The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-10-28
IAN ELOQUENT TRIBUTE:
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The following is a report of the ad-
dress delivered bv the Hon. John F..
Finerty at the Central Music hall. Chi
cago, last week on the occasion of the
golden jubilee OF tine Holy Name par
iSE.
MIR. Finerty said that. as far as his
torical records told OF other days, fol-
lowing the aborigines, Catholic mis-
sionarieS or explorers first laid eyes on
the great territory of which Chicago is
the center and metropolis. In the far
away time of the winter of 1915 the
Industrious Pere Marquette had encamp-
ed on these shores, and ne and other
intrepid pathfinders and evangeLizers
had mapped out the ground, traversed
the prairies and nayigated the great
rivers that had since been taken pos
session of by men of a different race,
who claimed, without justice, all credit
for civilization and progress on the
American continent. But those early
explorers, who had broken a pathway
for the swarming immigrants Of a
later period, were all of the French
race and of Catholic faith-tfe heroic
pioneers of the gospel and of liberty.
They could recall with pride the
names of Marquette, of LaSaue, OF
Joliet and other brave and noble men
Of that early daY, who carried the
cross and the civilization of which 1t
was the precursor into the wilderness,
and gave to the outer world the first
knowledge it had received of the mag
nificent virgin territory which lay pc
yond the st. Lawrence and the Allie
ghenies and was genmed by the great
lakes and drained by the great rivers
of what was now termed the middle
west: and from that time down to pne
comparatively recent period when Ere
mont explored the rugged passes OF the
mighty western mountains the hardy
and adventurous children of France
were ever found in the vanguard OF
American progression toward the set
ting sun.
wherever they went, on the minds OF
tine So wage aborigfnes, as friends, not
as foes. They did not approach the
Indian in the offensive attitude of con-
ouerors and masters. but as benetac-
tors and brethren. 1t was no wonder
then. that after the savage tribes De
came acquainted with their policy they
grew to be the brothers and allies OF
fine genial Frenchmen, and, in proper
ton, hated and battled against their
enemies. Nor had their influence dl-
unfinished among the Indians down
even to our CWn daY. In the hercest
period of the great Sioux war OF quar-
fer OF a century ago, the man VINO
smoke the French tongue, or VITO wore
the simple cassock of the Catnoic
priest, could pass unscathed through
those warlike tribes, who def1ed, IN lne
pride CT their savage strength, ehe
whole power and majesty, OF the gov
eminent of the United States.
WHY was this? Because the brave
French NJ SsionarieS net alone preacned'
but practiced the doctrine of CHRISTIAN
charity. They preached love and uiley
practiced love. They did not lie to the
savage: thew did not rob or cypress
him. They did an in their power, to
make him seff-suppporting and they
taught him also, in their gentle but
potent fashion, love for the living God.
Thus the savages came to have
confidence in them, to bear the
cross and to wear ito love the French
nation and the Catholic fafth-th'at
faith which appealed more to their I'M
tutored hearts because of the sincerity
of its teachers than the colder bellefS
which vanity Sought ITO supplant IT..
Nor was 1T among the saVageS of TINS
region alone the Catholic faith proved
itself a. Softener of hard hearts and q
stern conflicts of the Spanish conquer
ors ended in the subjugation of Mexico,
that branch of the Latin race reSorted
to the kindlier methods of the Cathoflc
missionaries. The sword was laid ASIDE,
the symbol of salvation took its place.
Today 10000 900 at least of Mexican IN
dian Catholics knelt at the same altar
with his (the speaker's) audience ana
contributed to the strength and the
glory of the Mexican republic, repre-
scented in Chicago that night by Senior
Mariscal-one of it's foremost patriots
and statesmen They could go
south beyond the Mexican line to the
rich republic of Guatemala; on through
Central America to the southern contl-
nent. on through Columbia. Venezuela,
Brazil. Ecuador, the republics of the
western coast. sentinaled by the ma
iestic Cordil1eras of the Andes;
through the Argentine to the extremes
of Patagonia, and they would ind the
native tribes assimilated with the
latin or the Celtic races-the cousins OF
the Latin-yes, with 5OOOO,Ooo Ca6n LOO I
communicates to supplement the 9,5O0,-
GOO Catholics of the United states.
They were too much in bne
habit of accepting the gross
falsei1oods of the so-called American
literature of the day, which gave 10
the Anglo-Saxon race credit for the
discovery and advancement. almost for
the creation, of the American CONT
nentS. -.
But the facts of impartial history dtd
not sustain these vain assumptions.
columbus. the Genoese, backed by the
money and influence of the spanish
monarch Ferdinand and his great con-
sort Isabella. the Catholic, had dared
tho terrors of an unknown ocean ana
fi1.st "brought a new world into contact
Nth fine old Another bright
SON of italy, Amerigo Vespuccio'
tT1e Florentine. an accomplished sur
veyor, gave his name to the twin con-
tinenfs. Cabot. Magellan and the other