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Show j CATHOLIC INDIANS OF. IDAHO. Description of an Entire Tribe, Catholic in Everything. The superior of the Catholic Indian missions writes of the Coeur d'Alene Indians in north Idaho as follows: "Father De Smet first entered this country and began his work in 1841.He found the Indians wild and savage, warlike and treacherous, addicted to all the immoralities and brutalities, superstitions and idolatries Characteristic Character-istic of the "bad" Indian. The subju gation, however, came,-not by force of arms, but by the influence of the church. "Today you behold a tribe of men a'nd women ' who 'have " abandoned all! the distinctive features of Indian tribal life, such as the blanket, tepee, dances, unshorn hair, etc. ' To all appearances, aside from the" rugged Indian faces, they are dressed the same, with perhaps per-haps more modesty; indeed, they could hardly be distinguished from their pale-faced brethren. They follow with phenomenal results the peaceful avocations avo-cations of farmers. Large, commodious commodi-ous houses, mostly two-storied and frame, not unfrequently surmounted by the cross; capacious barns, modern agricultural ' implements, including steam threshers;' well-bred horses and fattened horned cattle; and, above all, vast expanses of undulating land covered cov-ered with golden wheat and corn crops, cultivated by themselves and white men whom" they employ these elicit the admiration of every onlooker and the envy of the land-grabber.' "The entire tribe is Catholic, and Catholic in all that' the name honor, dignity and responsibility implies. All duties of life yield to and are controlled con-trolled by their religion, its importance import-ance looms over every other consideration, consider-ation, enters into every detail. Let me take the first Friday of the month as an exemplification of its devotion to the Sacred Heart. Their own houses and farms are literally deserted at such times. On Thursday afternoon from hill and valley wagons containing the whole household not excluding the dogs may be seen; the more stalwart and daring of both sexes, however, come on horseback. The horses are unharnessed, hobbled and turned out to graze. Smoke begins curling out of the cottage chimneys. All is bustle, but no noisy excitement. In the church Father Curueno who has labored among these people for forty years, and who, under God, is responsible for the ideal conditions exist inrj there and his zealous companion, Father Schuler, are already besieged by penitents pen-itents in the confessional. "One by one, totally absorbed in the work, with moccashied tread they approach ap-proach and enter the tribunal of penance. pen-ance. 1'itense devotion is pictured on every lineament of the dark, red. seamed countenances. Dimmed eyes were not undiscernable, suppressed sighs not inaudible; prostrate forms, with eyes riveted on the tabernacle or with downcast faces, beating their breasts, dot the church in all directions. direc-tions. The work of confession when penitents belated by swollen streams, wrecked bridges or casual mishaps, retard re-tard the task goes on till after midnight. mid-night. "Holy mass is offered up the next morning at half after 6 o'clock. Before tho bell announces the hour the church is furonged. The men occupy one side of tne church, the women the other. Man of the women if not most of them bring their babes and children with them to the. .church. The chief, Weilsholegn, begins reciting the morning morn-ing prayers, the . ten commandments and the act of consecration, in the Coeur d'Alene dialect, in slow, measured, meas-ured, subdued, sibilant, at times guttural, gut-tural, tones. .All the prayers for holy communion are recited aloud by the congregation. Before the elevation a strophe of a hymn'is sung, the same immediately after." ' "The moment Of holy communion was intensely devotiori&l, dramatic and heart-piercing. First the chief and his councilors, in the insignia of their office, wearing badges of the Sacred Heart, approached "the altar, followed by the old and young men. After the men came the women many of them carrying their "' babies, some leading children who would not be separated from their mothers." .' |
