VOL. 10.
MARCH 6,-1908,
NO. 37
Asa'
Have Withstood the Ravages
of Centuries,
A news item from Sante "Fe says: The
ancient Sante Fe Church, as it is called,
is the oldest house of Worship in the
United States, according; to the claim of
the Christian Brothers,, the. Catholic
ordo: which has charge of the edifice.
Brother David, who looks after the
spiritual welfare of the parish, says that
the records of the 'Christian Brothers
show that the foundation of the Sante
Fe church was laid in 1541. The next
oldest church building in this country
is the misson of San Xavier situated
near Tucson, Ariz , in a Papago Indian
settlement. There is a dispute as to
whether the San Xavier misson Was
started in 1547 as is asserted by some,
or at a later time. Coronado, who is said
to have laid the cornerstone'of the misson
building vvns in Spain in 1547; and it is
believed 'by those who have investi gated
the facts bearing on the subject that the
Sante Fe Church is ten or fifteen years
older than the San Xavier misson
building.
The construction of the Sante Fe
edifice was slow work. The more expert
artisans had to be brought all the way
from Spain, Indians were forced toper
form the hard manual labor of making
the adobe bricks or blocks which were
originally used in the walls and in carry
ing them to the places where laid. The
walls of the building are three to five
feet thick and that the sun-dried clay
blocks were strong and serviceable is at
tested by the fact that they have with
stood the ravages of the -elements for
nearly 400 years and are still in appar
ently as good condition as when they
were placed in position.
The Supreme Court of the United
States has taken a hand in the "selling-whiskey-to-Indians"
industry, and de
cided that the laws of the United States
take precedence over those of any State.
.Prior to this decision laws in a number
of states in which Indian '.."'reservations
were located have held that Indians on
allotted lands were citizens and as such
could not have their rights abridged,
The Supreme Court decision takes the
ground that .an Indian is an Indian arid
as the unfavorable effects of the firewater
on his constitution are proverbial, ho
ill not be allowed to indulge. Oregon
ian Editorial.