Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-07-20
Last Active Work.
of Bishop Stanley:

(The last active service of Bishop
Stanley in his church work in the
state was in connection with the big
Indian gathering at Fort Totten.
The special article below in this con-
nection takes ON additional interest.)
Devils Lake, July 17.-Beginning
Sunday morning there gathered at
St. Michael's mission, better known
as the "Old Mission" near the
shores of Devils lake, one of the
most remarkable Indian congrega-
lions of recent years, a congress of
Catholic Indians, with thousands Of
red men from all over the north
west in attendance, and with Bishop
Stanley of the diocese of North Da-
kota in charge, assisted by Father
jerome Hunt, o. S. B., of St. Mich
ael's mission, at Fort Totten, Rev.
Father William H. Ketcham, Wash
|ington, D. c., Father Bernard
Strassmair, O. S. B., Standing Rock
agency, Rev. Father Albert Negahn-
quet, a full-blooded Indian priest,
land several Others ~.,
A great bower, covered with green,
with seating capacity of about T.
1000, was erected. A beautiful i'm
lprovised rustic altar was placed at
one end and when the great con-
lgregations had gathered the scene
made one of the most impressive re-
|ligious gatherings OF recent years.
On the hillside near the mission
the thousands of Indians were in
their white tepees and the best of
order prevailed among them. The
services were opened on Sunday with
solemn high mass, celebrated by the
Indian priest, Father Albert : Ne
lgahnquet, and followed by magni-
Idcent address by Father William
Ketcham of Washington, D. G. In
the afternoon service Rev. Father
BERNARD, a missionary priest among
the Indians at Standing Rock for
nearly thirty years, addressed the
red men in the Sioux tongue. Bish-
|op Stanley also made a short ad-
dress.
At all the services the music was
furnished by an Indian choir, with
Louis Myrick, a full-blooded Sioux,
presiding at the organ. There. were
Iabout thirty voices and their rendf-
ltion of the beautiful music of high
mass was splendid. The dignity and
demeanor Of even the children was
remarkable. The services were long
but at no time did they show impa-
thence.
| Bishop Vouches for Indians.
The bishop said in part: 1T was
General Sherman who, is credited
i. with having said there was no good
Indian but dead one. This I do
mot believe and although General
fisherman was a great nan, some
times even men so great can make
bad mistakes, and this was surely
one of his, for 1 have labored among
the red men now for nearly thirty
Years and found many very live and
lat the same time very good Indians. "
/ The bishop told of the beginning
LOT the Catholic church, among the
dakota Indians, and how from that
little beginning in 1874 had grown
this magnificent body of Christians.
lin 1874 the sisters started the In
dian mission at Fort Totten, and
some years, later Father Jerome
Hunt began his labors at Standing
Rock. To show how in the thirty
Years the Catholic religion had been
Iadopted by them, the bishop said
THAT in one Indian burying ground
ialone at Fl. Yates there we're over
Isix hundred Indians, all of whom
died in the faith, and" that Was only
lone Of many such burial GROUNDS
Throughout the Dakotas.
The bishop said there was only
lone conversion in history that COM
lpared with it and that was the con-
version of Ireland by st. Patrick.
Here the bishop paid a beautiful
4 tribute to Father Jerome Hunt, so
well beloved among the 1ndianrs.
Changes Seen in One Generation.
when I look over this sea OF
faces, SO devout, and glorified with
the spirit that has gathered you
here, compare it," he said, with
times when I was a boy and you
were all on the war path. I would
Irun faster than a jack rabbit to get
4 away from you; now + would travel
many thousand miles to come and
4 shake your hands. In those days
we were in constant fear you would
take our scalps; today you are good
Christians"
r,hov cornor somo advfc, from the