doc241 - Schoenherr Home Page in Sunny Chula Vista

tions, the Franciscan enthusiasts were at last ready to proceed triumphantly with their
designs, both religious and secular.
It is pleasant to linger upon the personal character of these California Fathers.
While they furnished no exception to the rule that "there is a black sheep in every flock,"
they were for the most part men of the rarest virtues, consecrated to the work in which
they were engaged. It would be difficult to select from human annals two loftier characters
than Junípero Serra and Luis Jáume, yet these men are but conspicuous examples
of the spirit which moved the Franciscans in all their labors for the upbuilding of California.
The early priests came from Spain, the later ones from Mexico, and observers appear
to have agreed in the opinion that the former somewhat excelled, both in attainments
and zeal. It seems very remarkable that men so deeply immersed in spiritual
concerns should also have been practical men of affairs and capable executives. Had
they not been very competent in both respects they would have failed in their difficult
undertaking. This very unusual combination of qualities seems to have been common to
nearly all the priests, and it is little wonder that they obtained the confidence of the Indians
to a very large degree and became their trusted advisers in all their troubles.
The ordinary dress of the Franciscan was a loose woolen garment, of brownish
color, reaching nearly to the ground. It was made whole and put on over the head. The
sleeves were wide, and the hood usually rested on the shoulders, though it could be
drawn over the head when the weather required. A girdle was worn at the waist and was
usually tied, with tassels hanging down in front. It was one of the requirements of the
order that priests should have shaven crowns, the circular spot being about three or four
inches in diameter. Thus the priest was readily distinguished wherever he went, and his
benevolent, picturesque figure will always stand out clearly in California history.
As soon as the mission was firmly established the number of neophytes steadily
increased, though it fluctuated a good deal with the passing years. The life of the place
soon settled down into a regular routine, but it was ever marked by two predominant
facts--worship and labor. The activities of the day began at daylight. Everybody who was
able to move went to mass. Then the invariable breakfast of ground barley or atole was
served and sunrise found everybody ready for the daily task. The midday meal was
served between 11 and 12 o'clock. Again ground barley did duty in various forms.
Sometimes mutton was supplied, and frequently the Spanish frijoles, or beans. The sick
and aged were fed largely on milk, which was something of a luxury. An interesting custom
was the dis-
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tribution of a liquid made of vinegar and sweetened water, which was carried through
the fields in the hot afternoon on the backs of burros and always received with enthusiasm
by the workers. At six the evening meal was served. This consisted principally of
the inevitable ground barley and of such nuts and wild berries as the Indians gathered
for themselves.
The commissary department was organized on a semi-military basis with a
keeper of the granary in charge. He distributed rations to each individual or family. The
unmarried neophytes carried their share to a common kitchen where it was prepared
and then served at a common table. The married men took their rations to their homes
and shared them with their families.