Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-09-02

-HE death of Father Laurence Paliadi-
no In Missoula the other day severed
the mortal link that connected the
pioneer period of Christianity in
Montana with the modern period. His
passing removed the last Of the brave
band of Catholic priests who gave freely
of their time and talents to lay the foun-
dalton of civilization among the Indian
tribe Of the treasure state.
And of all Catholic missions establish
ed by the Jesuits in Montana, none had
a more interesting history than st. Peters
which, after having been started on four
different sites was temporarily abandoned
for eight years, then re-opened and en-
larged and, finally, after more than sc
years. abandoned for all time. st. Peters
was the first mission established by the
JeSuits east of the Rocky mountains
IN what is now Montana.
How st. Peters came to be established
and all the trials and fluctuations that
went into the making Of it is an inter-
esting story.
1t will be remembered that Catholicism
was invited by the Indians to come to
what is now Montana. That is the first
and only instance in history OF savages
seeking out Christian religion, the usual
practice being the missionaries seeking
out the savages.
A few years after Lewis and Clark
ulhQG lllCI 1lClllOldDlC ChPCQll4Oh At
what Is nov western Montana, a band OF
Iroquois Indians, about "a in number
wandered from their home land in east
tern anada across the Mississippi valley
and up to what is now known as the
Bitter Root valley Of this state. Here
they attached themselves to the Selfish
or Flathead Indians and, among other
interesting things, told them about the
religion of the white man.
Father DeSmet Came I'm 1910
The Flatheads and the Nez Perces, who
were neighbors, became quite interested
In this new religion n in 1881 they
sent a delegation to st. Louis to invite
the "blackrobes" or Catholic priests tc
come and live with them and teach then
Christianity. This expedition was not {
success. Two of the four Indians dice
while In St.Louis, and though the Other
two were given passage on the steamer
yellowstone" on its first trip up thu
Missouri to Fort Union, both died be-
fore they reached their home in the
Bitter Root.
Though the Flatheads never learned
what became OF the four men until year!
afterwards, they sent out three othel
delegations to urge the "blackrobes" tx
come to their country. Finally. in 1910
Father Peter j. DeSmet, q Jesuit, made
the tedious trek to the Snake river
country In Idaho where he met a large
delegation Of the Flatheads and Nez
Perces. He returned to st. Louis tina
winter and the next year came back tx
what is now Montana establishing thu
first Christian mission In the Bitter Roo
valley. 1t was called st. Mary.
1t was not difficult for the Flathead'
to understand the white mans religion
When still pagans. they believed In
Good Spirit and q bad one, according tx
Father Palladino who spent many year
among them AND left a record Of hi
activity and the activities OF othe
priests In missionary work in western
Montana. In q book called Indian ane
White in the Northwest"
With the F1atheads, the good Indiar
went to a country of perpetual
summer, where the rivers were alive witt
fish and the plains swarming with buf
falo n horses. The bad Indian, on tn,
contrary, was doomed to a place covered
with perpetual ice n snow, where h,
would always be shivering with cold. HI
could see fire, but afar off. he would SCI