Southern California; . human beings not baptized into the Catholic^. church were certain to suffer the eternal torments ofhell punishment. To men of gentle and refined natures,the pity aroused by this belief stimulated them to almostsuperhuman effort, and enabled them to consecrate theirlives to endless toil and pain in behalf of the savagesthus doomed by divine mandate. It was this conviction which enabled Father JuniperoSerra, an old man with a painful sore of years persist-ence upon his leg, to walk with trembling steps fromSan Diego to Monterey, and to weep because he coulddo so little for
Southern California; . human beings not baptized into the Catholic^. church were certain to suffer the eternal torments ofhell punishment. To men of gentle and refined natures,the pity aroused by this belief stimulated them to almostsuperhuman effort, and enabled them to consecrate theirlives to endless toil and pain in behalf of the savagesthus doomed by divine mandate. It was this conviction which enabled Father JuniperoSerra, an old man with a painful sore of years persist-ence upon his leg, to walk with trembling steps fromSan Diego to Monterey, and to weep because he coulddo so little for his people. To illustrate the torments ofhell he would, during his sermons, pound his breastwith a stone until the blood streamed from the his dying day he would relate, with tears in his eyes,the incident of the first Indian baby he attempted tobaptize. The mother had consented to the ceremony andstood before him with her child. Suddenly, just as hewas about to sprinkle the water in the babys face, she 123. turned and fled, panic-stricken. Healways felt that some uuworthiuess ofhis was responsible for the loss of thisinfants soul. When the news of the founding of~ Monterc} Mission reached Mexico andSpain, the people were filled with joyand a festival was held in honor of theevent, although all that had been accom-?> plished was the erection of a rude hut ofthatch, with a cross beside it and themission bell suspended in a tree. Butit meant to them the salvation of count-less Indian souls during the years tocome, and a new land brought under thedominion of the King of was the temper and zeal of the people whoaccomplished these wonders in the wilderness, remark-able alike for their original singleness of purpose andlofty aim, and for the utter lack of result from theirlabor upon the ultimate destiny- of the land in whichthey toiled. But their labors, although not productiveof permanent result in the historical sequence of events,cannot fail to be signific
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Keywords: ., bookauthorkeelerch, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1901
