The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-07-09

CELEBRATION or DE sMETss
LANDING RECALLS DRAMA oFl
MISSIONARIES cAREER-TAucHTl
RED MEN AND LOVED nv THEM
CONQUERED SITTING BULL
AND HIS WARRIORS.
by Rev. T. J. Campbell, 8. j..
In front of the principal church of
Termonde, or Dondermonde, in Bel
GUM, stands a splendid bronze statue
Of Father De Smet, holding cross in
one hand and an olive branch In the
Iother. It is very artistic piece Of
work and portrays the old missionary
just as he appeared when laboring
among the red men. It has nothing of
the saucy half military attitude which
obtrudes itself somewhat extensively
in the counterfeit presentments Of
Jogues and Marquette.
| Termonde or Dondermonde is a
small place Of seven OF eight thousand
| Inhabitants and stands at the confiu-
/ ence of the Sheldt and the Donder.
| There Peter De Smet was born. When
he dumped around the streets In his
wooden sabots, he never imagined for
a moment that in the course Of time
his statue would be the principal fea-
ture of the town. and his reputation as
q great missionary its supreme glory,
i He was about eleven or twelve years
old when the booming of the cannon
on the field of Waterloo was heard in
Dondermonde. Religion was then only
emerging from the wreck caused by
the French Revolution and it was a
brave act of the boy to let 1t be known
; that he wanted to be priest. II was
, still drawer to offer himself as an
: Indian missionary when the SANITY
Father Nerinckx arrived from Amer
lea and asked for help from the valiant
Belgians as st. Francis had calico
them a couple Of centuries before. HI
land Verreydt, Van Assche, Verhaegen
ISmedts, and Elet met on the Isiant
Of Texel, in July, 1921, and on the stou
brig Columbia, sailed away over th'
ocean ALI of them had to pawn some
!. Eof their belongings to pay for thei
passage.
There were no ocean liners in thos
times and it took forty days to reacl
Philadelphia. They were all candidate
flor the Society of Jesus and we're sen
j ito Whitemarsh, in Maryland, for thei
i novitiate, but as that property wa
e claimed by Archbishop Marechal, til
Il fathers had determined to close thei
l. humble establishment and to SEN
If back the novices to Europe.
vi At this stage of the proceeding
ST Bishop Du Bourg, Of New Orleans, al
k peared ON the scene and carried Their
OF to Florissant in Missouri. They Sc
h out from Whitemarsh on April II
a 1923, trekking all the way till the
Il reached Wheeling, which was fou
r. hundred miles from Whitenarsh. A
.eI wheeling they purchased two fla
,fI boats on which they loaded their e
fleets and with them foated down til
e beautiful river. They were supremel
!, happy, for they had their daily Mas
!. Iand all the exercises Of the novitiat
. as exactly as II they were still Q
= Whitemarsh. They drifted on till the
. reached Shawnee-town, there stowe
their traps on steamer and afte
= selling their aat boats tramped all th
!. way to st. Louis, which they reache
= after month and halt
Here begins an Indian Odyssey.
e. the early part Of the century numbt
d. Of Iroquois Indians from the old Jesu
OF reservation Of Caughnawaga, ne;
o. Montreal, had set out on tram
s. across the Continent. They were hea
n ed by two braves named Ignace Sho
&c owane and Regis Brugiere, appel
is tons which showed clearly enous
ne where these Indians got their Chri
al tianity. They had not forgotten the
old teachers, although the Society
Jesus had been suppressed in 1773 al
was not yet re-established in Canad
With Nex Perces and Flatheads.
When they reached the country
the Nez Perces and the Flatheads. tn,
lc lwere very Hospitality received and
return odd Ignace," who was sair
warned his new friends not to delay
Igetting a black robe" to instruct the
in the doctrines of Christianity. Ca
Is ada was the most likely place to 9
a. tain help, but Lewis and Clarke b;
an just then opened the great nation
d. trail from st. Louis to Oregon, and,
nj the suggestion Of Ignatius, four In
10 ians started of for st. Louis to Al
81 Bishop Rosati for priest, but U
OF fortunately none was obtainabie. r,
ne OF the Indians died there and the ty
On others started for home to tell OF ths
MS failure.
edl Finally Father De Smet was dfsct
rs, cred among the Pottawatamies
m. Young IgnAce," who was on his W
no to st. Louis to renew his entreaties
"Blackrobe." This was In 1888. q
villi when the necessary preliminaries b
ew been gone through with, De SIN
ab- started up the Oregon trail. It to
Of him two months to reach his destii
lch ton; he was shaking with maiar
sh. fever all the way. This was In 10
. A.