co-workers soon restored peace,however, and for the first few years the little Spanishsettlement by the sea was unmolested. Six years after the arrival of the Franciscans at SanDiego, during the first year that the American colonieshad arisen in revolt against their English Serra, little knowing of the momentous conflictupon the Atlantic shore, and without a suspicion th
Southern California; . ivalattacked them with bows and arrows, killing one of theparty, while the guns of the mission soldiers repliedwith deadly effect. The gentleness and forbearance ofFather Serra and his co-workers soon restored peace,however, and for the first few years the little Spanishsettlement by the sea was unmolested. Six years after the arrival of the Franciscans at SanDiego, during the first year that the American colonieshad arisen in revolt against their English Serra, little knowing of the momentous conflictupon the Atlantic shore, and without a suspicion thatthe result of that war might one day determine thedestiny of this land of his adoption, moved the missionto a more favorable location a few miles inland, at apoint commanding a beautiful view of the willow-linedSan Diego River as it wound down to the sea. Duringthis same memorable year, the Indians, incensed by the conversion and baptism ofsixty of their number, fellupon the mission and burn-ed it, killing one of the. fathers, the blacksmith and carpenter. Undismayedand uurevengeful, Father Serra and his fellow Francis-cans commenced the task of rebuilding the mission andpacifying the Indians. Such, in brief was the inaugural of the Spanish occu-pation of California, an episode unique in history — anorder of beggar priests growing into a federation ofpotentates as absolute in temporal as in spiritual power,the feudal chiefs of principalities centering about thechain of missions which extended along the coast ofCalifornia from San Diego to Sonoma, literally thefathers of the children of the land, constituting a S5stemof vassalage conceived and executed in a decade. It was a strange power which the fathers acquiredover the Indians. With but a corporals guard of sol-diers they gained the mastery over many tribes, inducingthem to live about the missions, persuading them toaccept the religion of the Cross, gradually tighteningthe bands which held them subject until they had them
Size: 1944px × 1286px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorkeelerch, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1901
