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William Henry Hudson - The Famous Missions of California
everything to the purposes he never for an instant allowed to drop out of his sight. We may even, with
some of his critics, protest that he was not a man of powerful intellect; that his views of people and
things were distressingly narrow; that, after his kind, he was extremely superstitious; that he was despotic
in his dealings with his converts, and stiffnecked in his relations with the civil and military authorities.
For all this is doubtless true. But all this must not prevent us from seeing him as he actually was -
charitable, large-hearted, energetic, indomitable; in all respects a remarkable, in many ways, a really wise
and great man. At whatever points he may fall short of our criteria, this much must be said of him, that he
was fired throughout with the high spirit of his vocation, that he was punctual in the performance of duty
as he understood it, that he was obedient to the most rigorous dictates of that Gospel which he had set
himself to preach. In absolute, single-hearted, unflinching, and tireless devotion to the task of his life -
the salvation of heathen souls - he spent himself freely and cheerfully, a true follower of that noblest and
most engaging of the mediaeval saints, whose law he had laid upon himself, and whom he looked up to
as his guide and examplar. Let us place him where he belongs - among the transcendent apostolic figures
of his own church; for thus alone shall we do justice to his personality, his objects, his career. The
memory of such a man will survive all changes in creeds and ideals; and the great state, of which he was
the first pioneer, will do honour to herself in honouring him.
VIII.
After Junipero's death the supervision of the missions devolved for a time upon Palou, under whose
management, owing to difficulties with the civil powers, no new foundations were undertaken, though
satisfactory progress was made in those already existing. In 1786, Palou was appointed head of the
College of San Fernando, and his place as mission president was filled by Father Firmin Francisco de
Lasuen, by whom the mission of Santa Barbara was dedicated, on the festival day of that virgin-martyr,
before the close of the year[6]. Just twelve months later, the third channel settlement was started, with the
performance of the usual rites, on the spot fixed for the Mission of La Purisima Concepcion, at the
western extremity of the bay; though some months passed before real work there was begun. Thus the
proposed scheme, elaborated before Junipero's death, for the occupation of that portion of the coast, was
at length successfully carried out.
Hardly had this been accomplished before the viceroy and governor, having resolved upon a further
extension of the mission system, sent orders to Father Lasuen to proceed with two fresh settlements, one
of which was to be dedicated to the Holy Cross, the other to Our Lady of Solitude. Time was, as usual,
consumed in making the necessary preparations, and the two missions were finally founded within a few
weeks of each other - on the 28th of August and the 9th of October, 1791, respectively. The site selected
for the Mission of Santa Cruz was in the neighborhood already known by that name, and near the San
Lorenzo River; that of Nuestra Seņora de la Soledad, on the west side of the Salinas River, in the vicinity
of the present town of Soledad, and about thirty miles from Monterey.
A glance at the map of California will help us to understand the policy which had dictated the creation of
the four missions founded since Junipero's death. The enormous stretch of country between San
Francisco and San Diego, the northern and southern extremes of evangelical enterprise, was as yet quite
insufficiently occupied, and these new settlements had been started with the object of to some extent
filling up the vast vacant spaces still left among those already existing. For the efficient performance of
missionary work something more was needed than a number of separate establishments, no matter how
well managed and successful these in themselves might be. Systematic organization was essential; for
this it was requisite that the various missions should be brought, by proximity, into vital relations with
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