The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-04-04
LABoRs OF FATHER MARQUETTE

Among the statues of famous char
acters in American history ranged in
a circle round the walls Of Statuary
Hall, in the National Capital, none
takes its place more worthily in the
American Pantheon than that of the
heroic Jesuit priest, Father James
Marquette, placed there by the State
Of Wisconsin. No nobler spirit among
the heroic sons Of Catholic France
who came to the wilds Of America to
spread the light of Christian civiliza-
ton among the savage tribes ever en-
tered upon the hazardous mission
from loftier or holier motives, and
none left to posterity a more edifying
example.
The Marquettes represented one of
the noblest families of France, the
city of Laon, where James Marquette
was born in the year 1887. His pious
mother, Rose De La Sale, was rela-
tive of the venerable La Sale, the
founder of the Brothers of the Chris
tian Schools. At the age Of 81 years
he was ordained a priest of the Jesuit
Order. He was sanguine to enter the
missionary field, and in 1866 he went
to Quebec, and was assigned to the
mission of Three Rivers, to study the
Algonquin and Huron languages for a
time before entering on the Lake Su-
.perior missions.
The first Catholic altar was erected
by him and the first Mass celebrated
in that Western field at Sault Sainte
Marie. The famous missions Of the
Hurons established SO years before by
Father LIE Caron and his little corps
of Franciscan Fathers, who accom-
panied Champlain to the headquarters
of the Hurons at Georgian Bay, had
been swept out of existence by the
fierce Iroquois, but many of the scat
tered Hurons we're found farther
West, where Marquette had estab-
lished his mission, and were glad to
welcome the new "Black Robe"
The mission of sault sainte Marie
was on the American side Of the
straits connecting Lake Huron and
Lake Superior, and is in the present
Diocese of Marquette, Michigan. It
has a Catholic population Of about
$4,000. A number Of Indians still re.
side there, and there is flourishing
school for Indian children under the
direction of the Sisters, with an at
tendance of several hundred children.
Father Marquette spent couple of
years at Mackinaw preaching to the
Indians and instructing them.
On Dec. 8, the Feast Of the I'M
maculate Conception, 1872, a canoe
landed at the mission, and Louis Jol-
let announced himself. He had been
sent by the Count de Frontenac, Gov
ernor of Canada, with instructions to
undertake the discovery of the Missis-
sippi, and to take Father Marquette
as his guide and companion. They
started on their perilous and toilsome
journey on May II, 1874, and after
several months Of careful preparation.
They sailed down the west shore Of
Lake Michigan to Green Bay, then
padded up the Fox river, carried
their canoes overland to the Wiscon-
sin river, sailed down the Wisconsin
into the Mississippi, the junction Of
which they reached on June II, just
one month from the day they left
Mackinaw.
A month later they had reached the
junction of the Arkansas river with
the Mississippi and satisfied them
selves that the Mississippi flowed into
the Gulf Of Mexico. They decided to
return and report their discoveries to
the Governor of Canada. They faced
tho adversed current and toiled up
thu river, reaching Green Bay after
having travelled over 1900 miles in
their frail canoes in four months. Fa-
Their Marquette remained at Green
Bay to regain his failing health, while
Joliet proceeded to report to Governor
Frontenac and give to the world the
benefit of their perilous exploration
and discoveries.
The next winter Father Marquette
was confined to his rude forest couch
by painful illness, but the next sum-
The Rev. Father Joseph Mccarthy,
n NJ T. the first narish nriest who