Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1909-07-03
New York and Vermont VIII Vie in
Honoring the Great
Explorer.
Cardinal Gibbons and Several Arch
bishops Will Assist at
Ceremonies.
PRESIDENT TAFT TO BE THERE

great preparations to celebrate the
| tri-centenary of the discovery of Lake
Champlain this month. The great
water pageant depicting the discovery
of the lake and Champlain's first
battle will be interesting, and on the
opening day, July 4, at Burlington,
VT, under the supervision of the
Catholic clergy, masses will be offered
up and sermons delivered in the open.
Among the prominent ecclesiastics
who will take part are Cardinal
Gibbons, Archbishops Ireland and
Farley, of the United States, and sew
eral Archbishops from Canada. The
Catholic Summer School, at Cliff
Haven, on Lake Champlain, will be
almost in the center of the many his
torical scenes to be depicted during
the week.
Generations have come and gone
and Lake Champlain still lies between
the green hills as it did three hundred
years ago, as it doubtless will three
hundred years hence. Champlain dis
covered and named the lake only a
few months before Henry Hudson
discovered the famous river that
. bears his name, and both of these
great waterways still keep green the
memory of men who were in the
vanguard of those bold explorers and
navigators who opened to the world
this great country of ours.
That Champlain was made of
heroic mould from which come
founders of States no one will deny,
and the Jesuit historian, Charlevoix,
has with poetic justice called him
The Father of New France"
Champlain was born at Brouge, a
French seaport town, in 1861. He
was a man of many parts-soldier,
sailor. geographer, historian and
courtier. He was always an ardent
Catholic, but did not espouse the
cause of Henry W. of France until
the latter renowned the HuguenOts
and conformed to the true faith. Then
he became a great favorite of that
dashing, soldier-King and from him
received many favors.
Champlain's father was a sea Cap
tain and from his earliest youth the
son accompanied his father on many
voyages, thus gaining a practical
knowledge of navigation. In 1903 he
was permitted to accompany an ex-
petition to that part of Canada then
called New France. His object was
two-fold-to Christianize the natives,
found colony and TO write detailed
description of New France and its in
habitants. This first voyage of
Champlain was successful insofar that
no accidents occurred, and on his sec
ond visit he sailed up the st. Law
renee river and, landing about 1875
miles from the gulf, founded the first
fortified French colony in New
France, naming the place Quebec, an
Indian name which means narrow
ing of the stream" Here he built
church and a rude fort, the first in
the new land. The first mass was
celebrated out of DOORS The Indians
forming a circle on the outside looked
on in wonderment. deeming these
white men mysterious beings sent
them by the Great Spirit. Afterward
Champlain explored far afield, making
many voyages and as court geogra-
pher and historian has described his
travels in quaint quarto. volumes
published in Paris in 1604-5.
1t was on his second voyage that
ut QioSONCACu lllt Si0dl ldht Which,
bears his name, and by strange
coincidence the discovery was made
on July 4, but 1877 years before that
greatest of all Fourths of July.
And so it is fitting that this his
toric region should now stand in the
limelight of public attention, for if
it is just three hundred years since
Champlain discovered and named the
lake and fought his first battle when
he, with his two bands of redmen,
sixty Hurons and Algonquins, twenty
four canoes in all, met the hostile
Iroquois, whom they defeated after
a fierce skirmish, July, 1909, near
Ticonderoga, and from that defeat
dates the undying hatred of the
Iroquois toward the French.
Since then this historic lake has
witnessed many scenes in the drama
of warfare, and the coming celebra-
ton is fitting tribute to a man
whose name has been termed the
foremost on the list of American
pioneers.
President Taft and Vice President
Sherman will be among the honored
guests on one or more days during
the week.