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which set the bright example of every virtue, and shone as a brilliant light in the midst of the wilderness, presenting a model for the imitation of the neighbouring tribes.

“Men, women, and children" says the "Relation," ""made so open a profession of what they all wished to be even unto death, that the surrounding tribes were wont to call them by no other name, than the Nation of Christians. In effect, their chiefs are so ardent in maintaing the faith, and all the families have submitted to its teaching so generally, that, but very few infidels remaining among them, the Christians are no longer willing to tolerate any of their ancient customs, which were the remains of infidelity, or which were injurious to morals.'

"In the beginning of the winter (1648-9) these good neophytes convened a general council, to confer on the means for strengthening the faith among them. They came to the conclusion, to seek out the Father who has charge of the mission, and to beg him to retrench from their customs whatever was contrary to the faith, and to correct, in those uses which were indifferent, whatever might prove in any wise dangerous; and they pledged themselves to obey him. in every thing, to view him as the bearer of the word of God, and as their first Chief. The best of it is, that they keep their word, and that, on the least doubt which subsequently arose on this subject, their chiefs came themselves to the Father to receive and execute his orders."+

Towards the close of the winter, this good resolution was put to the test. Some obstinate infidels among the Hurons, wishing to revive their ancient sorceries and impure remedies for healing the sick, called in some chiefs from the neighbouring infidel tribes to aid them with their influence; but they found the faith of the neophytes proof against all their efforts to shake it, and were compelled to desist from their attempt.‡

The following incident, which we abridge from the "Relation,"§ will serve to show how unshaken was the constancy of those Huron Christians.

In one of the public games practised among the Hurons, it was customary for the war-chief to enter the cabins of the village in a kind of fury, and, with uplifted tomahawk in his hand, to destroy the doors and rude furniture, as if attacking an enemy's camp. In one of these fits of assumed rage, an infidel chief of great credit in the tribe declared that he had been admonished in a dream to break open the door of the Church and to cut down the tree from the branches of which was hung the bell which called the Christians to morning and evening service. On any other occasion, it would have been deemed an offence against the national usages to thwart the infuriate chief in his purpose; but the menace against the church aroused the zeal of a venerable octogenarian who had embraced the christian faith. He fell on his knees, and having made a short prayer, he rushed to the church door, just as the savage chief

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was raising his tomahawk to demolish its portals; placed his bald head between the church door and the upraised weapon, and exclaimed: "the stroke of the tomahawk would fall much better upon my head, than upon a house consecrated to God!" The infidel was lost in amazement: "Strike," said the Christian; "I promise publicly that no vengeance shall be taken for my death; neither the public nor he who will have dealt me the death-stroke, shall inflict or suffer any penalty for it but I cannot see with my eyes, that either the sanctity of the house dedicated to the service of God should be profaned, or that the voice which summons us to prayer should be hushed!" The infidel was abashed, and desisted from his purpose!

Examples so heroic could not but exercise a powerful influence on the neighbouring tribes. The good father Ragueneau expresses the delight with his soul overflowed in the following language.

"Without doubt the angels of heaven have been rejoiced at seeing, that in all the villages of this country, the faith is respected, and that christians now glory in that name which was in reproach but a few years since. For my own part, I could never have hoped to see, even after fifty years of labour, one tenth part of the piety, of the virtue and sanctity, of which I have been an eye-witness in the visits made to those churches, which have but lately grown up in the bosom of infidelity. It has given me a sensible delight, to witness the diligence of christians who anticipated the light of the sun to come to the public prayers; and who, though harassed with toil, came again in immense throngs before night to render anew their homages to God; to see the little children emulating the piety of their parents, and accustoming themselves, from the most tender age, to offer up to God their little sufferings, griefs, and labours. Often little girls, while engaged in gathering wood for the fire in the adjoining forests, can find no employment more agreeable than to recite the Rosary, seeking to outstrip one another in this exercise of piety. But what has charmed me most, is to see that the sentiments of faith have penetrated so deeply into the hearts of those, whom we but lately called barbarians, asand I can say it with entire truth—that divine grace has destroyed, in most of them, the fears, the desires, and the joys inspired erewhile by the feelings of nature."*

The following touching anecdotes will serve to illustrate this triumph of divine grace. We condense them from the "Relation.Ӡ

"A small child of six years old fell dangerously sick in the mission of St. Michael. His mother, seeing the excess of his sufferings, and the approaches of the death of her dearly beloved and only child, could not restrain her tears. 'My mother,' exclaimed the child, why do you weep? Your tears will not restore me to health; rather let us pray God together that He would make me happy in heaven.' After some prayers, the mother said: 'my son, I must

Relation, p. 24-25.

↑ Ibid p. 26, seq.

carry you to St. Mary's that the French Fathers may restore you to health.' 'Alas! my mother,' rejoined the little innocent, I have a fire which burns in my head-can they extinguish it? I dream no longer of life; have no more solicitude for me; but I will admonish you of my approaching end, and I will then beg you to carry me to St. Mary's, for I wish to die there, and to be buried among the good christians.""

Some days after, the child admonished his mother that it was time to carry him to St. Mary's, as his end was approaching. It was a custom of the tribe, that when one was on the eve of death, a multitude assembled to perform the superstitious ceremonies of the country. When the child beheld the gathering throng, he exclaimed: "Alas! my mother; would you have me sin on the very eve of death? No, I renounce all these superstitions; I wish to die like a good Christian." The "Relation" closes the account in these words:

"This little angel was brought to us, and died in our arms, praying until death, and assuring us that he was going straight to heaven, where he would pray to God for us; and he even asked his mother to inform him, for which of his relations he should pray most when he would be with God, and when his prayers would without doubt be heard? He was heard; for shortly after his death, one of his uncles who had been among those who had been the most rebellious to the faith in this whole country, as well as one of his aunts, demanded instruction at our hands, and became Christians."

Similar to this is another incident of a little girl of five years, who having attended morning and evening prayers with great assiduity, and having persevered in this even against the prohibition of her parents, was permitted to receive baptism. Some time afterwards she was taken dangerously ill. Her infidel parents summoned an Indian medicine man, or juggler, to her bedside, and he began his incantations. The little girl, though very low, had yet strength enough to protest against his superstitious impositions. She said: "I am a Christian; the devils have no longer power over me; I do not consent to the sin which you are committing in consulting the evil one; I wish no such remedies; God alone will heal me." The parents, awed by this appeal, compelled the juggler to retire. The child on the same day begged to be carried to the Church, assuring her parents, that she would be healed, which in fact took place. Her parents, were converted and demanded baptism.

The "Relation" gives also a touching account of a girl of fifteen, who had been taken prisoner late in the previous winter (1647-8) by a hostile tribe. Though imbued with the faith, she had not yet received baptism. While weeping in her captivity, she fervently prayed that God would preserve her purity, which was greatly endangered, and that He would grant her the grace to return to the station of St. Mary's in order that she might receive baptism. Her prayer was heard; she felt a full assurance that her deliverance was at hand; she threw herself into the first path with which she met, and, without guide, other than her guardian angel, without provisions, without protection,

she travelled on foot a rugged journey of 240 miles, and arrived in safety at St. Mary's, where she received the long sighed for grace of baptism, and became a model of virtue to the neophytes.

The "Relation" concludes this branch of the subject as follows:

"This chapter would be endless, were I to recount all the triumphs of grace among these poor savages, which excite our admiration more and more every day, and for which we will bless God forever in heaven, without lassitude or disgust. I cannot, however, omit to mention a sentiment almost universal among a multitude of good Christians, who having lost all their property, their children, and whatever they held dear in this world, and being on the point of abandoning their country to escape the cruelty of the Iroquois, their enemies, yet thank God and say: "my God! be blessed forever! I cannot regret these losses, since faith has taught me, that the love which Thou bearest for Christians, is not for the goods of this earth, but for those of eternity; I bless Thee in the midst of my losses as cheerfully as I ever did before; Thou art my Father, and it is enough for me to know that Thou lovest me, to make me content with all the evils which may happen. But what astonishes me most in all this, is to behold, that these sentiments do not come in tardily, after nature and passion have swayed the first motions of the heart; but that grace often anticipates those motions, and controls even those first sallies, directing them to heaven more promptly than to earth. May God be blessed forever for all this!"*

Such was the happy conditition of the Huron misssions, which thus rivaled those of Paraguay in South America, though on a more reduced scale. The snow-clad wilderness of the North produced as lovely fruits for heaven, as did the sunny climes of the South; and the same skilful hands cultivated both portions of the vineyard. Nor does the parallel stop here. Both missions were broken up by violence, when at the very height of their prosperity: that of Paraguay by the heartless policy of the Portuguese Court under the administration of the ever infamous Pombal; and that of the Hurons, by instruments scarcely more fierce, the implacable Iroquois. God permitted both catastrophes, in the mysterious and unsearchable ways of His providence; and both peopled heaven with martyrs from among the Indian tribes.

The Iroquois fell upon the Huron villages at two different times: first, on the 4th of July, 1648, when they destroyed the two flourishing frontier christian villages composing the mission of St. Joseph; and secondly, on the 16th of March, 1649, when a thousand hostile savages massacred the inhabitants, and scattered the glories of the mission of St. Ignatius. In the former invasion, Father Anthony Daniel fell, the proto-martyr of the Jesuits in North America, as he had been one of the first pioneers of the Huron mission; in the latter, Father John de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lallemant, laid down their

• Relation, p. 32-33.

lives for the faith, amidst the most excruciating tortures. We will glance rapidly at the history of both these melancholy occurrences, condensing the very detailed account of them given in the "Relation" already often quoted.

The principal village of the two which composed the mission of St. Ignatius, numbered about 400 fomilies. Almost all the men were absent on the chase, or on a warlike expedition. Father Daniel, who had charge of this flourishing mission, was just finishing Mass, and the Christians, according to custom had filled the Church about sunrise, when the alarm was given, and the cry "to arms" resounded through the village. The Iroquois had stolen upon the village unperceived during the night, and now burst with their fierce warwhoops upon its inhabitants, thus taken by surprise and unprepared for defence.

"Some flew to the combat, others fled panic-stricken; Father Daniel throwing himself hastily among the thickest of the combatants, where the peril was greatest, encouraged his neophytes to make a noble defence; and . . . . he spoke in a tone so animated, as to make a deep impression on those hearts which had hitherto proved most rebellious, and to impart to them a christian spirit." The crowd of applicants for baptism proved so great, that the Father was constrained by the emergency to steep his handkerchief in water, and to baptize the multitude by aspersion.

The combat waxed warmer and warmer; a multitude of Christians just baptized exchanged an earthly robe of innocence for a heavenly garment of glory the Christians were overpowered by numbers, and the Iroquois became masters of the place. Father Daniel was entreated to fly, and he could easily have effected his escape. But he recollected that many infirm and old persons had been previously disposed for baptism; he hastily flew around the cabins of the village, baptizing these, and a multitude of infants; and, finding the village already in flames, he betook himself to the Church, wishing to die there near the altar of God. He found it already full of Christians, and of catechumens, who eagerly demanded baptism. He baptized some, gave absolution to others, and exclaimed to the assembled multitude: "my brethren, we shall today be together in heaven!"*

The Iroquois surrounded the Church with a horrible outcry. Father Daniel cries out, at the top of his voice: "fly, my brethren, fly! and bear with you your faith even to the last breath! For my part, I must die here, and here abide, so long as I shall see a soul to gain for heaven; and dying to save you, my life is to me as nothing :-we shall meet again in heaven!"

Meantime, while his neophytes are flying in all directions, this good shepherd goes forth to meet the enemy: the fierce war shout is hushed: rage is succeeded by a moment of awful silence; the appearance of the man, his earnest manner, his face all radiant with the light of heaven, had stricken awe

Relation, p. 10-11.

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