MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 128, 15 October 1875, Page 14

MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.

The London ' Tablet' republislies a letter'from the Very Rev. Father, Benoit, in reference to the negro mission in the "United States, in I "which lie says :—: — The work promises to be a most fruitful one. Out of the four or five millions of negroes in the United States, a number were baptized Catholics, but they have been scattered and neglected to a great extent since their emancipation. Many of those who attend Baptist and Methodist chapels feel tbat something more is wanting than " shouting and hollering " in order to become good Christians j and they are under a vague impression that this is to be found in the Catholic Churchlii order to bring him from his present extravagant worship to the quiet practices of the Catholic faith, much patience will be needed. Sometime ago one of these strong-built sons of Africa attended a camp meeting, and when brought to a boiling pitch of fervor, he darted off, with his head bent down, at his fullest speed whithersoever th© spirit would take him. He came in contact with a mule that was standing quietly on the roadside, and knocked it clean over. In rushing onwards, he dashed against a hickory tree, which, however, stood- its ground better than the mule. So he rebounded b- ktrivn's. His^ skull was noc broken, for he was blessed with a th i ouo. bub the stubborn tres brought his erratic devotions to an end. The " Catholic Review," of Brooklyn, has the follow- in our treatment of the Indians. It is sad to think of the nj... ' luable lives, and the millions of money that could have been eaveu I, transferring all the Indians to the care of Catholic missions, and yr) r1!,r 1 !, by neglect in so doing, have been lost : — These Indians (the Sioux) are yet savages in spite of the fact that they have been assigned to a Christian society, no effort having been made to Christianize or civilize them, if we except the visits., few in, number, and only in .journeying through their country, of Father de Smot. The truth is they respect only the Black Robe. It will be remembered that when General Ouster made his famous expedition to the Block Hills (the country which they are now asked to cede) he was fought nearly the whole distance by these peoplo, yet when about to commence his return, there appeared a solitary priest who had driven in a buggy the entire route, unmolested. But as the government will not recognise the readiest means to render theso tribes of Bruic, Ogallalla, Minneconjou, and Sans Arc Sioux, and the Northern Chayennes, and Arapahoes, peacmble, that is, by establishing a Catholic mission and manual labor-school among them, they are bound to treat them in such a, way as Trill prevent au open, dw&slrou*, and expensive war.