The Irish standard., 1899-08-26

are at all tolerated within their walls
and not relegated to some building,
called church or meeting house, where
they can go on Sundays. protest,
therefore, in the name OF true civiliza-
ton, true charity towards the Indians
and their best interests even as mere
members Of the human family against
the government policy which has set its
face against UNCONVENTIONAL schools
among our Indians, and has destined
them to total extinction in the near
future, in order to give place to sys-
tenn OF education which will make the
Indian wittier, sharper, more cunning,
but will never make him man such as
a good, sound intellectual and moral
education would have made him. Even
now many whites say that they have
more respect and confidence in full
blooded Indian than in those half-civil-
lied alfbrceds, who have generally all
the vices Of the white man without his
redeeming virtues.
AS to the older Indians the way to
civilize them is first by religion. Civil
lzation naturally follows Christianity.
This can easily be seen and verified All
nations OF Europe were at one time liv-
ing like our wild Indians. The ancient
Germans, Gauls, Britons, Normans,
were all barbarians, living like our pa
gan Indians. How were they civilized?
Through and by the church. This is
the plain teaching OF history-and do
not forget it-by the Catholic church.
1t was the church that first Christian
lied and then and thereby civilized our
ancient forefathers. Where the mis-
sionary got foothold there church
was built, monastcrics, schools and in
stitutions OF learning erected. Around
these churches and monasteries small
villages sprang TIP, which gradually be-
came large, flourishing cities. The mis-
sionarics and their co-laborers taught
the barbarians agriculture and the arts
OF civilized life. All this took centu-
ries to accomplish. And so now-and
speak from personal observation-as
soon as an Indian becomes convert to
Christianity he instinctively begins to
adopt the habits OF civilized life. This
is so much true that the Indians, who
are determined to remain in their pa
gansn and wild state, will not listen to
the Christian preacher because they
know and say that if they take the white
mans religion they must also adopt his
ways and cease to be real Indians.
What the cllurch-the Catholic
church-has done for the Indian can be
seen everywhere. You have, no doubt,
read "Parkman on the Jesuit Relations" :"
now published by Protestant frm-I
believe Burrows Brothcrs-and admired
the heroic sclf-sacrifice OF those grand
old missionaries in Canada and the
wilds OF Wisconsin, Michigan and Hi
nois-Brcbcuf, Lalamant, Garnicr,
Daniel Mcnard, Alloucz, Marquette and
others, many of whom were put to a
most cruel and horrible death by the
people they we're trying to convert.
You have here in California every
where the vcstigcs OF the labors OF the
Franciscan Fathers. The ruins of their
buildings everywhere give testimony to
the great truth known to all Indians
that the Catholic priest is the Indians
trucst and best friend. The priest comes
to him with straight story and plain
message, because he is the lawfully
commissioned representative of the
church which dates from Christ and
His apostles. The Catholic priest does
not try to get the Indians money, nor
his pine, nor his lands, and the Indian
knows that; consequently every Indian,
even the pagan, has deep respect for
the "black gown" the man without wife
or children, who speaks to them OF the
Great Spirit, the Master of Life.
They respect him even when they do
not want to accept his religion. I will
show this by few facts that know to
be perfectly true.
In 1862 the Chippcwas were ready to
go upon the war path at the time of the
Sioux massacre and it was Father Pierz,
a Slavonian missionary, who went un-
armed to the camp OF "Hole-in-tle-
Day." the war-chicf OF the Chippewas
Fnear Crow Wing, Mimi, ard persuaded
them to lay down their arms, go to
Grow Wing and make peace with the
Indian commissioners. Were it not for
this priest who took his life in his hand
so to say, in order to shield the whites
against Indian massacre, hundreds, per-
haps thousands OF white settlers would
have been killed. And these Indians
we're not Christians, but wild, pagan
Indians-still one poor old, feeble man
OF about scvcnty-sevcn years accom-
plishcd what not any other man could
have done. This is true and 1 have
read it in his own report OF that year to
the Leopoldine Society OF Vienna, Aus
tria.
: In our days the same thing was done
by Rev. Aloysius Hermenutz, o. S. B.,
of White Earth Reservation, MINI.
You remember how about a year ago
M;ooecoto mac m the verge Of an In