Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-12
archbishop FENELON.

To those who are acquainted with the
l;fe ond Iabors of the sainted Archbishop
of Cambray-one of the best ana Wlsest
mon that France or any other country
has prOduced-it may seem a startling
and incredible statement that there Is a
probability Of his having passed some Of
the wears Of his youth as n missionary
among the Iroquois Indians, or rive
Nations, in the western part OF New
York. His numerous biographies are
silent on the subject but their very
silence As to six or seven years OF ms
life. while minute to afault in everything
else connected with him, as some OF them
are. only renders il more probable. II
would require greater space than we can
afford to give all the evidence, uncon-
tradicted bv any other, in favor of the
belief that those years were spent In TINS
country, though we shall adduce some;
In brief Fenelon was born On the
sixth of August, sixteen hundred and
sixtv-one; al the AGE of fifteen, having
chosen the ecclesiastical profession, he
was placed first at the College du Plessis,
where he preached a sermon which had
extraordinary success; y from thence he
was soon transferred to the Theological
Seminary of +. Suipice, in Paris; and
while there. insixteen hundred and sixty
seven. he conceived an ardent desire to
consacrate himselfto missions in Canada.
OF the six or eve years Immediately
following we have no direct and positive
account by anyOf his biographers.; no de
tails whatever are given of the manner
in which they were passed by teneIon.
In eighteen hundred and thirty-siX
he was made preceptor to the Duke OIL
Burgundy, the heir apparehtto thecroWni
from this position he was raised 70 the
Archbishopric of Cambray in sixteen
hundred and ninety-seven; and two
wears afterwards his TCiemGqUe was pub
iished surreptitiously by the person
charged with copying the manuscript
which brought upon its author h hatred
of the despot, Louis XIV, a hatred occa-
sionalv masked, but constantly subsist-
ing until the death of FeneiOn, IN seven
teen hundred and fifteen. Now II IS 10
The whole long interval between sixteen
hundred and ~sixty-seven n sixteen
hundred and seventy-fOur, comprising an
interesting portion of the Areholshops
history, that the evidence applies, tend
ing to show that he was actually engaged
in arduous and praiseworty missionary
work among the 1roquois, in the Western
mart Of the territory now included IN me
State of New York.
In the first place, in he History Of
New Francen by the Jesuit Father Char
levoix. he speaks of a NJ. de Fenelon in
one thousand six hundred and seventy
three as having been imprisoned IN Que
bee ON account of his resistance 10 the
mandates of the arbitrary Governor
General, speaking Of him expressly a. OF
tthe Seminary of ST. Sulpice. The
standard biography Of Fenelon isthat by
Cardinal de Beausset, published at Paris
in eighteen hundred and eight, IN which,
though he gives many particulars respect
ing. his family, and mentions several
persons of that name, does not speak OF
any one excedt the distinguished preiate
Who could have been. the missionary IN
Canada. Again In the narrative OF MS
adventures in this country by trlar
Louis Hennepin, who accompanied La
sale in his first expedition 70 the MIS-
sissinpi, he says: II remaihed IN tliat
country four years, and was sent on a
mission whilst the Able dc feneioni now
Archbishop of Cambray, was reslding
fhere.r 1t should be observed that ms
youth at that time would have presented
no obstacle to his employment IN eucI
duiies. as numerous instances are louhd
of persons still younger beng thus en-
raged in preaching, ~catechlsing' ana
otberwite instrueting; hough they were
III course. unauthorized 10 receive eoh-
fessious or to administer ~saefahlehts.
on the whole, we think thefe can oe
little doubt of the interesting Aet INA
ne great and good Fenelon may be on
necfed by the most sacred ues VIII wy
history of our own Repuohe'-Ss'tHOH 'S
Republican.