The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-28

other spell of hard rowing on lake or
river; then another portage. When Ath-
abasca and the Reindeer river are
reached it is tramp, tramp, tramp near
ly all of the way to the lake-nearly
$50 miles-for in that distance the
stream rushes into noisy roar in a
close series of cataracts among giant,
foam into which tie water is churned.
This part of the trip takes sometimes
six or seven weeks. e.." r ~ =.
The Real Frozen NORTH
| North of Reindeer lake-the country
into which Father Turquetil is now go
ing-is the real 'tfrozen north' of to-
day. The pushing back of the Arctic
circle is one of the wonders of the gen
apolis and St. Paul were trading posts.
| Out of the strange, forbidding country
to the north came Indians with furs
and stories of deep, dark forests and,
beyond those, vast, illimitable stretches
Of fiat, barren lands continually covered
with ice, over which the wind, snow
whose sole inhabitants were the strange
animals whose skins were displayed in
evidence, and, Of course, the Red Man,
for it was his own country. And to-
day the arctic Of yesterday is yielding
up bountiful harvests: Of grain Of the
highest grade to the thousands of white
men from "the states' and towns ARE
springing up with ~rapidity,, that taxes
the credulity. There is still a "frozen
north,' but it is not that Of genera.
ton ago. And into this "frozen north -
Father Turquetil is going for his confer
ence with the most powerful potentate
Of the polar regions.
On On Into the Northland.
The trip will be made on: skis and
dog sleighs: In these the provisions ms
do dom tai L viii and wonderful ply
siuue. Father Caste says. that no man
whose life and soul are not voluntarily
consecrated to a great work ever could
make a Journey of that kind. There
will be tramping day after day, over the
binding, white snow, thru calm and
blow, either meaning a Temperature of
so degrees or more below zero-thru
!: succession of dreary wastes broken here
and there by great masses, almost noun.
on foot must stumble and the sleighs be
overturned and battered; by forests
whose fallen tree trunks and tangled
underground, the accumulation Of cen:
turtles in which no man has disturbed
, , them, making travelling discouragingly
diff cult; and again by. streams whose
cataracts, rumbling violently, defy the
cold to freeze them.
And then there will be night after
night in which the father and his guides
must dig deep down into the snow. and
build for themselves a little shelter in
) which they can cuddle in their, furs fol
rest which the work of the day always
makes so welcome. If the dogs are
, tame-few Of them ,are77T77they. will be
!; that the humans may enjoy The warmth
: which their bodies give off. If they
: are wild the little faithful brutes will
i. sneak off by themselves when night
draws nigh and dig holes in the snow
r and make their own sleeping place:
| therein.
= Next morning, always, there will b.
a renewal of the long. long tramp across
: into the northland. :.
), Takes His Church Along. -
i One of the most important and cher
ished articles in the outfit which Faith
l. er Turquetil has taken with him is i
remarkable continuance which is tn
L product of the vast wilderness-a porta
Q BILE altar. In a box one and one hal
feet long, one foot wide, and one deep
4 (which may be constructed = an. exae
s miniature of a large church altar Their
o are the chalice, paten, the, wine an.
water cruets, besides all of the vest
wine and altar bread. The large al
n ticles are in several pieces, SO that l.
q packing they, are very compact.
o Whenever in his travels the fathe
It come a Christian, he will erect his a
y TART takes but three or four minute
g to do it-and say mass, whether it be j
r a snow-flled forest, out in the oper
q wind swept prairie, or on the shore o
:, an ice-clad lake or river. And one
A. each day, whether there be congregs
Is ton or the father and his guides b
j. alone, the ceremony will be performe
n, with the same elaborate service and tn
= earnest devotion that are characteristic
10 of the Catholic church.: -. ,z- 49,.
% Father Caste tells of incidents of hi
is service in the far north which illustrat
10 the difficulties and hardships undo
10 which Father Turquetil will have t
8. perform the service. He says that h
was so cola dS that the 'H %ns Reate
It the fire until it's use was demanded
or froze before he could take a sip, an
sc that the cup became SO cold that
st Glove to his lips 50 that when he will
~ drew it it tore the flesh. There is n
os variation out IN the Wilderness, ne say
il from the ceremony Of the church. Du
Is ing the reading from the missal tt
10 priest keeps his hands extended som
v times when the cold is so biting thu
b they take on that nunbness which. ind
= Gates no further ability to receive tt
sensations Of pain. =. NJ @''s>:
\ Turquetl the Man.
The man who is making this remar7
able journey and who will conduct +
the church this important conferen
with the pagan chief, is but % yea
old. He was born in France. Compile
ing his rhetorical courses he became
novitiate. After a year as such, al
with full knowledge Of the step he W;
taking, having been fully and complet
~ Informed, he joined the Order 2
Oblates, taking the four vows Of pove
ty, chastity, obedience and sperseve
ance. Then he was sent to the scholo
, l ticate, where he finished his Philosopf
cal and theological studies. He BEGAN
a priest, was sent to Canada and lmm
diately he took up the work among t.
Indians at the mission on Reindeer lax
first working with Father Caste.
1901 Father Caste became i'll and W
brought along the perilous route
; III Prince Albert and taken to the st. Bo
: face hospital, near Winnipeg, whel
4 altho Is years old he survived mo
dangerous operation. He begged t
, permission to return to his mission, b
the bishop would not permit it.
y