St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-11
ST. lGNATlUS.
An Old Mission Among the Flathead
Indians,

An Old Mission Among the Flathead
Indians.
The Helena Herald visited st. Ignatius
mission on the Northern Pacific railroad
fifty miles west of Missoula, on July 81, the
feast day of all the Flathead Indians. This
mission is one of the oldest, dating back to
1912, and it is said has done good work in
civilzirg the aborigines. The Herald says ::
The sight of the mission, which has the
proportions of a village, as seen from the
road, where its first view dawns upon the
approaching traveller, presents such vision
of beauty that the sight-seer is more than
repaid for his trouble Of getting there be-
fore he crosses the hospitable threshold of
these pious monks of the mountains.
The mission consists of church 100x40
feet, erected by the Rev. Father Minetery, in
1855, a large dwelling and refectory for the
community, erected by the Rev. Father Van
Corp, in 1876, together with grist mill, saw
MILL barns and outhouses with probably
fifty log dwellings, that the Indians, who
live at the mission erected for them
selves. A beautiful college building of two
stories, and mansard which will accom-
mOdate as many as one hundred and fifty
Indian boys is now just completed for
their exclusive use. The building is sup
piled with all the appliances of modern
colleges. A very important part of the mis-
sion is the academy of the Holy Family of
Saint Ignatius, which is conducted by a
community of the Sisters of Providence, o
branch of the order of the Sisters of Char
ity, from Canada. This school for the edu-
cation of Indian girls, was founded by the
present Mother Superior, III religion, Sister
Mary, in the year 1864, when she, with
three other sisters, commenced in a log
building the difficult task Of civilizing and
Outstanding the young females whose
frocks were blankets and whose shoes were
moccasns. For near twenty years these
sisters devoted their lives to the instruc-
ton of the ''untutored savage" disciplining
them in all the branches of household and
domestic duties. In this rude dwelling in
the year 1876, our reporter found these
sisters performing the same duties then as
now-making butter, teaching, striving
their best to make the institution self sus-
tanning. Now he visits them again when
they have erected a large academy building
sufficient to accommodate $50 Indian girls.
There are now fifty-fve girls well instructed,
some of them accomplished in vocal music,
and upon the organ, and in letter writing,
and in all the branches of housekeeping,
sewing, and fancy work of an English and
French education taught in our fashionable
schools. AT an exhibition of the two schools
on the Feast of st. Ignatius last week, very
lengthy programme was presented, embrace
ing many very well performed parts, such as
music by the Indian boys brass band.
The exercises were held under the large
porch of the new college which was used for
a stage, scenery, etc. The audience, COM
posed of about fifty white people and probably
three hundred Indians, occupied the ground
in front, where chairs and seats were pro-
vided for the few, the many being seated
upon mother earth according to taste
aud convenience. Before the perform
ances were over, our meeting was
considerably broken up by Chief Arlee, who
got up in meeting and haranghed his people
In very loud Flathead, which had the effect
of drawing off about 300 Of our audience,
who followed their chief to the feast. When
translated, his speech said that the exhibit
ton was all very good but that he was very
hungry, and it was time to go and eat.
While at the Mission the visitor can see q
large and we'll bound dictionary Of the Flat
head language, gotten up and printed at the
mission by the fathers at great expense and
painstakipg. After many years Of labor and
research this volume was completed at a cost
of not less than $50 per copy. 1t is sought
after by the libraries Of the world.
an order of twelve copies at
80 each, was filed a few DAYS ago for
Leipsic in Germany. The fathers have also
published in Flat Head the four gospels and
a catechism. Aside from the fact of seeing
these wild tribes civilized and chrstianiZed,
the greater wonder is to see these
volumes of intelligent literature brought
out of a chaos Of gutteral sounds Of
an unwritten language, to become Q
valuable acquisition in the great Libraries
of the world. But probably the greatest at
traction to the eyes of the casual visitor to
St. Ignatius Mission is its sequestered hamlet
of primeyal inhabitants, living in the sim.
plest customs Of a pastoral people. But
TO the eye of the lover of the Leautiful land
scape of snow-clad mountains, rugged
peaks, imbered woods, grassy meadows anf
cultured fields, the Mission itself, will
its church, college, academy convent, mon
astery and mills, presents TO the eye scene
of practical utility, blended with the grandeur
of the groves Of Mission Creek, shaded b.
the towering peaks, mountain cataracts ant
lofty mountains of the Mission range, a sub
Unity utterly Undesirable.
A good instance Of the affection Of th,
Spanish people for old churches occurred re
Gently in Mission San Jose, little village o.
Santa Clara county, Cal. The place Wa
swept By fire, which threatened at one tim'
to destroy the old church, which is still II
good preservation. Next door TO it was
large wine cellar, 50 the ingenious citizens
knocked in the heads of dozen hogshcad
Of fine old claret, and with the wine cxtiu
guisbcd the flames and saved the church
The best part of the joke is that the clare
belonged to Archbishop Alemany, and wal
intended for his private table.