The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-03-17

not In civllizlng them to any extent TO speak
OF, but in saving them more or lcss from
being robbed and plundercd by bad whites
surrounding them, and In inducing them to
refrain from the use of "nrc-watcr" far
more successfully than any others except
Roman Catholic missionaries have been
able to do.
VINO HAVE CIVILIZED NORTH AMERICAN
INDIANS.
None but the latter-the Roman Catholic
missionaries-have succeeded in civilizing
any considerable number Of North American
Indians. The small remnants Of the once
powerful tribes Of Cherokees, Choctaws,
Chickasaws and Creeks are but half civil
lied. Still smaller remnants Of once power
full tribes originally located further North,
in the United States, remain, and are not
even half as civilized as those above men,
toned.
THE CIVILIZED INDIANS or CANADA.
On the other hand, large portion of the
Indians of the British possessions, originally
taken in hand by the Catholic missionaries,
and those that Joined them from our north.
crn frontiers, are quite as civilized as our
own frontier citizens, surprising them In
aptitude for and skill in numerous indus
trial cmployments, II falling behind them in
that astutencss Of mind that results from en-
tire independence through life, which Is Pc
culiarly an incident of Western native Amer
lean citizenship.
now THEY WE'RE CIVILIZED.
1t will be remembered that the Catholic
priest or missionary continues ip the numer-
Gus Indian settlements OF the Canadas, the
shepherd, head man aud advising friend OF
all the individuals Of his flock, as his prcde.
cessor was In 1850. While their system Gas
under Catholic tuition wherever 1t exists
without a rival or other interference) has
made the Indian population OF the Cauadas
better men, as individuals, morally and SO.
cially speaking, 1t has not advanced them in
the matter Of enterprise and general intelli.
| gcnce, pdri pdSsu, with the advancement Of
those surrounding them who have not com.
mitted to the Church the task and duty OF
doing their thinking for them.
THE COMPARATIVE FAILURE OF orr INDIAN
bhbhhas
Nevertheless, where, under our system Of
dealing with them, one Indian has been saved
from extinction and elevated into utility to
society, under that Of the Canadian Catholic
missions, one hundred have been preserved
and made cminently valuable to the com
munity. Nine tenths OF those known as
French Canadians are of aboriginal blood
mixed with that OF original French pioneers
in the settlement OF the Canadas. These
facts clearly demonstrate the great superior.
ity OF the Catholic Church's mode OF dealing
with the Indians.
THE EARLY MISSIONS IN MEXICO.
Perhaps q comparison Of the success Of the
| early Catholic missionaries In their manage.
! ment of the aborigines OF Mexico, with the
result OF our management Of those will
whom We have had to deal, would not b,
fair to our own institutions.
TnR ANCIENT MExIcASs.
| l may write, however, that when Corte,
conquered Mexico, he found the native
under a settled, and, In many respects, n,
advanced gov eminent. Its policy was q
|
people were governed by perhaps as elat
crate system of law as those of more o
less European peoples of the times. care
fully matured and sternly enforced. Trus
they were idolaters, and had no kpowledg
of the use of letters; vet by means of pictur
writing and hieroglyphIcs they possesse,
records Of their affairs centuries old. In tn
science of astronomy they were quite as "a
advanced as some European nations; Will
in more or less arts, including those of ma
sorry, horticulture and the working of til
precious metals, they rivaled any people {
their times. Indeed, they were In adyanc
of all other nations in ornamental gardening
now known as horticulture.
A BAD WORK OF RELIGIOUS VANDALISM.
The vandalism and religious zeal OF th
conqucrors destroyed whatever could b
found that, il preserved, would havetaugt
postcrlty what 1t so longs to know concern
ing the exact state of that wonderful natio
when Cortez reduced 1t under Spanish rul,
policy which Cortez himself eudeavore
manfully to avert, but in vain.
THE INSULTS OF THE LABoRs OF TIE CATH,
: Lie CHURCH IN MEXICO.
0 Though the thirst for gc4d pervadir
, all spaniards that went to Mexico from
, conquest to the independence of that cou
: try sacrificed millions OF the inhabitant
the admirable system q the Church in dca
ing with them saved other millions, and b
) for the DESTROYING and decreasing infuen
of the secular spaniards in the countr
= would doubtless have brought those It say,
nearer to the comparatively advanced co
: dltion of the French Canadians.
THE MEXICAN MISSIONARIES.
The worlds annals embrace no more
terestlng and sublime facts than those Of /
struggles of the original Spanish mission
ries In Mexico, Gall of whom were enthusil
tic disciples Of the great and good Las CasG
the fret priest ordained In the Western hei
isphere) to save the Indians from the fel
city, cupldlty and cruelty Of the Spanish q
yenturers, and to convert them to Chris