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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1890)
WKST SHOItK. characterised by Rood Unit, and harmony of proportion. The church, u t specimen of architecture, mould do credit to any one, and haa been faithful; akrtched by our artist, Mr. Plan ley. The massive timbers suporting tba altar were from larch treei five feet in diameter, and were raiaed to their place by the Indiana, with the aid simply of a pulley and a rope. They have a large, cultivated field, of aome ;two hundred acre, and a prairie of from two to three thousand aorta. They own a hundred pigs, eight yokes of oien, twenty cows, and a liberal proportion of horses, mules and young animals. The Indians have learned to plough, sow, till the soil gen erally, milk cows (with both handa) and do all the duties Inci dent to a farm. They are, aome of them, e ipert wood cutters ; and I saw at work, getting in the harvest, aome thirty or forty Indians. They are thinking of cutting out a good trail to ht. Mary's valley, over the IVurd' Alene mountains (on the route passed over by me). They need agricultural implement! and seed. Of the condition of these Iixlinnn when Father Jo net arrived among them a writer cays: "The tril- of Indians railed ('our d'AIene, or 'Heart of an Awl,' wan, in early times, one of the most ravage. Their nature, strong and Uld, gave birth, under the influ ence of superstitious principles and corrupt morals, to a eople fierce and wholly given up to actions the imwt alwminable." (lovernor Stevens's rcjort shows what marvels' had lxrn accomplished by Father Josct and his faithful assistants in the ten years of their res! denee among them. It is enough to cay that never have these Indians retrograded from the high standard to which they were rained by the brave atid zealous missionary. Of this nohle man and his work, a writer in the Catholic Srniinrl cays: He came to the lit ky mountains a young man fresh from his study, in the prime of life snd full of energy. From the day of his arrival he threw his whole soul and life Into the work. For him the winter teems to have lost its frosty rigor and summer iU heat. He braved the inclemency of the sea sons, lie haa been seen to take long Jmrneys In the eitremeat col 1, snd continue it in defiance of the biting breath of the north wind. lie has had to nuke frr'jucnt eirurnlona ihlch occupied him day and night, and distances of fifty, si sty, and even two hunJred miles, and this through woods and ssiiij, for there were few roads in thoe days. It were vain to attempt a computation of the magnitude of good, wrought among the Indians, for iod by this veteran mimlonary. No one can count Uie souls that have been enlightened, comforted, helped and saved by his asiittanre. Hut he hal always a strong j-redilre-tion fur the Co ur d'Alenes. It is at their oil tub a Ion, situated on the right bank of the river Co ur d'AIene, that l ather JH for the Utter tion of his life haa daelt among his dear friends and spiritual children, the ('our d'Alrnes. It Is here in the graveyard a stone's throw forn the thun h, lie many of his fl'jrk. There is something so toothing about it all. Mere near the chunk which their hands be!jl to nir, they rest in their hut sleep. Here come to Jfiy the children tf the de parted ones, and their childish roliee recite tU syrrs ehUh were teoghl them by father Jet, and hi' h eere eo often re petted la tU same thurth by their anew tors ahnoit half a rtn toryago. l atter Jot is proud of bis Indians, end Justly w. Ilea again the writer A above: "Tie tribe, ehkh a fw years lack made up a race of people the nuwt ferocloua and super stitlous, is now an eiample for Catholics throughout these re gions. Their quiet life and their morals strike w ilh admtrslkm the very enemies of the church ! Who, w hen they reflect um what these Indiana have been and what they now are, ran not feel In the depths of their souls the conviction of the truth of the Catholic faith. Here they behold a people formerly accus tomed to wander through the forests after the manner of wild taits, slaves to the most foolish stiperititions and to the most degraded hahits, now under the benign influence of religion, living a life virtuous and peaceful. A triple ho might Indeed le destroyed, but could never l-e subjugated by force of arms, now submitting with childlike simplicity to the guidance of a few missionaries, at the least sign of whose will they are ready to check their rlalng pactions and regulate their lives." Ing may these good Indiana continue to hear their Moved father's word, to prsctlcw his pmcepU, to be the faithful imitator d his virtues, and like him do all things for the greater glory of God. There are still to l found some of these o. ('nth (die missions carrying on their noble work among tin Indians where the encron hmcnts of white h tthui nt have nd driven the natives from (hi jr ancestral home, though none of the original Protestant minion re main; yet none show so plainly the life- work of one devoted soul as this mission of St. Joseph MORNING AT THE COUNTY JAIL. ON the nt page in an engraving of a ii- in the city jail that will U- familiar to tlee mIi- du ties have brought them in contact with that in stitution at so early an hour, Tlx mi llanc. ous assortment f guest that were roundel up for the wedding f(as(, as rlatd in the hi hie, from the high ways and byways, could not hold a can-lie to the n.n grens of nations that is a inhh-l every morning in the jails of every city in the country, and lh- break fait scene in (In- Cortland "skookum house," a shown in the ket( h, fuel its counterpart In every like house of detention. There i n- aristocracy of rae or color The lufin who enjoys the hospitality of the jmi'f de partment must U- willing to do so on rtul term with all kin-Is of humanity raked in by the drag n I of th- force. If he d' s not like to do so, he should have lcii i art ftil that the pressing invitation of the oil. -en iie'I not have hen given. It i probable that he may not relish his flrit repast within the lonflnee of the white4Shc-l Walls, but th'- f.l is cl'SlI all I wlfle- some, though some of the attra'tive f.rms of sri'e to whi'h h has l-en an -intomnl loay n kifig, aft-l he lomee, in time, to consider it at wortlty of hit attention if not hearty patr-riage It is etlrc!d that the Mt mills in lh I l'i tfnU.'ns will rorjsuiMi W't.Uftit) ft of l' l?,Ls yiar. TJ'e are fri !! BiilU al wuk itjUlng aWit ?f)(.) frt of h,Ur pr dy, ai4 leo tAtt will be f -ul in seIy la tU sprtog 7U titX ral'vay of that tt-" will U h'ti'l.