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completed." And it was indeed a case where the blood of the martyr became the seed of
the church. The mission was re-established and dedicated in 1777, though it was not
completed until 1784, and was yet to be finally dedicated in 1813. But the uprising in
which Father Jáume lost his life really marked the end of the first hard period of struggle
in which the outcome seemed doubtful, while the rapid recovery from that disaster signalized
the beginning of the long day of mission greatness.
Of that day it is important that we should have a true conception, for it will always
supply a romantic and picturesque background to local history; but it would be an error
to suppose that it is vitally related to the city which finally grew up in the neighborhood
of the pioneer settlements and which now bears the name of San Diego. The real history
of the place begins at a later period than that which saw the passing of the Mission
Fathers and the crumbling of their works under the pitiless footsteps of the years. Nor
were their institutions or their influence much more substantial than their adobe walls.
And yet, for a period of about two generations, the Spanish soldier and the Franciscan
missionary ruled the land and, partly by leading and partly by driving, converted many of
the savages to the ways of religion and civilization.
Conflicting tales come down to us from the earliest years of the joint reign of the
soldier and the priest, and the written records are so bound with red-tape and saturated
with conscious piety that it is frequently difficult to get at the facts; but there can be no
doubt that the sword was the constant ally of the Cross, and that the glory of God and of
the King were utterly synonymous to the minds of that generation. Neither is there any
doubt of the earnestness of the missionaries in bringing souls to Christ. They were so
deeply in earnest that they did not hesitate to employ the military arm as a means of
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forcible conversion. There is reason to believe that whole villages were sometimes surrounded
and their inhabitants driven to the missions. It appears that the soldiers themselves
had a poor opinion of the Indians, yet co-operated heartily with the priests in
bringing them under subjection. Apparently, neither the military nor ecclesiastical
authorities were under any illusion concerning the inherent unfitness of the Indians for
real citizenship. Both clearly understood that they could only be utilized in connection
with a patriarchal establishment. Somebody else must think and plan and direct; it was
their part to labor, and to labor in the fear of God. As to the treatment of the Indians, accounts
differ widely. They were better clothed, fed, and housed than in their native state.
They learned useful arts. They caught a spark of industry which, had they been made of
more inflammable material, might easily have been fanned into a fierce enthusiasm for
the modes of civilized life, and thus have lifted them permanently from barbarism. But
there were many impartial observers who regarded their condition as no better than
slavery. Thus Alfred Robinson, in his fascinating book, Life in California, said that "it is
not unusual to see numbers of them driven along by the alcaldes, and under the whip's
lash forced to the very doors of the sanctuary." He adds: "The condition of these Indians
is miserable indeed; and it is not to be wondered at that many attempt to escape from
the severity of the religious discipline of the Mission. They are pursued, and generally
taken; when they are flogged, and an iron clog is fastened to their legs, serving as additional
punishment, and a warning to others."
That the good Fathers thought it more important to save the souls of the Indians
than to spare their feelings or their backs, is easily susceptible of belief, for their mis-