The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Old Franciscan Missions Of California
by George Wharton James

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Title: The Old Franciscan Missions Of California

Author: George Wharton James

Release Date: October 25, 2004 [EBook #13854]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: MISSION SAN LUIS REY, PARTLY RESTORED.]

[Illustration: MISSION SAN LUIS REY.
Showing monastery recently built behind the old Mission arches.]

The
Old Franciscan Missions
of California

BY

GEORGE WHARTON JAMES

Author of "In and Around the Grand Canyon," "Heroes of
California," "Through Ramona's Country," Etc.

_With Illustrations from Photographs_

1913

Dedication

To those good men and women, of all creeds and of no creed, whose lives
have shown forth the glories of beautiful, helpful, unselfish,
sympathetic humanity:

To those whose love and life are larger than all creeds and who discern
the manifestation of God in all men:

To those who are urging forward the day when profession will give place
to endeavor, and, in the real life of a genuine brotherhood of man, and
true recognition of the All-Fatherhood of God, all men, in spite of
their diversities, shall unite in their worship and thus form the real
Catholic Church:

Especially to these, and to all who appreciate nobleness in others I
lovingly dedicate these pages, devoted to a recital of the life and work
of godly and unselfish men.

Foreword

The story of the Old Missions of California is perennially new. The
interest in the ancient and dilapidated buildings and their history
increases with each year. To-day a thousand visit them where ten saw
them twenty years ago, and twenty years hence, hundreds of thousands
will stand in their sacred precincts, and unconsciously absorb beautiful
and unselfish lessons of life as they hear some part of their history
recited. It is well that this is so. A materially inclined nation needs
to save every unselfish element in its history to prevent its going to
utter destruction.