The Irish standard., 1896-04-11
Work Of the Catholic Mission
aries iii Exploring the
Wilderness.
Historian Bancroft Contribute.
Valuable INFORMATION Oh
the Subject.
Marquette and Others Preparing
To Trace the Course OF the
Mississippi.
0,ontin.led nom last meek.l

The first halt was made att sault Ste.
Marie. where Marquette established a
mission, the oldest settlement begun py
Europeans within the present limits OF
the COMMONWEALTH Of Michfsan. From
this, farther kest ID the Ottawa. was a
mission aifnast hopeless from the abau
donmeRt Of that people ID the Worship Of
4 their own passions. But now the great
dream of MarqGette's l!fe began 10 rise
Y III HIS heart, soon To take possession of
II altogether He Tad heard from strag
, Cling hunters, as from the general Elt-
nor. Ut tile mighty river which took its
rise and rolled ITS floods for measEeless
miles through populous pagan lands to
the far southern seas. All! to discover
tais-to launch himself "a tsose swift
tides with his CROSS, h. baaNs and his
brevEary! Net to win a name among tHa
learned Of the earth, the applause Of SCI
enee. the gratitude of trade, but to bear
to those lost tribes the glad news of a |
Rede6mer, to people heaven with their /
r'anzomad souls. ITO teach those pathless
prairies and unhewn woods to re-echo the |
i sweet names of Jesus and Mary This |
Father Marquette felt was TO be. for the
future his ambition.
I'M III was conjectured by some that the
great river emptied into the Atlantic |
somewhere NJ Virginia, ana by others
tA5t " flowed westward ana through Cal |
ifornia u the Pacific. This mystery Mar |
quette was % solve, and as early as 1869
" had res1lyea upon exploring the.riyer,
a war .Getween TIE Sioux and the tribes he
was working among. caused him to Az
with his charges ~ Mackinaw, and there,
in 1911, he established the mission Of st.
Ignasirs, and built los church, the
cross of which Ga the island of Maekinac
could be seen ever the WIDE straits and
from the two inland seas of Huron and
Michigan.
Delay, caused his hopes OF carrying
ont his cherished ambition to grow dim.
hut he still farvently prayed to the
/, Blessed Virgin TO obtain for him the priv
flege of discovering the great river. and
finally events in other quarters favored
him, When gny Of the governors at
Quebec projected am expedition they in
variablX appointed Jesuit to accom-
Uany III. III. indeed, he did not lead 1t.
Talon, the famous intendant Of New
France, having resolved to take posses
SION IL the vast valley Of the Ottawa il
tAe name of the king rs France, chose
Father Allouez az the colleague of M de
80 v, ~. tY, ,,f.,., M, axy
sent tn Eitations for more than a hundred
leagues in every direction calling Z con
gress ~ TIE tribes, and IL nations agreed
to be present by their ambassadors Al
the rreat meeting, held at sainte Marie
du-Sault Ia 1671, the missionary took
the ch.ef part in the ceremonies ana
formally announced to the assembled IA
tives that they were placed under the
protection Of the French king. in the
next year Hudaon's Bay was undiscovered
by the French The expedition which
achieved this important result was head
cd by I'M de ST. Simon and Father Al
banel. The enterprise OF exploring the
Missfssippsa> projected and hong metlitat-
- cd by Marquattey WIS next considered and
tavored by Talon, who. not content with
seeking the great north sea and being OF
the point of Quitting Canada. wished K
signaiiza The last period of his admin
isstraton hy ascertaining il the French
descending the great river OF the centra
vest. could bear the banner Of France (
the Pacific. or plana II side by side will
thar OF spain on tie CUR Of Mexico.
For this purpose Talon and tbs Coun
de Fr0nrenac. the governor Of Canada
ehose Louis Joliet d French Canadi3r
OF great learning and lnqaunted couragi
and who Was thoroughly acquainted witt
the Indian customs and spoke several 0
thoir languages Marquette petitionel
tEat he might be appointed to accom-
pany the expedition. His health NaS al
ready shaken by bis tolls and hardshipS
th5 Journey would be through diiIicnl
and unknown country, and the only na
tion known to them--the fierce Dacotan-
nov hostile to the French and their al
lies, with many another tribe noted i
Indian story fUr deeds oh blood, close
up their path But this aid not alart
hiln. The hope of q glorious martgrdoI
while opening the way 90 future herald
of the cross 4buoyed him up, though i
Ills humility lie never spoke OF martyr
dom To him to die was, ITO cease |
offend Cod The expected journey no
engrossed his thoughts and he awaite
with anxiety the coming. of Joliet.
kasd the latter arrived On December S, II
feats of the Immaculate Conception Of I'll
Blessed Virgin. whom" says the piot
Missionary. II had always invoked sinS
nly coming to the Ottawa, in order to ol
tain of God the favor OF being able
visit the nations of the Mississippi r.veI'
The winter was spent in preparation f
the expedition and studying over al tn;
hsd yet been learned OF the great rive
In gathering around them every India
Ma.aderer, and amid the eawny srot