The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17
HOW THEOLDM|SS|ONOF
ST.MARYS WAS FOUNDED
Continued from Page 400

About one-third of the Flathead tribes
were baptized. The eagerness of the In
dams to learn more of the religion made
them willing pupils and the priests
found the time all too brief for the i'm
mense amount of work that presented
itself for their consideration. They Ia
bored increasingly and the good results
of their efforts soon became apparent.
Christmas was drawing near and the
missionaries began their preparations
for the celebration of this, the most i'm
portant holiday in the church calendar.
With all the solemnity that was possible
under the circumstances this holy day
was observed at the new mission The
priests were encouraged and the pros
poets for the success of their work be-
| came brighter as time advanced. On
that Christmas day 115 Flatheads, in
Guiding several chiefs, received the rites
of baptism, as did IS Nez Perces led by
a chief, and Blackfoot chieftain and
his family. ....
The diary of Father Desmet contains
the following entry, made on Christmas
night: Il began my first mass at I
o'clock in the morning. At in the aft
ernoon 1 was still in the chapel. Be
tween 800 and 700 newly made Chris
tians with bands of little children bap-
| tized within the past year all assembled
! within the poor church in the midst of
| of God was scarcely known, offering to
| their Creator their regenerated hearts,
| protesting that they would persevere in
the holy service of God until death, was
certainly an offering most acceptable to
| God and which, we trust. will draw
down the dews of heaven upon the Flat
head nation and the neighboring
| tribes"
There is another phase of the early
| work of the priests in the Bitter Root
valley that deserves mention in this
connection 1t was their purpose, not
only to instruct the Indians in religious
| matters, but also to teach them agri-
culture and to improve their temporal
condition. Religion and civilization
should go hand in hand and this was
the plan of Father DeSmet. According
| ly, among the first labors of the priests
| and their associates was the building
of rail fence to enclose some fertile
ground, which was that fall prepared
for planting. Father DeSmet made G
trip to the Colville mission in Washing
ton. where he secured seed for crops OF
wheat, oats and potatoes. In the fol-
lowing spring the Indians We're amazed
to see this seed placed in the ground
| They could not believe that It would not
rot and be ruined and for the first time
they almost doubted the priests. They
| regarded too, the tearing up of the
SOdded eartn with dissatisfaction. as
they though it meant the destruction
of their pasturage. When they saw the
process of sowing. which they watched
with curiosity, they were openly skep
teal. But they watched closely an6
soon beheld evidence positive that thu
| predictions Of the priests had been true
| William Claessens, one of the lay broth
ers. had charge of the farming work
and he was watched daily by long
line Of Indians, perched upon the toy
rail of his fence When the green shoot
began to appear the Indians We're com
pletely mystified, but they We're also de
lighted at the successful outcome o
the experiment and they watched will
impatient interest the growth of tht
crop. Happily for the success of tn,
mission work. the yield was an abund
ant one and in the fall of 1912 the frs
crop harvested in Montana was gath
cred. Of the later work of the priests
in this line. in which the revered Fathe
Ravalli played so important a part
more will be said in a later article. whei
the further history of the mission will
be given.