Catholic Missionaries

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 22, 28 May 1903, Page 6

Catholic Missionaries

Although Catholic missionaries are engaged in a ■ kk ' t ,^'jf e ™ atUr f 1 vf l i (i divine in its character, yet they find time to contribute in a marked degree to the progress of human knowledge Civilisation undoubtedly has agents more familiar with scientific formulas, but it has o^J? 101 " 6 °Y°. te l mo X c disinterested, more persevering, and more useful than Catholic missionaries In proof of this statement ' Les Missions Catholique ' dwells first upon what Catholic missionaries have done Wg , geographical knowledge of countries in which they labored. Force of circumstances transformed v- ""f^o^ies into explorers in the unknown lands, in which they planted the cross to mark the extent of their spiritual conquests. Abbe Hue half a century ago (says the New York Freeman's Journal ') won undying fame by penetrating the unknown regions of Central Asia. -ihe Annals of the Propagation of the Faith ' was the first to .give to the world an account of his remarkable journey ings in Tartary and Thibet. Forty years later a Belgian missionary, Father Constant de Deken, accompanied Bonavalot in his famous journey across Central Asia In 1894 Father Constant published an account of this journey. The author's thorough know-ledge-of the Mongolian dialect and his familiarity with the customs of the country enabled him to produce a work which rivals Bonavalot's ' Unknown Thibet.' lather Armand David, a Lazanst, can be regarded as the successor of Father Hue. Three expeditions he made to the north, west, and central parts of China enabled him to compile maps of these immense regions Ho has given detailed accounts of the geographical featuies of these unknown lands.

During the last twenty years the Jesuits in China have perpetuated in a worthy manner the reputation of their predecessors of two hundred years ago by publishing a series of valuable works on Chinese literature ethnography history, and geography. In Africa as well as in Asia the work of Catholic missionaries has contributed to ofcir knowledge of geography. The memory of the great Cardinal Lavigerie is inseparably associated with the Catholic missionary work in Africa. With the consuming zeal of an apostle he devoted himself heart and soul to Christianising Africa, and also to the wiping out of the African shue trade' Strictly speaking, he did not directly contribute to tho extension of our geographical knowledge of tho ' Dark Continent.' But ho did so indirectly through tho religious Order he called into existence to combat sla\eiy. The members of this Order, in carrying out their benevolent mission, have penetrated into' tho heart of Attica and ha\e left a record of their explorations. Another distinguished son of France, Cardinal Massaja, who died in 1889, was called the Apostle of Ab\ssinia. At tho time of his death he was known as ' The dean of the missionary bishops.' Leo XlTit , recognising that the history of Cardinal Massaia's tlurty-fi\e years,' residence in upper Ethiopia would he an important contribution to the science of geogiaphv, ordered him to write it The last days of the Cardinal weie spent m dictating a biograjhv which is of gieat \alue on account of the light it sheds upon Abyssinian geography, history, and ethnography.

While Catholic missionaries were exploring Northern Africa, other Catholic missionaries were pushing thenway thtough Southern Africa and publishing accounts of what they had seen. In Zanzibar, for example, the Su-perior-General of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost has published learned monographs on tho Kilima Ndiaro, tho Massais, and the Pygmies Two Catholic missionaries, Fathers Roblet and Colm, ha\e published maps of Madagascar

The Catholic missionaries who have penetrated Central Africa ha\e made important contributions to our knowledge of the Dark Continent. Father Coulbois has published an account of Taganika. Father Gulleme has written a description of his explorations in the neighborhood of Nyassa ; Father Sehynze has published a map of the country west of Victona-Nyanza

In Dahomey and along the Gold Coast tho priests of the African missions of Lyons are to Iw found fratei moving with the natnes encamped on the banks of the rivers Niger, Ougnon, Opaka. Volta. and Cavally It was the letters of one of these missionaries, Father Borghero, which lor many years supplied French, English, and Italian publicists with the only information they could obtain about Dahomey In 186 L Father Borghoio ■visited Abomoy, the capital of Dahomey, and had a personal interview with King Groro.

Catholic missionaries 'established themselves in Occanica in 1831 In the neighboring continent of Australia their work was energetically pusher! Jn 1838 Father UUathorno. subsequontly Bishop of Birmingham, England, described his visits to New South Wales The publication of tho letters of those early missionaries added greatly to the knowledge of these remote lands

Many Oblate Fathers in Canada ha\e contributed greatly to our Knowledge of the basins of tho Ri\or Mackenzie and other r^ers which einntv into the Arctic Ocean None of them, however, met with such success as has Father Fetitot The Geographical Society of Fans has conferred upon Father Fetitot a gold medal, and has published at its own expense his lmip of tho northern regions of America What details about the Indians <n the United States, in Ecuador. (Juiana, Brazil, and Patagonia, would have been unknown if it had not been for Mgr Salpointe, Fathers De Smet, Pedro, Emonet, Brunnetti, and other Catholic missionaries.

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