The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-11-29

cation, however, came, not by force of
arms, but by the influence of the
church.
To-day you behold tribe of men
and women VINO have abandoned all
the distinctive features of Indian tribal
life, such as the blanket, tepee, dances,
unshorn hair, etc. To all appearances,
aside from the rugged Indian faces,
they are dressed the same, with per-
haps more modesty: indeed. they could
hardly be distinguished from their
pale-faced brethren They follow with
phenomenal results the peaceful avo-
cations of farmers. Large, commodi-
Gus houses, mostly two-storied and
frame, not unfrequently surmounted
by the cross; capacious barns, modern
agricultural implements, including
steam threshers;t we'll bred horses and
fattened horned cattle; and, above all,
vast expanses of undulating land COW
cred with golden wheat and corn crops,
cultivated by themselves and white
men whom they employ-these elicit
the admiration of every onlooker and
the envy of the land-grabber
THE entire tribe is Catholic, and
Catholic in all that the name-honor,
dignity and esponsibility-imp All
duties of life yield to and are con-
trolled by their religion. Its import
ance looms over every other consider
alton, enters into every detail. Let me
take the first Friday of the month as
an eXemplification of its devotion to
the Sacred Heart Their own houses
and farms are literally deserted at such
times. On Thursday afternoon from
hill and valley wagons containing the
whole household-not excluding the
dogs-may be seen; the more stalwart
and daring of both sexes, however,
come on horseback The horses are
Embarrassed, hobbled and turned out
to Craze. Smoke begins curling out of
the cottage chimneys. All is hustle,
but no noisy excitement. In the church
Father Curueno-who has Iabored
among these people for forty years,
and Who under God, is responsible for
the ideal conditions existing there
and his Jealous companion, Father
Schiller, are already besieged by pen
itents in the confessional
Zone by one, totally absorbed in the
work, with moccasined tread they ap
proach and enter the tribunal of pen
ance. Intense devotion is pictured on
every lineament of the dark, red.
scanned countenances. Dimmed eyes
were not undiscernable, suppressed
signs not inaudible; PROSTATE forms,
with eyes riveted on the tabernacle,
or with downcast faces, beating their
breasts, dot the church in all direc-
tons. The work of confession-Whe
penitents beiated by swollen streams,
wrecked bridges or casual mishaps, re-
tard the task-goes on till after mid
night.
Holy mass is offered up the next
morning at half after 6 o'clock. Before
the bell announces the hour the church
is tironged. The men occupy one side
of the church. the women the other.
ManJ 0f the women-if not most of
them-bring their babes and children
with them to the church. The chief,
Weilsholegn, begins reciting the morn
ing prayers, the ten commandments
and the act of conservation, in the
Occur d'Alene dialect, in slow, meas
ured, subdued, sibilant at times gut
tural, tones. All the prayers for holy
communion are recited aloud by the
congregation. Before the elevation
strophe of hymn is sung, the same
Immediately after
1.-THE moment of holy communion was
intensely devotional, dramatic and
heart piercing. First the chief and
his councillors, in the insignia of their
office, wearing badges of the Sacred
Heart, approached the altar, followed
by the old and young men. After the
men came the women-many of them
carrying their babies, some leading
children who would not be separated
from their mothers