The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-04-30

of his money than in aiding to support the Indian
schools conducted by these noble unselfsh women"
The school to which Mr. LumTnis referred IS
situated in one of the most fertile districts of New
Mexico. Protected by the Sandia mountains on the
east, and the west washed by the crystal waters
of the ''Nile of the New World" they know naught
of the arid soil and drouth that the greater
part of the territory to be hopeless waste. Here
arc found grapes in endless variety, fruit trees
bending under their luscious burden and wheat IN
quality and quantity unequalled in any other part
of the west. Spacious buildings have beeen erected
and everything provided for a rstclass industrial
school. where the girls learn TO their hands
well as their heads. Ten or twelve Sisters preside
over the different apartments, such Kitchen aun-
dry, sewing room and class rooms. Several pre-
miums were awarded this school by the Worlds CO.
lumba exposition for specimens of work in the diff
ferent branches.
Few can estimate the sacrifices made by the Sis
ters in the cause of the Indian, and consequently,
few can realize the grief that would be felt the
Indian child deprived of these invaluable blessings,
the result of half century's work and prayer.
MOTHER KATHERINE DRExEL.
in the Indian Sentinel (for 100000, delight
full publication issued yearly by the bureau of Cath
oic Indian missions at Washington, in the inter
est of the Society for the Preservation of the Faith
Among Indian Children, find the following
acknowledgement Of the extent and effect of Mother
Katherine Drexel's magnificent gifts in support of
the church's work for the spiritual and temporal
welfare of the nations ward:'
1t is estimated that Reverend Mother NJ. Kath-
crime Drexel has expended 81 100000 in building
Catholic Indian school plants Her frequent and
generous donations to bishops priests and religious
communities for Catholic Indian mission purposes
would aggregate large sum total, which it is not
possible to determine. Since the withdrawal of
government aid from the Catholic Indian schools
she has made 1t possible for them to continue their
work by contributing every year not less than
100000 for their support. 1t can be said in truth
that if she had not granted this annual sum the
schools would long since have beeen abandoned.
On the other hand, all the Catholics of the
United States together do not contribute annually
$4,000 for Catholic Indian missions and schools.
Can it be possible that they are willing to throw
the burden of the support of their Indian schools
upon one generous woman.
Mother Katherine has not only despoied her
self of her worldly good for Gods poor but she has
consecrated to them her life, and, communicating
to others her heroic spirit of sef-sacrice has given
to the church a needed family of religious women-
the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament-who devote
themselves exclusively to the neglected Indians and
the despised negroes. Our Catholic people cannot
consecrate all their time and energies to the cause
Of the Indian, but there are some things which they
can do; they can contribute generously according
TO their towards the support of the schools;
they encourage among their children vocations
for the missions, and in this manner recruit the
ranks of the Indian missionaries and of the Sis
ters of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mother katherine cannot continue to give large |
sums of money indefinitely, and it behooves the
Catholics of the country to provide sufficient funds
to carry on the schools when her assistance is no
longer available. Her noble example should not
only wealthy Catholics to blush for their
lack of zeal and charity; it should inspire them
with the determination to provide for the contin-
uance of the great work, the burder of which, up to
the present, they have suffered her to bear almost
alone.