The Irish standard., 1905-07-22
The Meeting an Evidence of the Great Work
Done BY the Jesuits, Who Are Ex-
lies From Germany.
The Work of These Men is Not Confined to
the Spiritual, But Extends to the
Material Life Also.

AS a consequence he lost some of the
more undesirable portion of his flock,
but those who remained steadfast
made up in ardor what they lacked
in numbers, and now that a proper
beginning has been made, Father Dig
mann looks forward to increasing sue
cess in subsequent congresses.
The missions are in charge of the
German Jesuits whose novitiate is in
Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty years ago
Mother Drexel built the first of the
Mission buildings on a desolate spot
ten miles from Rosebud Agency,
South Dakota, and eighteen miles
from the nearest railroad station,
Crookston, Nebraska; the first SUPER
ior was Father Perig, who was sue
ceeded by Father Digmann in 1889;
after three years Father Digmann was
removed to Pine Ridge Agency, where
he remained until 1895, returning to
ST. Francis where he has since had
charge; Father Perig looks after the
hnances. There are four priests,
thirteen lay brothers, one scholastic,
and seventeen sisters of the order of
Patience and Christian Charity con-
nected with the Mission, the common
purpose being the proper education of
the Indian children, and the proper
spiritual care of the whole Indian COM
munity, numbering about two thou
sand souls, belonging almost entirely
to the Sioux nation.
Last year there were 280 pupils in
the school, of whom 160 were girls.
Only one-half the time is spent in the
school room, the remainder being de-
voted to teaching various trades to
the boys, and the mysteries Of good
housekeeping to the girls. Though
the Mission has been allotted 800
acres of government land for it's use,
it has not, and cannot get, title to
even single acre, but despite this
fact, buildings worth a hundred thou,
sand dollars have been erected, the
church alone having cost about ten
thousand dollars. The writer was in.
vited by Father Cassidy of O'Neill, to
accompany him to the Mission, and
words fail to describe the emotions
which arose at sight of the heroism
displayed by these good men and
women who have sought their life
work in this desolate Indian reserva-
tion. twenty-five years ago last
Fourth of July Fathers Digmann and
Perig reached Boston, exiles from
Germany under Bismarck's edict ban
ishing the Jesuits. They are of the
same age (fifty-nine years., both
highly educated and refined gentle
men, both typical heroes of mission
ary life, tall, erect, vigorous, with
long boards now tinged with the tell.
tale touch of time, and hardships, and
care; but they bring to their task
among these unappreciative wards Of
the government cheerful persever-
ance which is extraordinary, and is
explicable only in the light of rich
heavenly reward which the eye of
faith bids them feel will some day be
theirs.
How we'll these devoted men and
women have labored these twenty
years may be judged from the fact
that they have baptized about three
thousand Indians, and have buried
about thousand of them with all the
consultations of the church, besides
maintaining sodalities and other or.
ganizations for fostering the spark Of
faith in the savage breast. Nor has
the gain been wholly spiritual. Even
thirty years ago Indian men did very
little work, but idled their lives away
| in their rude native garb, isolated
| from the white man by language, Gus
toms, traditions and all that goes to
form distinct peoples. Now the In
dian brave is beginning to cultivate
the soil, he has replaced his blanket
with white mans dress, and his Ian
guage and manners and mode Of living
are fast being supplanted by those of
his brothers about him. He is emerg-