The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-26

The scsns wa the agoay In the garden o
Gethsemane. The Indian representing
Christ had been drilled until he seemed =
have A rnusSually good conception e sh'
portrayal and his fAcs bore 4 wondsrfu
expression Of suffering and intsrcessioa
DurlnR tho forty minutes while the apectA,
tors wore walking past he appeared 20 bt
In = state almost hypnotic for mot y muscle
OF his body moved.
BY the soldiers An Indian about the came
in statute a. in the first tablenux. and
wearing exactly the same drcss. took TIT
part OF the Savior. Other natives, with tht
shields, spears. helmets and jenkins Of
Roman soldiers. we're binding the unresist'
ing Lord.
III the third tablsaur Christ appeared be-
fore PLATE. Tho Roman governor was
seated on q dias spread with scarlet. while
hia chair of state was covered with q robe
of the same gorgeous color. Before him q
slave held a basin n pitcher, With which
he was about to wash his hands, disolAin-
ing sl part in the crime which the jews
wished to nave committed. Before the gov.
ernor stood Christ with downoast eyes and
bonnd with chains. Nenr by was y group
OF sullen and angry Jews watching the pro
ceedings of the trial.
The fourth picture was the fagellation,
| WAICN WAN uoIElOi0 III lt9 I6hllHEus SAVlss
was bound to a post, and two avage sol
diefs were standing over him with knouts
upraised. Tho Savior, from whose back
the blood was pouring, bent forward his
face, showing both anguish and spiritual
resignation.
In the fifth picture Christ sat in a rough
chair, and soldiers with spears in their
hands stood about him. One Of them was
placing on his head q crown OF thorns, while
the blood from his brow trickled down his
face and stained his white garments. So
true was the scene that the spectator could
hardly rid himself of the idea that the
blood was real.
Fully as real was the next tableau, the
burden Of the cross. Overcome by the
load, Christ had slipped. and his body was
pinnsd TO the ground by the heavy weight.
The crown OF thorns still pierced his brow,
and his countenancs was obscured BY dust
and blood. An Indian woman, AZ st. Vero-
two soldiers with blows were urging him to
rise to his feet.
In the seventh scene Christ was meeting
tho weeping women OF Jerusalem, and with
a reassuring smile was telling not to grieve
for him.
From this spectacle the procession. softly
singing the solemn chant, passed into the
large yard of the mission. There. on = plat
form at the very edge of tho Cliff, lowered
the cross. A waxen image of the Savior
was nailed to its arms, and clinging to the
feet OF the crucified, and receiving the
drops of blood on her head, was q Mary
Magdalene, whose long. JET black hais
a dusky Virgin Mary, with dumb. fearless
agony expressed in every feature. Near
the edge of the platform 4 tall. handsome
Spanish Indian. representing st. John. sat
bowed in hopeless grief. Soldiers, with
swords n spearR were grouped around
tkn HwNrr A~N ---.- ~ Ah- a - r.
lips. As the chanting Indians
came before this last tableau they were
visibiy affected. the SON was hushed. and
all silently fell to their knees. The careless
spectators who had followed out of Curl
oaity, uncovered, and protestant and oatho-
lie alike bowed at the moving sight.
The stiffness had grown oppressive, when
called ont in his v language that Jesus
was dying. was dying. was dying. A shrill
chant. repeated over and over
again. and echoed back from the cliffs
across the river was the reply. Then. At q
all arose, and, fling past the cruel
the last man had bowed and the crowd
were gradually scattering, the sky grew
dark again and the rain began to fall.
There were other religious exercises, some
ty pical of these children OF the wilderness
and some the ordinary ceremonies of the
but nothing could raise the Indians
to u an e~cstatic pitch again. The high
who had come SO many miles to
see the wonderful spectacle were as much
IMPRESSED as the Indians themselves. They
coull not cease from marvelinG at the work
the fathers had done in the wilderness. The
lndians assumed the various characters of
the tableau with an accu .acy in representa-
ton that it would have been hard to excel.
all the scenes being very impressive and
such as could not be understood and re-
.menbsred by all who had learned the
story. 1t will never be forgotten bS those
who saw it. and, as at Pentecost, ths elori-
Gus truth came to every one in a language
understandable-the %soundless language Of
the heart and soul.
Bishop Brondel says hat "a far north al
ST. Adams he found tine agricultural land.
as far north as between the the ffty-fourth
and ffty-thild parallel of latitude. Above
that it is very barren. To understand the
devotion to the cause of christianity which
these missionaries to the Indians must pos
sess, it is only necessary to travel through
the country whersiBishop Grouard and bis
~twenty-four priests are working. 1t ex-
tends along the Mackenzie river to tho
Arctic ocean,. In part of this diocese the
sun does not set for three months in the
Its ~barrenness is complete, and the
only food is fish and game. Rev. Father
Grolier, a priest who had labored in this
region for years, told . friend before he
died at Good Hope. IF I had only had
some potatoes, l could have lived for
eighteen years yet" Still in this far north
ern country, between the si1ty-hrst and
and sixtieth parallels, there is q flourish
ing convent.