The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-01-31

the iron rule which had recourse tC
wholesale executions Of men, and ev
en- women to suppress discomfort
land insubordinotion, could preserve
the life of the ill-starred colony
Silence soon reigned over cliff and
river, unkroken for nearly three
fourths of century, whilst France
tossed on the rough sea of religious
wars wept tears of blood, and
thought not of America.
CHAAIPLAIN.
Hitherward in 1908 came Cham
plain, and Quebec became perma-
nent settlement. They came forth
from their first @wintry purgatory," /"
with only eight men alive out Of
twenty-eight, but spirit other than
that of military conquest and adyen-
ture mingled with the inspirations
of this enterprises spirit that de
fed the icy regions ofthe north, the
burning suns of the tropics, and
shrank not at death whether it came
in tempest, flood or flre-a spirit OF
religious enthusiasm and zeal, to
conquer the New World to the fold
of God and the Roman Church.
The Recollets lead the way, the Jes-
uits soon followed. Madame Cham
plain herself, landed in 1920 and
commenced the work of catechising
the Indian children. The Huguenot
girl, whom Chsmplain had married
at the age of twelve, and whom he
was Mortified to find a hereto, had
been so effectually converted as to
be seized with a desire TO become q
nun, a purpose resulting in formal
separation and eventual consumma-
tion after Champlain's death.
In June, 1889, Madame de la Pei
trie, young, beautiful and rich, and
Mary of the Incarnation with other.
nuns, kissed the hallowed ground Of
Quebec after a tempestious ocean
voyage, and entered upon their hos
pital and convent duties, burning
with heroic zeal to assist the Jesuit
Father in converting a continent.
For nearly century Quebec was
as much a missionary as military
post. Convent and chapel, fort and
castle arose together. Cassock, ros-
ary, plume and helmet, were insepa-
rable. The Jesuit was all in all.
Every amusement, fireworks, dra-
matte entertainments &c, were under
priestly supervision. Confession
and mass were attended by all. "The
air was celestial" so wrote the Jes-
uits. With the exception Ofthree
years of dissipation and debauchery
under temporary English rule, Que
bee in its earlier history, was as much
a model of decorum, as free from i'm
morality and vice, as Puritan Plym-
outh, Salem or Boston. No Hugue-
nots were permitted to settle in Can
ada. Their heretical psalm-singing
did, however, sometimes rise up.
from their boats down there in the
st. Lawrence to shock the ears of
the faithful. But for this arbitrary
decree, who shall say that Huguenot
emigration might not have made
Canada a permanent province of
France. But such was not the pol
icy of Richelieu, and his Ultramon
taine Court. Quebec was unques-
the child of Ultramontain-
ism in religion and absolutism in
politics. In this, however, she was
more consistent than that contem-
poraneous colony away down across
the forests Of Maine, whose founders
our own forefathers, fugitiVes from
religious prosecutions themselves,
set up in the name of religious lib
srty, on the virgin shores of Massa-
,husetts Bay, a religious tyranny
As odious as any they left behind
hem.
Quebec has much to be proud of in
is origin and early life. The story
If infant Canada contains some of
,he most heroic pages in history.
quebec was always the center of in
.erest-the radiating point whence
vent forth martyr and explorer to
,hread the water courses and the
orests to Hudson's Bay, to Superior
md the Gulf of Mexico.
Quebec lost something Of its dis
,inctive missionary character upon
he destruction of the Hurons and
,he partial extinguishment Of the
1ast hopes of the Jesuits.
The Iroquois tomahawks in scat
;ering and destroying the Indian al
les of the French, struck a severe
blow at French missionary and com
nereial enterprise, and therefore at
French dominion in America, But
or those fierce New York Confeder-
ates, the Mohawks, the Senecas, the
0nondagas, the Cayugas and the
it is not impossible that
and Romanized Indian
instead of Anglo Americans might
today people the country of the
great lakes and the valley of the
Mississippi, with Quebec and New
Orleans as the great nuclei of ocean
communications. It was impossible |
that two peoples differing as widely
as those, who settled Canada and
New England, Quebec and Boston
should avoid a conflict. The repre-