S.N.D.R. J.M.J Chronicles of N.D. du Lac. The Very Rev. Father R. Moreau, Rector and the Rev. E. Sorin, Local Superior. Chapter 1 For two years, the Brothers of St. Joseph had been expected at Vincennes, and during all that time it had been impossible for F. Moreau, their Superior General, to comply with the urgent requests of Mgr. De la Hailandiere. At last, on Aug 5th, the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, the first colony took its departure, after a most impressive and touching ceremony. The novelty of the event had attracted a numerous gathering of patrons and friends of the house. On this occasion, F. Moreau seemed to surpass himself, and he communicated to his entire audience his own emotions. The first colony was composed of F. Sorin and Bros. Vincent, Joachim, Lawrence, and Mary, professed, with whom were associated pg 2 two young novices of fifteen, Bros. Gatien and Anselm, who were intended to become teachers. The instructions issued by the Mother House in the beginning appear not to have extended any farther than to the establishment of a novitiate for brothers, at the expense and risk of the diocese which asked for them. It would even seem that, according to the oral agreement, (for there never existed any writings on the subject) the brothers and this priest were simply given to Mgr. Dela Hailandiere, then bishop of the diocese, on condition that he should pay for their outfit, and also the expenses of their journey from New York to Vincennes, F. Moreau reserving no other jurisdiction to himself than the right to recall them later, supplying their places immediately. In the course of this narrative, it will appear to how many difficulties this absence of a regular contract gave rise. The delay of two years in the departure of the colony was caused, not so much by lack of subjects as by want of pecuniary resources to meet the expenses of departure, and the delay would probably have been prolonged indefinitely had not Providence inspired a pious lady of le Mans with an idea whose execution unexpectedly furnished F. Moreau with the means of starting the pg 3 new missionaries on their journey. Mme. put up a golden chain to be disposed of by lottery for the new colony, which produced 1500fr. A sum, almost equal to this was added by private donations, and it was with this modest capital that the seven travellers started on their journey of fifteen hundred leagues, under the protection of Our Lady of the Snows and of the Guardian Angels. From the very start, they found the necessity to place all their reliance on the protection of heaven; for, besides the narrow limits of their pecuniary resources, their ignorance of the language of the country and of the manners and character of the New World, and the consciousness of their own incapacity, had made them put their hopes in assistance from on high. And then, according to their own ideas, America was a land of savages, where besides death and la canque, a missionary might expect at every step to have to make extraordinary sacrifices. However, their ignorance did not always result in disastrous consequences: thus, it prevented them from appreciating beforehand their future position in Indiana; on the other hand, the extraordinary sufferings and privations for which they had been looking prepared and encouraged them to meet a thousand lesser crosses chosen for them by God, of which they had never thought. pg 4 Hardly did they arrive at Havre when difficulties of all kinds obliged them to seek help by the recitation of thousands of Ave Marias. This devotion had been though them by the excellent M. Dupont of Tours who had the kindness to accompany them from Le Mans to the sea, and who rendered them invaluable services till the very last moment. The first difficulty was in regard to their passports, which were not perfectly in order, and they were within a little of being obliged to return to Le Mans to have them put in correct shape. At last, by dint of earnest prayers, and often experiencing many fears and going through countless rounds, the pious travellers succeeded in having the matter of their passports arranged. This was only the beginning of their little trials. The agent of the House of Havre, not knowing how slight were their resources, had secured places for them in the cabin at 500fr each--more money than they possessed. However, the agent, even before having the remotest idea that there would be any difficulty, had had all their baggage put aboard and nobody made any objection. Father Sorin was expected at Havre by five Religious of the pg 5 Sacred Heart who had engaged their passage several months beforehand in order to have a priest with them on their voyage. Now it so happened that these Ladies, although they had secured their places on a vessel to sail on the day fixed upon, Aug. 8th, found that their passage was engaged on one vessel, and that of the Brothers on another. Rather than lose the 1500fr. which they had already paid on their places, they preferred to sacrifice 1000fr.; otherwise they would have lost both what they had advanced, and the opportunity of taking passage with a priest. They had been forbidden to start otherwise. Once freed from their first engagements, the Brothers felt at liberty to act for themselves, and instead of a cabin passage, they were content with a little compartment for themselves of 20 x 10 ft. between decks among the poor emigrants. By means of this arrangement, instead of a deficit of 500 fr., they should have in New York a little reserve of 1500 fr. It is true that, humanly speaking, they paid for this economy by some sacrifices and inconveniences; but in the dispositions in which the little band were at the time, they considered themselves fortunate, and each day of their passage they blessed God with all their hearts. pg 6 Moreover, amongst the crowd of nearly two hundred persons that were travelling with them in the steerage, they found constant opportunity to do some good. Poor as they were themselves, they were rich in comparison with many of the passengers; and soon, through their little donations to the most indigent, the good Brothers came to be looked upon as the Benefactors of the steerage. The Iowa, the jacket boat that carried them from Havre to the United Sates, was a large vessel and a good sailer. It was commanded by Captain Pell, an American Episcopalian, liberal and free from bigotry. Not only did he allow F. Sorin and his companions to go up on deck--a privilege reserved exclusively for cabin passengers--but all along he showed them the same attentions as he bestowed on the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. It was on Sunday, Aug 8th, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, that the ship left port; and hardly had it got five hundred feet from shore when a little boat put out in pursuit with a letter that had just arrived for F. Sorin. This letter contained the final wishes for a happy voyage from their dearly beloved F. Rector. Never perhaps was a letter received at a more opportune pg 7 time nor with greater joy and gratitude. Numbers of times, they charged their Guardian Angels to bear back the ardent prayers which they addressed to heaven for his happiness and long life. God thus seemed to wish to make them forget their first apprehension, and by a concurrence of circumstances equally unexpected and agreeable, he was pleased, we may say, to cause tears of gratitude and admiration to take the place of those tears of sorrow which the exile's heart feels the need of shedding when he leaves the native soil to which he may never return. Eight days passed and still they had not left the British Channel, and those eight days were bad days for the whole crew. Although the sea was not in one of its furious moods, the rolling was greater than usual, and all the passengers suffered much. One only escaped sea-sickness for a time, and his services were all the more valuable to his companions, because, were it not for him, they would have had to suffer without attendance. Whoever has had experience of the sea knows how it paralyzes and in a sense annihilates the physical and moral powers of even the most courageous. Hardly had a little share of health and energy returned to the little colony when Bro. Vincent, whose attentions pg 8 were no longer indispensable, needed to be waited on himself, which was cheerfully done. This truly paternal watchfulness of Providence which was experienced by them more than once, not only on occasions really critical, but sometimes even in the ordinary details of life, this solicitude full of tenderness, did not escape their notice; perhaps it might be said that nothing contributed more to excite in the depths of their souls that confidence and that unreserved trust abandonment of themselves to this same Providence which watched so attentively over them. The sea had thus its pleasures for them as well as its little annoyances; even when they were hardly able to stand or to raise their heads, they did not altogether lose that gayity which always accompanies a conscience at peace with itself. It was amusing to hear them ask one another, between the throes of the those revolutions that were going on within them, whether they still thought the world big enough to bear any proportion to their courage. Once on the open sea, the sickness left them, their strength returned, and then came those days of joy which they will love to recall till their dying day. pg 9 On deck, there was a little room 6 x 8 ft. for the cabin passengers. The Ladies of the Sacred Heart and the Brothers had the exclusive use of this room in turns for their religious exercises. There, instructions were given and even the chapters were held; there, confessions were heard; there, whenever the sea permitted it, the holy sacrifice of the mass was offered up and each of the pious pilgrims came to receive the Bread of Angels and to fortify himself with the precious viaticum against the daily and nightly dangers of the treacherous elements; and this was done eleven times during the sea voyage. To relate all the sweet emotions of this happy family on those solemn occasions would not be easy; it will be much pleasanter for them to call to mind, throughout their whole lives, the extraordinary consolations bestowed upon them in this dear and charming little floating sanctuary. It is there that it pleased Our Lord to begin the fulfillment of his promises made to all those that shall have left father, mother, etc. for his sake. There in truth each one must have felt that he already received the hundred fold of what he had left. Piety everywhere commands respect and esteem. Aboard, the pg 10 Iowa, besides a great number of Protestants of all sects, there was a troupe of comedians given from Paris to New York. Generally speaking, even in France, comedians can hardly be said to be partial to religious. But here, the latter had no reason to complain. Like all the other passengers, they showed themselves most respectful and attentive to those whose profession was in such marked contrast with their own. Baptism of An unexpected event brought into strong light the general a child. sentiments of the ship towards the little band. A child of two years of age, daughter of German Protestant, fell sick, and it soon became evident that there was no hope of recovery. After many fruitless pleadings, the Ladies of the Sacred Heart finally succeeded in obtaining the consent of the father to have her baptized--the hour was agreed upon, and all was got in readiness. Mme. Ratilde Dallion their superiors, and the patriarch of the Brothers, were chosen as sponsors, and the ceremony took place in the exercise room. The event caused a great sensation amongst all the ship's company, but especially amongst the Brothers and the Religiouses. Two day later, the new Christian went to take possession of the heritage that had just fallen to her. pg 11 The burial was another even in which all the passengers took Her Death part. The captain himself invited F. Sorin to perform the funeral ceremony, assuring him beforehand that everything would be carried out in silence and with decorum. At the hour appointed, the body was borne by four sailors on a plank five or six feet long; it was made to rest on the edge of the vessel until the priest had recited the usual prayers, and during all the time the crew and passengers stood uncovered and silent as if they had been in a church. The prayers being finished and the signal given to the bearers, they tipped the plank up, the little corpse slid gently off, and the next instant it was heard dropping into the sea; but the soul which had taken its departure was already in heaven. This little even called forth sentiments of gratitude amongst the pious travellers and caused them to say many a fervent prayer to the new tutelar angel whom they had sent to God. The little Mary, they said to one another, owes us much; she will not forget those that have made her so happy. Many years afterwards, they still loved to recall their little Mary, who on her side appears not to have forgotten them. pg 12 The frequent and regular exercises of these good Religious could not fail to draw on them the attention of their fellow travellers. Without transgressing the bounds of politeness and respect, they more than once addressed questions to F. Sorin which called for explanations of some length; twice, amongst others, they gave rise to public controversy which each time happily terminated in favor of the truth. The reasons brought forward seemed to make a deep impression on a worthy American gentleman and his daughter, and they both promised to study the Catholic religion seriously. The captain himself appeared to be shaken in his convictions. Some years afterward, it was reported that he was converted. However this may be, he certainly deserved well of the little family, who have always gratefully remembered him. In Havre, he had been very urgent with Father Sorin to make him take a place amongst the cabin passengers, and the refusal of the latter seemed even to provoke him. On the eve of the landing, taking F. Sorin aside on deck, he said to him: You doubtless remember, sir, how I urged you at Havre: permit me today to congratulate you: you have edified me, sir, amongst your pg 13 poor: I thought the place was unbecoming your character: today I feel with you that you did well to remain there: you were right. Finally, the voyage was nearing its end; the land of America so fervently desired began to appear in the distance, and then it was that our young missionaries could judge of the happy results of their correct deportment and of their little donations, both amongst the passengers in the cabin and those in the steerage, by the affectionate manner in which everyone bade them good-bye with thanks and wishes of happiness in the New World. Strangers might have mistaken those poor religious for veritable benefactors of all the passengers. Many begged to be remembered in their prayers, and all promised never to forget them. Even the comedians came to assure them of their esteem and their good wishes. Such is the power and efficacy of virtue that wherever it appears genuine and unpretentious, it soon wins all hearts. pg 14 Arrival in New York. On Sept 13th the vessel entered New Dept. 13th, York bay, probably one of the most beautiful in the world. It eve of the would be hardly possible to describe the sentiments of joy of the Exaltation pious band at sight of this strange land which they had come so of the Holy far in search of, through so many dangers and fatigues. It was a Cross. little after sunset when F. Sorin set foot on land with a few of A Happy the passengers, the general landing being deferred till next day. Presage. One of his first acts on this soil so much desired was to fall prostrate and embrace it, as a sign of adoption and at the same time of profound gratitude to God for the blessing of the prosperous voyage. The arrival of the new missionaries could not have taken place at a more striking and propitious time. It was the eve of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, so that F. Sorin was able to celebrate his first mass in America on the day of the feast. This happy coincidence was of a kind to make a deep impression on the heart of the young religious of Holy Cross, who himself had placed all his confidence in the virtue of the Holy Cross, and who desired rather than feared to suffer for the love of Christ. pg 15 He therefore accepted the presage of the circumstance gladly, by which heaven seemed to tell him, as formerly it told the apostle, that in this land he would have to suffer. Long afterwards he will remember that it is in the name of the Cross that he took possession, for himself and his, of this soil of America. Here, we must mention the names of Mr. and Mrs. Byerly, who received the Brothers with a heartiness that surprised as much as it edified them. Mr. Byerly was a merchant of New York--a convert to Catholicity of just one week. The fervor of his first sentiments, added to the natural goodness of his heart, caused him, during the three days of their stay in New York, to be most eager to do them any and every service that they might need. The City of New York at this time contained about three hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, at least fifty thousand of whom were Catholics. The Brothers had the honor of being presented to the venerable Bishop Dubois and of spending nearly a day with him at the residence of the pastor of St. Paul's in Brooklyn. He died two years afterwards. He was the first Bishop of New York, where he had spent more than twenty years. There pg 16 was already in this city a pretty large French congregation, but French the members were neither zealous for the triumph of the truth, Congregation nor were they edifying. Generally one is surprised on arriving from Europe to find in a land not long since inhabited by savages, a city whose street and stores might compare, sometimes even favorably, with those of Paris and London. Although yet inferior in population to those two queen cities of the world, New York cannot fail before long to rival both of them, since it surpasses them in the promise of the future on account of its maritime and commercial location. Departure from New York. On the third day after their arrival, having purchased their little provisions, the Brothers started for Vincennes, from which they were still three hundred leagues distant. Mgr. Dela Hailandiere had instructed his agent in New York to hand them $300 for their traveling expenses. This was more than enough, but they were as sparing as possible. In order to save expenses, they preferred to take a slower and cheaper mode of travelling, so they did not reach their destination until twenty-five days after their departure from New York. pg 17 Notwithstanding the anxiety of all to see Vincennes, the journey was in general acceptable; everything was new and interesting, especially from Albany to Buffalo, a distance of one hundred and fifty leagues, which they made by canal in seven days and a half. But their journey was especially a pious one. Their religious exercises were carried out just as on the sea, including the chapter. As to confession, it was made once at the foot of a fallen oak, whilst the boat was preparing, or rather waiting, to pass a lock. Before reaching Buffalo, F. Sorin, who had long wished to see the Falls of Niagara, thought that he would not lose this opportunity. He took with him his dear Mentor, Bro. Vincent, and both of them started for Niagara by the train, and in some hours they reached the Falls. After the sight of the ocean, never a spectacle appeared to them more worthy of admiration. When they had studied it to their heart's content, they hastened to rejoin their fellow travellers, and the two parties arrived at Buffalo at the same time. They remained there for twenty-four hours with the excellent German pastor, The Rev. Mr. Sax. F. Sorin had the happiness of celebrating mass in his new church, and several of the Brothers that of receiving holy communion there. pg 18 Thence they proceeded to Toledo by a steamboat on Lake Erie, and they had a great deal to suffer for nearly thirty-six hours. On their arrival at Miami, a short distance from Buffalo, they were greatly embarrassed, as none of them spoke any English; it was harder for them to understand than to make themselves understood. From Miami, they went on to Providence, where the steamer ended its trip, and they had to hire two carriages for themselves and their baggage in order to reach the Miami canal, which was not finished that far. It was especially during this portion of the journey, which lasted two days, that they had occasion to remember the care that heaven took of them. The roads were terrible amongst those forests, whose centenarian trees were sometimes thrown across the way, so that the drivers were often obliged to make a new path. Every turn of the wheel in those sloughs and ditches appeared to them as a new evidence of protection from on high, and called forth new expressions of gratitude. Finally, they reached Junction, and then Fort Wayne, the first Catholic station in the diocese of Vincennes. There they visited the good Mr. Hammion, whom they found dying. He was a saintly missionary: God grant that he may have already received his reward. pg 19 The town of Fort Wayne had at that time a population of about fifteen or eighteen hundred inhabitants, with a parish of eight or nine hundred souls. The Rev. Mr. Benoit, the first pastor, had just left for France. Two days afterwards they were at Logansport, the residence of the Vicar General, the good and pious Mr. A. Martin, who received them with all the amiability and cordiality of a genuine Frenchman, waiting on them at table with his own hands, after himself doing the cooking. For, as he explained, he was too poor to pay a housekeeper, and for this reason was content with the services of a little boy of twelve. Not only did he afford them hospitality for two days, the good missionary accompanied them as far as Lafayette, where he saw them safely embarked for their last station, Vincennes. This final portion of their journey took them another week, during which nothing happened worthy of mention. They passed through Terre Haute from which the Sisters of Providence are distant only two leagues, but they could not afford themselves the pleasure of visiting them. They were too anxious to see Vincennes. pg 20 At length, about sunrise on the second Sunday of October, they beheld the tower of the new cathedral of Vincennes. They were so filled with joy that they seemed to forget all their previous fatigue and pains, and they blessed God who had at length granted them to see with their own eyes that city of which they had so often spoken during the last few months. Arrival at Vincennes. It was Oct 8th, a bright autumn sunrise. Mgr. Dela Hailandiere appeared to be well pleased at the arrival of the good Brothers, for whom he had asked so often during the last two years. Although somewhat fatigued, F. Sorin was able to say mass and the Brothers to receive communion. It was a veritable feast day for all. They could hardly believe their eyes and convince themselves that they were at Vincennes. The Brothers had expected to find in Vincennes or elsewhere in the diocese a house ready for their occupation; but the good bishop, who had several places in view, did not wish to decide by himself without first giving them a choice. The next day he pg 21 proposed to visit one of the places with F. Sorin, at Francisville on the Wabash river, four miles from Vincennes. The location did not please F. Sorin, what the request of His Lordship started that evening with a priest of the diocese, the Rev. Mr. Delaune, to examine another farm of one hundred and sixty acres called St. Peter's [St. Pierre's] situated twenty- seven miles from Vincennes between Washington and Mount Pleasant. It was a place difficult of access, but in the midst of several Catholic parishes. It was even one of the oldest missions of the diocese. St. Peter's F. Sorin arrived there Tuesday morning about 9 o'clock. St. Oct 14. Peter's had a little frame church in good repair; two little rooms The Bishop had been added to it, one for the sacristy and one for the gives 160 priest. A little further on were two old log shanties such as acres of are quite common in this country, one answering for kitchen and land. the other used as a school. The school was taught by a certain Chas Rother, a young German who wished to become a Brother and whom the Bishop had sent there whilst waiting for the Brothers. Thus he had been living with Mr. Delaune at St. Peter's for some time. Although there was no engagement entered into for the pg 22 Brothers, it became evident that they were expected there rather than anywhere else; and perhaps St. Peter's was the best choice they could make at the time. Besides, although removed from communication with the outside world and from the river, and though buried in the woods, St. Peter's had a cheerful look, the building and the garden were situation on an eminence, and to all appearances the air was salubrious. There was at least room enough to pass the winter there, and without taking much time to look elsewhere or to wait, the order was sent to the Brothers to come at once, and on the evening of the 14th the little band was gathered together in the chapel of St. Peter's to offer up united thanks to God. St. Peters. As has been seen, St. Peter's was already known as a Catholic centre. Some years before there had been even a school taught there by the Sisters of Charity, who had not been able to make able to make their living and had withdrawn. The Catholic congregation was about thirty-five families, all of whom were poor except about five or six. But all, Catholics and Protestants, appeared to be well pleased at the arrival of the pg 23 Brothers. All the neighbors on whom F. Sorin could call during the first weeks with the pastor of the place received him most cordially. Without delay they all set to work, one on the little farm, another at the garden, a third in the kitchen, and the others to study the language. They felt the need of this more fully than ever. The conduct of this little community was truly edifying; those good Brothers were often in want of everything except food and clothing; but, according to the precept of the Divine Master, everyone appeared to be content. At no period of their Society, perhaps, will there be more privations, more wants, and less dissatisfaction, and likely also fewer complaints and murmurs. Long afterwards, when an abuse is to be corrected or a disagreeable duty to be enforced, the fervor of this happy commencement might be called to mind. During the first two months all had to sleep on the floor and to practise many another act of mortification of a like nature. Yet all were habitually gay and happy in their lot. Where fervor and devotion reign, a sacrifice is a joy rather than an affliction. pg 24 Postulants. Providence before long sent them some helpers. Besides, Mr. Rother, who, as has been said, was expecting them, two young men of the neighborhood presented themselves and were received into the Novitiate. Some months later two others of a more advanced age came to increase the number of the children of St. Joseph; several others in the following spring arrived from Jasper, from New York, Vc. and were also received. A year had hardly passed before nine vocations were already admitted to the Novitiate. Eight of these were received into the Society by the conferring on them of the religious habit at the close of the first general retreat, Aug 21st, 1842. Mr. Rother had received the habit in the month of December of the previous year; three other postulants also took the habit in the month of November following. Thus twelve vestures took place at St. Peter's in the space of fifteen months. Seven years afterwards, one half of them remained. In general, vocations in this country can inspire but very limited confidence until after profession. They are mostly Irish and Germans that present themselves. The former are by nature pg 25 full of faith, respect, religious inclinations, and sensible and devoted; but a great defect often paralyzes in them all their other good qualities: the lack of stability. They change more See pp. readily than any other nation.* 15-16 and The others are ordinarily less obedient, prouder, more p. 29-T singular in their tastes, and less endowed with the qualities of the heart; but they are more persevering. As to genuine Americans, there is no hope of finding subjects amongst them for a religious house of this kind. We might look upon it as a miracle of grace for a young American to persevere in the humble and difficult employment of a Brother of St. Joseph. The spirit of liberty as it is understood in the United States is too directly opposed to the spirit of obedience and submission of a community to leave any hopes for a long time to come of any addition of subjects in a country in which the nature of men appears to offer so few dispositions towards the religious life. Hence, it comes to pass that the young men who spend some time amongst the Americans soon imbibe their spirit and manners, and become in reality all the more unfitted for the religious life the more years they have passed in the New World. pg 26 Foundation of Vincennes. The entrance of the first postulants should have retained the good Bro. Vincent in the community since he came from France on the one only important condition--that of training novices--yet it became necessary for us to make other arrangements. The bishop of Vincennes insisted on having this good patriarch to teach his own school. It was necessary to obey. The Brothers had found it advisable from the very first to try to retain the good graces of their Bishop. The joy caused by their arrival was greatly diminished when he was presented with a bill of 3000fr. ($579), the sum due for their outfit. This sum was to be paid by Mgr. Dela Hailandiere as soon as possible after the arrival of the colony. His Lordship looked surprised and even offended at the amount, and after telling F. Sorin that he would not pay it, he added that he would write to Father Rector to decide the important question: Shall the Brothers be subject to the direction of the Ordinary? Do they belong to your house of Le Mans or to the diocese? The answer of the Rev. F. Moreau was somewhat vague, and settled nothing for the present. This uncertainty on the one side and on the other could not but be injurious to the pg 27 establishment of the Brothers, who, having no resources of their own, and depending, even for the necessaries of life, on their Mother House, and on the diocese, hardly dared to ask help from anyone before ascertaining definitely to whom they should look. On their side; neither the diocese nor the [Mother] House was in a hurry to act until this question was settled. The diocese, however, made this determination much more clearly manifest. Whilst F. Moreau continued to do all that he could for them, Mgr. Dela Hailandiere maintained a kind of reserve--as much as to say that he would have been willing and able to do more if the Brothers' establishment had been placed entirely in his care. Collection by Mr. Delaune. The state of destitution of the little colony thus deserted on both sides and left to its own fate would soon have been a very sad one had not Providence shown the same readiness as in a thousand other circumstances to step in and rescue our good Brothers from their embarrassing situation. The Rev. J. Delaune had not yet started for the new post assigned him by the Bishop at Shanetown, but he was preparing to do so in a few days. Conversing one evening with F. Sorin about his pious pg 28 projects for his future field of labor, the latter said to him laughingly that he would perhaps be doing better if he took the staff and sack of a beggar and went to friendly houses to collect for Brothers whom he had received into his house without being able to assure them against soon dying of hunger. God permitted that the words were taken more seriously than they were intended. Having afterwards discussed the matter at their leisure, permission was asked of the Bishop, who, contrary to the anticipations of Mr. Delaune himself, granted him permission to try to make a collection in the East and in Canada for the Brothers of St. Joseph, on condition, however, that one fourth of the proceeds should be applied to the debt on a church built by this zealous missionary at Mount Pleasant. He started at once. God blessed his devotedness during nearly a year of his charitable expedition, and he sent the Bishop nearly 15000fr., not to speak of some bales of goods and some postulants whom he secured. These resources were more than enough to keep life in the young community. By the advice of His Lordship a portion of this sum was pg 29 employed in clearing eighty acres of land, and soon afterwards they had a magnificent field of eighty acres planted with corn. Unfortunately the Brothers, who had very little knowledge of agriculture in this country, simply wore themselves out without any benefit. They were possessed with the idea they they knew much better than the Americans what practical farming was, and in all things they preferred their French ways to what they saw and heard around them. However, experience soon taught them that a plan, excellent for a country like France, might be very imperfectly adapted to the requirements of a strange soil, and that precautions called for in France were mere waste of time in the United States. Here time is everything, land nothing; in Europe it is just the contrary. Hence, the immense difference between the method of culture in France and that in America. Thus, it appears that devotedness is not always the sole requisite, but that an experienced guide is needed, otherwise devotedness will wear itself out to little purpose. During this first year our good Brothers did not spare themselves, and yet they reaped but little. They often employed means of saving things that are saved in France, and they did not pg 30 see at the time how to save 10 cents they wasted half a day, which was equal to 50 cents. Be this as it may, the more they labored on this new soil of St. Peter's, the more they grew attached to it. The Catholic congregation and their Protestant and infidel neighbors seemed all to be attached to them. The question arose of building a college, and all appeared delighted with the idea and ready to help in carrying it out, each according to his means. Estimates for the commencement were almost immediately made, and at the beginning of next spring, one hundred thousand bricks, ten thousand feet of lumber, and some thousands of feet of cut stone were get ready for this purpose. Le us say a word here in regard to the great attachment of this little family to the Mother House of Sainte Croix. It was one of their usual thoughts, and in nearly all their recreations Ste. Croix or the Rev. F. Rector formed the staple of their conversations. For about six weeks after their arrival they received no news from France, and F. Sorin made a trip to Vincennes in the hope of finding a letter there from the Rev. F. Moreau. At length, towards the end of November, he received one pg 31 which transported them all with joy. It was opened and read in presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and filled them with consolation. It is probably to this filial affection they owe the fact of their remaining under the jurisdiction of the Mother House instead of passing altogether under that of the ordinary. Conversions. It is something quite remarkable that during those first months after their arrival, those poor religious, destitute of all human means of pleasing and drawing to themselves prejudiced people, succeeded, even though hardly able to make themselves understood, in bringing to the knowledge of the truth about twenty of those Protestants, some of whom had held out against the most eloquent sermons. Several entire families at St. Peter's applied to F. Sorin for instruction and baptism. Assuredly God wished in this manner to sustain their courage amid their little trials. Some weeks after their arrival the Father set to work as well as he knew how to prepare and preach sermons in English every Sunday, and he was sometimes told that half of what he said was not understood; but nothing discouraged him, and towards the end of the year nearly all understood him. pg 32 Entrance of Mr. Chartier. This priest had been for six months the superior of the Seminary of Vincennes. Having been invited by the Brothers to preach their retreat in August, his acquaintance with the house resulted in his application to be received as a member, and in the following month he was admitted as a candidate. Retreats had been preached by him at St. Mary's, Mount Pleasant, and Washington on occasion of the jubilee in favor of Spain. Mr. Chartier preached them all successfully as he did that at St. Peter's. In a word, he could have made himself very useful to the Society, had he not, in a conversation with the Bishop, defended the interests of the house too warmly, going so far that he was afterwards ashamed to retract. He was a man of talent, but too hot-headed. Departure from St. Peter's. Without being actually in conflict with the Bishop, we could not expect much encouragement or help from him. No sooner did he hear the first word about our desire to begin a college than he opposed it and declared positively that he would not consent, alleging that we were too near the college of the Eudists at Vincennes, whose superior in pg 33 France, Mr. Louis, had his promise that he would not grant permission to erect any college except at such a distance as would not interfere with his. F. Sorin made a journey to Vincennes about the end of October to treat the matter. The Bishop repeated to him what he had already expressed in writing, and ended by saying that if he wished to build a college, he would give him the Lake property near South Bend, in the northern part of the diocese. Having obtained the necessary information in Vincennes, F. Sorin considered the matter as being very serious, and begged the Bishop to grant him some time to reflect on it. On his return to St. Peter's the Father assembled the council of administration and laid the Bishop's offer before them. Several days were spent in ineffectual deliberations, but finally the offer was accepted, and the day, hour and mode of departure were agreed upon. On Nov. 16, seven of the most industrious of the Brothers set out with their superior for South Bend. Eight days of their journey were days of hardship; the air was piercingly cold, and the little band moved forward straight towards the north. pg 34 The rest of the community were to remain at St. Peter's till the following spring, under the direction of Mr. Chartier. But contrary to the expectation of F. Sorin and the Brothers, Mr. Chartier again got into trouble with the Bishop, and the consequence of the misunderstanding was that he refused to remain any longer in the diocese of Vincennes, which he left about the middle of February. Brother Vincent being thus at the head of this part of the community, took his measure and availed himself of the season to remove from St. Peter's to Notre Dame du Lac, whether it would have been much more difficult to come some months later. They therefore set out, and they reached the end of their journey the Monday before Ash Wednesday, much fatigued but overflowing with health and good spirits. They were just a few hours ahead of F. Sorin, who had been absent on a visit to a tribe of savages. This separation had lasted only four months, but it seemed to them like four years.  pg 35 Chapter 2. Notre Dame du Lac 1842-1843 1. Topographical Description It was on Nov 26th 1842 that F. Sorin arrived at Notre Dame du Lac with seven Brothers, Mary (later changed to Br. Francis Xavier), Gatien, Patrick, William, Basil, Peter, and Francis, after a journey of more than one hundred leagues through the snow. This property was then known as St. Mary of the Lakes; it is situated on the right of the St. Joseph's River, half a league from South Bend, the county town of St. Joseph's County; one league from the northern boundary of Indiana; about twelve leagues from Lake Michigan; thirty-five leagues from Chicago; seventy leagues from Detroit; and four hundred from New York. 524 acres It contains about five hundred and twenty-four acres of land, or nearly one third of a league square, only ten acres of which were under cultivation, the rest being virgin forest, with the exception of about eighty or ninety acres, the centre of which was occupied by two charming lakes fed by springs, and its bed being about twenty five feet deep. The banks contain an inexhaustible supply of white marl, which being worked like pg 36 loam, is employed in making lime. Without being very rich, the ground here was suitable for raising wheat, corn, potatoes, clover, buckwheat, and all kinds of edible roots. The only residence was an old log cabin, 24 x 40 feet, the ground floor of which answered as a room for the priest, and the story above for a chapel for the Catholics of South Bend and the neighborhood, although it was open to all the winds. To this little cabin had been added some years before a little frame building of two stories somewhat more habitable than the first, in which resided a half breed with his family, who, when necessary, acted as interpreter between the priest and the savages. Add to this a house 6 x 8 ft, and you have all the buildings then in existence near the lake. 2. Its Religious Condition, Its Past There were at that time around this poor little sanctuary, the only one in northern Indiana, about twenty Catholic families scattered in a radius of two leagues. Two leagues above South Bend and also on the river is situated a little town noted for pg 37 its wrought and cast iron works, and of about the same size as the former, one thousand inhabitants. At the same distance below is the village of Bertrand, formerly a very flourishing place, but then without any commerce whatever, Niles, a league and a half below, having absorbed it all. Although there was a little brick church at Bertrand which could easily have been finished, still, as there never was more than one priest at a time in the neighborhood, the Catholics of those four little towns and of the neighboring county were accustomed to look for spiritual aid to the church at the Lake-- consequently it was there that the retreat of the Jubilee was made by all the Catholics from miles around, to the satisfaction and edification even of F. Sorin. The cold was intense, and yet the exercises were regularly attended. For two years there had been only very rare visits by a priest from Chicago. The Catholic religion was consequently very little known in all this part of the diocese. The few ceremonies that could be carried out, being necessarily devoid of all solemnity, and even of decency, could have hardly any other effect in the eyes of the public than to give rise to injurious pg 38 and sarcastic remarks against Catholicity. There was hardly a single Catholic in all the country able to defend his faith against these insults, and the conduct of many often served as foundations and proofs of the blasphemies of the malicious and the ignorant. All the surroundings were strongly Protestant, that is to say, enemies more or less embittered against the Catholics. At Mishawaka as well as at South Bend and Niles, there were three or four sectarian churches. As soon as the arrival of our new missionaries and their object became known, one might have said that a cry of alarm was uttered, and all those pulpits of falsehood resounded every Sunday with the most heated invectives against the twelve Popish priests and the twenty monks of the Lake--passion thus multiplying their numbers in order more effectually to put everybody on his guard. Moreover, it was added that the Pope of Rome had already sent F. Sorin $90,000.00 and that he would send another $10,000.00 to make the even number. A little later, when the walls of the college began to appear, people seemed to take a delight in saying that we might go ahead with our college, but as soon as it was completed they would burn it. pg 39 There was nothing very encouraging in this reception. To look at it from a human standpoint, it would have been wiser to retreat without delay; but even though they anticipated still greater opposition in the future, our pious champions, who knew how to hope against hope, cheered themselves with the expectation of a future, more meritorious and more glorious for their holy cause. They placed all their confidence in heaven and let their neighbors talk and rave. Let us say some words about he past history of Notre Dame du Lac. The ground was purchased in 1830, '31, and '32 by the Rev. T. E. Badin, the first priest ordained in United States. Sold afterwards by him in 1836 to the venerable Bishop Brute, founder of the diocese of Vincennes, it was afterwards transferred by the latter to the Rev. Mr. Boche, on condition that a college should be built thereon within the space of two years--which condition not having been complied with, Mgr. Dela Hailandiere had a right to offer it in 1842 to the Society of Notre Dame de Sainte Croix, with the proviso that in the same space of time a college and a pg 40 novitiate of Brothers should be there erected. The land may have been worth fifteen to twenty thousand francs at the time. It was therefore F. Badin who in 1830 had made it the centre of some Catholic settlements scattered over northern Indiana and western Michigan. He had also found and gathered together a considerable number of savages, mostly of the Pottawatomies, whose first apostle he was in this country, and with not a little success. Especially after he received F. Deseille as his assistant, the savages were converted by the hundreds. The former lived in these parts for only a few years. F. Deseille seemed destined to have a much longer stay, but death carried him off from his dear Indians in 1837. It was in the poor hovel described above that he terminated his pious career, after administering holy communion to himself. The excellent Mr. B. Petit, a young lawyer of Rennes, who had become a missionary of the diocese of Vincennes, was sent the day after his ordination to replace the zealous departed priest. He also took up his abode at St. Mary of the Lakes, where he lived but a few months, death cutting down this excellent priest at the very beginning of his career, when he had become exceedingly pg 41 endeared to all that had anything to do with him. He died at St. Louis on his return from an expedition to the West which he had undertaken with his dear Indians, to whose welfare he had evidently sacrificed his life. During his short residence amongst them he himself baptized more than three hundred, and had had as many as two hundred confirmed at one time in the little building mentioned above as the chapel. At the arrival of F. Sorin there remained only about two hundred, all the others having been removed at Kansas (?) different periods to Mississippi.(?) The saintly Mr. Petit was succeeded by a Canadian missionary from Detroit, who spent nearly three years in the country, which he did not edify as his predecessors had done. 3. The Missions For five or six years the priest of St. Mary of the Lake was accustomed to visit several places in the neighborhood at stated times and to say mass for the people. Those places were already known as missions, although in some of them there were only one or two Catholic families. In Indiana, towards the south, ascending pg 42 the river for a distance of about ten leagues, you find the little town of Goshen, which had then about two hundred inhabitants, twenty or twenty-five of whom were Catholics, six leagues farther, that of Leesburg, still smaller in total and in Catholic population; a little more to the south-west, at ten leagues from the Lake, there was also a little Catholic congregation whose centre was at Plymouth; to the east in Michigan was Bertrand, two leagues from St. Mary; a little lower the little town of Niles, which also formed a congregation; four leagues farther the town of Berrieu, where the priest said mass for three families; and six leagues farther on, still on the same river, the town of St. Joseph, which formed one of the finest missions of the country. At twenty-eight leagues, on the way towards Detroit, Kalamazoo is situated, with a population of twelve or fifteen inhabitants, at least a hundred of whom are Catholics. In Michigan St. Mary's also attended another little congregation of ten or twelve families at Nantowossibi; twenty leagues; another of a few families at Constantine, fifteen leagues; that of Papa, eighteen leagues; that of Kentucky and that of Tepiconse, containing altogether something over two hundred souls. pg 43 Most of those different little parishes desired very much to have a priest amongst them, but this was an impossibility; and a great deal of activity was necessary to visit them all three or four times a year--and unless they are visited at least one a month, nothing can be done in this country. 4. Advantages St. Mary's of the Lake was at that time of easy access. In a day it could communicate with Chicago, which is distant forty leagues; in two days with Detroit, eighty leagues; and in four days with New York, four hundred leagues. Vincennes, one hundred leagues away, required a week. The St. Joseph's River facilitated importation and exportation, the two lakes were a source of enjoyment and of profit to the community and to a college by their fish and their beds of marl, which could be advantageously bartered; and besides, there were the advantages of the baths for the students in summer, and the amusements on the ice in winter. Finally, although in itself quite ordinary, the soil of the Lake can be kept fertile by means of marl and lime. pg 44 If the missions should develop, they will be an additional benefit to the locality, and as there was then no Catholic college in all the surrounding country, not even in Detroit and Chicago, the hopes of their finding the means of making a livelihood encouraged the Society at once to build that which stands there today. 5. Preparations for the College 2000fr. F. Sorin arrived at the Lake with about two thousand francs; equals the bishop, who had himself received the collection of Mr. $400 Delaune, might have at their disposal four or five thousand, including two thousand six hundred granted this year by the Propagation of the Faith. This was indeed but little towards establishing a community consisting already of more than twenty persons, and who expected a new colony of priests, brothers, and sisters towards the beginning of the following season. However, neither the small amount of their present possessions nor the bareness of the place nor the thousand difficulties inseparable from such an enterprise in a centre almost wholly Protestant, could discourage our hardy pioneers. pg 45 They hardly stopped to consider the idea of modifying the magnificent plan of building which they had brought with them from St. Peter's. The college was to be in the shape of a double hammer, 160 x 40 ft. four stories and a half in height. The erection of a college being the first condition of their holding the Lake property, one of their first thoughts was to get ready to carry it out at once. Sixty thousand feet of lumber, two hundred and fifty thousand bricks, and the necessary lime were engaged for the following spring. Besides, the Bishop's architect, who had made the plan, also made and sent in his bid for the work. All having been done under the supervision of the Bishop, his bid was accepted without long deliberation. The end of winter was ardently desired that work might begin. Unfortunately, that year it was of a length and severity almost unheard of in the United States. For five whole months the snow covered the ground, and during all that time there was not an intermission of even one week of the intense cold. The consequence of this was unfortunate for the enterprise, because the whole country was impoverished to a considerable extent. pg 46 6. The First Church Dec. 10th, 1842 Although the college has first been spoken of, it was found necessary before attending to it to prepare a suitable locality in which the Christians of the country might assemble. In the beginning of December, an appeal was made to all the Catholics of the congregation; but what could be expected of people so poor, and, let us add, with such little zeal as most of them were animated with. The result of the appeal was a subscription payable in so many days work! In three weeks, trees enough were cut down with which to put up a building 46 x 20 ft. and were carted to the place. On the day appointed the men assembled and raised the walls of the new temple. The efforts of their liberality did not go beyond that. F. Sorin had to have the building finished at his own cost, unless, in deed, no church was to be there for years. This was an expense of one thousand francs for the community. The church was opened on March 19th, St. Joseph's festival. The other members of the community were soon to arrive from St. Peter's, contrary to the will of the Bishop, who wanted them pg 47 to keep at the same time two establishments one hundred leagues apart. By order of their superior the Brothers, eleven in number, left for St. Mary of the Lakes in the first days of Feb 28 February, and arrived the day before Ash Wednesday. Their reunion was a joyful day for all. It was particularly to their assistance that was due the completion of the chapel at the date already mentioned. Insignificant as was this building, it was necessary to devote it to still another use. A second story was carried through its entire length in order to lodge in it the Sisters that were to arrive the following spring or summer. The old dormitory that had been used as a chapel was assigned to the Brothers, one of the priest's rooms was joined on to the new church, with the intention of also adding the other room in the following year, which then would furnish a space 90 x 20 feet. We shall say nothing of the first story. It was not necessary to be very tall in order to touch the rafters with your head. pg 49 7. Arrival of the Second Colony F. Cointet, The second colony started from Le Mans on May 27th, 1843, Marivault, and was composed of Father F. Cointet, the Rev. Mr. Marivault, and Gouesse; priest, Mr. l'Abbe F. Gouesse for the Society of priests; Bro. One Brother Eloi for the Brothers; and the following Sisters: Mary of the and Four Heart of Jesus, Mary of Bethlehem, Mary of Calvary, and Mary of Sisters. Nazareth. Their voyage was pleasant enough, although at times a little disagreeable. They reached Detroit towards the end of the first week of July. There they were near losing their leader, F. Cointet. He fell from balcony of the Bishop's residence, and naturally could not be expected to get up alive, considering the height and the hardness of the ground where the accident took place. But Providence seems even then to have special designs of protection and love towards this zealous missionary. The only penalty he paid was to remain some weeks in Detroit to recover, whilst at the same time he became known there and edified all that had the opportunity to wait on him. His travelling companions meanwhile continued their journey, leaving Bro. Eloi and Sr. Mary of Calvary to take care of the patient. Their arrival at St. Mary of the Lake made a sensation impossible to describe, both on those that were there already and on the new arrivals. This moment may serve as a point of comparison to represent to themselves what they will one day experience when they meet in heaven. A single room was placed at the service of the priests, and the Sisters had to themselves the ground floor below the chapel, where they spent nearly two years. Except for the fact that there was only one window, and in consequence of the close atmosphere there was a large stock of lice and bed-bugs, they were in the language of the country, pretty comfortable. This reinforcement would, if need had been, infuse new courage into the old missionaries; but there was one circumstance that was embarrassing: none of the three ecclesiastics had made a novitiate. That was the first thing to be attended to, but it afforded no relief to F. Sorin; on the contrary, an additional amount of work. Moreover, the needs of the times were such that it was out of the question for them to shut themselves up and pg 51 devote themselves exclusively to the exercises of the novitiate. The attempt was made to have the two work together; and, without being able to throw the blame on any one, it was soon found that, with the best will in the world, the old proverb held good of ONE THING AT A TIME. Bro. Eloi is Bro. Eloi, as his name suggests, was a farrier and of little locksmith, and could render great services to the house. A shop use was immediately provided for him and tools put at his service. Once he had started to work, he rendered some services, but not as much as he could. An ungovernable temper often paralyzed the skill of his hands. Perhaps he got even more pay for his services than he earned till he left the house in 1845. The Sisters As to the Sisters, there is no doubt that their services soon make were a benefit felt by all. The wardrobe had necessarily been themselves neglected, as, up to this time, there was no one to look after it very useful. except the Brothers. In some months, everything about it was orderly and clean, and all were content. pg 52 8. First Brick Building The expenses for bricks, lumber, and lime had hardly been met, together with the necessary outlay for the running of the house, when it was found that the treasury of the house was exhausted. On the other hand, the architect, unmindful of his promises, allowed the season for building the college to pass by. The fear of not being able to do anything towards the college this year, and the consciousness of many other urgent needs, caused it to be determined to put up some brick building that would serve as a bakery, and a dormitory for a few boarders and for the Brothers for whom there were no accomodations. This was the origin of the first brick building, which was originally erected for two stories, and to which new needs caused two other building to be added in succession, and two additional stories as it exists at the present day for the use of the Sisters. Meanwhile, it served for nearly a year for its first purpose, and even for the classes. pg 53 9. The College Begun The general retreat of the Brothers was over; and about a month previously the idea of beginning the college this year had been abandoned. Neither the time nor the resources appeared to be sufficient, when, on August 24th, the architect arrives from Vincennes with two workmen. Mr. Byerley offers a credit of 10,000fr. in his store and a loan of 2500fr. The Rev. Mr. Marivault offered to draw on his family for 6000fr. due him. Everyone was urgent, and on the 28th, St Augustine's day, the corner-stone of the college was blessed, in presence of a considerable number gathered together to witness the translation of Mr. Deseille's remains. A subscription was taken up on the occasion which amounted to about 1000fr. This was on Monday, and work was deferred until the following Thursday; but from that day until December 29th work was rushed forward as fast as possible. Fortunately, the autumn of this year for extremely favorable, and when snow and cold came, the college was under cover. The plastering could not be done till the following year, but it required only a few pg 54 months, and some of the rooms were occupied from the beginning of June, and all was in readiness at the return or winter. No need to tell the joy felt by those poor religious at sight of the building so much desired, surmounted by the cross, which overtopped the highest trees of the forest. They had for this year only a few boarders, with seven or eight little orphans. 10. Charter as a University Obtained by The walls of the college had not reached the third story Mr. Defrecs, when the Member of the legislature for St. Joseph's Co. came a Methodist, personally to offer his services to F. Sorin, assuring him that in Indiana- he could obtain from the legislature of the State a charter for a polis. University, and another incorporating the Manual Labor School of the Brothers. Mr. Defrecs--this is the name of the member--was not a Catholic; but quite the contrary, a Methodist; but in this case God was pleased to cause him to lay aside for once the prejudices of his sect and even his personal animosities, to make him useful to his country even in favoring his enemies. To the pg 55 surprise of many and to the general rejoicing of the Catholics as well as to the vexation of their enemies, the two documents were secured. The two charters, each in its kind, conferred all the privileges that could be granted by the government, and will remain in the archives as the most precious monuments that could be in its possession. 11. Financial Condition Poverty. The resources furnished by the diocese were soon exhausted, Loan of the buildings erected during the year cost nearly 30,000fr., 10,000fr. without mentioning the necessary and ordinary expenses of the Grant of house. Mr. Marivault's draft was protested in France, with 17,000fr. 600fr. costs added. F. Sorin had already drawn on the Rev. Father [Moreau] in September for 5000fr., but it was necessary to add thereto a loan of 10,000fr., which was secured by the pastor of Fort Wayne, Mr. J. Benoit. Moreover in Mr. Byerley's store there was an account current of about 8000fr. Fortunately the Propagation of the Faith granted this year, pg 56 at different intervals, the sum of 17,000fr. Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Beaubien of Detroit donated to F. Sorin a piece of ground which was sold some time afterwards for about 15,000fr. The gift was made in favor of the Sisters, but let to the donee entire liberty to use it otherwise should it be judged proper. When the act was signed, F. Sorin was asked by Mme. Beaubien if he would consent to give an education to two little orphans, to which he readily agreed. Another expense of the same year was the clearing of forty acres--about 2000fr. At the end of this period the debts of the house amounted to between twenty and twenty-two thousand francs. 12. General Remarks This first year at Notre Dame du Lac was remarkable: 1. for the devotedness and piety of the house in general; 2. for the animosity of the Protestants against it; 3. by the nature of the various undertakings; 4. by the donations that were received; 5. by its two charters; 6. by the assistance received from the Mother House. Several had to suffer, but all were ready for sufferings. The prospect of the college sustained the weak pg 57 by changing them into strong men. Although not such strangers to the manners and customs of the country, the good Brothers were still far from acting with the liberty of the Americans. The house was sometimes in a state of confusion, but at the same time a truly religious spirit reigned everywhere. The community was more than once visibly protected. It is rare that works of the kind undertaken are continued to the end without accident, but there was no such thing as a fall or wound during all this time. Towards the middle of December, when the college was yet filled with pieces of wood and rubbish, fire broke out in a partition on the first story and had even time to make some progress before it was discovered. Of course in the condition in which things then were, all seemed destined to become the prey of the flames. Providence was doubtless watching over the house whilst all were sleeping. The alarm was very great; but after half an hour the danger was arrested by the efforts of the Brothers and the workmen, and all joined in returning thanks to God. pg 58 The college was built with the view of being heated in all parts by means of a large furnace enclosed in the sand under the building. It was through one of the pipes that a partition took fire. For two years this furnace was the only fire in the building. At last, no one having the satisfaction of getting even a smell of the heat that it diffused all around, it became necessary to put up stoves. The following year all came near burning down through the imprudence of a boy in meddling with one of those stoves. There was great alarm, and the danger was really imminent. A third fire threatened to reduce everything to ashes in 1846, and this time it was due to the imprudence of F. Sorin himself. He wanted to have the stoves in the rooms along the corridor replaced by little chimneys, and had too readily trusted the word of a mason. After eight or ten days one of these chimneys started afire, and once more the college was within an inch of becoming a total ruin. God be praised for not having more severely punished the thoughtlessness of its head. The question was often raised, even from the very pg 59 beginning, of furnishing the college with a lightning rod. F. Sorin and his council preferred to trust the guardianship of the Blessed Virgin. They had been likewise advised to have the 1st college insured. It was only in 1848 that they consented to take insurance out an insurance policy, and then for only 15,000 francs. This same year was rendered memorable by conversions that were much talked of, and by the baptism of ten adult savages. Brother John, and Englishman by birth, had been deputed to go in search of the new colony, but on his arrival at Le Mans he found that they had just started. He himself returned with a Sister infirmarian, Mary of Providence, towards the end of Bell at St. November. With him also came the bell donated by the Rev. F. Mary's now Moreau. It was solemnly blessed a few days afterwards and mounted on the college, whence it is to be removed to the church tower as soon as the latter is built. It has, perhaps, twice saved the college from entire destruction on occasion of the fires with which it was threatened.  pg 60 Chapter III. Year 1844 1. Chapel of the Novitiate Dedicated to In the month of November 1843, as F. Sorin was making his the Sacred retreat on a little island beyond the Lake, he found the place Heart of admirably suited for a Novitiate for the Brothers, and as there Mary. remained only one year more, according to the contract of donation, to build the house, he did not think he was losing his time by spending his leisure hours in drawing up the plan of the Novitiate as it was afterwards carried out. Begun in May The corner stone of the chapel contained in his plan was 1844, in blessed in May of the following year, 1844. The building of this fulfillment chapel was in fulfilment of a vow made by F. Sorin on occasion of of a vow the sickness of one of the Sisters. The work on the university did not permit the continuance of that on the chapel before the month of November; but then such was the activity of the workmen in this matter that in seven and a half days the walls were up, and eight days more sufficed to build those of the Novitiate. pg 61 The chapel and the novitiate were blessed on Dec 8th of this Blessed on same year under the title of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart Dec 8th. of Mary, and on the same day the Archconfraternity was there Archcon- solemnly established. On the same day also two Sisters made fraternity their profession: Mary of the Five Wounds, and Mary of Bethlehem, established. and one postulant, Mary Coffee, received the habit with F. Profession Moreau's name, Sr. Mary of St. Basil. of two From this time until the end of 1848, when the new church sisters was dedicated, this little sanctuary became the favorite spot of the whole house. There the community assembled in times of distress or of rejoicing; there were published the general prescriptions or regulations in regard to the common welfare; there each year the retreat of the Brothers was made, and even that of the priests. There also later on (after March 19th, 1847) they came to venerate the precious relics, the holy body of St. Severa, presented to this chapel by Mgr. Dela Hailandiere on his return from Rome in 1845; thither also they came to honor the Passion by making the Way of the Cross, which was there canonically erected on March 14th 1845. The following year the same mystery was there recalled in a pg 62 manner equally touching and eloquent by the erection of the Group of the celebrated group of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors given to F. Seven Dolors Sorin by Mr. Dubuguay of Paris. A little later the same chapel was enriched by the Forty Hours, which made of this little enclosure the treasury and centre of all the spiritual privileges and goods of the community. It was thither that the pious visitors of the house were in preference taken; and there the Bishops of Detroit, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati celebrated holy mass, to the great satisfaction of the community and also to their own. During all this time it is the best thing there was in every respect in the institution. *Mrs. Mme. Byerley* had furnished it with a magnificent carpet, and Bro. Byerley Mary (Francis Xavier) had ornamented it with all the resources of his trade. It was thought proper to dwell at some length on this chapel of the novitiate, because during these four years it was the constant object of the religious attentions, or, let us say, of the entire affections of the community. Where should we stop were we to recount all the favors that each one believed himself to have there received? pg 63 2. The Novitiate This was the The first, we might almost say, the only aim of the Brothers first object of St. Joseph in coming to the United States was to establish a of the novitiate, and thereby to assure to religion in this country some Brothers. good religious teachers. The sphere of their movements became Difficulties enlarged at least in prospect almost as soon as they arrived. Poverty. The The important object of their mission was not on that account language. lost sight of. It must be confessed here, however, that the Fewness and needs of a college just starting into existence, as well as inconstancy poverty and the necessity to procure a living, long prevented all of that was required for success from being done for the novitiate. candidates. Want of time, of a locality, of a Master of novices, of rules in England, and likewise of fit subjects, turn by turn or simultaneously rendered impossible the development of this precious branch, and even the keeping of the postulants that entered, and who would probably have remained had they been solidly formed to the religious life. I will not here repeat what I said formerly in Ch. 1 in regard to vocations in this country, but I will add that, by means of the inexhaustible resources of a good novitiate in pg 64 conformity with the new Constitutions, most of those national and individual defects that candidates may bring with them on their entrance, would soon disappear and make place for solid virtues. It is unquestionable that the greater number came with good will. Now everybody knows how much a skillful master can do with a man well disposed--bonae voluntatis. The fact is that for a long time, in consequence of their poverty and their fewness to carry out the enterprises begun the Brothers could hardly make a trial of [the practical workings of] this opinion. Until the building of the novitiate on St. Mary's island, nothing could be done except to give an imperfect outline of the institution so called four years later. It was not completed for want of candidates, and because the Master was still too much occupied with other other things. The following list gives a precise idea of the resources of the country in the matter of vocations: The vestures are thus given in the Registers of the house: one in 1841, eleven in '42, four in '43, nine in '44, eight in '45, four in '46, three in '47, and three in '48; in all forty-three postulants in the space of seven years. Of this number seventeen afterwards left the Society and three died. Thus only one half are today members of the community. pg 65 In the month of November 1846 the Brothers' novitiate was Transfer to transferred from Notre Dame du Lac to Indianapolis, where it Indianapolis remained only till the following spring. It was at the request, or rather the imperative urgency of Mgr. Dela Hailandiere that this change had been made. Mgr. J.S. Bazin was of an entirely different opinion, and the novitiate was brought back to St. Mary's island, after having occasioned an expense of 4000fr. without any result, not to speak of the house purchased for 25,000fr. which has not been yet disposed of. What kind of Not only are vocations rare, but one third of the time they people do not present the qualities necessary to put the men to study. present One half are too old and the others are too ignorant to begin the themselves necessary studies. And then they have less desire than they seem to have in France to become teaching Brothers. During the first years at Notre Dame du Lac it was almost impossible to form and F. Sorin maintain a regular novitiate; but as soon as the house was passes six finished in 1844, F. Sorin fixed his own residence amongst the months there novices and applicants for six months, when his place was taken Replace by by F. Granger, as soon as the latter could make himself F. Granger understood in English. pg 66 Before the arrival of the Brothers in the United States, there was no novitiate of religious men of the same kind in the country. In 1845 the Brothers of the Christian Schools unsuccessfully attempted such an establishment in Baltimore, and in the following year the Brothers of St. Patrick repeated the experiment in the same city and appeared to succeed pretty well. Perhaps to this diversity of attractions may be attributed the diminution of the number of candidates. Pecuniary The greater number of those candidates are poor, sometimes resources of even carrying all their property on their persons. Hardly 5000fr. candidates. was brought into the Society by all of them together. Here, even more than in Europe, those that succeed in making money in the world do not think of giving it up. It would be better for some years to come to bring young postulants from beyond the sea, who are unacquainted with the spirit and the manners of the Americans. They will be easily formed, and will offer better assurances of perseverance. pg 67 3. Orphans or Apprentices Although orphans were received into the house already the previous year, still it was only from 1844 that they can be considered as forming a distinct class in the institution, having their own teachers and their special rules. However important this establishment of apprentices may seem at the present day, it must be confessed that is was not the result of long reflections. When Providence sent the first of those little abandoned ones, pity caused them to be received. Once they had become inmates of the house, it was necessary to think of giving them something to do. They were therefore successively placed in the shops that were already opened and run by the Brothers. Soon the idea occurred to teach them a trade which would enable them one day to secure for themselves an honorable place in society. A certain number having been thus in the start as it were imposed on the house, their future, as well as the responsibility assumed, called for the serious attention of the Council of Administration. It was believed that in this act of charity so pg 68 imperatively commanded, there was a means of securing some vocations for the Brothers, perhaps even for the Priesthood. The carrying out of any plan for this purpose required an immediate outlay, but left a hope that this outlay would be afterwards repaid by the very products of the trade they had been taught. A charter was therefore asked for from the legislature, and obtained by the same member who had taken charge of that of the college, under the title of Manual Labor School of the Brothers of St. Joseph. This charter constituted the Brothers into a legal body in the eyes of the public, and as such they could legally enter into contracts with regard to their apprentices, make regulations and conditions for them, and enforce them by law. This was a valuable privilege. Shortly afterwards a legal form and engagement was drawn up and printed, to be signed by the guardians, the children, and the superior. One of the principal clauses was that the apprentices were to remain in the house until the age of twenty-one years, and that the house should furnish them at their departure with two complete suits of clothes. It is understood as a matter of course that at the end of their time they should have a good pg 69 common education, and it was also required that, when it was possible, the parents or guardians should at the entrance of the child pay the sum of 200fr. The The apprentices were are first left with the boarders of the apprentices college, whose number they helped to swell. The necessity of separated separating them was soon felt, but the resources of the house from the were inadequate to make a complete separation at once, seeing the college. expense that it would cause. It was therefore necessary to keep them together in the college, but without allowing them to have communications together. Except for two hours and a half per day and on Sundays and festivals, the apprentices spend all their time at work in their respective shops, in which some have already made remarkable progress in their trades. No child is admitted under the age of twelve. It is wonderful to see what sympathy this establishment has called forth amongst reflecting Catholics. Lately the Brothers of St. Patrick, not long since established at Baltimore, also opened a school of arts and trades after the same plan. The Bishops of Cincinnati and New York wish pg 70 to have some of our Brothers as soon as possible to open similar institutions in their cities. God only knows how much good can be done in this manner in those great centres of population. In nearly every large city in the United States there is an orphan asylum, nearly all of which are in charge of the Sisters of Charity. This is an immense benefit to Catholic children up to the age of twelve or thirteen; but what will then become of them? Are they ready to enter fearlessly into the world, wherein are so many dangers for their faith and morals? It is then as a complement of all those pious asylums that this of Notre Dame du Lac was established, so that those children might simply pass from the hands of the Daughters of Charity to those of the Brothers of St. Joseph. There are eighteen of them at present, and if means permitted others to be received, it would be easy to multiply their number. Except as to classes and studies, the regulations for them are the same as for the students of the college, for rising and retiring, rest and recreation. Those dear children seem to be growing daily more and more contented in a condition which they appreciate more and more in pg 71 proportion to their growth and to the development of their reason. In general they afford as much consolation as they give trouble, and according to the last statement of their expenses and their work it can hardly be said that they are a burden to the house. God be blessed who thus, even in the performance of a charity that was almost forced upon the institution, provided a genuine resource for the future. 4. The Sisters of Holy Cross at Bertrand, Mich. They think As soon as he arrived at St. Peter's in 1841, F. Sorin had of forming manifested his desire to the Rev. F. Rector to have Sisters of a novitiate. Holy Cross for the service of the mission. It was only two years later, however, that is was possible for the Mother House to send him any. They came, four in number, under the guidance of F. Cointet, who led the second colony. We have already mentioned where they were place and in what they were employed in the beginning at Notre Dame du Lac. The good effects of their coming created in some sort new needs. Four Sisters were not enough to perform all the work that it was desirable to entrust to them. pg 72 Moreover, persons that might be an acquisition sometimes present themselves. To come to the point at once, a novitiate of their order was considered as a desirable establishment. But whether the Bishop would consent to this was very doubtful, or rather more than doubtful. He feared it himself, as he answered when the subject was first broached to him. Bishop would Despairing of obtaining anything from Vincennes, F. Sorin, not allow who had just received a confidential letter from the Rev. Father Sisters of in regard to the difficulties opposed to him by Mgr. Bouvier Holy Cross relatively to the Sisters of Holy Cross, whom he would not so much into the as hear mentioned, addressed himself to the Bishop of Detroit, who diocese of seemed to be delighted to have them established in his diocese and Vincennes who gave his approbation and encouragement. Not content with this first approbation of the Bishop of Detroit, F. Sorin who had some presentiment of what afterwards happened, asked, before making the change, to have a renewal of this favor. Hereupon he considered himself justified, and sent two Sisters and three postulants to Bertrand, two leagues from the Lake, in the diocese of Detroit. His object was to establish them pg 73 as near as prudence would allow so as to be able to see to them himself without difficulty, and to obtain from them some services for the community and the college. Mgr. Dela Hailandiere no sooner learned of this than, thinking a sharp trick had been played on him, he immediately wrote to the bishop of Detroit in such a severe and imperious manner that the latter was frightened and lost no time in withdrawing the permission and authorization he had given to establish the Sisters at Bertrand. On receipt of this disagreeable news F. Sorin goes at once to Detroit to lay the matter more fully before the Bishop. During this time the Bishop of Cincinnati comes there on a visit, and the matter is submitted to him. The great argument of the Bishop of Vincennes was that the proximity of the two establishments was dangerous. Bishop Purcell was of a different opinion, and F. Sorin returned, confirmed in what he had done, after all, only according to the required conditions. The Sisters remained at Bertrand, but the Bishop of Vincennes could not forget. It was in the middle of the summer of 1844, thirteen months after their arrival from France, that they went to their new pg 74 post. They were first lodged in a house rented from a Catholic, where they remained until the spring of 1846. They received a certain number of postulants, and also a few pupils; but being at the same time cramped for room, having no persons of talent and experience, and no pecuniary resources, their house could hardly develop. The following year a grant of 5000fr. was made in their favor by the Propagation of the Faith. They made the attempt to build a house for themselves. A piece of ground of seventy-seven acres had been given them at Bertrand, on which they set up their residence on the banks of the St. Joseph's river, three minutes walk from the church. They put up a frame building, which could not be finished till the spring of the following year. They had just entered when F. Sorin returned from France in 1846. He brought back with him the former superiors and eight others, novices and postulants. Among the novices of this colony were Mary of the Cenacle, soon afterwards superioress. Under her energetic government good order and religious discipline were reestablished in the whole house. It had suffered much in the pg 75 absence of its first superioress during fifteen months, and still more during F. Sorin's voyage in Europe. The general retreat of the Sisters in the month of September 1946 was remarkable for all the instructions that were published, and which more clearly defined the spirit of the Society than could have been done before. Three Sisters, one of whom was Mary of the Cenacle, were admitted to profession. From the beginning of 1844 the Sisters of Holy Cross, after the example of the Brothers and with the same objects, saw themselves as it were compelled to receive some little orphan girls. The first year they had three or four, in the following year six, in 1846 eight, and in 1848 the same number. Either because they were younger of for the lack of discipline amongst them, these little children did not in general give as much satisfaction as the boys at the Lake. However, there appears to me to be no doubt but that this branch of charity might be developed advantageously even as much as the former. In 1844 the Sisters made a foundation at Pokagan amongst the savages of the Pottawatomy tribe, who numbered one hundred and ninety. Two Sisters were sent there with a priest, and they pg 76 opened a school of English which has been kept up since, and which seems to be doing well. The Indians are attached to them and would be very much grieved if they were to leave. From this very first year in Bertrand there were always some Sisters especially charged to visit the sick in the village and the neighborhood, whenever they were wanted. By this means the Sisters on many occasions became instruments of the conversion of many infidels who otherwise would probably have died in their unbelief. However, it must be confessed that if the necessity of looking to the novitiate and of obtaining for it some good for the college had not been so urgent, it would be hard to understand this first year at Bertrand, which was and will be for a long time to come nothing more than a dead town. A novitiate may succeed there, however; a boarding school hardly. Still, the latter has not been seriously attempted. It is only a few months since a mistress really qualified has been given charge of the studies. In a few years hence one can form a better opinion. pg 77 5. The Farm The farm of Notre Dame du Lac having been always considered as one of the finest resources of the community, it will not be uninteresting to devote a separate article to it and to enter into a few details. On the arrival of the first Brothers at the Lake there were about ten acres under cultivation, and the soil was completely worn out. About fifty acres were broken in 1843. The following year it was resolved to open twice as much. The ordinary cost of this work is from forty to fifty francs an acre, when it is ploughed and well fenced. Hence it is easy to judge that the expense for the land was considerable that year. Most of this expense was for wheat, and the rest for potatoes and some acres of maize or Indian corn. The farm raises pigs to the number of about 140; sheep, 85; cows, 17; calves, 17; not to mention 12 or 16 oxen that have been here for two years, and ten horses almost constantly at work, either on the farm or for the house. The following year the Brothers wished to avoid the expenses of similar works. They bought a plough for $40, fourteen or sixteen oxen, and grain to feed them. This year they did almost all the work themselves, and thus they saved a considerable amount. The profits in consequence of the bad years that were passed through were slight. It was fortunate even that real losses were not suffered. Up to the present time expenses have been met, and that is about all. Wheat in ordinary years yields from fifteen to eighteen bushels an acres; Indian corn from twenty-five to thirty; potatoes from sixty to seventy-five. It was really only from the spring of this year that the farm may be considered as established on a regular basis. From this date also we were obliged most of the time to keep two workmen besides the brothers that were sent there, and although everything was calculated to make our Americans smile, still the profits of the farm always more than covered expenses. If the vus* and the flies had not destroyed a part of the crops of 1845, '46, and '47, and the mildew that of 1848, the profits on the farm would have been considerable each year. On the other hand, though it may not appear to be the immediate product of the soil, we should place to the credit of the farm all pg 79 the expenses that the college and the community would regularly have to make without the help of the farm. In the autumn of the year 1843, about two hundred trees had been planted near the Lake. Later on, in 1845, nearly four hundred saplings were added, and about three hundred peach trees. *(I cannot make out the word. Perhaps the English word rust was meant.)  pg 80 Chapter IV. Year 1845 1. The Barn Poverty alone had caused the question of a barn to be left so long as a mere project. On a farm of such an extent everybody agreed that if was an immediate necessity; but it would be an expense of about 4000fr. Finally, the matter having been agreed upon in council, the foundations were dug at the beginning of this summer, and everything was in readiness for the harvest. The dimensions were 80 x 40 ft. Under the entire length and breadth of the building is a basement of 8 ft in height which can winter two hundred sheep, and in which all the potatoes and other roots that the farm produces and that need to be protected from freezing may be stored away. This barn is the finest in the whole surrounding country. The ground floor can hold in sheaves 2,000 bushels of wheat, 1000bu. of oats, 500 bu. of barley, leaving in the middle plenty of room for threshing, winnowing, etc. In a word, it is the bank and the treasury of the farm. It is solid enough to last twenty- five or thirty years. pg 81 2. Lime The Brothers on their arrival at the Lake thought that they saw a great advantage to be derived from utilizing the rich banks of their Lakes by making lime out of the marl. The first years did not pay expenses, either on account of their ignorance of how to proceed, or through mistakes. In 1845, the idea was adopted that by forming a vast reservoir into which the lime could be drawn directly from the kilns so as not to delay the workmen in the fair season, there would be better prospects of success. About 300fr. were expended on this project. A shed was even put up for the workmen, but things did not turn out as had been expected. To make the lime, measure it, sell it, have it paid for, was a constant source of annoyance. However, it was not until 1847 and '48 that it was recognized that the making of lime here was a most unsatisfactory business. Then at last, that is to say, six years too late, it was resolved to let out the job even at very low rates. No one, however, can fail to see that it is in reality one of the resources of the property, which will always find in it a very pg 82 valuable nature. Besides, should the neighboring towns increase in population, and if Notre Dame du Lac can succeed in purchasing the farm that separates it in one direction from the river, this resource will be quite considerable, and will become a monopoly which will be controlled only by the sense of justice. 3. First House of the Sisters (Bertrand) The Sisters of Holy Cross, as has been said in the preceding chapter, had entered the diocese of Detroit in the year 1844; and they remained there for some time in a rented house. In order to secure them to their village, the inhabitants of Bertrand offered F. Sorin, for them, seventy-seven acres of ground: the offer was accepted, and the old frame building that had stood there for ten or twelve years was found to occupy the most charming site on the banks of the St. Joseph's river. The Sisters added to it a new building, also of wood, but more tasty, and large enough to accomodate a little community. It was a house of two stories, 40 x 20 ft., with an addition of one story, 25 x 20 ft. for a kitchen. Add a fine brick cellar and you have the Sisters' house, which was named Our Lady of the Seven Dolors. It cost about 5000fr. and was finished only in the spring of 1846. pg 83 4. The Printing Office The necessity of having the Constitution for the Brothers and Sisters printed in English made F. Sorin desirous for some time to be able to do it at home, and not to have to put such papers in the hands of Protestants. The other printed matter that had often to be given out in the Society, not to speak of classical works that it was desirable to print and sell cheaply in the country, made the administration of the Lake resolve on buying a press at Niles that happened to be for sale at 3500fr. with three years' schooling. The first publication that was issued from this press was the Rules and Constitutions of the Brothers, which were printed by Brother Joseph under the direction of a regular printer. Then an abridgement of Murray's little grammar, afterwards the Epistles and Gospels, then the first volume of Mrs. Herbert and the rules of the Archconfraternity, besides some detached leaves. Unfortunately it was impossible to continue the work as it ought to be done; the expenses were not sufficiently justified, and the attempt was given up. The following year, in January pg 84 1847, the press was sold again for about the same amount as it had cost, and the idea of printing at the Lake was abandoned, at least for the time being. No doubt but that with a man who knew how to judge and manage the affair there would have been a considerable gain. The absence of such a man caused the undertaking to be abandoned, together with all the hopes to which it had given rise. It is to be regretted that the institution could not by itself carry all those expenses. There would have been plenty of work for two or three little apprentices. The boys would have been of the greatest service there, and would have been learning a useful trade. pg 85 5. Life Pension of Mr. Badin About the middle of July of this year (1845) the Rev. Mr. Badin of Kentucky, the first priest ordained in the United States, arrives at Notre Dame du Lac, admires all that has been done there since his last visit in 1836, and offers F. Sorin to give him two lots in the city of Louisville in order to help to support and develop the work for the orphans, as well as to purchase a piece of two hundred acres between Notre Dame and the river; on condition, however, that a yearly allowance should be made him of $400, or 2000fr., and one year after his death to his universal heir. In the month of August F. Sorin went to Louisville to try to dispose of the lots; but instead of the twelve or fifteen thousand dollars that Mr. Badin had given him to expect he, together with the judged of the place, could not value them at more than $6000. Three months later the lots were actually sold for this amount by Mr. Badin's own agent, whom F. Sorin had also retained as agent at the recommendation of the former. pg 86 Mr. Badin complains that the lots were given away at half their value. Meanwhile Mr. Badin employs a man to offer $3000 for the same property; but F. Sorin, who knew that a title-deed could not be obtained from the seller, fortunately puts a stop to the whole affair in time. He then starts for France. Mr. Badin, who never agrees with anybody, begins now to criticize and condemn everything that he himself had approved and admired at Notre Dame du Lac. He complains, he grows excited, he charges ingratitude, he accuses F. Sorin to the Rector, and he starts off with two Sisters whom he takes travelling with him on the plea of health to Milwaukee and Southport, after having given F. Granger an endless amount of trouble. F. Granger represented the absent superior. On his return F. Sorin in greatly pained to learn of the malicious pranks of F. Badin. He meets him at St. Joseph in October and agrees to renew the contract of the previous year. He gives a mortgage on the Lake property as a security for the amount of 2000fr., and procures legal authorization to take all the time that he may judge reasonable to purchase the property mentioned; but when he wishes to regulate his accounts with M. Badin, he pg 87 finds the claims of the latter so unreasonable and insisted on so obstinately, that after having wasted some weeks in trying to bring Mr. Badin to a friendly settlement without any success, on the suggestion of Mr. Badin himself the matter was placed in the hands of two lawyers, designated by name and accepted on both sides, in writing. Some days afterwards Mr. Badin refuses the man chosen by F. Sorin, and goes (to await Mr. Benoit for fifteen days at Fort Wayne; in the beginning) to carry his complaints to the Bishop of Chicago, then to New Orleans, etc. The following year he returns with the same claims and the same obstinacy; F. Sorin insists on his rights and lets him talk, although he knows from good authority that he is taking measures to ruin his reputation. He leaves, threatening to go and accuse F. Sorin to the Archbishop of Baltimore. On his way he stops at Fort Wayne, where he waits fifteen days for the Rev. Mr. Benoit. Towards the beginning of October Mr. Benoit arrives at the Lake, legally provided with all the powers of Mr. Badin, and having a secret assurance from the latter of a fee of 2000fr. if he succeeds in gaining the cause for him and winning him the 4000fr. which he claimed. pg 88 Mr. Benoit met F. Sorin, and for two days scrupulously examined the whole series of accounts. So far from finding a debt of 4000fr. in favor of the plaintiff, he is obliged to acknowledge him a debtor to F. Sorin to the amount of 300fr. It is said that F. Badin was very much displeased with his agent, and that he afterwards accused him openly of being in complicity with F. Sorin, of whom he continues to say all the evil he can. However, the money question remains and will remain as it was settled and signed at this time by Mr. Benoit. From the end of 1845, F. Badin is evidently angry with F. Sorin. The latter is well aware of the cause, which is not a matter of dollars, but one that he must keep to himself, leaving to God to arrest the effects whenever it is his good pleasure to do so. pg 89 6. Completion of the Novitiate Until the autumn of this year (1845), the Brothers' novitiate had remained incomplete; that is to say, it consisted of the chapel and the central house, in which the novices, to the number of sixteen, had been lodged. Mr. Badin, seeing the inconvenience occasioned by the want of room, and the beauty that would belong to the establishment on its completion, offered 300fr. towards finishing it; and in consequence of this offer it was resolved to complete the part corresponding to the chapel. However, the inside could not be finished until the following spring, and this was taken by Mr. Badin as a sufficient reason to withdraw his subscription. The original intention was to dedicate this third part to St. Joseph and to have a chapel in his honor there--which is deferred for the present, but not entirely given up. If the administration of Notre Dame du Lac succeeds some day in lowering the waters of the Lake and in drying the marshes that separate the novitiate from the college, this dwelling-place will be unquestionably one of the most agreeable that could be desired. pg 90 7. The Infirmary It had been begun in the autumn of 1844, but it was only in the course of 1845 that it was finished such as it is today, namely, a brick building 60 x 20 ft., of two stories. Part of it was at first occupied by the printing office. It was only on the return of F. Superior in 1846 that it was regularly divided into separate apartments in such a way as to fill the wants of an infirmary. There are four rooms on the ground-floor and four upstairs--amply sufficient for the wants of the college and the community. Up to the present time it has been necessary to use one half of those rooms to lodge persons for whom there is no accommodation elsewhere. Under the present heading it is proper to say something about the maladies and the deaths that have successively afflicted the mission. On their arrival at the Lake the Brothers were informed that the place was considered unhealthy. The following spring two of them were the proof and the victims, Bros. Joachim and Paul, whose death contributed much to confirm the bad reputation of the place pg 91 as regards health. The year 1845 was marked by a great deal of sickness, nobody dying, but many being down with daily fevers. It is true that the Society this year had to mourn the premature death of Br. Anselm, who was drowned in the Ohio while bathing with Mr. Deluane; but no one thought of charging this death to the insalubrity of Notre Dame du Lac, as was done the two following years. The autumn of 1846 was marked three times by death: that of Bro. John the Baptist, then that of Bro. Anthony, and of Mr. Garnier, a postulant lately arrived from France. Some time in the following winter occurred the death of a pupil, Mr. Richardville. The autumn of 1847 was visited by more sickness but fewer fatalities. Sr. Mary of Carmel was the only one to pay the debt of nature. It is a fact that about this time the same maladies afflicted the whole country, and it would perhaps be difficult to prove that they were really produced by the climate; still it can not be called in question that the number of deaths in so short a time did considerable harm to the house in the public estimation. pg 92 These two years, 1846 and '47, quite a number of boarders went home with fever, and not only did not themselves return, but kept others away through fear. In 1848 the vacation of the college was put a month earlier on this account, and thus the danger of which the sad experience had been made the two preceding years was avoided. Nevertheless, it is not yet proved that there is not really something unhealthy that makes a residence at Notre Dame du Lac dangerous to some constitutions. During six years it would perhaps be difficult to find a single day on which there was no one sick.  pg 93 Chapter V. Year 1946 1. Voyage of F. Sorin to France Of all the proceedings of F. Sorin since his arrival in the United States, none was perhaps more injurious to him than his voyage to Europe at a time when his presence was far more necessary to his house than he could have imagined. During his absence, which lasted for about six months, from February until the end of August, the evil spirit made ravages of his flock which even in two years was not able to repair:--not that F. Granger, who took his place, was negligent or spared himself in any way; but being overburdened with duties and having daily to fight against bad will, which took advantage of the superior's absence to heap difficulties in the way, he could not oppose a sufficiently strong resistance to the passions of others which had become more exacting, nor maintain everywhere the spirit of obedience and of peace. Of the five seminarians whom he left in the novitiate at his departure, he found only two. The Sisters, being without a mother for fifteen months, felt deeply the effects of this absence, pg 94 during which they seriously compromised their reputation in the eyes of the public, as far as regards good order, charity, and the religious spirit. The Brothers perhaps suffered least. The college shared in the effects of a general impression to the disadvantage of the institution. The printing office was closed; the affairs of Kentucky gave the administration no little trouble; whilst Mr. Badin alone caused as much annoyance as all the rest put together. Some merchants would give no peace until they had received the full amounts of their bills. In a word, during almost all this time there reigned in the house a feeling of uncertainty and embarrassment. On the other hand the resources that F. Sorin had hoped to find in Europe could not be realized according to his views. A delay of several weeks prevented him from visiting Ireland, to which country he had several recommendations that carried weight with them, and where he would have found vocations for the mission. When he reached the Mother House, whither more than one calumny had preceded him, he perhaps too readily looked upon it as beneath him to justify himself of charges wherein he had never pg 95 been guilty; his silence was looked upon as a tacit confession of the things laid to his charge. The settlement of accounts between the Mother House and him did not in the least remove these dispositions on the one side or the other, but on the contrary seemed to confirm each party in his own ideas. Financially this journey was hardly more successful; he made his expenses and very little over. The only thing that consoled F. Sorin in those painful circumstances was the acquisition of Sister Mary of the Cenacle, known in the world as Louise Naveau. She often made him forget all his vexations. She was a woman of tried virtue, of more than ordinary merit for her knowledge of the world, of tact, zeal, devotedness, obedience, the spirit of faith and of confidence in God, whom she loved with all her heart. Her quickness of perception and her wonderful activity made her present where her presence was desirable. In a word, she alone was a real fortune to the establishment. Would to God that she had not been called away so soon! With her, eight other Sisters or postulants left France for the mission of Notre Dame du Lac; besides, one priest and one pg 96 seminarian, with three professed Brothers and one postulant. The new colony did not bring much money with them, but they did bring sixty chests which contained a number of articles of actual need in the house. The passage was fortunate, although rather long--forty days. F. Sorin had the good fortune on landing in New York of availing himself of the last day of grace to prevent the protest of a draft for $500 drawn by F. Granger three months before, during his absence. After celebrating the feast of the Assumption in New York, he and his company travelled rapidly and cheaply, having all the facilities and advantages of the season in their favor. pg 97 2. General Retreats The first necessity as well as the first duty to fulfil on the arrival of F. Superior was to put everybody in turn on retreat as soon as possible. The Brothers began first, three days after the arrival of the colony; then the Sisters, whose retreat ended on September 8th. Three of them made their profession, and one of the late arrivals, St. Mary of the Cenacle, who was then only second assistant, but who was to become superioress a few months later. Finally came the retreat of the priests. The more trouble there had been this year, the more each one seemed to take to heart the making of this retreat well, and at the same time, it seemed to be a pleasure to them. Thus far, greater recollection or more good will had not been seen. All the regulations and usages of the Mother House, as far as practicable, were proclaimed and received with the most entire submission. The obediences were assigned in the Minor Chapter and were accepted by all without exception with humility and submission. The accusations were made this year, as always, with frankness and candor truly edifying, so as to give the best of hopes for the coming year. pg 98 F. Sorin had obtained permission to admit to the perpetual profession vows at this retreat MM. Cointet, Marivault, and Gouesse. These of Fr. professions were deferred for the solemnity of Christmas. Cointet, etc The first months appeared all the happier because everyone felt that he was actually living the life of Sainte Croix. Never had the consolations of faith been more necessary for the house. Without going over what has been said above as to the troubles caused the administration this autumn by Mr. Badin, maladies and death came by turns and together to try to the utmost the patience of this poor family. Bros. John the Baptist and Anthony, and Mr. Garnier, an excellent postulant for the Brothers, who had come from France with the last colony, were successively carried away in the space of two months. The grant of 15,000fr. this year by the Propagation of the Faith, which they learned towards the end of autumn, was a great consolation for all amidst their vexations and sufferings. pg 99 3. Acquisition of Indianapolis Ever since 1842, Mgr. Dela Hailandiere had the idea that the novitiate of the Brothers should be established at Indianapolis. At that time it was evidently impossible to carry out his plans. On occasion of his trip to Europe in 1844 he entered in to an agreement with the Rev. F. Moreau by which the house and the Ordinary of Vincennes bound themselves reciprocally. One of the clauses of this contract was that if the Society, adopting the view of His Lordship, would transfer the novitiate from Notre Dame du Lac to Indianapolis, the Bishop would give $500, and three hundred and seventy-five acres of ground near Bertrand, Michigan. During the absence of F. Sorin it seems that Mgr. Dela Hailandiere learned of the project of founding a house at St. Mary's. As a matter of course he loudly condemned it from the first, and soon afterwards he made no mystery [of his determination] that if any members were sent from the Lake to Kentucky, he would pack them all off there. As soon as Sorin had pg 100 returned from Europe the Bishop urged to have the establishment promised for Indianapolis founded; then he complained that there were such long delays; and finally he threatened to rid himself of the whole community if he could not have this project carried out. At this time, Bro. Joseph was sent to Indianapolis on a new mission which His Lordship was desirous of establishing, namely, to sell Catholic books cheap and thus to fill every house of the country with them. He made hardly any sales; he was more concerned, it seems to me, in buying than in selling or paying. The fact is that, having been told to look around and examine whether there was any property for sale at Indianapolis which might be suitable for a novitiate, he took this as an authorization to purchase a property of twenty-seven acres for 22,500fr. The administration was equally surprised and pained, but to refuse to sanction what was done would compromise the house in the eyes of the public and especially in those of the Bishop. Moreover by his last [letters ?] F. Rector himself seemed to be of opinion that some sacrifices might be made in order to preserve the last remnants of the favorable dispositions of the Bishop. pg 101 All things having been maturely considered, the purchase was ratified by the Minor Chapter, and notice was immediately sent to Sainte Croix. It is hardly necessary to add that the administration of the Lake chose this means only as a lesser evil, leaving to the Mother House, of course, the right to order the property to be resold if that appeared more expedient. Here the members of the chapter committed an inexcusable blunder in trying to justify this purchase too strongly by the words of the Rev. Father, and in not putting in the clearest light the unpleasant predicament in which the stupidity of Bro. Joseph had placed them. This was the occasion of the famous memorial which will be mentioned in the next number. The Bishop was delighted. He even wrote to the Propagation of the Faith to obtain a special grant on this occasion, and he gave hopes of double assistance from that quarter. How great was the disappointment of the chapter on learning six months afterwards that there would be no grant at all to the Lake this year! pg 102 There was nothing for it but to be resigned to this financial crisis. The embarrassment was greater than it had ever been before. However, God did not permit the house to be at any time in want of the necessaries.  Chapter VI. Year 1847 1. Arrival of F. Saunier The unexpected arrival of F. Saunier from the Mother House in the month of June was an event in the whole community. He was the bearer of a memorial which he had orders to read in chapter on the very day of his arrival, and he scrupulously carried out this order. With a little judgment he might have foreseen the effects of the reading of this document and have smoothed them down; but either he foresaw nothing or he did not choose to do anything in consequence [of his provision], and the memorial was read, and defended by its bearer wherever it needed it, in such a manner as to leave the most painful and regrettable impressions on nearly pg 103 all members of the chapter. For his part F. Sorin can never entirely forget the annoyance that it gave him. Some days afterwards F. Saunier, who had an obedience for Louisville or St. Mary's, Ky. left the lake and started for Kentucky. Hardly had he reached there when he wrote for four Sisters, whom he did not get, however, until he had received an authorization from the Rev. Father. Then the Sisters went, toward the end of October. Six weeks afterwards he got Bro. Theodulus in the same manner. Without pretending here to give the history of the Kentucky affair; it is necessary to say something about it in order the make the chronicles of the Lake complete. From first to last one cannot fail to be surprised that a house of such importance could be carried on by such a long series of misunderstandings, or, let us say the word, of gross blunders of administration. pg 104 2. St. Mary's, Kentucky To take up the history of this affair from the beginning, we must go back to the month of January, 1846. At the departure of the Jesuits from Kentucky. Mgr. Chabrat wrote to F. Sorin, offering him this institution, which was to be left vacant in some months. After communicating the affair to the council he answered the Bishop that he thought he could accept St. Mary's to establish there a school of English, perhaps a Brothers' novitiate, and a school of arts and trades; on condition, however, that the property just as it was (that is to say, four hundred acres of excellent land on which the Jesuits, according to the Bishop, had just spent $50,000.00 and whose buildings could lodge three hundred persons) should be given to the Society of Holy Cross, and that His Lordship would do his best to form at St. Mary's a central novitiate for the United States, sanctioned by all the Bishops of the Union. He added that he was on the point of embarking for France, where he did not doubt that he could have this matter approved, if this pleased His Lordship. pg 105 Some days later F. Sorin sets out, and on his arrival in New York he finds a letter from Mgr. Chabrat, who accepts with thanks the conditions submitted to him by the administration of the Lake, and ends by saying that he considers the matter settled, and encouraging F. Sorin not to fear the least disappointment in regard to St. Mary's. F. Sorin, who cannot put off his departure, writes to Mr. Delaune, one of his old friends, who resides at Madison, ten hours from Louisville and a day and a half from St. Mary's, informing him of what is going on and requesting him to go in person to St. Mary's and send him without delay to Sainte Croix an account of the state of the property and buildings, with as close an estimate as possible of the expenses required in order to establish a community there. At the same time he informs Mgr. Chabrat of the request made to Mr. Delaune, and next day he embarks for London, being still more desirous of visiting Ireland, and seeking subjects. Mr. Delaune lost no time in complying with F. Sorin's request, but instead of confining himself scrupulously to the pg 106 directions that he had received, he considered it of such advantage to act as he though F. Sorin himself would have done, that he believed he was rendering a great service to the Society by immediately buying from the Jesuits all that should necessarily remain for the house of the Brothers, and in the name of the house he signed an obligation for 9500fr. for furniture. The notice of this transaction, which he at once sent to F. Sorin at Sainte Croix, surprised and displeased the latter. However, as he stated in this same letter that, with the approval of Mgr. Flaget, he had written to the Propagation of the Faith asking for a grant of 20,000fr. Sainte Croix did not venture to annul his acts in Kentucky before learning the result of his petition. For four months an answer was expected from Lyons and Paris, during which time no word was sent to Mr. Deluane, who continued to act as he had been doing, thinking that his course was approved since nothing was said to the contrary. The time fixed for F. Sorin's departure arrives, and no answer received from the Propagation of the Faith, Sainte Croix begins to be alarmed in regard to St. Mary's. F. Sorin is pg 107 seriously uneasy about Mr. Delaune, thinking that he may possibly be abandoned in the predicament in which his devotedness has placed him. This idea alone pains him and makes him feel unhappy. Sainte Croix, which cannot close its eyes to this critical affair and which fears to take any engagement before knowing the answer of the Propagation of the Faith, charges F. Sorin with causing the embarrassing position in which they are placed; and on his departure from Sainte Croix he is forbidden to meddle further with that foundation, in regard to which Sainte Croix would in future treat directly with Mgr. Flaget. At the same time Mr. Delaune is at last written to, and he is told to be patient, and that as soon as an answer shall have come from the Propagation of the Faith, the members that are needed will be sent to St. Mary's, some from France and some from the Lake. Mr. Delaune, who had no information until now of the condition on which, it appeared, the ratification of his acts in Kentucky was to be dependent, answers with surprise, complaining and demanding justice. pg 108 Finally the Propagation of Faith answers that the 2000fr. asked for are granted for the foundation of St. Mary's. Six months are spent in seeking the author and the correction of this clerical error, but no additional grant is made. On his side F. Sorin, whose hands are tied as regards St. Mary's, is incomprehensible by his silence to Mr. Delaune and to Mgr. Chabrat, so that the former ceases to write to him, and the latter makes known to him through his secretary that he will make no communications to him in future with regard to St. Mary's; but that as he is soon to start for France, he will go to Le Mans and speak with Mr. Moreau. It was in the month of October, 1846 that he gave this information, and in May of 1847 he had not yet visited Sainte Croix nor written a word to the Rev. F. Rector. Finally at this time Sainte Croix, seeing no escape from its embarrassment, and understanding with what delicacy Mr. Delaune deserved to be treated, resolved to send him a priest to encourage and help him in his difficult and delicate position. For it must be said that this zealous missionary, left entirely to himself for pg 109 the time being, had not remained idle. In the month of January, 1847, in daily expectation of a colony from Sainte Croix, he opened the college with the help of English-speaking professors, to whom he gave lessons in Latin and theology. He even succeeded this first year in gathering together about fifty pupils at the rate of $75 each. It was in the middle of the occupations of managing this college and of attending to four adjacent congregations that F. Saunier found him, having been sent to him by the Mother House. A man of talent, prudence, and tact could even then have succeeded in arranging things satisfactorily. The prospects of the college were good, Mr. Delaune was willing to remain there for at least another year for the sake of the Society, on condition that he received a modest compensation; and before the end of that time all the debts of the college could be easily cleared off. We may as well say it: the prospect of such a fair future turned the head of the poor new-comer. It appears indubitable that at his arrival at St. Mary's he conceived that project of having himself made president, independent of the Lake, whence, he expected to pg 110 draw all the necessary helps, but treating directly with Sainte Croix in everything. From that time forward, therefore, he represented himself to the Bishop and to Mr. Delaune as the agent of Sainte Croix. Soon he imagined that he could conduct the college better than Mr. Delaune himself, and as if he had been really invested with all the powers of the Mother House, without saying a word to the Lake, he makes a contract with Mr. Delaune, takes upon himself, as representative of Sainte Croix, the whole government and responsibility of the college, of which he makes himself president, Mr. Delaune figuring simply as a paid agent. And even with all this he can hardly keep him as such and takes upon himself all that he would like to without turning him out. In the month of October he writes to the Lake saying that F. Moreau had just accepted St. Mary's adn ratified all his doings. As has been said already, on the authorization of the Rev. Father four Sisters were sent to him towards the end of the same month, and six weeks afterwards Brother Theodulus. Believing himself pg 111 stronger, F. Saunier conducts himself in a still more hateful manner towards Mr. Delaune. The latter complains to the Rev. Father, who with a stroke of his pen annuls all that F. Saunier has done at St. Mary's as representative of the House. Vexation at such a humiliating defeat, which was probably not softened down by Mr. Delaune, makes F. Saunier declare that he is going to leave the Society. Dr. Spalding, bishop-elect of Louisville, who looked upon F. Saunier as a child whose mission seemed to him to be mysterious, said to whoever wished to hear that Sainte Croix had sufficiently mocked the Bishop of Kentucky, but that the comedy would soon be at an end; that insignificant representatives were sent claiming to be invested with all powers, who soon afterwards were declared to have none. Under the circumstances, fearing to lose the advances already made, together with the reputation of the Society in the diocese of Louisville, F. Sorin, with the advice of the chapter, proceeds to Louisville at the beginning of April, 1848, agrees with Dr. Spalding that, unless the Rector opposes it, he will furnish the men necessary for conducting the college at the reopening in pg 112 September following. The Doctor, (who was even yet desirous of giving St. Mary's to the Society) asked for an additional priest and a few Brothers. F. Saunier learns that there is a disposition at Notre Dame du Lac of giving him a superior, (although up to this there was only question of sending F. Gouesse to help him . Perhaps Dr. Spalding, who did not understand how the matter could be arranged otherwise, had hinted this to him.) positively refused to act with anyone whatsoever from Notre Dame du Lac, although he had been asking for F. Gouesse for a year. Dr. Spalding wrote about the matter to the Lake, fearing, he said, that this refusal of F. Saunier might break the provisional understanding of April, (which had been made for only a year.) F. Sorin replied that the refusal or the consent of F. Saunier was personally immaterial as regarded the carrying out of the agreement in the spring. Meanwhile the Jesuits withdrew from their negotiations with the diocese of Louisville and returned to their college at Bardstown. The question of St. Mary's is indirectly affected and entirely changed hereby. The Bishop has now to find places for all pg 113 the priests whom he had employed at Bardstown. Without waiting to see whether or not the Lake would fulfil its promise. Dr. Spalding announced to F. Sorin that, not being able to leave St. Mary's any longer in the uncertainty in which our Society had kept if for two years, he considered it his duty to provide for it independently of all previous arrangements with him,, since as had been already done in the case of F. Saunier, F. Moreau might once more annul this last agreement, and thus place the Bishop in new difficulties; moreover, he did not see that the diocese had been treated fairly by our Society; finally, that the Lake might call on Mr. Delaune for whatever was due for the Brothers and Sisters. His letter was that of one who had no longer any use for men whom he was lately begging to remain. F. Sorin once more proceeds to Kentucky and meets Dr. Spalding at Bardstown. He insists on the executing of the last agreement and shows that he is duly authorized, as he had been in fact a few days previously by F. Moreau. The Doctor replies that he fears a reputation of what had been done in regard to Mr. Saunier, and declares that he can now no longer change any of the appointments that he has made and published for St. Mary's. pg 114 Some days after his return F. Sorin receives a letter from Dr. Spalding wherein the latter says: Mr. Paulinus, prior to the Trappists of Maillery, who came with your visitor, has just arrived here. He informs me that your visitor comes with orders to close the doors of St. Mary's. Therefore, adds the Doctor, I was not altogether in the wrong in fearing this ultimatum of all those misunderstandings. And in this matter terminated this unfortunate affair, which might have become an immense resource for the Society. F. Sorin visited St. Mary's in the month of July, took Bro. Theodulus away, and allowed the four Sisters to remain for a year whilst awaiting certain arrangements of the agents of an orphan asylum in Cincinnati, where the Bishop expects them. As to F. Saunier, he left the Society without saying a word to F. Sorin, who met him by chance on the streets of Cincinnati as he was going to St. Mary's, whilst F. Saunier was about to go to the Jesuits at New York. With him were two Brothers recently admitted by the Jesuits, of which fact Sorin had not received even a hint. pg 115 When F. Blox, superior of St. Xavier's college in Cincinnati, was questioned by F. Sorin in presence of F. Saunier and those Brothers, how he could thus receive three subjects without informing their superiors, even though they had made perpetual vows and had left their posts vacant, he answered that he knew nothing of these circumstances, and that things being so, none of them could be admitted amongst the Jesuits. F. Sorin then *Were they declared in their presence that he would take none of them back, ever remark- and he left them as he had found them, thinking with Bishop able for Purcell that the Jesuits were not always particularly delicate this deli- towards other religious houses,* and promising himself that he cacy? would not soon forget the lesson he had just received. pg 116 3. Transfer of the Novitiate to Indianapolis In conformity to a decision of the minor chapter F. Granger with six novices left Notre Dame du Lac for Indianapolis in the first days of September 1847. Although far from being looked upon favorably by the majority, this step could not be put off without exposing the house to the just indignation of the Bishop, who had advanced $3000 to pay for the property, and who was not bound to give the $500 and the 375 acres of land promised until the Brothers had done their part (se seraient eux memes executes) which he did without delay. Having arrived in this capital of the state, F. Granger seems not to have found much difficulty in establishing himself with his novices according to the Constitutions and Rules that relate to the novitiate. The property, although half within the city limits, was, however, removed from the tumult of the streets, and offered nearly all the advantages desirable for the end for which it was purchased, with the exception that the brick building which served as the novitiate was too near the public way. With this one exception, all around was silence, and the location was agreeable. pg 117 F. Granger here occupied himself exclusively with his novitiate, being forbidden to do anything whatsoever for the congregation of the city. Time soon proved the inopportuneness of this undertaking. With hardly anything to show in return, the expenses for the support of this house were three times as great as the Lake, and the administration could not keep it up more than six months without taking measures to arrest them, and in consequence to recall to Notre Dame du Lac was made, as will be recorded in the following chapter. 4. Blessing of the Corner Stone of the New Church at Notre Dame du Lac The need of building a church was every year felt more strongly at Notre Dame du Lac. For two years the pupils could no longer be taken to the old log building, and the congregation was afraid, with reason, to meet there in winter. Without being able as yet to determine on the plan or dimensions of this new temple, seeing that there was hardly money enough with which to begin the foundations. pg 118 F. Sorin, ever full of confidence in the merciful riches of Providence, wished to bless the cornerstone of this new church on the octave of the Assumption. It was in reality somewhat bold for a man who had nothing collected, nothing even promised for this new enterprise; but it seemed to him a matter of necessity; he left to God the care of finding the resources. Who that has ever hoped in the Lord was confounded? One year later the church was up, to the great joy of the house and of the whole Catholic congregation, as will be shown presently. And in the month of November of the year 1849 this same church had the honor of being solemnly consecrated under the title of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as will be mentioned in due time.  pg 119 Chapter VII. Year 1848 1. New Agreement with Mgr. Bazin The character of the events of this year would appear to be of a more marked importance than whatever had occurred up to the present date. One of the first in chronological order and importance is the new agreement with the new Bishop of Vincennes. It had been morally impossible for F. Sorin to assist at his consecration at Vincennes in the month of November previous. Until the month of April 1848 it was equally difficult for him to make the journey to Vincennes. However, he at that time felt more desirous than ever to visit this worthy pretate, and the minor chapter was happily of his opinion. Arrived at Vincennes, his first care was to have the former agreement cancelled, which bound the Brothers in such a manner to the diocese that they had no liberty to make any foundations elsewhere, no matter what advantages might be represented. This first point being secured, F. Sorin himself drew up a new agreement which the good Bishop consented to sign. It pg 120 contained only five articles but all were highly important for the success of the work. The first secured an absolute title to [the property of] Notre Dame du Lac, with the simple obligation of refunding $3000 to the Ordinary in case of sale and withdrawal [in case the property were to be sold and the community to withdraw]. The second permitted the recall of the novitiate to the Lake, the sale of the property of Indianapolis, on condition that $3000 should be paid back to the Bishop, whilst the $500 and the 375 acres should be retained, and the $600 advanced by the Bishop for the churches of South Bend and Mishawaka were to go to the building of that of the Lake. The third regulated the ordination of candidates of the Society and their immediate dependence on the jurisdiction of their legitimate superiors. The fourth provided that only two Brothers at the least should be sent out together on a mission. The fifth gave assurance of the protection of His Lordship especially within the limits of his diocese. The first article was executed on the spot, and the others will doubtless go into full effect in due time. The whole house blesses heaven for the happy arrangement, the only one that could put an end to the ever-recurring difficulties. pg 121 However great was the pain of every one on learning of the death of this pious prelate a few weeks later, all admired so much the more the providential action on the house, whose grave interests had been secured by this worthy Bishop almost immediately before he took his departure from this world of misery and of warfare. 2. Death of Mother Mary of the Cenacle Such is the nature of the joys of this world that they must be mixed with sorrows and heart-aches. The actual circumstances furnished a striking proof of this to all the community. F. Sorin was rejoicing in anticipation of the joy that the reading of the new contract would give the administration of the Lake. But when he came to Fort Wayne, whither he had sent the Mother Superior of the Sisters to be treated by an old physician from Germany who had a great reputation, he was painfully surprised to find her almost dying, at the very time when he so confidently expected to learn that she was cured. He remained with her four days, not so much to console her as to be himself edified, and at the same time to give her this last proof of esteem and affection which she so well deserved by her devotedness and her rare virtue. pg 122 She died three days after the departure of F. Superior from Fort Wayne, on the 28th of April, which was the Saturday within the octave of Easter, carrying with her the regrets of all that had known her, but especially F. Sorin, who owed so many debts of gratitude to her. Her short life in religion was a long series of acts of all the virtues; her long malady placed in a strong light her great courage and her lively faith, and of her death it was said that if the angels were to die, they would surely die such a death as hers. May she obtain for me that my last moments be like those that closed her angelic career. Requiescat in pace. 3. Recall of the Novitiate to Notre Dame du Lac The return of F. Granger and his novices was too earnestly desired to be long delayed, once it was possible. In the month of May the necessary measures were taken, and the little family returned to their own with sentiments of reciprocal affection which the temporary separation had made only stronger and more pg 123 sensible. The whole interior of the novitiate on St. Mary's island was plastered anew for their return. The chapter room, which had never been entirely finished, also received its final touches. And this new habitation, which nature has surrounded with all its charms, seems to put on a fresher and more smiling air than ever for its inhabitants. According to all appearances, no attempt will henceforth be made to find elsewhere any better place. If there are some inconvenience in the too great proximity of the novitiate and the college, there are unquestionably more serious ones in a separation of any considerable distance. 4. Regular Visit For several years, F. Rector gave it to be hoped that he would show himself at Notre Dame du Lac. Perhaps he would have actually carried out his intention this year had not the troubles in France made it a duty for him to remain at Sainte Croix. F. Drouelle was named to take his place and after having first brought a colony to Canada and visited F. Verite's establishments, he arrived at the Lake in the first days of September, and remained there until the 22nd of November; after which he set out pg 124 for Guadalupe, where he was to remain with F. Dugougion, named prefect apostolic of this island. It would be hard to tell all the good done by this visit so long desired, especially by F. Sorin, who knew that there was no other way to reestablish the truth often calumniated at Sainte Croix by those of bad will, and to restore the reputation of the administration of the Lake, than by giving a man of intelligence and uprightness a chance to judge for himself of the state of affairs. F. Drouelle acquitted himself of his mission with tact and fairness, and restored peace and union whenever they were found wanting. The material state of the house appeared to him very encouraging, and in spiritual matters, if he did not find as much of the religious spirit as is desirable, he had at least the satisfaction before quitting the Lake of finding that the dispositions in general were very consoling. At various intervals F. Visitor received the vows of nine Brothers and gave the habit to one postulant at N.D. du Lac; he likewise admitted to professions three novices of the Sisters of Bertrand, and gave the veil to three postulants. pg 125 5. Opening of the Priest' Novitiate It was also during the stay of F. Visitor at Notre Dame du Lac that for the second time was opened the Novitiate of the Priests, or the Seminary, this time under guidance of F. Cointet, whose place on the missions was taken by F. Gouesse. It was then begun with nine candidates, two of whom were priests, and the other seven were more or less advanced in their ecclesiastical and literary studies. In the eyes of all the Brothers of the Lake as well as in his own, this was an affair of the highest importance. All were separated from the pupils, and on November 10th began to follow all the common exercises of the priests of the Society. A set of rules was drawn up for them, and their studies and classes were regulated. It is proposed to have them with their director, in the following spring, in a house of their own, but for the present the best that could be done was to give them rooms on the second story amongst the Fathers and professors. Up to the present time those young men seem to be animated by the best of good will and promise great consolation. pg 126 Experience having shown that there was no well-founded hope of development for the Society of priests in the United States unless by forming our own subjects from the beginning, the maintenance of a novitiate for this branch, even more than for the two others, ought to be considered in the rank of the vital resources which should communicate life to the whole work. It is true that unless there is a great change in the subjects that generally present themselves, this establishment will be a burden in a material point of view; but the expenses that it will occasion will not be the least justifiable when compared to their results for the whole Society. 6. Brooklyn School In September 1847 Mgr. Hughes had a letter written by F. *I suppose Thebaut to request him* to begin a school of arts and trades in Fr. Sorin is New York; but the lack of the necessary funds had caused the meant here. undertaking to be postponed indefinitely. When F. Drouelle passed through New York in the month of July, the Bishop requested him to confer with F. Sorin. Having done this in chapter, it was resolved that the two Fathers should go to New York and have an interview with His Lordship in regard to this foundation. pg 127 But on their arrival in New York Mgr. Hughes was no longer at liberty to act as at the time of his first proposition to F. Sorin. He promised, nevertheless, to do all that he could with a committee which he was president for the administration of a considerable legacy made in favor of the orphans of Brooklyn. He wished to place those orphans under charge of the Brothers, who would teach the ordinary branches [les lettres] and trades. But the members of this committee not being able to come to an understanding, and proposals having been made by Mr. Parmentier in regard to the schools of different parishes of Brooklyn, where there were actually about eight hundred children to educate, the two Fathers, having procured a recommendation from the Bishop, visited three pastors of those congregations, who seemed to be delighted with this opening and very desirous to see the Brothers arrive as soon as possible. A month later, on All Saints' Day, five Brothers arrived in Brooklyn. Unfortunately the Jesuits had learned of these arrangements. One of their Fathers had been employed for some pg 128 time in the principal parish. Probably they had formed their School in plans for those same schools. In a word, it was impossible then Brooklyn, NY to find employment for more than two, and the three others returned at once. The history of Kentucky and of Cincinnati serve as an explanation of this little phenomenon. However, the minor chapter was satisfied even at this price to have a footing in Brooklyn, one of the first posts in the United States. And what is still more consoling, this first school is in the hands of a very able pastor who is devoted to the house. 7. Blessing of the Church It took place on Nov 12th in presence of a numerous concourse of people and of the F. Visitor, who had the consolation there to celebrate the first solemn mass. F. Cointet having been authorized about a year before to bless it, the ceremony could not be performed by anyone else. The mass, which the music-master of the college had been preparing for two months, was executed to perfection. The sermon of the occasion was preached by one of the two clergymen candidates, the Rev. Mr. Ivers, who acquitted himself of this duty in a manner to please his entire audience. The sermon was excellent, but rather long. pg 129 The length of the church including the sacristy is ninety feet, by thirty-eight in breadth and twenty-four in height. The *I do not style is Greek (et a plein ceintre)*. There are three arches and understand six fluted columns which a very pretty effect. The tribune, which these words was built for the use of the Sisters, is in the form of an - T. ellipse, like a sanctuary. It is already enriched by an organ of Mr. H. Erben, which through somewhat weak for the church, is all the same a principal and very precious ornament thereof. F. Sorin intends, as soon as the means will permit, to have a tower built over the entrance, in which will be placed a bell whose size is to be determined by the sum then at his command. The joy that this new church has caused in the whole community and in the entire congregation seems to have doubled the religious spirit of everybody.  pg 130 Chapter VIII. Year 1849 1. Development of the Sisters' Academy at Bertrand Up to this time the school of the Sisters at Bertrand had made hardly any progress, because of the lack of Sisters really competent. Hence the arrival of Miss Shee in the month of October 1848 was a real acquisition. A few months afterwards a prospectus was published and some twenty boarders filled all the places in the young academy. The institution at Bertrand has already made a name for itself, and if it is only conducted wisely in the future, it will easily succeed. The monthly exhibitions here, just as at the university, will do much good. 2. New Programme of Studies The plan of studies followed by the Jesuits was adopted at the return of the pupils in the month of September, but the results could not be clearly perceived until during the course of the following year. They were decidedly favorable. Whilst giving pg 131 the pupils more liberty, these became more contented, and their gratitude was shown by a greater assiduity than they had hitherto displayed. The spirit of piety grew amongst then in the same degree: just on the eve of the Distribution thirty-eight of them received the scapular. The month of May was celebrated in a manner to edify, and the archconfraternity received some new members. As to the intrinsic merit of the new plan, it consists chiefly in this: that in all the branches of English the same studies may be followed by the students of the different grades without prejudice to their respective classes. Each branch has *I cannot its [independent place?]*, and is not like wine poured out after make out the ancient manner. the words This new plan presents a great advantage in the United States, where everyone wants to be free to study what he likes. It pleases everybody. The long walks in summer, dinners in the woods, staying up till nine o'clock in winter by the larger students, contributed to make life in the college agreeable; more over, the monthly exhibitions in public made the institution known and popular, and this by degrees gained the good will of the neighborhood. pg 132 The acquisition of an apparatus was not without its favorable results for the college. This year the number of pupils was one third greater than the previous year. 3. Foundation of New Orleans The fall of the establishment in Brooklyn was preceded by some weeks by the more advantageous establishment of New Orleans. Five Brothers (Vincent, Theodulus, Basil, Francis of Sales, and Louis), and three Sisters (Five Wounds, Calvary, and Nativity) proceeded thither towards the end of April, and on May 1st they took charge of the Orphan Boys' Asylum, at a salary of $125 apiece, and $25 additional for a director and a directress, payable semi-annually in advance. pg 133 4. Mission and Church at Niles The missions had never been better nor even so well attended as this year. F. Cointet, Gouesse, and Baroux devoted all their time to them, and did much good. These missions were more fruitful in good before God than in money in the eyes of the administration. Most of those little congregations recently established being poor, can give but little towards the support of the priest. However, F. Cointet thinks that by the opening of spring he can begin a church at Niles with subscriptions of the Catholics of the place and of some laborers on the railroad who had not yet departed. 1849 The church was to be finished about August 15th. Probably a new railroad will be started from South Bend and will supply the means of building some new churches in the north of Indiana. On July 9th, 1849, the annual retreat of the priests was begun (six priests, eight scholastics, and four seminarians from Milwaukee). It ended on the 15th, and the novitiate of the pg 134 scholastics of the Society was organized on the same day under the direction of F. Granger, and all the Brothers were transferred in a body to the college to be there under the direction of the Father Superior. In order to promote the advancement of the Milwaukee Seminarians in piety as well as in science, they were permitted to live with our members for this year. 6. Arrival of Mother M. of the Saviour Some days after the close of the annual retreat of the priests F. Superior started for St. Laurent where he was expected by FF. Verite and Reze--the latter being a recent arrival from the Mother House, who was to replace the former and allow him to return to France. They spent about a week pleasantly together, after which F. Sorin took the road back to Notre Dame du Lac with the new superioress who had been expected for fifteen months--and two other French Sisters. The journey was fortunate and rapid, although made amidst the dying and the dead whom the cholera was then mowing down in most parts of the United States as well as in Europe. pg 135 The general retreat followed presently after his arrival. Seven postulants received the habit, and the Society of Sisters appeared once more to become filled with life, peace and energy. Soon afterwards their house was finished, that is to say, it was lengthened at one end and raised one story, in the centre, so that it presented a pretty front of ninety-two feet, with two wings not so high of forty feet each. 7. Consecration of the Church Four months previously this August ceremony had been fixed for the third Sunday of November, the first after the octave of All Saints, as it is marked in the Constitutions of the institution for the dedication and the foundation of the Mother House. Mgr. Van de Velde of Chicago was present with Mgr. of Vincennes. Mr. Shewe of Detroit preached. The solemnity was a grand as could be. It lasted seven hours, including Confirmation, which was administered to ninety persons. The new church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-- pg 136 probably the first of this name enriched by the privileges attached to consecration. It is small but very pretty, being altogether, sacristy included, only ninety-two feet long by thirty-eight wide and twenty high. It has three alters on which the holy mass can be celebrated at one and the same time. On the following Tuesday Monseigneur gave confirmation to seven persons at Goshen and on Wednesday to twenty-one at Mishawaka. On Thursday he ordained subdeacons two of our novices, MM. Shilling (a German) and Shortis (Irish). On Friday at Bertrand he received the profession of two Sisters, Mary of Bon Secours and Mary of St. Dorthea. On Saturday morning he departed well pleased for Michigan City with two of our Fathers, administered confirmation there next day, and on Monday at Laporte, another of our congregations. In this same visit, the first made to the house of our Bishop, he added four other counties to our mission, and the Bishop of Chicago also wished to make us a present of a large congregation of Germans. Besides, His Lordship wished to make of the establishment of orphans at Notre Dame du Lac his diocesan establishment, as he had begun in regard to his seminary by sending his only seminarian. pg 137 8. Burning of the Apprentices' Shops On the night between Saturday and Sunday, November 18th, fire started in the workshops, it is not know how, and in spite of all the efforts of the Brothers, Seminarians, and of everybody, a line of buildings of one hundred and thirty feet front and two stories high was wiped away by the flames in two hours. Such was the fury of the destroying element that it devoured nearly everything in the shops and in the kitchen and the bakery together with their provisions, and the work-room of the Sister sacristan, where the chapel lost in vestments and linen about 3000fr. The total loss was at least 16,000fr. Most of the beds of the orphans and their best clothes were a prey of the flames. Mme. Coquillard and Mme. Woodworth of South Bend began a collection the next day after the accident, and in three days they raised about 700fr. in merchandise in South Bend and Niles. It was necessary to rebuild at once the bakery and the kitchen--a brick building of 44x20 feet, two stories, or rather to begin, because the cold did not permit the finishing of even the first story. pg 138 It was not until the month of September 1950 that the work was resumed, with an addition which made it seventy-seven feet long, having below a kitchen and cellar, with a room for the cooks, a bakery and an infirmary; and upstairs three bedrooms for the Priests, Brothers, and pupils, a common refectory, a pharmacy, and a cabinet for the infirmary. The departure of F. Baroux for France took place before this time. About the middle of December he left his savages of Pokagan whom he was not [to see] till nearly a year later. His collection was successful and contributed greatly to relieve the house from the embarrassment in which the fire of November had left it. F. Baroux devoted himself with zeal and earnestness to the work, and on his return in May 1951 he had the consolation of seeing all the shops springing up again which had been consumed by fire, forming an edifice of 190 fr. long by 24 wide, one and a half stories in height, no longer behind the college, but along-side the Grand Avenue, four hundred feet from the college. The expenses of this building were covered by the returns from several collections made for this purpose. pg 139 1 That of Mmes. Coquillard and Woodworth $ 75-- in South Bend and Niles 2 That of Bro. Stephen in Illinois 125-- 3 That of Mme. Woodworth in Detroit 40-- 4 " " " " " Cincinnati 140-- 5 " " the Propagation 1150-- 6 " " F. Baroux 2400-- 7 From various individuals 40-- ------------ $3970--  pg 140 Chapter IX. Year 1950 1. Expedition to California. Its Motives For a long time pecuniary embarrassments of the establishment had caused the administration an interminable series of bitterness and misery. The ravages of fire at first seemed destined to crown all the rest. Reflection begot the hope that God, who had thus far done everything at Notre Dame du Lac, would not permit his work to perish, but would rather make this new trial serve for the accomplishment of his merciful designs. An extraordinary event almost compelled the members of the chapter to take a step in whose success none of them would have placed any confidence, had it not been, in their unanimous opinion, justified before God by two powerful motives, namely: that of preventing a terrible scandal which might ruin the work; 2. that of trying a means of paying arrears of indebtedness--and in the eyes of the public [justified] by the consequences of a fire which were to be repaired. On these ground the expedition to California was decided pg 141 upon. Bro. Stephen was going to leave the Society, and to settle down near the college. He consented to depart for those distant regions. Three other Brothers who could be relied on and three companions besides were given him, and all set out towards the end of March with the purpose of devoting themselves to the reestablishment of the orphans' house. 2. F. Gouesse is sent to New Orleans January 28th, 1850 Towards the end of January, F. Gouesse was sent as Visitor to the orphans' establishment of New Orleans, where he was to remain as spiritual director of the members of the house, already seven in number. Two sisters went with him. 3. Departure of Bros. Basil and Joseph Some months afterwards Bro. Basil, who taught the first class--a man of a gloomy and variable character--threw off the yoke of his profession and departed, incognito no one knows whither. His example was soon followed by another professed pg 142 Brother, the acting Master of Novices, who, having been sent to collect for the orphans in the diocese of Vincennes, stopped at the Bishop's house, whence he sent his renunciation to be any longer a member of the association. This was a scandal rather than a loss. 4. Bro. Emmanuel Obtains a Dispensation of Some Months from His Vows The same year was marked by a third defection, that of Bro. Emmanuel who taught the German class at Fort Wayne. He, however, retired like a religious, having first obtained a dispensation of some months to which he was still obliged. The cause of his departure seems to have been no other than the needs of an aged mother who had no support but him. pg 143 5. A Successful Scholastic Year The scholastic year was more successful and with a better attendance than any previous year. The average number of pupils was fifty-eight. The year was terminated by a brilliant discourse by the Honorable D. Gregg, secretary of the United States in Illinois. This speech was printed and circulated to the great benefit of the college. 6. St. Mary's Academy Equal success seems to have crowned the labors of the Sisters at Bertrand, although the number of boarders there is thus far only fifteen to twenty. 7. The Missions The missions being oftener and more regularly visited, are assuming a more consoling and encouraging appearance. Two new churches were blessed this year, one at Michigan City and the other at Niles, and the corner-stone of a third church has also been blessed at Kalamazoo. pg 144 8. Journey of F. Sorin to New Orleans, July 4th 1850 Next day after the Distribution of Premiums a letter more urgent than any of its predecessors having come from New Orleans, the Minor Chapter, thinking that the existence of our members was seriously threatened in Louisiana unless instant means were taken to check the evils that a turbulent and ambitious individual was causing to grow in proportions day by day, recognized the necessity of a visit by the F. Superior himself; and on the evening of the same day he started for the South. He remained eight days at New Orleans, gave the Brothers and Sisters a retreat, arranged everything in a satisfactory manner for those two branches, but could not make any impression on the haughty dispositions of the man who ought to give all the others the example of submission, and who, far from doing so, told all that would listen to him that he was to be named Local Superior of New Orleans by the Mother House in spite of F. Sorin. The latter, however, had already received from F. Rector, several months pg 145 before, authorization to dismiss the individual in question from the association. Nevertheless, having no one to put in his place just them, he preferred simply to make his report to Sainte Croix, persuaded that justice would be done without any public scandal by the recall to Europe of so dangerous a subject. What was not his surprise to learn from him in October that he had at last received from France the document naming him Local Superior in New Orleans. Such a mysterious proceeding deeply afflicted the minor chapter of the priests and the best members of the association at New Orleans. To all the representations that were addressed to F. Rector, not a line came for more than six months to check an evil that was growing in a fearful manner. The absence of F. Rector who was at this time in Rome favored his designs. Moreover heaven had permitted, as was discovered later, a word [to be] overheard which would soon bring about the total ruin of the work of Sainte Croix in the United States. It appears that the Rev. F. Rector had concluded from the fact of sending F. Gouesse to New Orleans, that Notre Dame du Lac pg 146 placed confidence in him, and that consequently he could be named Local Superior, since the mere fact that he was at the head of some Brothers gave him a right to this title according to the Constitutions; finally, that it was the one means of bringing about a general reconciliation, and to please Notre Dame du lac he was left under the jurisdiction of F. Sorin, to whom he should send his accounts every year. The truth is, however, that he had been sent to New Orleans merely to rid the house of the Lake of his presence, without any intention of leaving him there, still less of ever giving him any other title but that of Spiritual Director of the Asylum. It is still a mystery at Notre Dame du Lac how the Mother House could be so mistaken in a matter that had been so often set before the eyes of the people there. Be this as it may, having in vain used all the means suggested by prudence and charity during about a year, the Minor Chapter felt compelled to inform Archbishop Blanc that the nomination of this Father should not hold, it being probably the result of a surprise; and some months later the Minor Chapter informed His Grace of the positive dismissal of this same Father from the Association in the United States. This, however, was only done in the month of June of the following year. pg 147 In order not to have to come back again on this sad chapter and to relate at least what is most important of the year 1850, it is necessary to add that all the trials of the Association in this country, there was none that brought it nearer to its fall. Whilst heaven was blessing the work at Rome, the devil was making havoc with it here. If human ambition had no other examples to bring forward in proof of the unfortunate effects that result from it, ours would suffice to inspire every sensible man with disgust. And if we were only at the end! 9. State of the College The reopening in September 1850 was attended by a larger number of students, but the number did not continue to increase as in the past, so that the average attendance was less that in the previous year. The interior pain that paralyzed the devotedness of the members of the minor chapter of the priests, so as to cause serious fears for the continuance of the mission, naturally checked all external activity. Now, to preserve its existence in this country, a college needs to keep the attention of the public pg 148 fixed upon its work in order to secure pupils. If the number was not as encouraging, there was at least more peace in all branches of the work at Notre Dame du Lac. It was [misery] enough to have to fight at the same time with the Mother House and with the wrong-headed man in the South. 10. Growth of St. Mary's Academy at Bertrand On the other hand, St. Mary's Academy this year begins to fly with its own wings. Miss Shee withdraws, and all things improve. A wrong-headed person amongst the Sisters can do so much, and the peace that follows her departure shows that she is not to be regretted. The pupils are almost double in number, there is a better spirit amongst them, and the looks of the institution improve daily. In the month of January, the State of Michigan recognizes St. Mary's Academy and bestows a liberal charter on it; in a word, the future of this house is assured and the public have confidence in its teachings. Two Sisters having been sent to Loreto to learn music and drawing, returned towards the end of this year and at once made themselves useful to the institution. pg 149 11. Ordination of FF. Shortis and Schilling On March 17th Mr. l'Abbe Shortis and Mr. l'Abbe Schilling were ordained deacons by the Bishop of Detroit, and on the 19th, the feast of St. Joseph, they were promoted to the sacred order of the priesthood. The same day each of them made his profession for life. They were both ordained for the missions. 12. Foundation of St. John The former [F. Shortis] was reserved for the railroad, and the latter was sent to St. John with the promise of a Brother and two Sisters, who went to join him in the month of April following. This foundation made in the midst of a German population already numbering from five to six hundred inhabitants, could at the start be only a burden, but there are hopes that it will in time repay the expenses. It is eighty miles from Notre Dame, but is to be on the track of a new railroad which it is expected will be built to connect the Mississippi with the East. pg 150 13. Professions On March 20th the Bishop of Detroit received the profession of SS. Mary of the Compassion, of St. Catherine, of St. Cecilia, of St. John, and of St. Aloysius Gonzaga at Bertrand. On January 27th F. Sorin received that of Mary of the Angels at Notre Dame du Lac, and on May 26th that of Mary of St. Francis at Bertrand.  pg 151 Chapter X. Year 1851 1. Another Line of Railroad to Pass through South Bend The year 1851 opened, as one might say, with a loud burst of joy from all northern Indiana. A question vital to the country has finally been decided in its favor by the legislature at Indianapolis: a railroad has been secured through the St. Joseph's valley, passing through South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, etc. This joy was all the more lively because the capitalists managing the Michigan Central Company had long been considered as an insurmountable obstacle to the realization of this project, no matter how advantageous it might be to the country. The prayers of the Association had been frequently offered up for the success of this enterprise. Finally in the early part of January the news was communicated everywhere by the firing of canons, as of an event of extraordinary importance. The joy was as great at Notre Dame du Lac as elsewhere. pg 152 Besides the common advantages to the country of a line of railroad securing to the borders of Michigan and Indiana the great commercial route between the East and the West, and thus determining a number of other branches which would all strike the main line at some point or other, besides those advantages, and such as would necessarily arise from competition between two powerful companies--Notre Dame du Lac, which, like St. Mary's Academy, was between the two lines, felt that two ways of communication of the most useful kind were secured to her for attending her many missions and for the journeys and visits of the Brothers and Sisters destined to teach, and finally for the pupils coming to the college or the academy. Moreover, this new railroad would bring European emigration in this direction, and would thus facilitate what had been so painfully organized for Catholicity. Notre Dame du Lac did not, like so many others, offer superfluous thanks to the able senators who had secured a triumph for the rights of the country, and to whose efforts all the credit of this happy communication were attained; it was, in the eyes of pg 153 the children of Holy Cross, a great blessing for which heaven was above all to receive their thanksgiving. It would be difficult to set a money value on the benefit of this railroad to an establishment like Notre Dame du Lac, which finds itself placed beside a line that may be called one of the first of the United States. Before the end of this year Notre Dame du Lac will be by means of it within two days of New York, twenty hours from Cincinnati, eight hours from Chicago, and a few hours from even its most distant missions. The length of this article must find its justification in the absorbing interest which this railroad has been exciting for six months all along its course. The cars are promised and expected by September 1st next. 2. Post Office. F. Sorin Postmaster and Inspector of Public Roads An other advantage of a private nature followed closely that mentioned above, namely, the establishment of a Post Office at Notre Dame du Lac, with the name of Notre Dame. This had been pg 154 attempted already in 1859, but had failed on the presets that South Bend was too near. Recourse was again had to prayer. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph were alternately importuned by all the house, until finally, H. Clay, one of the men most likely to mark an epoch in the United States, obtained this favor for Notre Dame du lac, to the great satisfaction and convenience of the Association and of the mission in general. The profit is merely a sparing of money and of inconvenience; but there is another very valuable circumstance connected herewith: the passing of the stagecoach regularly under the windows of the college. The house is daily becoming better known, and the roads leading to it will have to be better cared for. This consideration of roads in this [part of the] country had sufficient importance in the eyes of F. Sorin to cause him to have himself named Supervisor of Public Roads. In virtue of this office he hopes to serve the interests of Notre Dame du Lac in the district confided to his care. The office, however, as well as that of postmaster, gives him only as much trouble as he may feel inclined to take, since most of the work can be put in the hands of one or more Brothers as assistants, he himself retaining all the responsibility. pg 155 3. Elections to the Office of the Country It has just been stated that the superior of Notre Dame du Lac considered it advantageous to have himself named Postmaster and Supervisor of Public Roads. Here it may not be out of place to remark that it is important for an institution like Notre Dame du Lac, generally looked upon by Americans with all the prejudice of the public against convents, to come into close contact with neighbors, and to take an interest in all that concerns the general good, to show zeal in those matters, and to convince everyone that we are citizens in heart as well as in name. This is a new means, and often the most effectual of all, to prove one's honesty, by keeping exact accounts and by doing justice to all concerned, and thus to secure to the house the confidence of the people, sometimes even to place them under obligations, which will make friends of them. For these reasons F. Sorin lately judged it advisable to present himself with some Brothers at the elections for the office of the country; he has done it only once, and the results only pg 156 make him regreat that he did not sooner begin to do it. From this time even the most insignificant offices bring him some candidates--honest men who are always disposed to act fairly towards the institution, and towards Catholics in general. Perhaps there is no people more eager for office. Hence it is easy to guess what consideration an institution will have in their eyes, which can decide two-thirds of all the local elections. The Presbyterians in particular are galled at seeing this power with all its consequences in the hands of a Catholic priest. In fact, if it is only used prudently, it is a precious boon for the house and for the country because of the good choise that can be made of public affairs. pg 157 4. Return of F. Baroux Finally, about May 24th F. Baroux returned with one Brother and two Sisters for his mission among the savages at Pokagan. His arrival caused great joy, especially amongst his dear flock, left for nearly eighteen months without a resident pastor. Everybody knows that the Indians remain all their lives like children who must always be led by the hand or they will fall. During this time they did what they would never venture to do if he had been present, namely: they separated into two villages eighteen miles apart. This separation cannot have favorable results unless in case it should become the cause of the reunion of all the savages of the country in the same neighborhood. As long as they are thus scattered in little bands, it is impossible to make them draw any fruit from the habitual residence of a Father nor from a school amongst them. Poor Indians! They are fast disappearing from the land which not long ago was covered by numbers of their warriors. Before two centuries [have passed away] they will be spoken of in history as of a nation completely destroyed. The Catholic Church alone is able to preserve them from inevitable ruin, and most frequently pg 158 there is a lack of the persons and of the means to take such care of them as their weakness requires. It is just as hard to keep them from drinking as it is to make them work. This tells plainly that religion alone can oppose a sufficiently strong dike to their violent passions, and that without the savages will only furnish a repulsive picture of corruption, debauchery, and cruelty, and consequently destruction. With frequent religious exercises, sermons, confessions, they may be good; without them, it is pitiable. 5. Misunderstandings and their Consequences The house of the Lake had cherished the hope that F. Baroux would return charged with pacific documents from the Mother House. It was quite the contrary. It seems that at Sainte Croix the complaints that had been received from America had not been understood, and that they were rather looked upon as lies, or at least as exaggerations. The person and official remarks both as regards certain individuals and on some grave principles, were put entirely to one side and left unanswered, and discontent, instead of diminishing with time, which smoothes down and destroys all things, was only on the increase. pg 159 How it could happen that for years men whose intentions were certainly pure, not only did not understand each other, but were evidently inflicting on each other much pain, is one of those mysteries whose explanation will doubtless be found in the development of the plans of the diving economy. However, to be just in these memoirs, it must be stated--what appears evident in the eyes of all the members that have had a knowledge of this unfortunate misunderstanding, that nothing was more pernicious to the work. St. Teresa somewhere calls these miseries "the war of the saints." The author of these remarks, who has followed them up closely, would be inclined to call them "the triumph of Beelzebub on his marauding excursions." Much precious time is thus wasted in a correspondence unworthy of religious, and the remaining time is spent without energy, without courage, and without devotedness. A sad existence, which renders the yoke of the religious life almost insupportable, and which would make one regret that he was not a solitary, rather than to be compelled to feel so painfully the bonds of society even in a community.  pg 160 Chapter XI. Year 1852 Tired of representing in vain by letter all those subjects of complaint, the Minor Chapter of Notre Dame du Lac at last came to the resolution to have them carried to Sainte Croix by F. Sorin in person. Starting on Dec 2d, he arrived at the Mother House about the end of the month. Great was the surprise of the V.R.F. Rector at the unexpected arrival of this Father. He himself had been absent more than six months in Rome, and during all that time had only followed the affairs of his houses in America from a distance. Most of the letters relating to the difficulties of the Lake had not even been read by him. His Chapter was convened, and the grievances of F. Sorin were discussed for four hours. The erection of the house of New Orleans into a Local Superiorship was maintained, but left entirely, as to the revenues and charges, under the jurisdiction of the Lake, whose superior had just been named Provincial of the United States. F. Cointet, named by F. Sorin for the Asylum, was recognized as Local Superior, although F. Gouesse had been sent back there to pg 161 put himself at the disposal of the Archbishop rather than to fulfil any religious obedience of the Society. Thus ended, in a meeting of some hours, serious and pernicious differences which the inattention of the Mother House had unfortunately allowed to grow beyond measure. Affection did not seem to be lacking, but it became evident to F. Sorin that for the future little assistance could be expected from the Mother House, which was hardly able to meet its own necessities, being drained by the new foundations of Rome and of Orleans. 2. F. Sorin in Rome Having settled matters satisfactorily at Sainte Croix, F. Sorin took only a few weeks to visit the acquaintances and protectors of his mission. He was fortunate in these visits and believed that he had gained valuable friends for the Work. Having afterwards obtained the sanction of the V.R.F. Rector to visit Rome, he started for Italy towards the end of February. During the seven weeks spent by him in the Eternal City, he had the consolation to be twice admitted into the presence of His pg 162 Holiness and to obtain from him precious. During most of this time he lived with Mgr. de Merode, Chamberlain of the Pope, and during the rest with his confrere F. Drouelle, Superior of Vigna Pia. The great point that almost solely occupied the attention of those two Fathers was the approbation of the Association of the Holy See. The matter was examined but could not be settled on account of the recent difficulties of Picpus, and the opposition of a French prelate. Nevertheless, all things were left on a good footing, and F. Sorin carried with him from Rome, amongst other consolations, the assurance of the good will of His Holiness towards Sainte Croix and its foundations in other lands. On his return to France he received letters from N.D. du Lac pressing him urgently to hasten his return. He therefore departed at once with three ecclesiastics and four young postulants for the Sisters. Besides, he took with him a number of objects valuable for the missions. Since the departure of F. Sorin for France the Work had developed beyond his expectations. At the time of his return there were sixty boarders at the university and thirty at the academy, fifteen postulants for the Brothers, eight for the priests, and eight for the Sisters. pg 163 3. New Novitiate One of the first resolutions made after the return of F. Superior was the build a new novitiate for the priests, and to restore to its first purpose that of the Brothers. The cornerstone was blessed. The spot chosen was on the island opposite the Brothers' novitiate. The plan was on a larger scale, eighty feet by thirty, with fourteen private rooms. 4. Foundations of Mackinac At this same time it was resolved to establish a Sisters' and a Brothers' school at Mackinac. Sr. M. of the Cenacle was taken there by the Mother Superior, together with Sr. M. of St. Frederick. This establishment was founded at the urgent request of the Rev. Mr. Peril, pastor of the place. Some weeks later a Brother, John Baptist, was also sent to open a school for boys. pg 164 5. F. Baroux Starts for Bengal In the beginning of September of this same year an order came to have F. Baroux, pastor of Pokagan, with a Brother and a Sister that could speak English, get ready immediately the colony of fifteen religious who were soon to start for Calcutta in Bengal, where the Propaganda had just assigned a mission to the Association. In a week all the preparations for departure had been made. Bro. Benoit and Sr. Victor were the two on whom the choice fell to accompany the dearly beloved Father Missioner. The immediate result of this departure was the abandonment for the time of the mission amongst the savages of Pokagan, which was taken up again, however, at the end of a month, by Mr. l'Abbe Fourmond, a novice. Some weeks after the departure of this gentleman for Pokagan there seemed to be reason to doubt his loyalty towards N.D. du Lac. In fact, a month had not yet passed before he left the Society and was admitted as one of his priests by the Bishop of Detroit, with charge of the Indians of Pokagan and Silvan Creek, and of the mission of St. Joseph. The manner of this little pg 165 transaction was disagreeable, but in itself was a great relief to N.D. du Lac, for which those missions were becoming every year a greater burden. 6. F. Sorin Named for Bengal 1852 Father In the month of August of this same year the Rev. F. Rector Sorin named wrote to F. Sorin that if he did not find some one to put at the for Bengal head of the new mission of Bengal, he would be obliged to impose this burden on him. At the same time he wrote to FF. Granger and Cointet, whose answers showed only repugnance to superiorship in this southern foundation. Hardly had he received them [the answers] than he took his measures definitively and sent his orders to the Chapters of N.D. du Lac and of Bertrand, to accede at once to the departure of F. Sorin for Dacca in the month of May following, and to the return of F. Cointet from New Orleans, where he was to be replaced by F. Gouesse. This latter had been in Canada for some months, having been obliged to leave Louisiana on the representatives of F. Sorin whilst he was in Le Mans. According to the tenor of the documents pg 166 that determined his change, he was never to return to the United States. The sole fact of this unexpected recall to the same post which he had been compelled to vacate in spite of himself six months before, appeared inexplicable to the Chapters of the Lake and of Bertrand. It was thought that there was reason to fear everything from this turbulent spirit, who was the declared enemy of the Lake. Independently of the question of changing F. Sorin, everybody would have been shocked at the return [of this man]. F. Sorin seeing that the Chapters were fully convinced of the impossibility of removing him from N.D. du Lac, and he himself fearing the results which all declared to be inevitable, thought it his duty to telegraph to FF. Cointet and Gouesse to remain at their respective posts until it had been decided that he himself could quit his post, the other changes depending on this one. 7. F. Gouesse back at the Asylum pg 167 On the other hand, whilst the chapters of the Lake and of Bertrand were respectfully formulating their representations to the Mother House, the orders issued by Sainte Croix met with the same opposition in New Orleans. The announcement of the arrival of F. Gouesse had greatly displeased Archbishop Blanc. To calm the fears of the Asylum on this head, he called F. Sorin by telegraph, and the latter considered it his duty to obey the summons. F. Gouesse had arrived some months before him. Weary of those endless changes and annoyances on the part of the Mother House in regard to this Father, who for six years past had been a general cause of disturbance in the Society, F. Sorin was determined to be done with him and to send him back to Sainte Croix. But Mgr. Blanc, who had at first approved of this plan, thought it more prudent to wait. Not seeing anything better to do, F. Sorin, whose only aim was to secure peace at the Asylum, appeared to believe willingly in the promises of the good pg 168 Archbishop, who rather than make up his mind to an energetic proceeding, the only one, possibly, that could save the Society, preferred to take upon himself, so to say, to be responsible for F. Gouesse for the future. F. Gouesse was therefore left to him, and F. Sorin started back with F. Cointet on January 3, 1853 for Notre Dame du Lac, apparently satisfied with the written promises of F. Gouesse, but in his heart pitying the saintly prelate and the members of the community on account of the troubles which he foresaw would result from this act of weakness, however, it might be dignified by the name of prudence. His fears were in reality only too well founded; they were soon realized in their full extent. The first of his acts was to represent to Sainte Croix the inconveniences of the correspondence between the members of the Asylum and the Provincial of the Lake. A command was issued to all of them to discontinue it, and to receive no obediences from F. Sorin. Some weeks later of prohibition also arrived against sending any money of the next half year of the month of May--and all this without giving F. Sorin the least intimation that his powers of Provincial had been at all curtailed. pg 169 Such was the obstinacy in keeping silence towards the Lake that when the good Brother Theodulus died before his eyes, he did not even think proper to recommend him to the prayers of his associates at the Provincial House. And if he had only made his confreres at the Lake suffer; but it was known from reliable sources that he was far from rendering happy those that had been left under his orders at the Asylum.  Chapter XII. Year 1853 1. Let the Majority Rule St. Teresa somewhere speaks of the "war of the saints," and she goes on to show that even with good and pure intentions men of God do not always agree as to the means to be employed to promote his glory, whether it is that God designs thereby to show to men that their lights are exceedingly feeble, or to offer them the occasion to gain some merits, or in fine to bring his purposes to their end by making use of human passions even when men least expect it. The year 1853 was an epoch-making year in the annals of Notre pg 170 Dame du Lac, and whether for the advancement of the Association or for its humiliation, it was marked by events in which one could not fail to recognize a providential intervention. But the better to grasp the chain of events that follow, it is well to take it up a little farther back. It has already been intimated that in spite of the desire of N.D. du Lac to live in peace with Sainte Croix, it never could enjoy that boon except at remote intervals and for a few months at a time. More particularly during the last six years it was not so much a religious life as an almost unbroken series of altercations, explanations, prohibitions under pain of disobedience, cruel reproaches, threats, etc. In a word, the most devoted and most upright souls had become the objects of accusations and even the centre of uneasiness, heart-burnings, and troubles. Hence no more love for the duties of the community: life itself was a burden. F. Gouesse was mentioned as one of the principal causes of this sad state of affairs. The journey of F. Sorin to France in 1852 had for its primary object to put an end to these vexations, as injurious to the good of the mission as to that of the individual members. pg 171 People were so harrassed that a change was desired at any price. Convinced that heaven could not approve of dispositions so Talk of a contrary to the religious spirit, which is essentially a spirit of separation peace and of charity, the Chapters of the Lake and of Bertrand had from Mother given F. Sorin all power on his departure for France, even to House break off from Sainte Croix if he saw no other means of securing peace to the establishment. Arrived at Sainte Croix this Father soon found, in the bundle of letters against him of F. Gouesse, which were placed in his hands; in the long debates of the first council which assembled soon after his arrival; in the refusal of F. Rector to give him any subject from the Mother House, as well as in all that he saw and heard for himself, that he had little to expect for his mission from that quarter. In a word, the dispositions of Sainte Croix towards the Lake were, in his eyes, very far from friendly. Nevertheless, the fear of going from Charybdis into Scylla by attempting to enlarge his proper sphere and secure the independence of his mission; on the other hand, the daily and general expectation of the approbation of Sainte Croix by the Holy pg 172 See; finally, the old love that bound this Father to Sainte Croix and his first associates: all this, joined to the hopes which it was tried to impress on him that peace was finally established on a solid basis, determined him, after the lapse of some weeks, to write to the Chapters of N.D. du Lac and of Bertrand that all things were settled and peace was established. Although he could not altogether believe it himself, on his part he acted on every occasion as if fully persuaded that such was the case. During the two months that he afterwards spent in Rome, he did not open his lips in regard to the difficulties that had brought him once more from the Lake to Le Mans. He even took pleasure in laboring nearly all the time, by means of visits, memorials, repeated urgent appeals, to push forward the approbation so earnestly desired at Sainte Croix. And when he learned that a Brief of approbation which had been spoken of as a certainty would have to be waited for much longer than was expected at Sainte Croix, he was the first to be grieved at this as at a privation that affected him personally in the deepest manner. In these same sentiments he returned to his adopted country pg 173 towards the beginning of July, and of a certainty he felt no inclination to expose himself anew and by thoughtlessness to lose that treasure which he had come so far to seek--peace. On the contrary, he would have sacrificed all for the presentation of peace. How it came to pass that with such distractions, which were shared in the same proportion by all the members of his Chapters, peace was of such short duration at Notre Dame du Lac, will be now explained. To the representations that Sainte Croix itself had demanded by its new arrangements, and especially by the nomination of F. Gouesse as Local Superior of the Asylum at New Orleans, the members of the Chapters at the Lake and at Bertrand had received no other answer but offensive repetitions [of the declaration] that the Mother House maintained what is had decided, and that the nomination [of the superior] of the Asylum would be no means recalled; that sooner than do so; all those that remained faithful to their vows would be recalled: or in other words that to credence was given to what had been said and written by FF. Sorin, Granger, and Cointet; and that he [F. Gouesse] would be sustained at Sainte Croix against the unanimous voice of the two Chapters, pg 174 which objected to the promotion to this office of a man who had publicly declared that he would be superior in spite of his Provincial, who by his conduct since his ordination had only too well shown the justice of his expulsion from the seminary of Le Mans, afterwards repeated by the Chapter of the Lake and by the Rector himself. It would be hard to believe that Sainte Croix had not seen the danger of applying to such a man a principle just in itself, but which in the present case was unjust both in regard to the subject and to the application: for in his quality of Provincial F. Sorin ought certainly to have the power of providing for the actual wants of the Work in the United States; and even after the nomination of the said Father by the Rector himself, it was possible that reasons unforeseen by the Rector might arise sufficient to justify a suspension of the orders of Sainte Croix. Now the Provincial, being the representative of the Rector in his Province, is the judge of these reasons. F. Sorin might be deceived in this examination but he had right on his side in judging whether it was or was not expedient to put a Father in charge immediately who in his eyes was unworthy pg 175 of the office. Yet this was the great reproach of Sainte Croix, that Father Sorin had opposed the arrangements of the Rector. This was trying to shift the question and thus to put to one side the best-founded remonstrances of three men, who all of the members of the Association were perhaps most unequivocally devoted, one word from whom ought in justice to have been enough to silence the complaints of a brainless and ambitious man. Here, however, the patience of the Lake came to an end. When it was clearly proved that Sainte Croix had no confidence in those that had given proofs of fidelity for many years, it became evident that Notre Dame du Lac had no longer anything to expect from Sainte Croix, and that rather than it would be sacrificed with all its future to the caprice of the Mother House, which moreover had never sought to administer it, but rather to keep it in perpetual agitation. In the painful circumstances in which the Lake was placed, which was asked to sacrifice the founder without showing one that could take his place, to insist on restoring [rapproches] a man who was considered, apparently with reason, his most mortal enemy, pg 176 was to drive patience, even the most tried, to the last extremity. Good sense and ordinary prudence would have yielded in presence of fears so natural, and would have got rid of them by acting on them [et les eut dissipies en les respectant]. Sainte Croix wanted to demolish everything without regard for anybody. For men less attached to their first engagements and their religious obligations, assuredly much less would have sufficed to make them regret that they had placed themselves under such a heavy yoke. As long as they had any solid hopes of improvement, they had suffered, if not without interior repining, at least without making it publicly manifest. At the date of these events they began to see that their patience in suffering everything did not in the least disarm Sainte Croix, and that soon the ruin of their mission would be the inevitable result of the measures, unless they were checked. A regular memorial was prepared by the secretary of the minor Chapter of N.D. du Lac and signed by all the members, Father Superior alone excepted, to be sent to the Pope with a view of obtaining a separation from Sainte Croix. A little later, the fear of inflicting too much harm on the Association caused a pg 177 change of opinion, and the memorial was sent to Mr. l'Abbe This name is Heurtebize* at Le Mans to be presented to Sainte Croix for not clearly ratification for five years, without publicity, at the end of written. which time could be seen what was best to do, with the consent of the Rector. The answer of Mr. l'Abbe Heurtebize* was such as might be expected from a prudent and pious man, who was the friend of Sainte Croix and of the Fathers of the Lake. He advised patience, and to expect from time, which changes all things, a remedy for our present miseries; adding that he did not wish to take it upon himself to decide whether our reasons were sufficient to justify the separation; but if the decision was final, he advised to petition the Ordinary for a dispensation from obedience to Sainte Croix. Thus far His Lordship of Vincennes knew nothing of the difficulties in question. It was no easy task for the administration of the Lake to let him into such secrets; but the urgency of the difficulties made them go forward and ask for the dispensation, but without stating in detail the reasons that led to this step. His Lordship de St. Palais granted the dispensation, but expressed the desire that the coming of the pg 178 Visitor, who was to be sent from Sainte Croix to settle everything should be awaited. The Chapter accordingly waited; but as there was no more talk of a Visitor, and as the time fixed for the departure of F. Sorin had arrived, the Bishop of Vincennes was informed of the embarrassment in which the latter was placed, and he sent a second dispensation. On the same day letters were forwarded to Mr l'Abbe Heurtebize*, the Rev. F. Rector, and the Rev. F.F. Champeau and Drouelle, informing them of the declaration made above for five years. The step was a bold one, but it seemed to be more than justified by the circumstances that had provoked it. Once the step had been taken, peace seemed to reign again. People were so tired of the cruel state through which they had just passed, that any change would have been considered an improvement. Without loss of time the Chapters went to work to profit by what they considered their deliverance from a yoke, if not odious, at least painful. Three novice Brothers were admitted to profession, and soon afterwards six ecclesiastical novices, two of whom were ordained priests, one deacon and three other subdeacons. pg 179 About the beginning of August a malignant epidemic, the yellow fever, broke out fiercely in New Orleans. Three Brothers and one Sister of the Asylum were carried off in a few weeks. Who would believe it? F. Gouesse had not the manliness to write a word about it to Notre Dame du Lac! A prohibition had been issued to the members at the Asylum against correspondence with the Lake and with Bertrand. In the actual condition of things this pharisaical spirit of the poor Father was little calculated to do away with the bitter feelings. Archbishop Blanc himself was indignant. This saintly prelate, who up to this time had kept F. Gouesse as the representative of authority, finally recognizing that such a head would never guide things to any but an unfortunate end, and that Sainte Croix itself, without the Lake, could offer no guarantee to provide the Asylum with the necessary subjects, thought seriously of removing the primary cause of the miseries in question, and demanded his recall from New Orleans. Meanwhile the Visitor from Sainte Croix arrived unexpectedly at N.D. du Lac. F. Sorin, who had learned, although only pg 180 indirectly, the probable time of his visit, had written to him at St. Laurent, Lower Canada, not to come. But on arriving he declared that he was not a man to be discouraged until he had tried everything in his power. However, it was clearly intimated to him that he was received as a friend--as F. Chappe--but by no means in the capacity of Visitor. He asked for no more, and pretty soon he was surprised at not finding things as bad as he had expected. He had come to take with him those that wished to return to France, but to his great surprise he discovered that nobody appeared to suspect the real object of his visit. The difficulties were known only by the Minor Chapter; outside of it, all was peace and silence. Hence his mission had no object, unless he should take upon himself to publish matter thus far kept secret. He was satisfied to see in private the individual members of the Chapter, and he left no means untried to bring them to other sentiments, but all was in vain; not one seemed ready to adopt his views--which appeared to surprise him not a little. He could not help recognizing in those souls, who in his opinion were deceived by the evil spirit, a real desire of what was right, and especially an immense longing for peace. pg 181 Although the separation was thus far known only by the members of the Chapter, F. Chappe did not fail to see the difficulties in the way of bringing back the Lake and Bertrand to the conditions of submission required by Sainte Croix. He saw in all the members perfect unity of views, convictions, determination, and at the same time individual liberty. The administration, which he had never suspected to be any other than F. Sorin's, presented to him, in spite of his old prejudices, the evidence of a council of administration acting according to rule by the majority of votes. It was not consequently a single man that had to be taken into consideration, since up to this time it was the Chapter that had discussed and adopted every serious measure in the government of the Work. On the other hand, all that he had learned of Notre Dame du Lac seemed to him to fall short of what he himself saw with his 'own' eyes. The college had just received a considerable increase. A written promise of one of the young Fathers of the house to pay ten thousand dollars in a year had permitted the adding of two wings to the main building, and thus there would be room for two hundred and fifty boarders; a large building was at pg 182 the same time going up behind their infirmary for the Sisters that were needed for the work of the college. The grand novitiate of the priests as well as that of the Brothers were evidently full of promise for the future. St. Mary's Academy and that recently opened in Mishawaka, as well as the postulate at Bertrand, which could scarcely hold half the subjects that asked for the habit of the Society, could leave no doubts on his mind as to the beautiful prospects that had been with reason conceived of America. 2. F. Sorin Submits Here a new era is about to begin, founded not on the shifting sands of human passions, but on the immolation of those passions, even when all hope seemed to have disappeared of reconciling men so thoroughly convinced of the wrong-doing of the other party. God permitted that, contrary to all the anticipations of the Lake, F. Rector should appear ready to push matter to extremities, carrying the affair even to Rome, if necessary. pg 183 F. Sorin, who from the first had been held back by the fear of injuring the Association which he had not ceased to love, was arrested by the thought of the consequences of a dispute wherein every evil passion would be brought into play, to the great scandal of the faithful and to the injury of both the belligerent parties. Up to this time, F. Sorin had been sincere and honest in his opposition. He had wished to save the Association in the United States. But when he saw the direction that things were taking, he yielded, and sooner than publicly raise the standard of revolt against the Mother House, he asked himself, whilst reciting his beads, if now, when Sainte Croix knew everything, it would not be more religious to surrender at discretion and to leave to God the consequence of a step that he could no longer defer without involving the whole Work in an atmosphere of scandal that would not be easily dissipated. Doubtless He that changes the hearts of men disposed that of the Father in question to give a favorable reception to this inspiration. At nine in the evening, at an hour when perhaps he was farthest from expecting any results for his long efforts, F. Chappe is requested to come down to F. Sorin's room. What must have been his surprise and joy when he heard the latter read, tears in his eyes, two pages which he had just written to the V.R.F. Rector, begging him to forget the past, and placing himself at his disposal, without condition and without reserve. The reading was followed by truly fraternal embraces. Peace was consummated. The conditions were left entirely to the good will of the conqueror, F. Sorin being ready to accept them all, even if it should cost him his expulsion from the Society. The only favor that he took the liberty of asking was that his councilors should not be troubled, who, in his opinion, did not deserve the censure of Sainte Croix. Five months later, F. Sorin, in writing these pages, could hardly refrain from weeping at the thought of the miraculous change of which he was the object. The proceed to the Mother House the following month, subscribe cheerfully to all the the Rev. F. Rector required to him, to have his Chapter dissolved, the professions made in the mean time declared null, and he himself named assistant to R. pg 185 Reze, with all the privileges of his house withdrawn; to return then to the Lake by obedience after three months, there to drink to the dregs the chalice of humiliation that awaited him; to seek in future only the merit of blind obedience, even if the ruin of the house were to follow--such were the dispositions that were to succeed the sacrifice made by F. Sorin of all his vanity and all his pride. Whether through self love or a more noble motive, he would no have wished that in anything this sacrifice should be incomplete. On his return to the United States in the beginning of February, F. Sorin's first care was to carry out all the prescriptions of the V.R.F. Rector, however severe they were, and to conform his views in all things, having no other desire than that of repairing his errors by a religious and irreproachable life. God did not abandon him in this trial, and soon, in the joy and the peace that filled his soul, he could say with the prophet: Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me Domine. There is nothing more deceptive than the human heart. Amid ordinary temptations F. Sorin would not have been able to answer for himself; but when the circumstances are called to mind in pg 186 which he was placed, it will be easy to understand how he allowed himself to be surprised by the spirit of falsehood, and that he had let himself be blinded in a manner that he discovered only by degrees, to deplore it bitterly for the rest of his life. If he sums it up here, it is not to palliate his fault, but rather for the instruction of those that will come after him. He was called to Bengal, to a dignity of which he does not think himself worthy; his entire house, even bishops tell him that if he leaves his post the house will be ruined; a member of the Society promises in writing that if he stays he will give him his fortune (more than a million); and at the same time he thinks he sees in the nomination of a Father to the superiorship a formal act of contempt of the Mother House in return for the information supplied. He persuades himself that to remain at his post is not only allowed him, but is to the advantage of the whole Association; and to guard against remorse of conscience, he lays the matter before his Bishop to obtain a dispensation from his vow of obedience. It is surprising that he fell under the weight of so many and such specious considerations! But that the hand of God did not pg 187 abandon him in his fall and that he was able to rise again--that is what surprises him fare more and fills him with the most lively and most humble gratitude. God granted that he may never lose sight of the fact that for a religious there is no peace nor safety but in blind obedience, and that after having grieved the Association by a scandal heretofore unheard of in her bosom, he should do everything to repair it by his exemplary submission on every occasion! Such are at least now his dispositions, and since by the grace of God he now recognizes that all the motives of justification which he rashly brought forward some months ago for his obedience, were a snare of the devil and nothing more, it seems to him impossible that he can every disobey in the future.  pg 188 Chapter XIII. Year 1854 1. The Epidemic. Twenty-two Deaths. This year of such bad memories may be almost summed up for Notre Dame in the terrible scourge with which heaven was pleased to chastise it, and which seemed destined soon to bring down ruin, had not the arm that leads to the gates of the tomb at last restored it to life and health after six months of trial. Two of the Fathers and one postulant, FF. Curley and Cointet and Mr. J. Flynn; five Brothers: Alexis, Dominic, Amedee, Joseph, and Daniel, and two postulants; five Sisters: Mary of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, M. of St. Anastasia, M. of St. Dominic, M. of St. Anthony, and M. of Bethlehem, with two postulants, one apprentice, and three students, were successively cut down by death, some almost without warning, others after whole months of suffering and exhaustion. The prevailing epidemic was a combination of diarrhea and typhoid fever which, in most cases, no remedy could arrest. For several months the house was nothing but a vast hospital in which pg 189 hardly one could be found even for the most indispensable offices. Those that survived seemed to have lost all desire of living longer. Evidently, in human eyes, the house was nearing its fall. Not to spread terror amongst the pupils, it was necessary to keep the maladies and the deaths a secret. Every day a new procession winded its way in silence towards the cemetery of the community, in the evening or early in the morning. God grant that we never again behold days and nights of such anguish! *****Note by Translator--In the original document the preceding short chapter is bound in between the leaves of the following long one, so that is does connect with what precedes or what follows. As the same sad story is told again in the following chapter, I am under the impression that the writer did not intend the above to be inserted especially as the long chapter dealing with the events of 1854 is also called Chapter XIII.******************************  pg 190 Chapter XIII. Year 1854 Return of F. Sorin to N.D. du Lac F. Sorin had started for Sainte Croix in the month of November with the idea--even the conviction--that he would be sent to Bengal. Obedience, contrary to his anticipations, sent him back some months later to his former post, where trials awaited him such as he had never experienced heretofore. The passage was most distressing and most dangerous; it was made in the month of January, and lasted twenty-five days. F. Sorin had with him four Sisters, one of whom was charged by the Mother House to make the regular visit, and another, Sr. M. of St. Angela, a young American Sister who had just made her profession at Sainte Croix and who was returning to the United States with the obedience of directress of St. Mary's Academy at Bertrand. The return to N.D. du Lac on February 2nd was a holiday for everybody, but especially for the five travellers whom Providence pg 191 had saved from more than one danger, and who had hardly dared to believe in the hope of ever again seeing the land which they had already watered with their sweat, and those walls that enclosed their dearest affections. To publish and put in force all the new decisions of the Mother House was the first care of F. Sorin on his return. The Minor Chapter was dissolved for the time being and F. Gastineau, named Local Superior at the Asylum in New Orleans was to act for some months as assistant and counselor to the superior of the Lake, until the Rev. F. Reze and Mother M. of the Seven Dolors could come from Canada and make the visit in Notre Dame du Lac and New Orleans. Meanwhile the wants of the Asylum became too pressing to wait for spring, and orders were given him at the beginning of the following month to proceed at once to his post with the Sister Superior whom he had brought from Sainte Croix to take the management of that house, in which the Association already counted fourteen Sisters in two establishments. But he hardly reached his destination when he was seized with pg 192 fear at the difficulties that arose before his mind, and after some days he disappeared, without informing any one of his intention or of his place of retreat. This unexpected and mysterious flight, it is said, was a great sensation and even caused alarm at the Asylum. Two weeks afterwards the dear Father wrote from Rochester in Gastineau the State of New York to F. Sorin, informing him of his whereabouts and of his intention to return at once to N.D. du Lac. Without wishing to constitute himself judge in a matter that he could not help looking upon as a rather ridiculous escapade, F. Sorin advised him rather to go to the Provincial of Canada, which he did at once. This circumstance had to mentioned here as an explanation of what is to follow. It greatly embarrassed the administration of the Very Reverend Father [Moreau]. There were not yet any supernumeraries in the society of the Salvatorists. After having looked around for some one to send to the Asylum, His Reverence was obliged to fall back on F. Cointet, who had already passed about eighteen months there, and who had been compelled to return to the Lake on account of his health, almost totally ruined. pg 193 Since about sixteen months, during which he was once more attending to his missions in the North, the dear Father had regained by degrees his strength and his former energy. Great was his surprise on learning that he was once more named for New Orleans, but his resignation was equal. He would have started at once for the post to which he was recalled, had he not at the same time received orders to wait for two Brothers whom the Mother House was sending him for the Asylum. Some weeks between the arrival of this letter and that of the travellers referred to were useful in making the necessary preparations and in putting on a good footing his many and important functions at N.D. du Lac: for he was Vice-President and Director of all the missions depending on the Lake. We have just said, "some weeks;" whereas Providence decreed that is should be some months. Our two Brothers were sixty-five days on the ocean. When they landed in New York without money and without resources of any kind, their first act was to telegraph and to write to the Lake for the means necessary to continue their journey. The two Sisters that accompanied them only added to pg 194 their embarrassment. Their telegram and letter were both so badly directed that they were not answered, never having reached their destination at the Lake. Bro. Dominic believed that he was making good use of some pennies that remained to him out of a loan of 200fr. that he had obtained of a very charitable Redemptorist Father by spending them in making his way to the Lake. Of his three travelling companions whom he had left behind, not one could speak a word of English. It was necessary to send money by express to pay the expenses of those brave soldiers of the Cross and save them from being sold at auction to pay their personal debts. Finally, God permitted that they arrived; but during all those mysterious mischances, events of grave importance were succeeding one another rapidly at Notre Dame du Lac. During the Annual Retreat of the Sisters in their new house, three hundred paces from the college, one of their postulants was suddenly taken with pains in the chest so violent that in some hours she succumbed, having hardly been able to make her confession and to receive extreme unction. pg 195 On the following night one of the apprentices of the Brothers aged thirteen years, a child full of promise and of good parts, was found dead in his bed by his own father, who had come to see him and who had himself been watching over him for several days. This was enough to spread terror through the house, and especially in the minds of those that had charge of it; but the hour of the trial had come, and the cup of bitterness which was to be emptied even to the dregs had only let some drops fall from its overflow on the poor children of Notre Dame du Lac. Two pupils were in succession carried away, noiselessly and without causing much surprise, as their passage to a better life had been long expected. The Annual Retreat of the Brothers arrives. On the third day Aug 9, 1854 at 8 o'clock in the morning, word is brought to the poor superior that Bro. Alexis, one of the best members of the Society, had been drowned in the lake the preceding night. Oh! what sad days there are in the life of man here below! Such a thunder-clap was calculated to stupify any man interested in this sad event. For some time it overwhelmed the soul of the mourning director of a pg 196 house so severely tried for some two weeks. Soon, however, resignation to the will of heaven came and restored calm, although traces of sadness remained which only time could by degrees efface. The Retreat of the Priests followed closely on that of the Brothers. Like the two previous Retreats, it was made in recollection and with all the signs of a retreat in which the grace of God has free play. Thus regenerated in all its parts, the work presented to the eyes of faith a well-founded hope that heaven would bless it for its efforts to please God, and for the afflictions that had weighed upon it. Everyone felt rejoiced, and sought in the peace and innocence that follow a general retreat, peace and innocence that follow a general retreat, pledges of new blessings. Alas! how different are the thoughts of man's heart from the thoughts of God! Hardly had the last retreat ended when maladies broke out, multiplied, and became day by day more serious and alarming, and they were almost general in the three Societies. Sr. M. of St. Aloysius Gonzaga dies at Bertrand on Assumption day; Sr. M. of St. Anastasia follows her soon from the same room. Two places were thus made vacant in the ranks of the professed Sisters; but evidently the two had gone to join the elect. pg 197 Then followed two novice Sisters and one postulant. They were carried away one after the other by the terrible plague, which was nothing less than an epidemic resulting from the combination of the two most terrible maladies of the country: dysentery and typhus--as if two of the most dread enemies of human life had challenged each other to the death in order to crush a young family hardly out of its swathing clothes. The Society of the Sisters was not alone the object of heaven's wrath--if it can be said that a Father is angry when he calls home to himself his children after having left them for a time in exile, to dry their tears and to set on their brow the royal and immortal crown promised to their fidelity. Whatever may have been the designs of heaven, which it is not given us to penetrate, but which we should adore in silence and perfect submission, victims were at the same time demanded from amongst the Brothers. Five of them and three postulants were carried off one by one in spite of all the efforts of the house to save them. Of the five, only one was professed, Bro. Dominic; the pg 198 four others were novices; BB. Clement, Joseph, Cesaire, and Daniel. They all offered up their lives in a most edifying manner; and if the number of deaths was calculated to spread terror amongst the survivors, their last moments, on the other hand, were so pious and consoling that only one impression seemed to remain in the depth of the souls of those that were the witnesses. May my last moments be like to those of the just; may my soul thus leave her prison. But what rendered painful to the last degree those ravages of death amongst the Brothers and the Sisters was to see that his blows fell indiscriminately on all sides, and that the society of the Salvatorists, whose numbers, especially considering the wants of the country, were so few, was not spread any more than the other two societies. Had come Father Curley, a young Irish missioner ordained only one from the year, was the first of the priests of Holy Cross called to bear seminary in the standard of the Society to heaven. He was taken with Louisville. dysentery during the retreat and continued to languish and grow weaker and weaker to the end, which came on Sept. 4th. His death made a great but happy sensation. It left nothing to be desired, nothing to be feared. pg 199 But alas! it was only the forerunner of the dreadful stroke that was soon to fall like a thunder-clap on N.D. du Lac. Ten days after the burial of F. Curley, F. Cointet himself fell sick on his return from a mission. It would be useless to attempt here to describe the fears and anguish of the whole house during the eight days of his malady. For eleven years he had been the glory, the light, the joy, and the life of the community and of the mission. His piety, zeal and devotedness had never for a moment lagged. Gifted with wonderful activity and rare talents, he had employed every day since his arrival in the New World in the salvation of souls and to the glory of God. Of him could be said, although in a far inferior manner, what is written of the Saviour of men: "He went about doing good."--Acts X., 38. To preserve such a precious life, everyone in the house had considered it a duty to offer his own life; but God willed this great sacrifice, and there only remained for the community to bend their wills and to seek consolation in the words of Our Saviour: Fiat voluntas tua. The death of this dear Father caused universal mourning to pg 200 the Catholics throughout the country. Ah! his was one of the purest names that the history of the Church in America can offer to the piety of the faithful. In losing him, the Association suffered, according to human judgment, one of those losses that cannot be repaired--a gain for him, without doubt. For in the short time that he lived, he had accomplished much. He was one of those men of solid merit, who made not the least display; a man of God who saw only God in all things. All thought that they appreciated him well during his life, and all now see, after he has disappeared, that the void left by him when he descended into the tomb is every day becoming greater. No one knew him better nor loved him more sincerely that the poor superior of the Lake. One need not be astonished to learn here that on the night when he was obliged to announce to his other self that he was going to die, to administer to him the last sacraments, and finally to receive his last breath, his soul was crushed, his mind wandering and not far from a state of disorganization as sad as death itself. Eighteen members of the desolate family of N.D. du Lac had pg 201 disappeared--almost one out of every five. Two only had not been attacked, and the survivors looked more like skeletons or walking corpses than living men. Employments even the most indispensable had daily to be abandoned, and yet it was of the utmost importance to keep this state of affairs from being known, and to have things move in the ordinary way. 70 pupils Seventy pupils had entered, and an exact knowledge of the sanitary condition of the community would have sufficed to empty the college in twenty-four hours. Happily good health reigned amongst them; only three or four were attacked, and only one died. But if panic fear did not seize upon them, it was unquestionably due to the intervention of a special Providence. At times there was only a single professed member on foot, whilst four were incapacitated. Half of the deaths were unknown to them, the sacraments were administered, and burials took place at night. Oh! what mournful days were those of the months of August and September 1854! Oh! may God grant that such days never return to N.D. du Lac! A second trial of such a nature would be more than enough to ruin in completely. pg 202 Finally towards the month of November health began to return, and with strength the hope of better days began to dawn. Only one death was added to grieve the community--that of the good Sr. M. of Bethlehem, aged fifty-four. She was the last of the four who had come first with F. Cointet in 1843. She died at the academy of the Holy Angels in Mishawaka, full of merits and virtues rather than of years. She had been employed for three years in the laundry, which she managed almost alone: the last eight years of her life were devoted to an employment that seemed to be daily growing dearer to her, doubtless because of the simplicity and open heartedness of this innocent soul--we refer to the care of the cows and calves, the sheep and hens, etc. Being naturally gifted with a strong constitution, she could endure much fatigue. She did not lie down to rest in summer before 11 o'clock, although she rose at 4. It was her delight to be providing for the daily wants of the numerous and interesting family entrusted to her care. She would sooner have deprived herself of the necessaries than allow one of pg 203 those little animals to suffer: hence, she was known and loved by all those innocent creatures, and they gave her little rest. We dare not assert that she had succeeded in making herself understood by her calves or her sheep, but one might imagine that she herself believed it, when one noticed the affectionate manner in which she was continually speaking to them. Dear good sister whose pure and tender heart compassionated even the brute creation, obtain for us from heaven, where you are now doubtless rejoicing this day, the same simplicity, the same innocence of manners, so that after your example we may also merit to obtain a place amongst the blessed who are simple and pure of heart. But, since it was the sovereign will, let us return once more to the history of trials and crosses. The chalice is not drained, and those to whose lips it was presented were called to taste something even more bitter than all that had gone before. pg 204 1855 March For some months maladies had diminished but not disappeared. Such was the enfeebled condition of the members at the end of autumn that the least fatigue or the first unforeseen change sent back to the infirmary even those that were thought to have entirely recovered. But at the beginning of the month of March several cases of bilious fever assumed such a malignant character that there were grave fears of a return to the scourge of the previous September and October. Mr. Devos, one of the professors of the college, a novice of the Society of Priests, a young Belgian of great talents and of much promise, was amongst the first attacked. For several months the Institution had, at great expense, secured the services of a distinguished physician, Dr. McKinnis, a graduate of Paris and of Glasgow, who at the same time filled two of the most important chairs at the university. Under the care of this doctor Mr. Devos, like everybody else, thought himself comparatively safe during the first ten days of his malady. But it soon became only too evident that he was going to die, as he did on the thirteenth day of his malady. pg 205 It is true that the sentiments of faith and of piety displated by him contributed not a little to console the community for the new loss; but the fears as to the impression that would be made by the death of a professor of the college so soon after the plague that had devastated it, were but too well founded. Mr. Devos was highly esteemed and loved by all the pupils, who greatly felt his loss. To make matters worse, he had hardly expired when one of the best Brothers--John of the Cross, bootmaker and head of his department--one of the most able, most exemplary, and best known [religious] in the country, was attacked, and followed closely in the footsteps of the deceased. It was the same malady with all the same symptoms. The result was not long doubtful, and in eight days the good Brother died, carrying with him the sincerest regrets of the whole house, but especially of the apprentices, whose chief director he had been for several years. To give a correct even though incomplete view of the impressions made by this unexpected death, it is necessary to bring together here several considerations which, examined in pg 206 their mutual relations, gave this period such a crushing weight that, in the eyes of the members of the chapter, the total ruin of the Institution of the Lake must necessarily follow unless a very special intervention of Providence made itself felt. The immediate tangible effect of the death of Bro. John of the Cross was to bring back vividly to all minds the memory of the numerous losses of the previous summer and autumn; but instead of attributing them as formerly to an epidemic that might visit even the most healthy localities, people now decided that the cause was the place itself. The greater number and they were the people of most sense, declared that the first cause of all those maladies was the marsh the two lakes to the west of the college. Others attributed it to a certain weed; others to a fish of which the Indians were always very much afraid, and of which there were a great many in the lakes; still others maintained that it was the water of our wells, although it was just as cool and agreeable to drink as possible. Opinions were divided every one having his own, but there was unanimity in declaring that under actual conditions the place unhealthy. No one said positively: this is the cause, or that, but all kept repeating: there is a cause, and the more's the pity. Such was public opinion. pg 207 It is not a remarkable fact that, out of three hundred persons who were then connected, directly or indirectly, with Notre Dame, not even one took occasion there from to desert his post? Everyone had reason to fear for his own life, and yet there was no desertion or retreat. We will presently state the reason. It was at the beginning of the reign of the Knownothings, sworn enemies of the Catholic Church. Notre Dame could not but appear to them as deserving of the most intense hatred. It was almost the only stronghold of Catholicity in northern Indiana. It was quite natural that the Knownothings should avail themselves of such favorable circumstances to hasten its fall, without taking on themselves the odium. On the other hand, by a series of coincidences more or less to be regretted, besides what we have already mentioned, the establishment was heavily in debt. A miserable imposter had just been discovered who had deceived the administration in the sum of $15,000, which he had solemnly promised in writing the year before. It turned out that instead of having a big fortune which he would sign over to the house, he had nothing, and he took away with him pg 208 funds of the community ($100-, besides $250 for board). Moreover prices were extravagantly high, wheat and corn being double the ordinary price. A financial crisis had visited the commerce of the United States. Bankruptcies were counted by the dozens; no one knew what notes to accept; the payment of the students' bills was either deferred or no answer returned, and meanwhile creditors were never more in need of their money. Judge what must have been the feelings of the administrators of the Lake in such threatening circumstances. After so much labor and expenses public opinion, at the rate at which it was going, would in some weeks destroy such a great work as was Notre Dame. It was unfortunately only too evident that we were hastening to destruction with rapid strides, and that on any day the most insignificant incident might cause alarm in such critical circumstances and create a panic terror amongst creditors, boarders, and novices--and that would be the last of Notre Dame. The only human hope that could have given any encouragement could no longer be hold onto--that of seeing the fall of the mill- dam, this being looked upon as the most probable cause of all the pg 209 trouble. The proprietor demanded $9000, of which $3000 were to be paid in cash, and the Institution was too poor to buy the property. Besides, it had nothing to expect from New Orleans, where it had advanced a good deal both in funds and in its best subjects. The academies of Bertrand and of Mishawaka had up to this time been of no financial benefit; their constant need of developing, and the difficulty of supporting so many persons at a Bertrand an distance of six miles from the house, must necessarily for some expense to time, not only absorb all profit, but be a drag on the treasury of Notre Dame N.D. Judging according to reason, the establishment of the Lake would soon be spoken of as a ruin--a ruin whose fall would be heard across the mountains and the plains, and would even reach the ears of the Mother House. All the elements seemed to be combined to make this catastrophe inevitable. Death had carried away one fifth of the community; sickness paralyzed most of the survivors; men were needed for the works, and they had to be secured at high prices. Ah! when the earth no longer gives any hope, then the Christian heart naturally turns to heaven in search of consolation pg 210 and encouragement. There only did the members let their hearts expand. The best friends avoided one another, and when they did meet, each sought to read in the other's eyes the fears that were in his own heart. All the beauty and all the joy of Notre Dame had departed by degrees. The people were prepared at any day for the last extremities. Meanwhile everyone, in silence and as far as his strength permitted, attended to his work. Neither complaints nor murmurs nor regrets were heard. All seemed to be resigned to the will of God, whatever that will might decree. Not only was there resignation, but there was prayer, and in prayer one dared to hope. It was sweet to think that God is infinitely rich in mercy, that he sometimes calls us back even from the gates of the tomb. Everyone felt that we never trust in the Lord in vain; and the more serious and desperate affairs seemed to be, the more did they take pleasure in saying to our merciful Lord, that is was worthy of him to extend his mighty hand and save the Lake, where all was going to ruin. De lacu miseria et de tuto facis. O my God! through what agonies is pleased thee then to make pg 211 us pass! Only some weeks before a bishop had departed from Notre Dame enchanted, like ourselves, by the beautiful future awaiting our little family, and he made public his favorable impressions of our Society in the United States. And behold us suddenly plunged in darkness deeper than ever, in the very shadow of death. We were certainly like those destined to death. Our enemies had encompassed us on all sides, and there was no escape for us and this at a time when we seemed to be entering on an era of success and prosperity. Happily, O my God! this state of affairs did not last long. Everybody had learned the lesson that there was no hope but in the mercy of heaven, and that unless Providence intervened, the knell of the mission of the Lake had sounded. Prayers, sighs, and tears were day and night appealing to the throne of mercy. Heaven was doubtless touched, and some rays of hope began to scatter the dark clouds in which Notre Dame had been enveloped. The very day after the funeral of the pious Brother John of the Cross, the proprietor of the farm in question came of his own accord to offer his land on terms that surprised us all so much as pg 212 to make us almost doubt them. Heretofore he had demanded $9000, to be paid in very short installments; now he was willing to take $8000--payable $1000 down and the rest in installments in four years. In a word, the purchase of this land by the House was made, if not as easy as desirable, at least reasonable and possible. Fortunately, the long winter of 1854-55 was not yet over. The ice was not gone, and thus the lake might be lowered before the hot weather, and the marsh, which the public voice declared to be the cause of our maladies, might be dried without danger. Fortunately also, the Mother House had long before permitted the purchase of this ground, on condition that it took no responsibility in the matter. Four days were spent in discussing and drawing up the titles, mortgages, etc. Finally, on the evening of the fourth day, when the papers had been signed by both parties and nothing remained but to exchange them, our man left town without a word, and went home, thus leaving hardly any doubt that he withdrew his offer and pg 213 would not sell at this price and on these conditions. We, in common with the whole town, had a very unfavorable opinion of him. It was quite evident that he had imposed on us, and that his intention from the start was only to make sure of our desire to obtain his land at any price. This was on the Wednesday of Holy Week. There are occasions when, by adopting vigorous measures, the enemy is surprised and frightened, and we thus elude his snares. On Thursday morning before mass F. Sorin sent five or six of his stoutest men with strict orders to listen to no one and to tear down the dam; and they were especially charged to answer anyone that might attempt to interfere with them, that they received no orders from anybody except their master, and that the land was his. Never was order more promptly carried out. Our man could not hold out against this bold stroke--tearing down under his very eyes a dam from which he could have still earned some thousands of dollars. The fall of the dam completely changed his position in regard to the college. We had a quasi-title to justify us; public pg 214 indignation, which was ready to prosecute him for this new piece of trickery, frightened him; and one hour afterwards he went to town and handed over the papers to the Brother commissioner. It is impossible to describe the joy that filled the community when it was learned that the dam was torn down. All returned thanks to Heaven as for a most important event. Everyone looked upon it as a special blessing and as a promise of health, even if the consequences should not immediately manifest themselves. O my God! thou didst call us back from the gates of the tomb. Thus thou didst revive in us hopes of better days. Be thou blessed therefore, O Lord, and make us worthy. The treasury of Notre Dame was not enriched by the purchase spoken of, but from many points of view it was a good transaction. It secured the monopoly of the lime for all the surroundings, and on the next day the privilege of stopping all competitive work on this piece of ground was purchased for $500 on a lease of three years. A second privilege perhaps no less valuable was the fall of pg 215 water of fifty or sixty feet between the lake and the river, the entire control of which was secured to the house, and which might some day serve to put in motion a flour mill, a saw mill, or other machinery. Besides, it was a piece of land of one hundred and eighty five acres, with a new house and a fine barn. It was resolved to establish on it at once a sanitarium for the Institution. The distance of half a mile suited, and the location on the bank of the St. Joseph river was one of the prettiest and most healthy in the whole country--so it was said. Finally this famous piece of ground had one more advantage which, though it necessitated another outlay which it might be desirable to put off for a while, became in reality an economy and a matter of prime importance. The novitiate of the Sisters at Notre Dame was the spot that had suffered the most from sickness; the establishment at Bertrand had been kept up and developed only with great hesitation and fear in view of the sentiments of the bishop of Detroit, which were not growing more favorable; the foundation of Mishawaka amounted to nothing ever since it had been pg 216 found insufficient to remove St. Mary's thither. And yet those three houses were increasing, and by their distance the one from the other they necessitated daily greater expenses of transportation and more travelling of Priests, Brothers, and Sisters. To gather them together at a reasonable distance from Notre Dame would be clearly a great benefit for the Society of the Sisters, as also for the college, which could then obtain from the Sisters all the services they were capable of rendering, without imposing on them the inconveniences of too close a proximity or too great a distance. F. Granger in his walks with his novices, had noticed an admirable site on this piece of ground, on an elevation of seventy-five feet above the river and at a distance of a mile and a quarter from the college. He had from the very first desired it for the Sisters. Examined by the superior and the Sisters themselves, there was found such a combination of advantages that it was resolved to establish there, sooner or later, the residence of said Society and their headquarters. pg 217 Tuesday after Quasimodo was resolved, in an extra meeting of the Chapter of administration, that any further expenditure at St. Mary's, Holy Angels, and even Notre Dame, would be stopped, and that steps were to be taken at once to remove such of the old buildings as were worth it and were not actually needed; and this with the view of removing thither by degrees the orphan girls, the postulants, the novices, and finally the pupils, without waiting till there were means to put up new buildings for all those purposes, and to abandon the old buildings. Three thousand dollars were considered sufficient to effect this move, and before two years this whole debt would be fully repaid by the savings that would result from it, not to speak of the satisfaction and the real advantages that would be secured to the Society of the Marianites, and indirectly to the other Societies. There was still another reason for this resolve. The question of the approbation of our Association was to be soon resumed in Rome after the death of Mgr. Bouvier. The bishop of pg 218 Detroit, who had often expressed his disapprobation of a house of Sisters under the windows of the college, might have carried this accusation to Rome, and it was important to be prepared to escape its consequences. Now the beginning of a principal house where it was evidently the intention to establish the Sisters' Society, showed that they were near the college only for a brief space whilst awaiting arrangements of a kind that they might be received into a house to which no objections could be made. It is perhaps not out of place to mention that the superior had just learned, from a reliable source, that the Propaganda had recently ordered the Jesuits in America to dismiss all women whom they had in their employ, both in the colleges and the missions. However that may be, the transfer, as we have said, was to take place only be degrees and according as the means were forthcoming. This dear house shall be called St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception. On this very day at 5 o'clock, D.v., we are going to bless the corner stone according to the rites of the Church under this august title. April 24th 1855  Chapter XIV 14th Year. 1855 pg 219 What caused us to carry the history of 1854 as far as the end of April of this year cannot have escaped any one that followed the sad history. There was one whole which could hardly admit of division; and as the long trials of the Hebrews in Egypt ended only on the passage of the angel, so also this long series of crosses and sufferings of all kinds extended over the family of Holy Cross in America until the new Passover, the day for eating the paschal lamb. On that day there came a change almost miraculous, a passage from the deepest sorrow to rejoicing; it might almost be said, from death to life. The purchase of the 185 acres from Rush secured to Notre Dame advantages whose value the future alone will make known and appreciated. The health of the Congregation, the cultivation of some thirty of the richest areas around the college, the monopoly of the chalk and marl, a most valuable water privilege, and finally a beautiful site for the Society of the Marianites, with novitiate, academy, workshop, etc, with all desirable conveniences and with hardly any drawbacks for the Congregation itself. One of pg 220 the principle objects of the administration was to secure them those advantages as soon as possible. It was therefore decided, as already mentioned, that the two houses of Mishawaka and Bertrand should be removed to the new location. The former was almost rebuilt when an unexpected event caused that determination to be taken that the immediate transfer of the other should be begun. For several years the step-father of one of our Fathers and one of our Sisters (F. Gillespie and Mary of St. Angela) Mr. Phelan of Lancaster, Ohio, had been speaking of bequeathing a valuable farm to the Congregation of Holy Cross, with the view of having a branch of the Society established in that place. More than once he had been urged by his estimable and pious wife to donate it and give possession of it at once during his lifetime; but to all solicitations of this kind he answered in such a manner as gave little hope that he could ever make up his mind on this. It was therefore a surprise to F. Sorin when, some days pg 221 before the distribution of premiums of 1855, he received through the hands of Mrs. Phelan a letter from Mr. Phelan announcing that after mature deliberation he thought it better to give his farm immediately to the Congregation of Holy Cross, provided we assumed a mortgage of $7000 due in two and a half years. The farm he offered, according to his statement, worth at least $30,000. F. Sorin considered the matter too serious for merely secondary attention. He went to Lancaster the following week with Mrs. Phelan and Sr. M. of St. Angela. God blessed this journey; and after spending eight days with Mr. Phelan they separated, bound by the following contract: Mr. and Mrs. Phelan gave to the Congregation of Holy Cross, established at Notre Dame, Ind, property valued at $89,650 in real estate and mortgages, on which was due $22,500, for which F. Sorin assumed the responsibility. He moreover bound himself to pay Mr. and Mrs. Phelan an annuity of $3000 and during their lifetime to receive two boarders gratis, one at the college and the other at St. Mary's. F. Sorin and his successors were left free to dispose pg 222 of all this property as they saw fit, Mr. Phelan merely expressing the desire that his beautiful farm should be kept by the Congregation with the view of some day establishing themselves there, but without making this an obligation. Finally, F. Sorin gave Mr. Phelan a mortgage of $50,000 as security for the payment of the annuity of $3000. Such were the conditions of this contract, by which the congregation of Holy Cross secured possession of a solid property worth at least three times the indebtedness on it. That this gift must appear providential, especially under the circumstances in which it was made, everybody at Notre Dame felt. They saw in it the fulfilment of the words: In the evening weeping shall have place, and in the morning gladness. Some months previously Notre Dame had acquired a property in the city of Toledo valued at $4000, which sum was due by the Rev. Mr. Foley. He had purchased two scholarships at the college for twenty years for $3000, and the rest was due for the board of some young men kept by him at Notre Dame. pg 223 Finally about this same time an ecclesiastic gave F. Sorin the absolute title to a little piece of ground which he had near Detroit, and which was valued at $6000. Thus Providence repaired the losses sustained by Notre Dame the previous year. Moreover, several new foundations were made since the School at beginning of this year: one at Louisville amongst Germans, where Louisville & two Brothers taught 150 children, receiving $200 a piece per one at annum; another at Toledo on nearly the same conditions for Toledo English-speaking children; a third at Michigan City, and a fourth at Laporte within the limits of our mission, with about 50 children in each place. Finally a Sisters' school one mile and a half from Notre Dame in the new town called New Lowell, the school bearing the name of the Immaculate Conception, and having already an attendance of 60 or 70 children, Irish, Canadian, and American. The new Institution of St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception appeared to excite the interest of the best citizens of South Bend. Judge Stanfield himself very graciously answered the different questions addressed to him on this subject by the secretary in the name of the Sisters' council. He even offered his services to draw up the plan of Incorporation of the new Academy. Consequently all the papers necessary for this object were soon prepared by him in a council of six Sisters, with F. Sorin. Those six Sisters having declared in writing and under oath, in presence of Judge Stanfield, their intention of forming a corporation according to the laws of the State of Indiana, for the erection and the conduct of an Academy which they wished to name St. Mary's, and having then elected their president and secretary, as well as the six Administrators of the Institution, F. Sorin executed a deed for fifty acres of land in favor of the Academy thus formed, on which ground the Institution was to grow up and expand, whilst at the same time he bestowed on it $5000 to be immediately employed in putting up buildings. All these documents were at once taken by the judge to the St. Joseph County Court to be registered and to obtain the force pg 225 of law. Thus the Academy of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception had a legal existence and was recognized by the State more than a month before the completion of the first house. The work was pushed forward vigorously: it was necessary to have things in readiness by the 1st of September. The two houses of Mishawaka and Bertrand were now destroyed. The mission of Notre Dame had not been visited by its bishop since 1849. Towards the end of July Mgr. de St. Palais, bishop of Vincennes, came for the second time to make the regular visit. He remained nearly a month, and appeared to be well pleased with the progress that religion had made through the work of Holy Cross in this part of the North. In the interval since his first visit, the congregations, churches, buildings, and the inmates of Notre Dame had almost doubled. The letter written by His Lordship some weeks after his departure from Notre Dame shows his satisfaction and what an interest he takes in the Establishment. The distribution of the college this year was honored by the pg 226 presence of Bishop Young of Erie and Mr. Ph. Ewing, brother-in-law of Sr. M. of St. Angela, the directress of St. Mary's Academy at Bertrand. Mr. Ewing, a staunch friend of the house, delivered a very remarkable oration. On the following day Bishop Young made the usual discourse at the distribution at St. Mary's. On both occasions large numbers were present, and the plays and the discourses prepared by the scholars did them honor whilst pleasing the large audiences. This year was marked by abundant falls of rain. The harvest, which to the last promised to be very large, was overtaken by rains lasting for several weeks, which threatened the almost total ruin of the wheat of the country. The sheaves were not only sprouting in the field, but had actually turned green on the outside. The consequence was the loss of at least a quarter of the wheat throughout the country, and for Notre Dame in particular, an expense for flour which it was estimated would reach $2000. We have already mentioned the new academy of the Sisters of Holy Cross. Let us return to it for a moment. It lies a mile and a quarter west of the college, on the pg 227 right bank of the St. Joseph. It would perhaps be impossible, apart from all personal advantages to the Society, to find another site all the length of the St. Joseph, so well suited and so charming as that occupied today by this Institution. It covers a magnificent plateau bounded on the south by the river at a depth of 75 ft,. and on the west by a rich prairie almost at the ordinary level of the waters of the St. Joseph. F. Sorin had a first given twenty acres, and somewhat later he added thirty. The general plan of the present buildings is to be seen in the lines traced at the top of this page. It is to be three hundred and sixty feet in length. Before the end of this year the central part was entirely finished, and afforded room for sixty boarders and some thirty Sisters. Towards the beginning of December the postulants' house, with twenty-two subjects, was added, and there was room for all. Towards the end of the same month the northern portion was sufficiently advanced to accomodate the whole manual-labor school of thirty girls and three Sisters. The central portion, which was pg 228 to project 120ft. forward and which is to have a large chapel of 80 x 40 ft., with the community house in the rear, was deferred till the following spring. From this time the new Institution became the headquarters of the Sisters of Holy Cross in the United States, not in a transient way, but permanently. They enjoyed all the advantages they could desire as religious attached to a congregation to which they could render all the services to be expected from this third branch, and from which in return they could obtain all those that they were entitled to by reason of the spiritual and fundamental alliance which the Vicar of Christ was soon to consecrate. The academy was neither too near the college nor too far from it, but at just such a distance as to secure the mutual and daily services of the two houses, without giving use to any inconveniences, not even that of keeping any Sisters at the college but those needed in the kitchen and the infirmary. A commissioner with a suitable wagon could carry provisions, linen, etc., from one house to the other and he could easily do this in one hour; the visits of the superiors did not require more time pg 229 and could easily be made afoot; and a priest from the college or from one of the novitiates easily went to St. Mary's every day to say mass, unless he was called elsewhere. All letters were sent and received at the same office--an additional convenience. Thus before the end of 1855 F. Sorin had the consolation to see with his own eyes what he had so earnestly desired: the three branches of the congregation established in a permanent and most desirable manner, recognized by the State, and each secured by a charter of incorporation, the Fathers at the University, the Brothers in the St. Joseph's workshops, and the Sisters in the Academy. 1855 Towards the beginning of the month of October, F. Sorin received some letters from the V.R.F. Rector, which grieved more than they surprised him. It was a demand from the Mother House of the sum of 15,000fr. to be sent immediately in order to save it from inevitable ruin; food was then so dear in France that Sainte Croix was obliged to dismiss all that could be spared, and to confine itself to the strictly necessary for the others. Two other letters followed the first in quick succession to hurry the loan and the forwarding of the amount. pg 230 Fortunately Providence had permitted that F. Sorin, a few 1500fr sent weeks before, had succeeded in obtaining a loan of $10,000. An to Mother express was sent on the very day to New York to arrange matters, House and the funds reached their destination in time to save the Mother House from embarrassment. The unexpected disbursement of such a sum just at a time when arrangements had already been made for its employment could not fail to cause the administration of Notre Dame difficulties, which if not of the gravest king, were serious. F. Sorin could not but see this; but even if they were to be still greater, he would have unhesitatingly sent all that was actually at his disposal. Besides, in addition to the devotedness of his heart to Ste. Croix which he had the pleasure of gratifying, he was glad to be able to prove this sincere devotedness as a reply to all the suspicions and accusations, of which circumstances rather than his actions had made him the object for some years in the Congregation. It was with this view and on the same principles that ten days later, he sent 10,000fr. more to the V.R.F. Rector to help 10,000 fr. him to send hither a colony of Sisters who could no longer get for Sisters their living at Ste. Croix. Twelve were sent without delay, and pg 231 arrived at Notre Dame about the middle of January of the following year. But before they landed in America F. Sorin felt all the consequences of this double transfer of funds whilst he himself was hard set to meet the expenses of his house. On of the immediate consequences was a loss of $1000 in discount on $8000, without speaking of the journey to Montreal and to New York. As a matter of course, after having given these proofs of attachment to the Mother House, the house of the Lake might expect, and rejoiced in the hope, that all memory of past miseries would be blotted out. Heaven had ordered it otherwise. Unequivocal expressions of gratitude were not slow in coming from the V.R.F., it is true; but whilst F. Sorin gladly received the assurance of the joy and gratitude of Ste. Croix for the service, which was magnified beyond due measure, other letters reached him from New Orleans which pierced him to the heart. At the request of Ste. Croix, F. Sorin had just resumed charge of the three houses in that city, which had recently lost their superior, the Rev. Guesdon, and a brother, in September pg 232 last, and had sent a Brother as visitor, with the Mother Superior and two Sisters to make the regular visit of that foundation. Although they were the bearers of letters from the Rev. F. Rector, and F. Sorin had taken all imaginable precautions to avoid wounding any susceptibilities, the Sisters and Brothers of the Asylum would listen to nothing that came from the Lake, and, shielding their conduct under the fair name of attachment to Ste. Croix, they trampled under foot even the arrangements of Ste. Croix, insulted the envoys from the Lake in the most outrageous manner, so far even as to compel the Mother Superior to return to the Lake amidst the ice and snow, whilst they knew that she had gone to New Orleans by order of the doctors to pass the winter there, as well as to fulfil an obedience most painful in its nature. She accordingly returned, to the great surprise and mortification of the whole chapter, which was informed of the strange proceedings of the Sisters of New Orleans. This was the last act of this year 1855, so fruitful in grave events for the community of Holy Cross in the United States. This year, which posterity will doubtless call the year of the pg 233 Immaculate Conception, will always remain one of the most remarkable in the records of this mission. More than any other since the commencement of Notre Dame du Lac, it was marked by blessings and by trials, by joys and by crosses. The death of Bro. John of the Cross and of Mr. Devos renew all the agonies of the previous autumn; the pecuniary embarrassment of Notre Dame and the continuance of the fatal epidemic; and the well-founded fear that soon the place would be judged unhealthy--which would have meant certain destruction--; the compulsory acquisition of the Rush property in order to lower the lakes and dry the surroundings; the necessity either of building at Mishawaka and Bertrand or of removing the two academies to the new property, which had every advantage for the Sisters' establishment in connection with the Priests and Brothers; the additional expenses arising from this unavoidable resolution; the donation meanwhile by Mr. and Mrs. Phelan, which, whilst not immediately filling the treasury, supplied a fund to meet claims such as the house had not previously had, the sale of a portion of this donation to the pg 234 archbishop of St. Louis when no one else would buy; the affairs of New Orleans; the foundation of the house of New York; the distress of Sainte Croix; the sending of a dozen Sisters to the United States; the foundation of three Brothers' schools, at Toledo, Louisville, and Mishawaka, and three Sisters' schools, at Lowell, Laporte, and Michigan City; the dismissal of two Brothers and one novice priest, which, although diminishing the number, was really a gain by the peace and regularity that prevailed after their departure; two large brick churches begun at St. John's and at Lowell: her are facts each of which would require a chapter itself, but which it is enough to sum up her in a few lines in order to show that this year has placed the Institution on a footing almost entirely new, and to make it now appear in a form which it had never before had. pg 235 Before closing the chapter of this year 1855, which cannot fail to be epoch-making in the annals of the Congregation, and from which will probably date a new phase in the standing of the province of Notre Dame in the United States, we give here a list of the Establishments composing the Province at the end of 1855: 1. New Orleans-Asylum and [girls'] workshop 2. Cincinnati-Brothers' school 3. Louisville- " 4. Toledo- " 5. Hamilton- " 6. Milwaukee- " 7. New York-Workshop and Postulate 8. Mishawaka- Church & Sisters' School 9. St. John's- " " 10. Lowell- " " 11. Laporte- " " 12. Michigan City- " " pg 236 The statistics of those different foundations are briefly summed up as follows: 1. That of New Orleans, properly speaking, dates from the passage of the Visitor from Sainte Croix in the United States in 1848. As he was proceeding from Notre Dame to Guadalupe, where he was to arrive towards the end of autumn, F. Drouelle was requested by F. Sorin to stop in New Orleans and try to obtain a footing there for the Society of the Brothers by introducing them into an orphan asylum for the teaching of arts and trades. He succeeded in this, and put in writing the conditions that he thought would be acceptable to Notre Dame du Lac, which he first laid before Archbishop Blanc and the twelve lay members forming the council of administration of the asylum. They were accepted without difficulty, and were forwarded to the Chapter of the Lake, which had the right to accept or reject them. The Society agreed to furnish four Brothers at the start and to increase the numbers as it should be judged necessary by the administration, on the payment of $125 for each member, and $150 for the director. There were at the time only seventy-five orphans in the house, which until this time had been in charge of a Catholic family. pg 237 The conditions were signed by both contracting parties, and in consequence four Brothers were got ready to proceed thither in the month of May following, 1849. Bro. Vincent was named director, to be assisted by BB. Basil, Theodule, de Sales, and Aloysius Gonzaga. The distance of New Orleans from Notre Dame is nearly 1500 miles. The journey at that time took from twelve to fifteen days, that is to say, about three times as long as it now requires. The city has about 180,000 inhabitants, from all the nations of the globe, but especially Creoles and natives of France. The French, Irish, and German Catholics form one third of the population. Every one knows the opulence of Louisiana, of which it is the principal point, and what is no less notorious is the unhealthiness of the country, which is ravaged almost every year by the yellow fever or the cholera; and another thing that is no secret is the depravity of morals of a great number of the inhabitants of a country in which the evil passions are more favored than in any other part of the Union. Imagine to yourself a big city in which abound luxury and the products of all the pg 238 world, where the heat of the climate destroys all energy, where in general Faith exercises little influence, and you will have an idea of the state of morals of New Orleans. There are, however, very many and very consoling exceptions. The five Brothers whom we have named had been only a few months at their new post when they perceived that there would be occupation for Sisters to care for some dozens of little children under six or seven years of age. The archbishop at once felt what services they could render, and he wrote on the matter to F. Sorin, rather, however, to learn whether the arrange would enter in his views than to make a formal proposition. The affair was new for the Archbishop and for the community. Some letters having been exchanged on the subject, it was resolved to make the trial, and Sisters M. of the Five Wounds, of the Nativity, and of Calvary went from Kentucky to the asylum of New Orleans at the end of the scholastic year. They were to receive each $100, and their number was to be increased when necessary. For them as well as for the Brothers the asylum paid the first expenses for travelling. pg 239 The need of having a resident priest in an establishment which already contained nearly one hundred persons under the charge of religious was soon felt. Hence letters were sent to the asking for one of the Fathers of the Society. There was then at Notre Dame, a young professed priest of a fickle and turbulent character, whose judgment was not very sound. He had been sent here by Ste. Croix, and during the few years that he spent here, he was successively tried in almost all the employments of the community; but he soon tired of everything, and took advantage of the small number of priests in the mission, which could not afford to deprive itself of the services of a missioner unless he showed himself notoriously unworthy. This young priest had been once dismissed before his ordination; but far from stirring any gratitude in him, the favor done him in taking him back only provoked resentment whose effects were destined to be deplorable. If the house were inclined to severe measures, he would have been dismissed a second time and for good; but he had become dangerous, and the question for the administration of the Lake was not so much whether he should at last be got rid of, as how to get rid of him. On the other hand, he was constantly telling all that would listen to him that it was the fault of his two confreres, F. Granger and F. Cointet, if he caused so much embarrassment. He could not bear either of them: generally, the superior himself fared no better with him. However, this constantly repeated excuse suggested the idea to offer him a chance to prove its truth by sending him to a distance where neither of them could trouble him. He gladly consented to go to New Orleans; but when the day fixed for his departure arrived, he declared positively that he would not go to this new post except with the title and all the powers of local superior. Disgusting as was this conduct, it was only the beginning of a cancer of six long years of similar proceedings. Not only did he declare his resolution, but he held to it. Next day the Fathers' chapter sent the Mother House a formal petition to have this member dismissed. In the interim it was thought that if he were sent as Visitor he would be satisfied, because this obedience would really give him all the powers of a superior de facto. And he was in reality content with the title, and he went off, removing from the shoulders of those that knew him best an enormous load; but it soon became apparent that he had only withdrawn from the Lake the better to study his revenge. The first chapter held by him at the asylum was signalized by a veritable diatribe against Notre Dame du Lac, of which he would not long permit the asylum to be a dependency, etc. He thus showed how full of gall and lacking in judgment he was. In a few days he involved himself in difficulties with his best subjects, and kept the others by flattering their evil inclinations of vanity, ambition, and independence. Heaven could not bless a house in which God did not reign. There was neither peace nor happiness for anybody. One of the first Brothers (Basil) escaped in disguise and went to die miserably some hundreds of miles away. Soon miseries kept accumulating to an alarming degree. Letters followed letters to the Lake urging F. Sorin to come and visit the asylum. Finally he went there by the decision of the chapter, gave a retreat to the pg 242 Brothers and the Sisters, who all seemed to return to their former sentiments towards him and towards the Lake. But he was deeply pained to hear him who ought to be a model to all proclaim aloud in chapter that he would be Local Superior in spite of F. Sorin. Meanwhile the latter had among his papers the act of his dismissal pronounced by Ste. Croix; but seeming to let some months pass and make his report to His Reverence. But it would be too painful again to go over the details of this lamentable history. It is already set down in No. 8 of Chapter IX of these chronicles. For this page on New Orleans let is suffice to say that at the end of six months--which is incomprehensible even five years afterwards--this same father did obtain his nomination, and he was himself the first to proclaim his triumph. The state of affairs continued until the voyage of F. Sorin in France in 1852. It took him some hours to make the chapter understand the nature of the events that were to lamentably pg 243 succeeding one another in New Orleans. He obtained the ratification of the nomination of F. Cointet to the asylum, and returned with well-founded hope of seeing peace restored to the Province. Unfortunately the story of this worthy Father was not of long duration. He was hardly two years at the asylum when the great disturbance of the Lake occurred on occasion of the recall of F. Sorin. F. Cointet at the same time received orders to proceed to Notre Dame and to deliver up his place to F. Gouesse, who was ordered and who came immediately from Canada. He therefore resumed charge in January 1853, and remained until he was recalled to the Mother House in 1854. Towards the end of the year of 1853 this Father was replaced by F. Salmon, who died of the prevalent epidemic in the beginning of the following autumn, before his year was up. The year 1853 had been marked by an epidemic of the same kind which carried off three Brothers and one Sister. The year following was also memorable by the death of the Father who succeeded F. Salmon, and who came in the spring of 1855, dying in September of the same pg 244 year and of the same yellow fever. Bro. Martial, who had come from France in 1854, was another victim. After the death of F. Guesdon the establishment of New Orleans was more than ever in misery. There was neither rule nor discipline. Everyone did just about as he pleased, except that Bro. Elie seemed to maintain some pretence to act as director or superior. Towards the end of November the Rev. F. Rector, having requested F. Sorin to take charge once more, Mother Superior and Brother Stephen were sent from the Lake as Visitors, but were not recognized by the Brothers or the Sisters. Amidst all these trials the asylum had considerably increased. The two epidemics of 1853 and 1854 had made a number of victims amongst the orphans, but a still greater number of children in the city lost their parents, and in 1853 the number of orphans increased to 250 and 275. Since 1852, there were usually at the asylum eight or nine Brothers and as many Sisters. In 1852 the Sisters took possession of a fine house built for pg 245 their use by the administration, and the year 1854 beheld another twice as large going up for the orphans. In 1851 the Sisters of Holy Cross added their work in the asylum a new establishment for young girls without means of subsistence who were old enough to learn a trade. It was called l'Ouvroir Ste. Marie, and it caught the approbation of the public. But amidst the dissensions that continued to agitate the Society until 1856, little could be done towards its development, and up to that time it continued to be rather an excellent project awaiting its execution, than a real creation. There were never more than forty children, usually only twenty-five or thirty. From the beginning of 1852 the dream was entertained of opening a novitiate for the Sisters in the city and another at the asylum for the Brothers. To make the success more assured, petitions were sent over and over again to Ste. Croix, until the erection of this establishment into a Province had been secured, and the letters patent reached the asylum on the very day of F. Guesdon's death. pg 246 Such is briefly the history of the melancholy annals of this foundation, which, alone, gave more trouble and vexation to Notre Dame and to Ste. Croix that any other foundation since the beginning of the Congregation. God permitted this, no doubt to open the eyes of everybody and to bring about, in due time, measures calculated to secure the peace and happiness of all the members for the future. It cost much to learn the dangers and the needs of this country. Let us hope that such dear experience will be profitable to all. The administration of the Lake had no desire to show itself again in New Orleans, where it had been so grossly insulted and humiliated, by the discourses of the Father referred to above and by the scandalous quarrels which he had provoked and continued to ferment between Ste. Croix and the Lake. It was remembered that when F. Guesdon had been sent thither from France, he said openly to F. Rooney whom the Lake had sent there some months before, at the repeated request of Ste. Croix as Local Superior, that the Mother House had never had such an intention. pg 247 However, His Reverence wrote twice to F. Sorin asking him to resume the direction of the establishment of New Orleans, which he wished to place on their original footing; moreover, the Rev. F. Rector enclosed in his last [letter] a formal order to all the members of New Orleans to submit for the future to F. Sorin: for, he said, Providence manifests its will, and the death of F. Guesdon leaves no doubt that we must return to the former order of things. On receipt of those documents F. Sorin did not for a moment imagine that there could be the least difficulty; and as, moreover, letters were constantly arriving from the asylum asking for some Brothers to teach English, it was thought proper at Notre Dame to send a Visitor for the Brothers and one for the Sisters to take information as to the state of affairs and make their report to the Minor Chapter before formally accepting anew those establishments. It was therefore resolved that besides Bro. Stephen, named Visitor, another Brother should be sent able at once to fill the void in teaching; and that with Mother Superior and the companion who was to go and return with her, a third Sister should be sent pg 248 who was wanted to take charge of the house after the visit and the acceptation. No change was to be made in the obedience or the offices of the members. But the arrival of the Visitors was the signal for a revolt in which no respect was shown either to the arrangements of the Reverend Father or to the counsels of the Visitors. Not only were they not recognized, but the approbation and support of Sainte Croix were obtained, and the condemnation of the proceedings of the Lake. This success of ambition was disconcerting. Mother Superior had already withdrawn, and Brother Stephen had to be recalled. pg 249 2. Cincinnati is not only the largest city of Ohio, but of all the West, of which it is called the Queen. It has about 150,000 inhabitants and stands on the left bank of the river of the same name, nearly all of whose commerce it absorbs. In 1857, the Society of Holy Cross founded an establishment of four Brothers and one priest for the orphans of St. Joseph--an institution already existing for ten years for the German population. The difficulty of setting up an understanding with the temporal and lay administration of this asylum caused the foundation to be abandoned after eighteen months, and the Brothers that were there at the time moved to St. John's, a large parish where they soon had charge of three or four hundred children. The conditions were are still are the same. The Brothers are paid $1000, and they find their own board and lodging. At present we have three Brothers there teaching German, one teaching English, and a fifth for the kitchen. pg 250 This establishment has always given full satisfaction, having always been the first parish school in Cincinnati in the manner of conducting it, and in the progress and number of its pupils. It was founded in the hope that is would do much good in the place and that vocations would there be found amongst the Germans; and at this day it serves as a postulate for Germans. Everybody knows that the city is peopled by Germans, and there is every reason to think that in time there will be amongst them a rich harvest of subjects for the Society. Moreover, it is a centre of business and commerce, and Notre Dame cannot but derive great advantages from a house in this vast centre. The Brothers own a brick residence facing St. John's church. They have at this writing five hundred children divided into four classes. pg 251 3. Louisville is situated on the right bank of the Ohio one hundred and fifty miles below Cincinnati, is the first and oldest city of Kentucky, has about 50,000 inhabitants, is the seat of a bishop, and has several Catholic churches. Brothers The Brothers were established there in 1855 amongst the established Germans, at St. Boniface's church, by the request of the in 1855 Franciscan Fathers, as was the case in Cincinnati. They are paid as at St. John's, and have about two hundred children with three Brothers, one of whom is occupied in cooking and in attending to the house and sacristy. This is a foundation of some importance to the Congregation as well as to the place itself. In general, what is done amongst the Germans in this country promises better for the future than amongst the Irish and French. The Germans are honest if not generous, the others do not keep their promises; among the former there is order and system, amongst the latter great negligence and little perseverance. There is no doubt but that our German Brothers will succeed better than any other nationality in America, and that the community itself will find more resources in its German subjects than in the others. Hence the importance of making foundations amongst the Germans. pg 252 4. Toledo is only six hours' ride from Notre Dame on the railroad of the north of Indiana. This city, which up to date counts only some fifteen thousand inhabitants, is, nevertheless, one of the first and most important of Ohio. It lies at the head of Lake Erie, where it monopolizes all the exports of the cereals from the West. Up to this time the Catholic population is nearly all Irish, though a German church has been lately built. School in The Brothers' school was established there in the month of Toledo in May 1855 by two Irish Brothers, in consideration of a salary of 1855 $200 per an. They have already 150 children. Unfortunately it is noticed here, as in all maritime or lake ports, that there is much drunkenness, and consequently much misery and immorality. The children are not regular in their attendance like the Germans; the parents neglect to send them to school or imagine that they need them at home, most of them being poor. It is perhaps the place in all the surrounding country where a school of this kind is most needed, but it affords neither the guarantees nor the future of the two former places. pg 253 5. Hamilton is a pretty little town of six thousand souls, *25-30 miles *ten miles from Cincinnati, whose Catholic population is almost exclusively German. The foundation of a Brothers' schools was laid there towards the end of 1855, at the request of the Rev. F. Eberhard, of the Order of St. Francis, on the same conditions as in Cincinnati. It was however begun by an Irish Brother, who was to be relieved as soon as the examinations at St. John's school permitted Brother Dominic from St. John's to go there. This school is therefore too young to permit anything very positive to be said of it, but according to all appearances it will be a success. pg 254 6. Milwaukee is amongst the most important cities of the West, containing at the present day nearly 40,000 souls. For beauty and salubrity it has no equal beyond the lakes. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Michigan, five hours ride from Chicago, and consequently eight hours from Notre Dame. The Germans predominate, although the English-speaking population is also numerous. The Brothers' school was founded at the request as well as at the cost of Mgr. Henni himself, in the basement of his old cathedral, for Irish children, the Germans being already provided with excellent schools in charge of laymen. Thus far there are only two Brothers with some fifty children. Still, amongst all the foundations of the Society in this country, it is the one that offers the best prospects for the Society, seeing that the diocese of Milwaukee is more exclusively Catholic, and that our holy religion is more flourishing there than anywhere else in the U.S. It therefore appears to be beyond doubt that this school, if properly managed, will be a success, especially in procuring vocations. 7. New York. In 1854 Mother M. of the Five Wounds having gone to France to collect for her Ouvroir in New Orleans, she somehow or other obtained an obedience from the Rev. F. Rector to found a similar house in New York, and she had even collected for that purpose. The Archbishop of New York being in Rome at the time could not be consulted, and on her return from France Mother Five Wounds could not know for certain whether or not her services were desired in New York. The Archbishop had not yet returned, otherwise it seems that she would not have gone back to New Orleans. She went there, however, but after some months returned to New York on the invitation of the Rev. F. Madeore of the Fathers of Mercy, who had communicated the project to His Grace and obtained his approbation. She left New Orleans with the consent of her superior, F. Guesdon, but not being able to procure a location or furniture without binding herself to meet all the expenses and assume all the responsibilities of the enterprise, F. pg 256 Guesdon sent her orders to leave New York and return, declaring expressly that he would have nothing to do with this foundation. Some months afterwards F. Guesdon died, and the Mother thought herself at liberty to reflect and to act for herself. She wrote to the Rev. F. Reze in Canada and to F. Sorin at Notre Dame to get some Sisters to help her in starting this work, which she painted in the most glowing colors. She succeeded in obtaining two Sisters from each place, and in some weeks she found herself at the head of twenty-five postulants in a fine house on 29st., New York, rented for $1000 a year. Unfortunately those that gather sometimes scatter. The Sisters that joined her from Canada could not agree with her. Their troubles were not long kept secret. Soon F. Madeore and the Archbishop were made acquainted with the miseries amidst which the work was beginning. After some weeks of quarrelling and after some disagreeable and offensive letters had been exchanged between F. Madeore and the superior of Canada, M. of the Redemption was obliged to return to St. Laurent, but not before she had inflicted pg 257 an almost irreparable injury by decrying the superioress and the Society even in the presence of those that should have esteemed it the most. Whilst those things were going on F. Sorin received a letter from His Reverence promising him that this foundation, if it succeeded, would depend on Notre Dame. At the same time F. Sorin went to Canada on business, and as the same affair also took him to New York immediately afterwards, he thought it proper, being on the spot, to take some information about a foundation that was to depend on the Lake. After having seen the house and consulted with F. Madeore and the Archbishop, it seemed to him evident that neither the Archbishop nor F. Madeore, nor the Sisters, knew on whom the establishment depended, and that everybody was tired of this uncertainty, which threatened everything with speedy and inevitable ruin. In this emergency F. Sorin thought that he was authorized to take the house under his direction and assume the responsibility. He spent three days there, and before departing promised to furnish the persons necessary for the work. pg 258 Hardly had he arrived home when he learned of the revolt of the members at the asylum in New Orleans and the expected proximate return of Mother Superior. How those first difficulties were to end remained to be seen. Fifteen days afterwards the Mother returned from New Orleans and made her report to the chapter. It was at once decided that she should formally visit the new house of New York, whither she was to take her report and forward it to Ste. Croix, and she was to await the answer whilst performing her duties of visitor. Having arrived in New York, Mother M. of the Ascension set to work, not only to open a novitiate in a regular manner, but also to make herself acquainted with the views and the object that had been proposed in establishing this new institution, and the means of attaining them. After some weeks she became more and more convinced that the good superioress and foundress of this house was not a person properly to manage it. Everyday there were new projects, new journeys hither and thither, and nothing permanent but a constant state of endless changes. Then there were pg 259 quarrels, dissensions, sullenness altogether unbecoming in a religious house. This good Sister, who had not the remotest notion that her chimerical projects could be condemned, had made up her mind to go in person to Notre Dame in order to have an understanding with F. Sorin, when the latter, being already informed of all the annoyance she was giving the visitor, all of whose efforts were thus paralyzed; sent her an order by telegraph, being fully resolved to put an end to the troubles that she had been giving in New York. But on the very next day having received the famous answer of the chapter of Sainte Croix condemning all his proceedings in New Orleans, he telegraphed a second time in the contrary sense. Unfortunately, the two telegrams reached their destination in the inverse order, and Sr. M. of Five Wounds left immediately for Notre Dame. F. Madeore was well pleased at her departure, and he would assuredly have seen things moving in a consoling manner if the action of the Lake had continued firm and vigorous. It seems that heaven had other views for this establishment. pg 260 The documents with which M. M. of the Five Wounds was provided from the Reverend Father and the Secretary General, being carefully examined; the new obedience of Superioress recently sent her by Ste. Croix, with her two assistants, a stewardess, and a mistress of novices; and the messages with which they were charged, for instance, not to give the habit to anyone without the approbation of His Reverence, even if the postulants had already been admitted by the Lake; the positive declarations of the foundress that the Reverend Father would no more cede New York to the Lake than he would New Orleans--all these circumstances carefully weighed, F. Sorin saw clearly that he had gone too far in attempting to act as circumstances demanded in New York. It would be evidently exposing the new foundation to the same miseries that disgraced the Congregation in the South; and if Sainte Croix had at one time shown different intentions, it was no longer doubtful that it wished to retain this new house. F. Madeore and the Archbishop as well as the Sisters had expected a firm and vigorous cooperation from F. Sorin, as has pg 261 been said, whereas he could no longer act, since even the permission to admit to the reception of the habit was withdrawn. Moreover, the cruel deception and crushing troubles that he had just experienced at the asylum of New Orleans had so intimidated him, or brought him to a non-plus, that the very idea of exposing himself again made him shudder (the word may seem too strong, but considered in the light of the torches kindled on his way for some years by human passions, not only to give him light but to roast him by inches, it will be found to be the word that precisely expresses what he felt) at sight of the danger and in his insatiable thirst for peace. In any other circumstances and under any other influences, he would have taken time to expose the state of affairs to the Mother House. Here it was necessary to act. To withdraw from New York after the disgraceful retreat from the South would be to ruin himself entirely in the eyes of the public, not only of New York but of the whole country. Nevertheless, it was necessary to resolve upon it, or to recommence, coolly, the same war in which the Congregation had pg 262 just buried its honor under a crushing loan of ignominy in Louisiana. The members of the chapters of the Lake were pained beyond measure by the conduct of the Mother House. The letters of Ste. Croix said that the Brothers and the Sisters of the asylum had been reprimanded, and those that came from the asylum declared plainly that they had been approved and supported. It is useless to write here the suspicions that were entertained as to the causes why Ste. Croix had offered New Orleans and New York to the Lake. Oh! there are in the lives of religious communities as well as in those of individuals, moments of trial which are akin to discouragement, not to say despair. In those days the ten Sisters that arrived from France, and from whom was expected the example of all the virtues, because, in the words of the superioress of Sainte Croix, they were amongst the best in the Mother House: those very Sisters had hardly passed fifteen days at the Lake before they had grieved, almost disgusted all the French Sisters that came in contact with them. pg 263 According to the report of their directress, they did not even preserve amongst themselves the appearances of charity. Jealousy, indiscretion, levity, and especially the itching to talk of the miseries of Ste. Croix, which they made contemptible, especially in the person of the V. R. Father, whom they represented as a man who wanted to do everything himself and who embroiled whatever he meddled with, who could keep no one near his person, and with whom it was enough to be intimate to be dismissed from the Society. (Amongst other things they spoke of his temptation as a proof of mental aberration, in a very flippant way, rather joking about the effects than grieving for the cause.) Such were the dispositions of those good women on their arrival until F. Sorin, who had on the very first day warned them of their thoughtlessness on the journey, from New York had put them all in absolute silence for an indefinite period. Cruel deception! In his own serious financial embarrassments he had hastened to the relief of the Mother House, and he saw all his efforts turned to the destruction of all respect for the pg 264 Mother House. The two weeks spent by those ten persons at the Lake changed all the sympathies and compassion for the Mother House in its distress, into indifference and even disgust. In a word, all they said went to show that Ste. Croix was on the point of falling and that it would be hardly any wonder; that the money sent from here had not been used in paying a single debt and that nevertheless there was a sum total of 240,000fr. to be paid. The lack of administration, the reckless expenditures of the Brothers, the strange means employed to raise funds--all was painted by them in such colors that the wonder was that Ste. Croix was still in existence. But how is it that they were allowed to say all those things? In a half day a few tongues that were charged to say nothing, will say a great deal. When F. Sorin learned of this strange conduct, he would have wished to sent them all back to France; but besides the expense, it would have been a new cause of complaint and censure at Ste. Croix. We had to make up our minds, though, with a sigh, to keep them such as they were. pg 265 In the meantime the chapter of the Lake had to take a definite stand as regards the foundation of New York. Everybody there was so tired of troubles and domestic dissensions that any means of restoring peace would have been welcomed as a blessing from heaven, unless it were evidently disfigured by sin. Now in the present case there was no question of sin, nor of any obligation of justice, since we could even yet leave New York in the state in which we had found it. There was merely question of a great humiliation for us, but even in this humiliation there appeared the hope of putting an end to all quarrels and disagreements; and the recall of the Mother Superior was resolved upon, as well as that Mother M. of the Five Wounds should be sent to the post to which she had recently been elected, according to the latest documents from France. To the ecclesiastical authorities in New York the truth was stated in the simplest and most inoffensive manner, which accounted to the declaration that, in consequence of the changes in the intention of the Mother House, it appeared that Ste. Croix pg 266 wished for the future to take charge of the establishment; that it was therefore to its interest to communicate directly with Ste. Croix and our duty to withdraw; and that Ste. Croix showed thereby the importance it attached to this establishment. Such was the end of the intervention of the Lake in New York. The Mother Superior returned, and it seemed as if calm ought now to succeed the tempest, if, indeed, peace can ever dwell with the poor children of Holy Cross. Perhaps the people at Ste. Croix had become convinced that the Lake had a great desire to establish itself in New Orleans and New York. But assuredly for some years past the advantages presented by those two establishments were more than counterbalanced by the quarrels in which the Lake was soon involved with the Mother House in regard to the one and the other of them. In all candor the Lake had no desire of either place; devotedness to the honor of the Congregation alone made it for the last time overleap the bounds of its modest reserve. It is today so grieved and ashamed that with the grace of God it hopes never pg 267 again to fall into such a grave error of giving and sowing scandal instead of edification, and that at the cost of its peace, its funds, and its subjects. Before ending the history of this memorable year, which God in his infinite mercy was pleased to enrich with several unexpected blessings, and to visit with crosses equally unlooked- for, let it be permitted us humbly to confess that, without omitting to do full justice to man by assigning him the part that belongs to him, we recognize and bless with all our heart the adorable hand of Providence which guides all things towards the welfare of the elect. Even in the last contrarieties we recognize that Heaven doubtless willed our humiliation and confusion in order to detach us from human applause and to make us place all our confidence in God alone. And in this light, the more the conduct of the Mother House appeared to us to go against all the dictates of wisdom and prudence, so much the more did we endeavor to see that the blow was aimed from above to punish us for our sins and to make us better religious. pg 268 It would be a mistake to think that we feel the least resentment against our Fathers. We have sincerely regretted the pain that we seem to have caused them and the impossibility in which they placed us of doing the good that we hoped and desired to do and to advance the interests of the Congregation. But in the eyes of God merit is not always gauged by success nor by the development of an enterprise. We sincerely desired and sought the good; this is all that we can say or wish to say. May God be thanked even for this good desire with which he has inspired us. When the V. R. Father requested F. Sorin to resume charge of the house of New Orleans, it was not a favor that he was granting, but a burden he was imposing, and which called for devotedness rather than eagerness on the part of the Lake. This is the origin of the great mistake of Ste. Croix. It was not F. Sorin's business to dictate to the Rector what arrangements he should make with the asylum to prepare them [the people at the asylum?] for the change he was about to make, especially as his opinion was not asked. It was for F. Sorin to pg 269 suppose that that was all done beforehand; and he had no reason to anticipate that a painful act of condescension and devotedness would be construed as ambition, nor that he himself should be insulted as he was; still less that he should see those rebels approved and supported in what, at bottom, was contempt for whatever placed a restraint on their spirit of independence and which threatened this Brother and that Sister with the loss of their offices and of the liberty of doing as they pleased. Be this as it may, it is certain that Ste. Croix was grossly deceived by four or five members who were unworthy of their habits F. Raymond and of any confidence, aided by a certain priest, not of ours, whose conduct in those matters reflects no credit on him; that in spite of the pretended orders of Ste. Croix to the asylum to pay its debts to the Lake, not a cent has ever been paid. In a word, to keep from feeling resentment, it is necessary to call to mind each day that it is by many tribulations that we reach heaven, and that those who will live piously in Christ Jesus must be prepared to suffer much. May Heaven therefore bless those dear associates pg 270 with such rich graces that they may do wonders, without ever again knocking at our doors and forgetting themselves. Amen. 8. Mishawaka. Four miles south-east of Notre Dame is the pretty little town with this Indian name, containing about two thousand inhabitants, some fifty of whom are Catholics. Mishawaka, which is already thirty years old, has always been noticeable for its iron works, which are its support and the basis of commerce of the neighborhood. It is one of the towns of the North that has best preserved the spirit of bigotry and hatred of everything Catholic. In 1848 the Fathers of the Lake took every means to persuade the Catholics of Mishawaka to purchase a little frame building which would answer for a church until they could do better. The house was bought for $600, and until 1856 it answered the purpose for the Irish and the Germans, who had meanwhile become much more numerous than they were before. pg 271 In 1854 F. Sorin had been seriously thinking of transferring thither the academy and the novitiate from Bertrand. A house and a very convenient location had been offered cheap; the purchase was made and the house fitted up as a school. But the prejudices of the inhabitants, which, it was hoped, would be broken down in time, remained the same, and in 1855 it was evident that Mishawaka did not present those advantages that were desirable before going deeper into expenses. The Rush property having been secured at this time, all thoughts of a permanent settlement for the Sisters were centred on this place, as has been already mentioned. In the month of May the Sisters' house at Mishawaka was placed in charge of a contractor to be removed to the Rush property, one mile west of Notre Dame. However, the Mishawaka school was not destroyed, but simply transferred to another house less spacious but large enough, which had served as the priest's residence up to that time. Three Sisters took up their abode there after the general retreat of pg 272 1855. They had the same number of pupils as before--from thirty to forty. Three Sisters usually live there, and they are obliged to admit boys and girls, the congregation not being able to pay the salary of a Brother and of two or three Sisters. Just now a pretty little frame church is going up on the Sisters' lot, together with a house for the priest--all to cost from twelve to thirteen hundred dollars, and this will give the Catholics of this mission a Christian appearance, and all those advantages of which they had been heretofore deprived. pg 273 9. St. John's. St. John's congregation, exclusively German, is eighty miles south-west of Notre Dame. There is neigher town nor village, but merely a log church, to the end of which additions have been made at various intervals, the full width of the building, giving four little rooms, two of them for the priest and Brother, and two for the Sisters. For several years school was taught in the church. In 1852 a room was added partitioned into two, where the little girls were taught separately. The St. John's mission is one of the most numerous[ly populated] of the Notre Dame district. It has at present at least one hundred and eighty families. It is the residence of a German Father, a Brother, and three Sisters. There is serious talk of building a fine brick church to cost from eight to ten thousand dollars. The number of children attending the schools is from one hundred and forty to one hundred and eighty. Up to this time the congregation, not having a suitable church, has done hardly anything for the priest or the pg 274 Brothers or Sisters. However, there can be no doubt that, once the church is built and the pews rented, the Catholics of St. John's will be in a condition to support priest and schools without difficulty. Most of the people are in easy circumstances and before long they will be rich farmers. In a few years the care of this mission and of another little congregation, also German, seven miles farther, called Turkey Creek, will require two priests who will there find constantly increasing occupation, and will form one of the best secondary establishments of the Society. The railroads at present bring us to within five miles of St. John's church. pg 275 10. Lowell, Indiana. The town of New Lowell, or simply Lowell, was so named after a celebrated city of Massachusetts, because of its excellent water power on the St. Joseph's river. It was recognized and marked on the cadastre of the towns of the state in 1849. Its founder was A. Coquillard, who in 1836 had also begun the foundation of South Bend on the opposite bank, which at present contains at least three thousand souls. The progress of this new town is indefinitely checked by the sudden death of Mr. Coquillard, who was killed by a fall at the beginning of the year. Be this as it may, this check cannot be of long duration, and, to judge from the ordinary causes that here determine the growth of cities, it must one day resume its growth. Now it cannot spread out without materially contributing to raise the value of the lands of Notre Dame, which it joins. It has at present about two hundred souls, most of them Catholics. It has a house of Sisters who teach about one hundred children. The land was donated by the proprietors of the town in pg 276 1849, and in 1853 F. Sorin built a brick school house which has answered also for a church up to the present. Adjoining the Sisters' house in another lot given for a church. Work was even begun on it last year; but the unexpected death of Mr. Coquillard caused it to be suspended. The walls are standing there five feet above the ground. Up to the present this school is a work of pure charity, most of the Catholics of Lowell being Canadians, who are poor everywhere in the United States. A priest goes to say mass there at 9 o'clock every Sunday. pg 277 11. Laporte, Indiana. This mission formed a station of the Notre Dame district since 1842. It is distant thirty miles, and the journey is now made by rail in one hour. In 1851 F. Sorin opened a subscription for building a brick church there which was to be called after the mystery of the day, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. But it was slow work. The Catholics were not numerous, and those best off lived far away in the country, coming only occasionally to assist at the celebration of the holy mysteries in a private house. It was not until 1854 that the Fathers of the college took upon themselves the responsibility of letting out the contract, built the church, and opened it for worship the following year. The congregation soon reassembled and all were astonished to see how numerous they were. Sisters were asked for, a house in front of the church was bought, and the school began in the month of May 1855. The following winter a young Father having taken the place of pg 278 a priest at Laporte who understood nothing of the handling of a congregation, things took a new shape. The Sisters had been somewhat languid. A fair was announced to procure them a more suitable house, by which they cleared $500 and made many friends. They soon exchanged their house for one immediately joining the church grounds. From this time their school became prosperous, and the Sisters continued to grow more popular day by day. Eighty children were soon entered on their register, one half Catholics, the others Protestants or infidels. The influence of the Sisters was felt throughout the entire congregation, and now everything leads to the belief that Laporte will be in every sense one of the most important missions of Notre Dame. It is a nice town located in the centre of a vast and rich prairie, which cannot fail to grow rapidly. pg 279 12. Michigan City, Indiana. This town is suited about thirty miles to the north-west of Notre Dame, on the shores of the lake of the same name and was provided with a Catholic church in 1841 by the Rev. Mr. de St. Palais, now our worthy bishop. He was then pastor of Chicago, whence he came three or four times a year to visit the different stations which at present form the mission of Notre Dame du Lac. It has about two thousand inhabitants of whom some two hundred are Catholics. From time to time one of the Fathers from Notre Dame took up his residence there, especially during the months of July, August, September, and October, when there is most sickness. In 1852 the house sent a Brother who taught there for a year. Towards the end of 1854 some Sisters were asked for and sent. In a few months they formed a class of from seventy-five to ninety children, most of them poor, and nearly all Catholics. pg 280 In 1854 a house had been built for the priest; before the close of the year another was added for the Sisters, which consisted of a prolongation of the church divided into four rooms in which the Sisters reside and where they teach from 8:30 in the morning till 4 o'clock in the evening the little girls and the little boys of the Catholic population. Michigan City will never grow large, although two railroads intersect there and keep up a noise that ceases not by day or by night. Its future was more promising before the construction of those roads, when it was the only port of Indiana on Lake Michigan. Now that the lake commerce is taken away, Michigan City is like one of the little inland towns, and even less favored than they, since it is surrounded only by water and sand.  pg 281 Chapter XV Fifteenth year, 1856 Nolens volens the work of Holy Cross in the United States will bear its own characteristic mark, its family escutcheon, the seal royal of the Cross. This year more than any other has been a year of blessings; but they were all bestowed at the foot of the Cross. The approbation of the Priests and Brothers by the Holy See; the health of all in the institution, which lost only two in the St. Mary's whole year; the foundation of Chicago, consisting of one college, three Brothers' schools, three Sisters' schools, and an industrial school; that of Philadelphia, containing at the end of the year fifteen Sisters, twenty-four boarders, and forty day scholars, not to mention a Postulate for the Sisters and a parish school at St. Paul's with eight hundred children; that of Washington City comprising an orphan asylum and a day school under the direction of three Sisters; that of St. Joseph, Susquehanna county, where pg 282 four Sisters of Holy Cross have just opened a young ladies' academy under the direction of the V. R. Mr. O'Reilly; that of Buffalo, whither four Brothers and three Sisters were sent about the middle of November to take charge of an orphan asylum under the patronage of the saintly Bishop Timon; finally that of Columbus, where it was thought more prudent to put only one Brother at the start, although everything is in readiness for an addition next year; the growth of the college, the number of whose students went up to one hundred and forty boarders; the development of the three novitiates, which at the end of the year had their full number, although there were more members than ever before admitted to the taking of the habit during the year. On the other hand the good spirit of the house; the perfect union, not only of the three communities, but of the individual members of each society amongst themselves; the consideration enjoyed by the house in the neighborhood; finally the erection, so much desired, of a monument to the dear F. Cointet in the shape of a lateral chapel added to the church of the Sacred Heart, followed pg 283 by that of another chapel as a monument to Mr. Phelan, and finally a third chapel in the form of a choir, or rather completing the cross of the original plan of the church. Lastly, in the merely material point of view, a new impulse given to the manufacture of brick and lime on the Notre Dame grounds. Besides, three or four missions completing their churches and reaching that stage when they will cease to be a burden to the community. Assuredly there are here many joyful considerations, (not to speak of the merry chimes, whose harmonies, however, are reserved for 1857) calculated to inspire the liveliest sentiments of gratitude to God, from whose had come all the gifts received by man here below. One the reverse side of this long series of favors appears that deplorable misunderstanding of New York, which became a scandal to the initiated, and which resuscitated at the three angles of an ancient triangle, discussions and memories of a past that ought never to have come to life again; next, a pecuniary embarrassment amounting almost to a crisis; and lastly, a fire that consumed the first buildings of Notre Dame du Lac and caused a loss of about $3000. pg 284 The blessings of 1856 more than counterbalanced the adversities. In the eyes of the public the institution grew more this year than in five other years together. Of course all those blessings had to be joined to the Cross and strengthened in the shadow of the Cross. And after all, there is where we learn useful lessons, and where we find, together with the hope of heaven, the love of which the enemy most envies us. pg 285 1. New York To continue what we related of New York in 1855 and to conclude this article, let is suffice to say: F. Sorin's letter had hardly reached F. Madeore and by him been communicated to the Archbishop of New York, when the V. R. Father again manifested intentions altogether contrary to those reported by the colony of Sisters from Ste. Croix. His Reverence maintained that this establishment depended on the Lake, and letters in his own hand came pouring in in this sense. The contents of the third letter were submitted to the Archbishop, who answered through F. Madeore that for the future he wanted to have no other intermediary between him and the Superior General but the person that should be local superior of the establishment. A contract was drawn up in his name and sent to the V. R. Rector, then in Rome. All but the article in question was accepted, and to that His Reverence added: "Through the medium of the Lake," par l'intermediation du Lac. pg 286 F. Sorin, being invited by the superioress to go to New York in the hope of coming to an understanding with the Archbishop, proceeded thither in the month of May, found His Grace inflexible, wrote a full account of his interview to the V. R. Father, strongly urging the establishment of a Province at New York if it was considered desirable to retaint he establishment there, and to send the R. F. Champeau, who would be given charge of the French church, etc. No answer was returned, but the V. R. Father insisted that the Sisters should rather be recalled to the Lake. During this F. Madeore acted as superior, gave the habit to thirteen postulants, several of whom had not even been accepted by the Chapter. On his side the Rector reiterated his decisions. In the month of August the Mother Superior came to the Lake, being fully persuaded that the Archbishop, whilst remaining firm, regretted to see the existence of the establishment seriously threatened, and that he would probably yield to the first overture. Just at this time the Rev. Mr. Lafonte wrote a pg 287 confidential letter giving assurances that the Archbishop had changed. In consequence of this letter, which was supposed to come indirectly from the Archbishop, a superior is provided. The Rev. F. Shortis goes to New York, sees the misunderstanding, and is silent about it for three weeks. Finally it becomes evident that the Archbishop has not changed his mind, and that consequently the formal orders of the Rector must be carried out. Sr. Mary of St. Angela was at this time in Philadelphia, occupied in the foundation of a house of the same kind as that of New York, undertaken in the month of August, really for the purpose of securing a certain independence and consequently better terms for New York. This foundation caused a stir, and would at least answer as a refuge for the Sisters of New York in case they should be obliged to retire. St. M. of St. Angela, personally known and esteemed by the Archbishop, receives an obedience as visitor of the house of New York, with instructions to make a last effort to save it, in pg 288 conformity with the constitutions; otherwise to close it, and to arrange all things with the Archbishop. This latter alternative became her painful duty. There were then seventeen Sisters, twenty-one postulants, and fifteen little orphan boarders. The dowries of the novices and postulants, $2388, the board-bills paid in advance, $300 had been absorbed in furnishing the house and purchasing provisions. One quarter of houserent was due in some weeks, $425, and $500 advanced by Mr. Devlin and claimed by him, $155 to the Empire City for provisions, $70 to Mr. Devlin on the one hand and $36 on the other, $100 claimed by the proprietor of the house for changes and damages; Mr. Devlin consented to take the furniture at cost price, and it was estimated at $808 in payment of the debt of $950 mentioned above; $150 which were in the house were used in paying several little debts; St. Angela gave $400 to defray the travelling expenses of the members who were sent, some to Notre Dame, some to Philadelphia, and the rest to Susquehanna. Here is a statement of receipts and expenditures: pg 290 Furniture of New York sent to Philadelphia $100; to Susquehanna $20; to St. Mary's $50; lift in the house $808.75; subject to Mr. Devlin's estimate $60; in cash $130; in work $100, from relatives of the children $50 equals $1318.75. Paid travelling expenses of twenty-five persons going to the Lake $382, FF. Granger and Shortis and M. Superior $100, ten persons to Philadelphia $40, four persons to Susquehanna $25, St. M. of Calvary to New Orleans $70, returned to pupils $60, paid various accounts $175, to Mr. Devlin $513, second quarter of the form [farm?] $425, different accounts at Mr. Devlin's $70, Empire City $155, returned to postulants $48 + 200. Brought down $300 + 2388.31. In all $3632.56 advanced by Notre Dame du Lac or for which it is responsible. Such was the end of this establishment in which the Lake, without having at all desired it, but merely in carrying out the orders of Ste. Croix, was put to the expense of more than $800 and pg 291 made answerable for more than $2000 to the postulants and $300 to the children, boarders in the house of New York. If we now take figures for our basis of examination and not mere probabilities, it will be seen that the house of New York at the time of its closure was not ahead. Its actual condition valued at the cash prices received from the merchants was hardly half of the dowries due the postulants; its treasury did not contain half the money received for board, and besides this $950 were due to Mr. Devlin. And yet there was no lack of industry and of economy, but the good Sisters were slaves in the hands of a man who whilst protection was ruining them. God grant that this lesson may serve the make the Congregation understand that strangers should never be admitted into the administration of its affairs. pg 292 2. Philadelphia This house was opened in the beginning of August at the request of Mgr. Neumann, Bishop of that city. Four Sisters were sent at first under the direction of Sr. St. Angela. Philadelphia is the second city of the United States, and is in many points the rival of New York. The number of Catholics there is quite considerable, and the chances of success for a community most favorable. The Sisters of Holy Cross were received by the holy bishop with all that goodness that characterizes him, and the clergy soon appeared to have only one sentiment towards the new religious house, whose object became popular amongst all classes, even of persons without any religion. After residing for some time with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, they rented a double house in a street not far from the new cathedral, and opened a school for boarders and day scholars pg 293 on the new plan of industrial schools. This house was soon full. Twenty-nine boarders, forty-five day scholars, eleven postulants, twelve novices, and three professed Sisters formed the household towards the end of the December, and arrangements were made for the beginning of January to put them in charge of a magnificent school at St. Paul's, one of the largest parishes of the city. Four hundred little girls were to be placed in the hands of the four Sisters, and two hundred and fifty little boys were to be under the charge of two Brothers of St. Joseph. Since their arrival in the large and beautiful city the Sisters of Holy Cross continued to draw upon themselves the eyes of the public; the interest that had been shown in them from the beginning seemed to grow day by day, and the end of the year found them filled with a reasonable hope of soon being established solidly in a house of their own. pg 294 3. Washington It was also at the beginning of August that three Sisters of Holy Cross took possession of a new orphan asylum for little boys, which had only twelve for a beginning, in virtue of a contract with secured to each of them $60 per ann. and the monthly fees of a certain number of day scholars. The directors seemed to be resolved to develop this establishment and are perfectly satisfied with the Sisters of Holy Cross. They intend next year to build for a much larger number of orphans. The Sisters of Charity terminate at 15 an orphanage of one hundred and twenty-five little girls for the last twelve years. The directors are very desirous to obtain Brothers, not only for the teaching of their schools, but also to establish workshops. Washington is eight hours from Philadelphia and three from Baltimore. pg 295 4. Susquehanna This house was founded in the month of October with the surplus members of New York for whom there was scarcely lodging. Twelve little girls and three Sisters were sent there to continue an academy opened some years before by the V. R. Mr. O'Reilly, V. G. of Philadelphia. Having heard of the Sisters of Holy Cross recently established at Philadelphia, he did not cease to make urgent demands for some of them until he had obtained the promise of two or three to take charge of his academy at Susquehanna, about a mile from the college also founded by him and offered unconditionally to the priests of Holy Cross. Susquehanna is in the northern part of Pennsylvania, in a mountainous country famous for the salubrity of its climate. The place where the college and the academy are situated is a Catholic centre forming four parishes for which priests of Holy Cross are asked. The Bishop especially is very desirous to have this matter settled thus. pg 296 The only inconvenience that F. Sorin has thus far seen in the affair, besides the lack of priests to send thither, is the distance from all of the great highroads of transportation. The nearest point where the New York railroad touches is twenty miles off. For the present, the occupation of this academy has been of advantage to the society of the Sisters, for the reasons already mentioned; but unless there is an increase of subjects it is doubtful if the establishment will be retained. Up to the present the number of pupils has not gone over thirty-five. Susquehanna is twenty-six hours from Notre Dame and eight hours from New York. pg 297 5. Chicago We now come to the most important of all the dependencies of the Province of Indiana. If heaven bless this work the house of Chicago will probably share in the destinies of the city in which it is located. Now it is the opinion of the public that Chicago will be one of the first cities of the Union. Its growth is unparalleled. Fifteen [years] ago Chicago had only seven thousand inhabitants; today it has more than one hundred thousand. 1856 It was in last September the Congregation established itself there--Priests, Brothers, and Sisters, in virtue of an agreement with the Ordinary for fifty years. The principal permits of this agreement are, on the one side: That for fifty years the Bishop gives to the Congregation of Holy Cross, for $2000 per an., the use of the college of St. Mary of the Lake, with the ground on which it stands, 300 x 300 ft., to maintain there a respectable high school, with full liberty to add pg 298 thereto any other school for Brothers, Sisters, of trades, a Catholic bookstore, etc. Besides, all the Catholic schools of the city according to the Congregation could take charge of them or as school houses should be built. Finally, the German congregation of St. Joseph pertaining to the college. On the other side: That the Congregation of Holy Cross pledges itself to observe these conditions during the time named. The first years of this establishment cannot be onerous to the Congregation; but afterwards it is more than probably that those advances will be fully refunded. Chicago is the centre of the West. A house of the society in this city was becoming daily of more importance. Some other religious community would infallibly establish itself there and would cut off from Notre Dame du Lac its principal resource in the West. Now Illinois in a special manner seems destined, considering its proximity and its Catholic population, to become pg 299 the source of supplies of Notre Dame. There was therefore no recoiling from any sacrifice, no matter how great, to secure such an advantageous position. Some months after their introduction into that big city, there were in the college of St. Mary of the Lake twenty-two members of the Congregation of Holy Cross--two priests, five Brothers, and fifteen Sisters, teaching in the college, thirty- five day scholars, three boys' schools (580 children), three little girls' schools (340 children), and one industrial school kept by the Sisters. Moreover, the Congregation has charge of a magnificent German parish of about three thousand souls. Chicago is four hours from Notre Dame by railroad. The Catholic population at the end of 1856 amounted to thirty-five thousand. Nearly fifty pupils of the college are from Illinois. pg 300 6. Columbus This city, the capital of Ohio, has at present twenty thousand [inhabitants], three thousand of whom are Catholics. There are so far only two Catholic churches, one for Germans and the other for Irish. The former is very beautiful and spacious. The number of German Catholics is at least two thousand. Towards the end of the year 1856 a German Brother was sent there to open a school for little boys. The beginning seems most propitious: seventy-five children attend his school daily, and everything argues great success for the coming year. It is thirty hours from Notre Dame, five hours from Cincinnati. pg 301 7. Chimes About four years ago a set of chimes had been ordered of Mr. Bollee of le Mans, in virtue of a promise made by Mr. l'Abbe Joseph Biemans, an ecclesiastical novice of the society, to pay all the expenses, provided the cost did not exceed 15,000fr. and that a clock accompanied it. Mr. Bollee having long delayed the manufacture of the chimes, and Mr. Biemans having left the society two years after giving his note for the 15,000fr., it was seriously thought to stop the work, but it was too late. The founder had gone to considerable expense, and it seemed contrary to all principles of justice to leave all his preparations on his hands. The chimes were completed at the expense of the house, and they reached Notre Dame in good shape in September 1856, at a cost of 18,000fr. The blessing was fixed for November 12th following. Archbishop Purcell himself performed the ceremony, assisted by Mgr. Henni, Bishop of Milwaukee, and attended by a numerous pg 302 concourse of priests and visitors. The ceremony could not have been more impressive, and it would have been a perfect success had not a deplorable accident happened on the previous evening during the manifestations of joy caused by the presence of the Archbishop. One of the best students of the college, Mr. P. Hoye, a youth of twenty who was the leader in all the sports of the campus, lost his right arm whilst too hastily loading the cannon, which went off of itself, and which might have caused a still greater misfortune had not Providence kept special watch. There is no doubt but that the effect of this magnificent chime, the first of its kind in the United States, is a most favorable one for Notre Dame. pg 303 8. Fire On December 17 towards two o'clock in the morning fire broke out in the stable, and in spite of all efforts, the building and all that belonged to it were swept away in some hours. Two horses were reduced to ashes, with a quantity of corn, oats, salt, meat, harness, farm implements, etc. Hardly anything could be saved, and the loss was 15,000fr. There was no insurance. It appears that the fire started in the room next to the horse stables where candles were made. The farm house which was only twenty feet from the fire was saved with difficulty. If the wind had been blowing in the direction of the granary, the loss would have been twice as great, and would have been inevitable. The flames rose in a terrifying manner to more than fifty feet; the air was afire with sparks which the wind drove towards the college and the church. For nearly an hour a constant cloud of burning materials was passing over the church and the college, a rain of fire falling on the roofs. pg 304 F. Sorin was not present where the fire was raging. For nearly an hour he remained at the western tower, expecting every moment to see one or the other of the roofs take fire, and then there would have been an end of Notre Dame du Lac. The severity of the cold would have left no hope of saving anything. Doubtless the Blessed Virgin did not permit that all those labors should be destroyed in a moment, and Notre Dame du Lac continued to exist.  pg 305 Chapter XVI Sixteenth Year 1857 This year was remarkable by the growth of the college. There were about two hundred entries during the scholastic year, a considerable number of the students belonging to a higher and more comfortable class. Consequently more order and greater respect for rules were seen, discipline was more vigorous, and the confraternities were never more regular. The university, taken as a whole, gained more than in any previous year. St. Mary's Academy kept pace in this movement, and although its numerical increase was not as great, the progress was equally real compared to previous years. It was only the second year of the institution at the Immaculate Conception. There was a lack of accommodations almost everywhere, and yet there were at least ten entries more than in the best years at Bertrand, more regular classes, and a more numerous and more remarkable distribution of premiums than any that had preceded. The mean population of students this year was one hundred and pg 306 forty at the college and sixty at the academy. But what made this year forever memorable in the annals of the Congregation is the twofold approbation by the Holy See: the first, dated [?] announcing the approbation of the Congregation of the Holy Cross; and the second dated [?] that of the Rules and Constitutions. Thus a society that had been in existence for only a few years was raised to the rank of one of the religious orders of the Church, and such an early encouragement was a pledge of other special favors from heaven. Such was the surprise caused within and without by this unexpected approbation of the Sovereign Pontiff, that many months after is promulgation there were found unbelievers who denied it. Certain discontented spirits took occasion from this to come back again to the list of their grievances against the society and its venerable founder, thereby to justify their suspicions as to the fact of the approbation; but all they gained was the shame of having made a last effort equally pg 307 futile and still more ridiculous than any they had heretofore made in the United States. The approbation of the Congregation was not kept secret; it appeared in two entire columns of the Boston Pilot, with the entire discourse of His Eminence the Cardinal of Bordeaux, delivered at Sainte Croix on occasion of the consecration of the conventual church, and a portion of that of the Rev. F. Souillard on the Congregation of Holy Cross. Another event which was only a consequence of the former made this year the most extraordinary witnessed thus far by the children of Holy Cross in the United States. We refer to the visit of the V. R. F. Moreau, founder of the society, who had for many years been deferring from month to month the keeping of a promise which he had made soon to visit his establishments in America. The promulgation of the decree of approbation was the determining occasion for him; and on the 27th of the month of August His Reverence arrived at Notre Dame, where he was received with all the demonstrations of the most sincere and most enthusiastic joy. pg 308 He had a multitude of things to regulate in the three communities, and according to his itinerary he could remain for only three weeks in the Province. To the day he added two-thirds of the night, and when the time came for him to take his departure for France, it was found that he had done the work of several months. He had organized everything according to the new Constitutions, formed the Chapters and the Councils of Notre Dame and St. Mary's, presided the elections in both places, heard all the directions, admitted to the novitiate and to profession all that were prepared, and finally arranged the separation in temporals of the Sisters from the other two societies. His last week was spent chiefly in visiting the houses of Chicago and Philadelphia. On Saturday, September 19th, he embarked on the Arago at New York and had a prosperous voyage to France, accompanied by Bro. Vincent, the patriarch of the community of Josephites. hardly had His Reverence left the coasts of America when there came that financial crash which in a few months changed the pg 309 face of commerce and business throughout the whole Union. Banks closed, not one by one nor by dozens, but in whole States. The most solid houses became bankrupt day after day with millions of dollars of liabilities. The crisis came so suddenly that no one had time to prepare for it. Notre Dame was less prepated than any one else in the country. The society had, it is true real estate more than sufficient to cover its indebtedness without touching the grounds or the buildings of the university or the academy; but at that time there was hardly any sale except at a sacrifice of half the actual value of property. There was a mortgage of 30,000fr. on the college lands--a relic of the knavery of Mr. Biemans--which could be foreclosed any day. In fact no only could the sum be demanded, but it actually was demanded as a result of the total ruin of the Messrs. Harper who had accepted it in 1852. The property of St. Mary's was in like manner burdened by a mortgage of 25,000fr., payable 5,000 fr. annually. Providence allowed the two sums to fall due at a time when there was nothing in the treasury to meet them. Never had pg 310 confidence in divine Providence and in the protection of Our Lady of the Lake been more necessary. Nothing short of a miracle could prevent complete ruin. In ordinary times the sum total of the debts would have been enough to alarm any administration acquainted with the business of the country; but in a panic like that in which all branches of commerce were involved, human prudence was a nonplus. The opinion of one of the clearest heads of the administration favored a suspension of payment for four or five years; but the impression that such a measure was likely to make on the ecclesiastical authorities--although it was perhaps the only means to save the institution from immediate ruin--caused it to be rejected, nor was it spoken of any more. It is not without its advantages thus to pass sometimes through trials which, in a Christian point of view, recall communities as well as individuals to the centre of all legitimate hopes and confidence. Then we feel the vanity of this world's riches and the blindness of those that base their calculations on this foundation of moving sand. pg 311 In one of those critical moments in which we see only a large debt to be paid and ho human hope of being able to prevent a sale under the hammer of the property on which the creditors had a claim, divine Providence calls into existence one of those circumstances which Providence alone can deal with, and puts in the hands of the supervisors the funds necessary to emerge from this first embarrassment; and although there still remains nine tenths of the load, one feels in the depths of his heart a conviction that supports him in spite of all human fears; that is to say, that not only will Notre Dame weather this storm, but she will come forth from it more religious, more devoted to her sacred obligations, and more solidly grounded on the basis of holy poverty, to continue fearlessly the edifice begun in the United States. The crash of colossal ruins that was daily heard in the financial world around us, the shock we all felt during several months, made each of us see how necessary it was to be deeply grounded in economy and in the spirit of poverty. Every one could pg 312 see that we were in the most serious danger from the approach of a storm which none had foreseen. Blessed forever therefore be the hand that chastises to teach us, and that leads us to the gates of death and calls us back to make us wiser. The effects of the financial cirsis were felt in all the houses of the community in the United States; but nowhere more severely than in Philadelphia and Chicago. The house that had been purchases for the Sisters in West Philadelphia suited well in many respects, but in contracting for a property of sixteen thousand dollars without even one penny to meet this expense, there had been no thought of a crisis which was to be more severe in Philadelphia than in any other city of the Union. The first payment of $2000, however, was made, but there seems to be no other resource for the balance except the inexhaustible treasury of Providence. As to the house of Chicago, far from being able to pay the third instalment ($1000), it was necessary to try to escape from a contract which the Bishop of that city made impossible to keep, pg 313 refusing to abide by his own promises on the faith of which it had been made. The schoolhouses of the Brothers and of the Sisters were left in such a miserable state that there was no means of doing good. The promise of collections and of fairs was kept only during the first year. The Jesuit Fathers had come to Chicago for the purpose of building a church and a college, thus unintentionally destroying one of the principal objects of the Congregation of Holy Cross when it settled in that city. In all the great difficulties in which the institute of Holy Cross was involved in the United States, divine Providence always came to its aid in a manner so evident that it was impossible not to recognize its intervention. It is true that in all those critical moments the house always sought help where faith teaches that it is never sought in vain, and thus each new trial made the community more confident and more religious than it was before. God holds the hearts of men in his hand and turns them as he pleases. The Congregation had a very striking proof of this in those days of panic. pg 314 One of the neighbors, a rich German Catholic, had at different times, by sales or deposits of money, obtained notes from F. Sorin amounting to sixty thousand francs. In the month of July and several times subsequently he had declared positively that he wanted his money about the beginning of autumn. As he had no mortgage, and no security but the honesty of the house, the financial crisis naturally made him more uneasy and harder to be persuaded to consent to any delay. In the first days of November he came to inquire if his money was ready for him, and he expressed himself rather forcibly on the subject. On November 19th F. Sorin sent one of the principal Brothers to inform him that he had begun to the best of his ability to pay the debt, that he had deposited 500fr. in the South Bend bank, and he expected to soon place 20,000 fr. more there to his credit, and would give him the balance in notes secured by mortgage, thus settling the matter. What was the answer of the good man? That he did not want to pg 315 be paid anything at all at the time; he had no need of his money, which he would have to put out at interest elsewhere or to deposit in a bank; he had no confidence in any bank and would prefer to leave his money at Notre Dame rather than anywhere else until he should need it. This was not indeed making a present of the amount, but at a time when banks were failing by the dozen because their frightened depositors made a run on them to claim their money, it was a real favor and a sign of great confidence for a German, naturally suspicious, to decline to accept his money when offered him, although he had only a signature without a mortgage on any property. This is not the ordinary way in which men act; but when God directs them for a special purpose, they do without knowing it what he intends them to do.  pg 316 Chapter XVII Seventeenth Year 1858 Never since the beginning of its existence in the New World had the Congregation entered upon a new year under more unfavorable auspices nor yet with a more unbounded confidence in that Providence which had been thus far so merciful and attentive. The financial crisis was not over, but the protection that had been vouchsafed during three months against the violence of such a storm, gave hopes of a similar protection until calm returned. Prayers, communions, thousands of Ave Marias, continued to be offered to heaven, and the constant joy that was depicted on each countenance showed that there was not even a shadow of fear. Towards the end of 1857 the Rev. F. Levegne, who had just made his profession, was sent to France to canvass for subjects for the mission and for the Congregation in general. The idea pleased the venerable founder, who received the envoy from America with kindness and joy and recommended him to several Bishops of pg 317 Brittany, where in some weeks he succeeded in enlisting twenty-six young seminarians under the banner of Our Lady of Holy Cross. He was afterwards to visit Belgium and Germany. Meanwhile Providence was bringing to the novitiates of the Congregation so many subjects that there was not room for them. In the month of April everywhere was crowded, and it became necessary to find more spacious quarters. The novitiate of the Brothers had become not only too small, but also unsafe for such a number as were crowded into it. Immediately after Easter it became necessary to remove the larger portion of the little army, headed by their brave captain, to the western part of the Brothers' house north of the college until there should be on hand the means to build a new novitiate. However, it was resolved that about fifteen novices should continue to occupy their beds under the old roof, that they might watch over the precious treasures of St. Joseph's Island, and that more room might be left in the general quarters, which were also crowded. pg 318 Towards the beginning of this year the diocese of Vincennes was at last divided, and Notre Dame became a part of the new diocese of Fort Wayne. The first Bishop, Mgr. J.H. Luers, a German by birth, made his first visit to Notre Dame du Lac on the patronal feast of the Brothers, St. Joseph's day. He made one ordination and received one profession. He spent nearly a week in the two houses, and went home, it was said, well pleased and edified. The favorable impressions which the new and worthy Bishop of Fort Wayne had carried away with him from Notre Dame were not of long duration, if we may credit a confidential letter written from Fort Wayne towards the end of the month of May. According to this letter the sentiments of the young and pious prelate were the very contrary of what had been expected, namely: he was now well known as an enemy of all communities in general, and that of Notre Dame du Lac in particular. Two principal motives were stated as the cause of this unexpected change, namely, some complaints of the Bishop of Vincennes at the pg 319 Provincial Council which had just been held in Cincinnati, and the open and declared hostility of an unfortunate priest, an ex-Jesuit of unsavory reputation, who though everything was against him, had managed to have himself restored to the exercise of the sacred ministry by the good Bishop of Fort Wayne. This man was said to be the sworn enemy of Notre Dame though no cause was known for his malice. F. Sorin, although he had received a gracious invitation from Archbishop Purcell to attend the Council, was not able to absent himself at the appointed time, for several reasons, one of which was all-sufficient: We were at the height of the financial crisis; Notre Dame had been caught unprepared for it, and although there was property enough last fall to pay off all debts, this property was daily less sufficient to meet the needs of the times, since it was impossible to make any sale. The creditors in general were growing timid and were easily alarmed. The debts of the community were no secret to anyone; pg 320 enemies profited of this to spread the rumor that the house would soon fall like so many others. Those that held mortgages against the college property, hearing it rumored that F. Sorin's titles were defective, were seized with panic and rushed to examine the records. This is was found, not that F. Sorin had willfully decieved anyone, but that being himself deceived, all his creditors were involved with him in the same deception. Two links were missing in the chain of titles which Mgr. Dela Hailandiere had never registered, and in the very title deed of Notre Dame given to F. Sorin by Mgr. Bazin, of happy memory, the word West had been repeated instead of East. This was confirming a second time the possession of seventy-five acres of land of little value, and leaving F. Sorin without a title to the location on which buildings had now stood for fifteen years. The error was palpable. The lawyer that made the mistake saw it at once, and advised that its correction be demanded of Mgr. de St. Palais. That the matter was pressing and admitted no delay was quite evident. Providence allowed that it should be otherwise. pg 321 The Bishop of Vincennes hesitated, deferred the matter from week to week, and finally gave the new Bishop of Fort Wayne a general title to whatever property he possessed in northern Indiana, leaving F. Sorin without a title to the seventy-five acres in question. The South Bend lawyers saw in this something that it would not be becoming here to attribute to a Bishop. It became necessary to write to the new Bishop who on his visit in March gave a deed to correct the famous error; but that this new document might be of any account, it was requisite that the deed from the Bishop of Vincennes to the Bishop of Fort Wayne should itself be recorded, to prove that he was the rightful owner. The good Bishop was humbly entreated, twice, to have the kindness to send his general title. Finally, on the week when he was starting the Council, he had his Vicar General to write that he would not send it before his return from Cincinnati. The affair now looked mysterious to the administration of Notre Dame, and it was left in the hands of Providence. pg 322 The immediate consequence of this failure of F. Sorin to prove his titles was to increase public distrust. On the week when he was to set out for the Council the South Bend court was in session. The house had to defend a suit growing chiefly out of this unfortunate matter of defective titles, and F. Sorin was politely informed that if, in the present state of affairs, he left or attempted to leave the State of Indiana, he would be arrested at the station. The idea of going to the Council had therefore to be abandoned. Perhaps it would have been better to give the Archbishop a statement of affairs just as they stood, but this would have been a complaint; F. Sorin preferred to give as his excuse that he had engagement which prevented him from assisting at the Council. Here, as on many other occasions, F. Sorin made a mistake. His absence from the Council was severely blamed, and the good Bishop of Vincennes, who was the sole cause, was unsparing in his complaints. If the letter already mentioned is truthful, he pg 323 brought charges which the sentiment of justice calls upon us to set down here, together with some facts in reply. F. Sorin 1. The only thing for which he had come, and the only accused of important thing, the Brothers and their schools, had been neglecting neglected; 2. Immense sums had been collected on the railroad and the Bros. had been sunk in establishing ourselves at Notre Dame, whilst nothing had been done for the missions; 3. All our resources and attention had been turned to the building of a college whose utility was questionable, and to the multiplication of Sisters who could be got elsewhere, while nothing was done for the Brothers; 4. F. Sorin had commanded all his priests to take up collections for the orphans of Vincennes at Christmas, and had kept the money. It was only natural that a Bishop should be believed by his conferes, especially in matters which he ought to know well. The letter added that Mrg. Luers, personally had admitted these facts, and that after the Council the unfortunate priest who has already been referred to, did not fail to make things appear even worse. pg 324 To say that all these accusations were laid before F. Sorin and that he did not feel moved would be simply a falsehood. As a proof he was told that the Bishop was going to take all his mission from him and to confine him strictly to the limits of the Notre Dame grounds. Fortunately the month of Mary was not yet at an end; there still remained some hours before its close. It was one of the fruits of Calvary which the Blessed Virgin, in return for the canticles and the thirty-one joyful little feasts in her honor, presented for us to taste before we withdrew from her knees. Such a message was evidently a serious matter, and although the truth might be clear as day to those that know the facts, it would be difficult to make it equally clear to prejudiced eyes. All was left in the hands of the divine Mother, and not a line was sent in response or justification for a whole week. Let us here state the facts. 1. Is it true that we neglected the Brothers? Two simple facts will answer. 1. There are just now one hundred and seven members in their community; 2. In twelve establishments they teach 2400 children ( In these figures we do pg 325 not include their first foundation in Louisiana, which has just been made into a separate Province, and which would considerably increase the above figures. ) We know several communities of the same kind in the United States for which we feel great esteem, but we do not know that any of them has better succeeded in those respects. (We do not here speak of the Brothers of the Christians Schools, who belong to Canada and who from the beginning found resources there which are not at our command.) Would it not be somewhat more just to acknowledge that the clergy in general have taken but little interest in the matter of vocations, and just as little in the means of making them useful after they have been secured? We remember that the good Bishop of Vincennes himself would have only one Brother, and could provide him with no other refectory but his kitchen amongst the servant girls; and as for the school, it was a miserable little cabin in which it was a mockery to attempt teaching. And yet such were the pg 326 conditions in which this dear Brother was left until a certain feeling of pity caused his superior to recall him, regardless of consequences. It is hardly necessary to add that this was the end of our schools in the diocese. Sympathy was to be sought elsewhere. The Brothers' institute was in itself an enterprise full of difficulties and very doubtful in a country where there are nothing but obstacles in the way of a young man possessed of the necessary talents to perform his duty and to come up to what is expected of him. Mgr. Hughes himself, being consulted on this subject by F. Sorin fifteen years ago, did not believe in the possibility of success. One of the reasons given by his was this: If you have subjects possessed of ability, they will want to become priests. All the difficulties pointed out by the illustrious Bishop of New York have been met with in turn, and often all together. Real vocations are rare, and, so far from being encouraged, they are rather held in check, either because of the indifference of a great number of directors, or from their desire to keep in their own house or in their neighborhood the few young men of pg 327 edifying lives that are to be found in the world. When they have entered the novitiate, where they can no longer enjoy the liberty and the comforts of the people of the world in this country, they are ever haunted by the thought of the pleasures which they could enjoy and of the money which they could so easily earn. If they persevere for some time and are sent out on the missions, dangers multiply and helps disappear; most frequently they are not half provided with what is necessary for the success of a school. Here it is a poor cabin with nothing whatsoever attractive about it, elsewhere it is a damp and unhealthy basement; again it is desks or benches, maps or books, etc. that are wanting, and which are delayed whole months, until the patience of the teachers and of scholars is exhausted. If the Brothers live with the pastors, they are generally well treated, but they sometimes learn more than is good for them. If they have their own dwelling, they are often left too much to themselves and soon become disgusted with everything. pg 328 The Brothers' institute undertaken alone would probably have been a complete failure. It would not have been able to support itself and would not have developed. Far from losing any of its chances of success, therefore, from its union with the other branches which were added to it here, as well as in France, it has therein a new element of life for itself. It is in this union of the three branches that we find the cause of the development of each, every member being equally interested in the welfare of the three societies. If the number of foundations is not greater, what we have just written ought rather to show the protection of heaven over what has been done and the better founded hopes of doing still more before long, since in only two years the society of the Brothers has almost doubled itself, and the novitiate is now better filled than it ever was. The first thing to be though of was to live, that is to say, to create means of subsistence for the subjects and for the novitiate. Up to the present time the schools have made a very poor showing in the column of the receipts of the community. It pg 329 was found necessary to put a number of the Brothers at work that were better calculated to pay expenses. Hence Brothers were taught to be farmers, tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths, bakers, coopers, gardeners. And when a college was started wherein all these branches of industry could be utilized, another colony of Brothers had to be organized to do the work of the college. Meanwhile the business of teaching was never lost sight of. Whenever a candidate presented himself in the institution who had the talents necessary for a teacher, he was put to study. Once more we say, a work of this kind was very difficult. Time was required to lay the foundations before thinking of building the edifice. This work is now founded, and if heaven continues to bless it, it is ready for development. God be blessed for the contradictions it has met with! 2. As to the immense sums collected on the railroad, etc. there is a reason to be surprised that this assertion or complaint was seriously made. Here again figures will answer for us. F. Sorin himself has taken the trouble to make an abstract, page by page, of each dollar and cent handed in by the missioners of the pg 330 institute during fifteen years. This work has required time, but he feels no regret at having thus employed it, since he has thus furnished himself with the sure means of putting the truth in its full light--a matter of importance--and of disabusing those that seek only the truth. Let it be permitted us to remark here, that at his arrival in South Bend in November 1842, in the twelve counties entrusted to him by the Bishop of Vincennes and Detroit, F. Sorin found only a handful of poor Catholics, scattered over a tract of more than one hundred miles in diameter, containing hardly one hundred and fifty families in all, most of whom had been left entirely without spiritual aid for three years or more. For three years there had been no priest living at South Bend, the nearest being in Chicago, and he visited some places from time to time. Add to this number about as many poor Catholic Indians scattered over the same territory, and you will have an idea of the mission of Notre Dame. Then it excited only pity; none though pg 331 of envying it. It was poor in all ways, with a poverty to make the heart bleed. There was a flock of three hundred families, dispersed, disunited, dissolute, with hardly a sentiment of Catholicity remaining. Fortunately F. Sorin was yet fresh from his beloved France, rich in zeal and devotedness, and with a boundless confidence in the protection of the Queen of heaven. His most ardent desires were gratified; he was at last a missioner, as he had so earnestly longed to be; and what is still more, half of his mission was composed of savages, and the other half of Catholics who could almost be placed in the same category. He set to work with all his heart, and day and night were consecrated to his beloved mission. There was not a single church or chapel finished, except amongst the Indians at Pokagan. There the Rev. Mr. Deseille had succeeded, ten years before, in building a log chapel. Bertrand also possessed a little chapel which was not finished, and in Michigan City was a store to be transformed into a church. pg 332 Nothing was therefore done, and, what is worse, there was nothing to be done for the present, considering the small number of Catholics at each settlement, and the scarcity of money amongst them. The only thing to do was to visit, as often as possible, those poor fragments of Catholicity, to gather them together in some private house, and to try to save them from entire shipwreck of the faith. It need hardly be stated that the care of such a mission took up all the attention of the poor missioner of South Bend for the first year. He was almost always travelling, either on his regular rounds or to visit the sick and the dying. He knew very well that this community was suffering from this divided attention, or rather that attention of the community had to be indefinitely postponed until he should receive some assistance; for, since neither the Bishop of Vincennes nor of Detroit could do better for those poor missions and they had charged him with them, it was his first duty to watch over them. pg 333 F. Sorin had no sooner made himself acquainted with his field of labor than he wrote to every place in France whence he could expect help from men of prayer or of wealth. His endeavors were not fruitless. Amongst the rest, they secured for him a new missioner, one of his former fellow-students, a most cherished friend, the Rev. F. Cointet, whose memory is held in benediction through this extensive district. He worked like an apostle for eleven years in the mission, which he watered with his sweat whilst edifying it by his great virtues and illustrating it by his knowledge. Three other missioners from France soon followed him, the a fourth, and they all went to work with zeal and devotedness in the vast field whicht he Father of the family had confided to the young society of Holy Cross until they should themselves have formed subjects on the spot who would afterwards enter into their labors and reap the harvest. God looked down upon this mission, and in his own good time he provided the men and the means necessary. F. Sorin and one of pg 334 his first associates had a great many acquaintances in France amongst pious and charitable people. They often received considerable alms from them. Frequently also the Propagation of the Faith came to their aid. Whatever they could obtain and add from their own patrimony also went to the foundation of the work. Let it be remembered that this foundation of Notre Dame was carried on without the least local assistance, that the country where the foundation was laid was deeply imbued with prejudices and low bigotry, that the name Catholic was a proverb of reproach, that the very spot given by the Bishop of Vincennes for this purpose was nothing but a forest of 524 acres, ten of which were cleared and worn out, that the Jesuits had refused to accept it, and that no one would have then been willing to pay the sum at which the property was appraised, namely, $3000. Every cent therefore to come first from without, the labors of the members of the institute did the rest. Providence blessed their united devotedness beyond all their hopes. Fifteen years afterwards they had churches at Notre Dame, Bertrand, Niles, pg 335 Kalamazoo, Mishawaka, Michigan City, Laporte, St. John, Calumet, South Bend, Valparaiso. They had besides prepared fourteen priests for holy orders, whose names are as follows. F. Gouesse Thos. Flynn N. Gillespie R. Shortis Ed Kilroy L. Letourneau Ch. Shilling A. Brisard P. Gillen M. Rooney J. Curley J. Myer R. Wallace J. Force Eight of these are still here, engaged in the exercise of the Fr. Flynn holy ministry, except one whom God is visiting at present with a terrible malady and whom we have been waiting upon day and night for a month. He has lost his mind. Three others have left the Fr. Curley society for family reasons, one died a victim of his zeal for the mission. Of the fourteen not one, so far as we know, has been suspended, and twelve had been ever since their ordination esteemed and honored and doing good. But it is time to come at last to the famous list of the resources of the house. Her it is year by year from the beginning. It includes absolutely everything that was received: pg 336 honoraries of masses, fees for marriages, baptisms, in pew rents, collections, offerings, etc. In 1843 for one missioner $ 112.08 1844 for two missioners 213.59 1845 three 121.37 1846 three 142.13 1847 four 286.54 1848 six 1034.18 1849 five 650.89 1850 four 609.48 1851 five 989.93 1852 five 744.50 1853 six 908.24 1854 five 726.17 1855 four 901.00 1856 four 735.70 1857 four 569.82 This would give an average of $143 per an. for each priest, that is to say, a sum on which no Bishop would ask one of his missioners to live. And yet this is all that went into the treasury of Notre Dame and that was brought in by this long and pg 337 hard labor of fifteen years. That is to say, the united efforts of five ans six missioner in their best years did not gather what a single priest can reap in many places in this country without every going out of the limits of his parish. This, we think, is answer enough to No. 2. No. 3 is a double accusation. The college and the Sisters have taken up too much of our time, it is said. If by this is meant that, besides the society of Brothers, for which, principally, we had been called, we also did what was not asked of us, namely, put up a college and established Sisters, we grant it; but we cannot see that in this we were wrong, not even when we take the good of the Brothers into consideration; for we have already seen that they gained by the establishment of the other two branches, which took an equal interest in them as in their own members, and which have in fact procured them their best vocations. The question here is certainly not one of strict justice, since it is well known that we came to the United States at our own cost, and that the diocese never made us any other advance pg 338 than a piece of land already offered to two communities. Therefore, since we were working at our own risk, a certain latitude should be allowed us for our activity, and this Mgr. Dela Hailandiere himself guaranteed us. The chapter of the University bears his seal, and the Sisters likewise received his approbation and even presents from him. We are aware that some Bishops in the United States are not in favor of colleges; but everybody also knows that the majority show by their acts that they are of a different opinion. If at this day a Bishop who knows us but imperfectly questions the utility of our college, we have reason to rejoice, since the same Bishop nine years ago expressed his regret that it was not burned down instead of the workshops, which had just been reduced to ashes by a fire. We are no less thankful to the good Lord who has built this college, a stands written on the front: Dominus aedificavit domum, and none the less convinced that it is for us a means of doing good, and especially of smoothing the way for our pg 339 successors. And if there is no reason to boast, neither is there cause to despair of a house which is growing year by year, and which has at present one hundred and fifty boarders, whilst it enjoys the confidence of the public. Even were it true that Sisters can be easily found everywhere, it would not follow that ours are superfluous nor that our sacrifices to establish them were a mistake. We are on the contrary happy to see them established and doing good in their sphere of action. We could not regret our sacrifices of time and money unless they had interfered with the success of the Brothers or with anything of more importance. Now this did not occur, and if at this day, after fifteen years of painful labors, there is anything to console us, it is to see that Providence has given us the means to keep the three Societies which had been confided to us marching side by side; and if the crisis through which the country is passing leaves us on our feet, we will see in this a new proof that, even when all human aid is lacking, the arm of the Almighty protects us, and more lovingly than ever we will say: In pg 340 te Domine speravi; non confundar in aeternum. The work of the Sisters of Holy Cross is not known; it is quite recent, have but patience for a little and you will see--at least we hope so--that it is not a work of supererogation, but contrariwise a work raised up precisely to meet some of the most pressing wants of existing society, strongly organized by the immediate direction of Rome, at present occupying all the attention of the venerable founder of Holy Cross, until he shall have exactly seized and reproduced in the Constitutions and their relations in the Constitutions and their relations with the other two societies, the views and desires of the tribunal which is to approve them. For our part--and we think ourselves well posted-- we believe in their future and we bless God beforehand, even amidst the embarrassments which they cause us. The 4th charge, that F. Sorin had kept the money collected for the asylum at Vincennes, needs no other answer than the reproduction of the receipt for this same money, which is written pg 341 by the Bishop's own hand, who must have forgotten. Here it is in full: "Vincennes, March 22/58 "Bro. Lawrence, Steward. "The money for the orphans arrived here yesterday by express. Accept my sincere thanks and believe me always. "Your devoted "+ Maurice, Bp. of Vincennes." The letter in question mentions also another complaint, namely: that F. Sorin had his subjects ordained by visiting Bishops, and that one of those ordinations he left the Bishop of the diocese two months without informing him. Having no remembrance of this delay of two months, F. Sorin can only humble himself for it and say, that it could only happen through forgetfulness on his part. If, however, the good Bishop did not bestow holy orders on all that were ordained at Notre Dame, it is because he authorized this proceeding, as appears by a permission signed by himself on Nov 14/49 and worded thus: "We humbly beg of Mgr. the Bishop of Vincennes the following permissions: pg 342 "1. To have our own subjects ordained by another Bishop during his absence from the diocese, or when it would be difficult to send them to Vincennes. "2. To invite any Bishop that may honor us with a visit to officiate pontifically, and even to administer confirmation and receive a profession. "Signed, Maurice, Bp. of Vincennes." Moreover, having received from the same worthy Bishop the faculties of Vicar General for all his mission, amongst others, that of giving jurisdiction to every priest ordained at Notre Dame for the society, it does not appear that there was matter for a serious reprimand as for a grave fault. In terminating this review of the first fifteen years of Notre Dame du Lac, let it be permitted us to add here that in this country the community has hardly found real and permanent sympathy except from the illustrious Archbishop Purcell. It was doubtless the will of heaven that one part of its trials should consist in pg 343 this painful disappointment; but the more it felt the lack of direct encouragement from those from whom if felt that it had the most right to expect it, so much more sensible did it feel for the kindness and protection of the glorious Archbishop, which was a sufficient compensation for all the rest. These pages will remain for our successors, and it would not be just for them to be left in ignorance of the appreciations of their predecessors in regard to the men and things that concerned them. Probably every one, according to his own views and the designs of God, has served, although in different ways, in strengthening and developing the work. On all without exception we invoke blessing from above, and we earnestly beseech the divine Majesty to grant us time and means to prove to all that in sacrificing our existence to the foundation of a work which we thought worthy of the sacrifice, we had no other view but the good of the Church, without any personal considerations, since each one of those that is working for it today may be far away tomorrow. In the words of the most eloquent pg 344 pretate that has visited the institution, we had to consent to bury ourselves in its foundations. If the edifice stands, we will never regret the price and the sweat that it has cost us.  pg 345 Chapter XVIII Eighteenth Year 1859 The year 1858 had ended peaceably. The existence of the house was hardly any more secure than at the same time the previous year, but the confidence of each of the members had increased by a year of daily and providential assistance. The amount of the debts had been lessened, but that of the assets had taken the same direction. The balance of accounts showed that, in spite of the economy that was practised in everything, the institution was hardly self-supporting. Yet all extraordinary outlays had been avoided, and even things which in ordinary times would be considered necessaries were dispensed with, and in many points the community was destitute, even in the matter of clothing. The college did not appear to suffer from the hard times, the number of pupils remaining about he same as the preceding year, and the payments made with about the same regularity. The novitiates were in better condition, and there was better order than ever in them. pg 346 The state of the foundations had somewhat changed. Milwaukee was suspended for an indefinite period, in accord with Mgr. Henni, for want of a suitable place. Hamilton had closed on the last days of 1858. Bro. Dominic, who had a German school there for two years and a half, had fallen sick, and the physician declared that a change of occupation was necessary for his recovery; whereupon the good Brother saw fit to settle matters in his own way. Without a word to anyone he left his post and his vocation. In vain did his superiors and his brothers try to bring him to more religious sentiments; he persisted in his infidelity, and the matter was referred to the Superior General. On the other hand, two new schools were opened, in Fort Wayne and in Toledo, where the community had been established in 1844 and 1854. Columbus had added an English school to its German foundation. The state of the foundations was at least equally prosperous as in 1857-58. The beginning of this winter was not severe. This was a blessing for many, and especially for Notre Dame du Lac. The harvest had been a failure in almost all crops. Wheat had not pg 347 produced two-thirds of an ordinary year, Indian corn still less, and potatoes did worse. Fruits had been a complete failure. This deficit (nearly $2000) added considerably to the embarrassment of *I suppose the administration. From the beginning of x* wheat gave out, and the x stands from twelve to fifteen bushels a day were needed, at a dollar and for Dec. a quarter a bushel. To add to the difficulties, a certain gentleman who in 1856 had lent the community for two years the sum of $10,000 at 10%, informed the superior that he wanted his money. Where was such an amount to be found in the depth of winter? The administration went to work to collect in all directions; but the more zealous was the search, the more did the conviction impress itself on the seekers that there was no money in the country. Extraordinary prayers were prescribed. Everybody tried to interest heaven in the affairs of Notre Dame, and awaited with confidence the result of this long crisis. To divert the sombre thoughts of the future indulged in by certain timorous people who had too much of the prudence of the pg 348 world, more attention that ever was devoted to religious solumnitis. Christmas, New Year's Day, and the Epiphany were celebrated at Notre Dame with all the magnificence possible. On the latter festival there was a grand representation of the mystery of the day. More than fifteen hundred candles reminded the spectators of the Star and of the coming of the gentiles to the uncreated Light. Yet three days afterwards there was an uprising or mutiny of about forty young men of the college such as had never before been witnessed at Notre Dame. And had not the spirit of religion, which had its weight with the greater number, been brought to bear, nothing more would have been required to ruin the prospects of the whole scholastic year. And all this came from a want of tact and from overzeal in the punishment of certain faults whose gravity had not been sufficiently explained and which it is hard to make non-Catholic students understand: we speak of particular friendships. Two boarders were dismissed on the spot, and the departure of several others was resolved upon, although deferred for prudential reasons. This year the Christmas vacation which some of the pupils were accustomed to take, deranged more than usual the order of classes and the discipline of the institution, and it was resolved not to permit them any more. The statistics and the budget were delayed on account of sickness, which lasted more than a month, of Bro. Vincent, who had charge of the great and important work. Regular statistics had budget never been sent for a number of years to the Mother House, but a budget demanded had never been demanded. The work was finished and signed in Chapter on February 3rd. The amount of the expenses calculated for 1859 could not be reduced, notwithstanding the general desire of all the members to pay off the debts of the establishment; and it was necessary to petition his Reverence to authorize an expense of $64,000. This matter of the budget was long but very useful, because it gave the administration new light. All possible economy had been practised everywhere, but details were not so well known. When signing this budget, every member felt that he had acquired certainty which he did not before possess. Each felt more thoroughly the need of renewed attention, of new devotedness, of new efforts to draw down the blessings of heaven. pg 350 The amount of the floating debt was slightly diminished since the visit of His Reverence in September 1857, but it was still very high. For the present there was hardly means to meet the daily expenses. And yet it was necessary by the 19th of this month [February] to find $10,000, that is, 50,000fr., or to lose $25,000. Great indeed was the uneasiness. An attempt was made in various directions to borrow this sum, but without result. Still, there was at the bottom of each one's soul a conviction that the same providential had which had so often drawn the Lake out of its difficulties would not fail it in this critical case. The very day on which the budget was signed and a crushing debt was again discovered, a letter was received from Paris announcing a subsidy of 10,000fr. instead of 7,000fr. from the Propagation of the Faith. Next day a gentleman brought two little boys to the college and placed in F. Sorin's hands a mortgage of $2,000 as security for the payment of the education of his children, not being able to pay immediately in cash. Now under pg 351 the circumstances this mortgage was almost equal for the establishment to its face value in gold. It was true at least a beginning of hope that divine Providence would again save the house in this crisis. Besides, it was the opening of the new session, and nearly $2000 were due. The number of pupils remained the same. Not only was the existence of the establishment the object of the special attention of divine Providence, but also that of each member of the institution. The day immediately following the signature of the documents just mentioned, F. Sorin barely escaped being carried off at a time and in a way that would be least expected. The Brother infirmarian, who had been accustomed for some time to bring him a dose of bitters before breakfast, this morning made a mistake and presented him with a large dose of the preparation known as Pain- Killer. He would unfailingly have been soon a corpse if he had taken the dose. Contrary to his usual practice, he asked the good Brother what the dose was and examined it before even raising it to his pg 352 lips. The dear little Brother in vain urged him to take it: the glass remained on the table until he had report in the infirmary the refusal of F. Superior; and having thereupon examined his flasks and discovered his mistake, the dear good Brother returned breathless, and cried out when he saw the glass on the table, "Oh! how glad I am that you did not take those bitters! The Blessed Virgin has doubtless watched over the life which may still be useful to her work of the Lake." It was an additional proof of the uncertainty of life and of the necessity for a religious as well as for any other Christian to be always prepared. The first quarter of this year was an almost unbroken series of trials of all kinds: their number and gravity for a long time prevent the author of them from being suspected. The demon had asked for power to sift the Congregation in France, in Bengal, and doubtless also in the United States. F. pg 353 Sorin did not hesitate to say at several chapters that if he saw the demon with his own eyes, he would not believe more firmly in his presence and his efforts to destroy the society. The effects of those storms were first visible in the more relaxed members of the Congregation, with whom the enemy had greatest success. He stirred up trouble, distrust, and the spirit of party and of nationality amongst the Brothers. The temptation was evidently gaining ground. Prudence fled from those that should have remedied the evil; a blindness heretofore unknown seemed, at least for a time, to have fallen upon even those that had never before comprised themselves; falsehood fell from lips that had never before been suspected; multiplied and ruinous negligences were of daily occurrence even amongst members of the Chapter; all suffered, even where you would in vain seek a reasonable cause. The college table was sometimes neglected in a manner that was the height of folly. The acting steward declared that there was nothing to be pg 354 had at a time when the market was glutted, and the cook had nothing to put on the table when the storeroom was full. The same vertiginous spirit seemed to blind the members of Notre Dame even beyond the ocean. The Brother who was then managing the affairs of the Province at the Mother House list 5000fr. in the printing of a series of books in English which were left in the custom-house in New York; and all that he had purchased in France he left after him in such an unaccountable manner than a boy of twelve would have seen in it a crazy fit. It was a new loss of 2000fr., not to speak of seven or eight hundred francs that were stolen from him in New York--from him, a former sailor accustomed to travelling by sea and land. One of the Fathers of the society who ought to have been most F. Kilroy devoted to it, seeing that he had made all his studies in it, was leaves this same year the instrument of whom God allowed the enemy to make use in order to add to its trials. Not only did he leave the pg 355 society, but he tried to justify his withdrawal--like all those that look back with regret to the onions of Egypt, by speaking badly even of those twelve or thirteen years before had with the fruit of their sweat and fatigues; and as a natural consequence of an unsettled and strange character, speaking in turns of the same society, well or ill according to the whim of the moment; without real malice, but without any fixed principle of justice or of truth. In the opinion of the community he did no injury to the house by leaving it, but was rather doing it a service. But the world was not likely to understand the peace that he was leaving to his associates when he took himself away from amongst them. He had even a certain influence on the mind of another Father who was at the time superior of an important house in Chicago; and if he did not directly shake his vocation, he at least contributed much to make it unsteady, and thus to ruin totally that foundation, which pg 356 had cost much, and which appeared to be full of promise for the Congregation. This matter will be spoken of in due time and in detail. The same year was marked by the withdrawal of a greater number of Brothers than usual. A certain professed Brother, Ambrose, who had been an annoyance to the society for nearly ten years by his spirit of conviviality, levity, and murmuring, took matters into his own hands and went his way whence he had come, with the promise of the Provincial to have his retirement accepted. Another professed member named Arsene, whose brain had been weakening by degrees for a year and who began to excite apprehensions by his Cassandrian predictions and his threats of fire and ashes, one fine morning declared positively to his brethren that the Pope had called him to Rome and that he was going, adding, however strange his language might appear at the time, that he had not doubt of his future election to the See of St. Peter. pg 357 Seven novice Brothers disappeared successively either of their own accord of with the consent of the superiors, or because it was not thought advisable to keep them. None of them was regretted as a loss; and at the annual retreat in the month of August the Congregation had an appearance of health, life, and zeal such as it never had before. The society of the Fathers was represented by eleven professed and four novices; that of the Brothers by one hundred and seven members--professed, novices, and postulants--in all one hundred and twenty-two. On the fifth day of the retreat the seven bells of Notre Dame rang out at full swing during the particular examination. The Archbishop of Baltimore had come to visit Notre Dame and to spend twenty-four hours amid this young family, some members of which he had had for several years in his Archdiocese (at Washington), and a new colony of whom were preparing to start for the city of Baltimore. His visit could not have been more opportune. He came from pg 358 Chicago, whose Bishop at the time was very unfavorably disposed and whom he had greatly surprised by telling him that he was coming to Notre Dame. The difficulties of Notre Dame with Mgr. Duggan were submitted to him, and he did not hesitate to give his opinion and his ? in favor of the Congregation. The venerable Archbishop seemed to be well pleased and even edified by what he saw, repeating that he had not suspected that the Congregation had such an establishment in the West, and that the had of God was manifest in this work. The scholastic year 1958-1959 had terminated with success; and in spite of the financial crisis which still prevailed in the West, the receipts fell only a little short of those of the two previous years. One hundred and eight-seven entries had been recorded, and there was an average attendance of one hundred and twenty-five pupils for the year. This was a gain of some pupils over 1858; but what was perhaps equally consoling was the excellent pg 359 spirit that prevailed in the college at the end of the year and which presaged well for the opening in the month of September following. About the middle of the year the pupils had organized a military company, the members of which, thirty-seven in number, adopted a very graceful uniform. This company, even till the very last day bore itself most honorably and added much to all the celebrations at the end of the year. The novitiate of the Brothers had never yet been filled with such a large number of postulants; at the annual retreat there were twenty-one. The house was crowded. The old novitiate had been torn down and a new one was going up on a somewhat larger scale. Five thousand francs had been allowed for this new building, which was put up by the workmen of the Congregation--the Brothers. The wheat this year, without being a very large crop, was better than last year. There were two thousand five hundred bushels, or about one half of what would be consumed in a year. pg 360 This was a great help, because, the year just ended consumed more than 20,000fr. on this article alone, wheat having gone up to $1.50, that is to say, 7.50fr., where it remained for the last six months of the year. There were also grounds to expect some fruits, wine, and Indian corn, perhaps even sugar, or at least molasses. This year the Provincial Chapter adopted the resolution to purchase at wholesale, for six months, sugar, coffee, tea, leather, butter, etc. It was also decided to send away the hired men and to have the work done by Brothers, except that it was necessary to keep a hired carpenter until such time as a Brother would be able to direct that work himself. This was a means of lessening expenses and of preserving the community spirit from the contact with strangers. The Father Salvatorists were successively recalled from their missions and gave up their pastoral charges to devote themselves with the Brothers to the work of education; still, they might accept parishes where there was a possibility of establishing schools of the Brothers and Sisters, but only when two Fathers would find employment. pg 361 But it is time to speak of Chicago, since the entire was occupied with this establishment. It is a whole history in itself. The Congregation Leaves Chicago Home sic, Deus aliter cogitat To understand fully this withdrawal, it is almost indispensable to go back and briefly to retrace the history of the foundation in Chicago during the three years of its existence. In the year 1851 Mgr. Van de Velde, S.J., then Bishop of Chicago, the protector and devoted friend of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States, invited the society to his diocese, and as an inducement he purchased a magnificent piece of ground near the city of Chicago, which he offered to the Brothers; the following year he offered F. Sorin his St. Mary's University, on the sole condition of doing there all the good he could. The lack of subjects caused the executing of the project to be delayed. Like his illustrious predecessor, Mgr. O'Regan visited Notre pg 362 Dame and appeared soon to have become its warm friend. He often expressed the desire to see members of Holy Cross doing in Chicago the good that he witnessed in Indiana. Finally on May 26th, 1856, he made a formal proposition to have his desires in this matter carried into effect. He proposed to sell St. Mary's University to the Congregation for $60,000, payable in twelve instalments of $5000 each without interest. All things having been maturely weighed by both parties, it was agreed to put the fundamental points of the contract in writing, and the document was drawn up and signed in duplicate by both parties. Here is the literal translation of this document: Bishop O'Regan, wishing to introduce the Congregation of Holy Cross into his diocese, has had an understanding with said Congregation in the following terms, after mature deliberation and serious examination of all things. 1. His Lordship desires that the Congregation of Holy Cross shall as soon as possible open a day school in the buildings known in Chicago by the name St. Mary's University, and afterwards as soon as possible parish schools in four or five parishes of the pg 363 city, under the direction of the Brothers of St. Joseph. It is also his desire to see an Industrial school annexed to the day school, on the same ground as the University and under the direction of the same Brothers. 2. His Lordship also desires that the Sisters of Holy Cross open on the same grounds, servatis servandis, a day school for German young girls, and an Industrial School with a Parish School for St. Joseph's congregation, and other German schools whenever they shall be asked for. 3. His Lordship gives the Congregation charge of St. Joseph's parish as soon as a German Father of the society shall be ready to assume charge of it. 4. Moreover, it is the intention of His Lordship to protect this new community by all means in his power in his episcopal city and throughout his diocese, whose most precious interests are evidently bound up with the success and the development of this Congregation. 5. The Congregation of Holy Cross enters fully into the views and intentions expressed above, and pledges itself to fulfil them as soon and as completely as possible. 6. To carry out this contract His Lordship sells the said pg 364 Congregation the property known as "St. Mary's University" for the sum of $60,000 payable in twelve instalments of $5000, without interest, and as surety for the payment of this sum, the Provincial of the society in the United States signs twelve separate notes and gives a mortgage on all the property thus acquired to the society, one half of which is transferred unconditionally and the other half expressly for a special object, namely, education. It is understood and agreed between the two contracting parties that if any portion of said property shall be ever sold by the Congregation of Holy Cross, a sum shall be refunded to the ordinary at a pro rata of $15,000 on the first part or portion, today valued at $45,000. This 28th day of may, 1856 (Signed) +Anthony O'Regan Bp. of Chicago E. Sorin, Prov. This decision once terminated, Mgr. O'Regan promised to have drawn up without delay the papers necessary for the consummation of the transaction, and in particular to call together the legal officers of the university to obtain their consent in writing to pg 365 this transaction. All formalities were soon complied with, and F. Sorin was invited to Chicago for the signature and the exchange of deeds. Meanwhile a distinguished lawyer came to Notre Dame, Mr. H. Ewing of St. Louis, son of the ex-secretary of State of the United States, and a very devoted friend of the society. The affair in question was immediately placed in his hands. Not only did he examine it seriously, but he went in person to Chicago as the representative and attorney of the Congregation to see that all things be done in a legal manner. Having had several long interviews with the Bishop of Chicago and his lawyers, Mr. Ewing returned to Notre Dame two days afterwards, declaring that he could not advise F. Sorin to proceed farther in this purchase; that the Bishop could not legally give such a title as he thought he could offer; and that by signing this contract the society of Holy Cross would expose itself to serious difficulties, adding that he had tried, but in vain, to convince the Bishop of this. As a matter of course this advice was followed and the contract laid aside. pg 366 However, Mgr. O'Regan was by no means satisfied with this result, and he returned to his first idea, namely: to lease the college to the Congregation for a certain number of years, saying that after all it matter little to him what the mode or the rule was under which the Congregation entered the diocese, provided it only entered and had an opportunity to do all the good that he expected of it; that in any case, whether it purchased or leased the property, he would do for it what he had promised. The new proposition of leasing the college was seriously examined at Notre Dame. Mgr. O'Regan became impatient at the delay and wrote several times to hasten the conclusion of the affair. The following is a copy of one of his letters: Episcopal Residence, Chicago July 26, 1856 To the V. Rev. F. Sorin Very Reverend and dear Sir, I am sorry that you place me in the necessity of reminding you once more to bring to an end all the arrangements regarding pg 367 the college in this city. It is expedient that everything be finished without more delay; for every delay, I assure you, gives me much embarrassment and has already caused me a considerable loss. It is surely unnecessary for me to remind you that this transaction should be brought to a close, otherwise the pecuniary loss for our college would become a most serious matter. Be good enough therefore to come immediately and settle this business properly. Wishing you all kinds of prosperity, I am, Very Reverend and dear Sir, Very faithfully yours +Anthony, Bishop of Chicago. The Chapter of Notre Dame, however, remained some time longer undecided. The Bishop could not suffer this and came himself on August 3d with all the documents prepared and ready to be signed-- as might have been expected. The Bishop repeated the encouragements and the promises that he had formerly made, and finally on August 4th the contract was signed at Notre Dame for fifty years at an annual rental of $2150. The Bishop demanded pg 368 that this sum, for this time only, should be paid him in full in advance, because of urgent needs, saying that nothing more would have to be paid before eighteen months. Thus far everything passed off agreeably. It was soon discovered that the Congregation had bound itself for more than it had reckoned on. Instead of $50 which it was said would be sufficient for repairs, it was absolutely necessary to contract at once for $700 for a single article; moreover, the Bishop required the Congregation to take the old furniture of the college, which made an additional sum of $500, including a piano. By the contract the Congregation had bound itself only to maintain in the apartments or on the grounds of the college, not a regular university, but a respectable day school. Properly speaking, this is all it was the first year, and the Bishop never found fault, nor during the fifteen months that he remained in Chicago from the opening of the school, did Mgr. O'Regan make any pg 369 complaint either of the college or of the schools of the Brothers or the Sisters. On the contrary, he spoke of the society only to praise it and he wrote of it in the same strain until his departure for Europe. More than once, by word of mouth and by writing, F. Sorin reminded him of his promise to build new school houses, but he always answered that he was obliged to defer this expense, however pressing he himself considered it. Yet such was the deplorable condition of those poor rookeries in which the schools of the Brothers and the Sisters were taught that it was out of the question to expect any but the children of destitute families, especially when the free schools of the city were provided with magnificent buildings in which nothing was wanting. Moreover, the Brothers and the Sisters as well as their children had to suffer from the negligence or the poverty of the carriers who often left them in midwinter without wood or coal, etc. When at the beginning of September 1857 the Very Rev. F. Moreau, founder of the Order, made his visit to the establishment pg 370 of Chicago, the only schoolhouse that he had time to inspect, that of the cathedral itself, appeared to him so unfit that he forbade the Brothers who taught there at the time, to continue school until the building had been thoroughly repaired; and he at once notified the Bishop whilst thanking him for a favor which it may be well to mention here. The Very Rev. F. Moreau having gone with F. Sorin to present his respects to the Bishop of Chicago, the latter began to eulogize the Rev. F. Sorin, whereupon the V. R. Founder remarked that he did not consider F. Sorin deserving of much praise in the contract he had made with His Lordship, and that unless some help were given him, he did not see how the establishment could pay an annual rental of $2150. The Bishop answered immediately that he was well aware that the schools had brought in but little, and to make up for the deficiency, he would order a collection to be taken up for that purpose in all the churches of the city, and that this collection would continue every year on the same Sunday, pg 371 and would bring in, he was sure, a thousand dollars. A circular to this effect was addressed to the pastors, but the collection was made in only one church, and brought $66 instead of $1000. It was no more spoken of by either party. Soon afterwards the Bishop set out for Europe; the monetary crisis was on; the monthly payments of the scholars became still more insignificant, and the debts of the community were on the increase. Meanwhile His Lordship's agent demanded the payment of the rent six months in advance, contrary to the promise of the Bishop. F. Sorin considered himself justified under such circumstances in refusing it for the time being. Some time afterwards Mgr. Duggan, administrator of the diocese, also demanded the same payment, and for the same reasons received a similar answer. Everything was explained to him in a subsequent interview, and the conclusion to which he came was that things should be left in statu quo until the regular nomination of a Bishop for Chicago: and this was agreed to without hesitation. pg 372 But hardly had Mgr. Duggan received his bulls for the diocese when a rumor was spread that he was going to take back the college. F. Sorin wrote to him to ascertain the facts, and in answer received, on Good Friday, the following letter, which needs no commentary: Chicago, April 18th 1859 Very Reverend dear Sir, It was my intention before receiving your letter to write to you immediately after the Easter holidays; but your letter of inquiry makes me do sooner than I intended what I had purposed doing. I write therefore to inform you that you should recall your community and have the college and the premises vacated by the beginning of vacation, which, I expect, will be in the early part of summer. Since I have been here I have always desired to see this property restored to the diocese, and as you have not fulfilled the contract, you leave me no alternative but to rescind it. I do not think that the gain received by the diocese from the presence of the community, compensates for the property that it holds. We pg 373 know nothing of the youth of this city and we have no place to instruct them; they are compelled to seek elsewhere what they could easily find at home. Without further discussion of what is unalterably decreed in my mind, I demand that you take your measures, because I am myself beginning to take mine. I remain, Very Rev. dear Sir, Sincerely yours in X +James, Bp. of Chicago. It would be useless to attempt to describe the surprise and pain caused at Notre Dame by this first letter. To dismiss more than thirty members without any other pretext than that of the violation of a contract in regard to which he himself had said that the affair should be left in statu quo until the regular nomination of a Bishop, was something hardly credible. On the following week a Chicago lawyer was consulted on the question of the contract, which he declared to be perfectly valid. The Rev. F. Sorin then went to see the Bishop, who agreed as to the validity of the contract and who admitted that it was optional pg 374 with the Congregation to retain the college on the condition of paying the rent in the precise terms of the contract, or of giving it up as it was. F. Sorin begged the Bishop to bear in mind that the Congregation could not thus, either in honor or justice or according to the constitutions, abandon the establishment, and that it was obliged to retain it. The question seemed to be settled, and for about two months nothing more was said of it. About the middle of June the rumor became current once more that the Bishop was going to take back the college; the Rev. F. Sorin went once more to Chicago, visited the Bishop, and learned from his own lips that he was really determined to carry out his first idea, and he left no choice, saying that Mgr. O'Regan had no right thus to alienate this property, and he said other things more or less surprising and painful to listen to. The Rev. F. Sorin then proposed that in case of retiring from the college, select schools should be established in different parts of the city for the Brothers and the Sisters. The Bishop pg 375 answered that he would think of it, whereupon F. Sorin replied that he was not prepared to decide anything, that in a few days he expected to see his own Bishop of Fort Wayne and the Archbishop of the Province, whose advice he would ask. Mgr. Purcell advised that the Archbishop of St. Louis be written to and asked whether he would be pleased to lend his attention to the difficulty and settle it. The Rev. F. Sorin did write, but the Archbishop answered, with all the delicacy that is characteristic of him, that he would rather be excused from interfering. On July 12th the Rev. F. Sorin went again to Chicago to see His Lordship; but as he had nothing new to lay before him and his last interview had been extremely mortifying, he thought it as well to address the Bishop the following lines: St. Mary's University, July 13th 1859 Monseigneur, After having prayed, reflected, and consulted, we respectfully beg to inform you that we have come to the same conclusion as at first, namely: to keep our contract and whilst pg 376 we are determined to do our best to correspond to your views, we think ourselves secure in the expectation that you will appreciate our efforts and will grant us your protection. To the Bp. of Very Respectfully Chicago Your Obedt. & Devoted Servt. in X E. Sorin, S.S.C. Next day, the 14th, the Bishop answered by letter as follows: Very Rev. dear Sir. In answer to your note in which you inform me of your final resolution, I now write to let you know mine. It is simply this: that you vacate the college and the premises by the 1st of next August, and that the community, men and women, leave the city by that day. I will take the property such as it is, with its improvements whatever that may be, and will be satisfied not to demand the payment of arrears for the two past years. You will have the kindness to take notice of the terms and of the day mentioned, for I have already taken my measures for that day. To prevent all useless discussion for the future, I will simply add pg 377 that my decision is final and decisive. To V. R. I remain, V. R. dear Sir, F. Sorin Sincerely yours in J.C. +James, Bishop of Chicago On the same day the Rev. F. Sorin acknowledged the receipt of the message in the following terms: Monseigneur Your esteemed letter in answer to may last takes me by surprise. It I were the only one interested, I would not have waited for a second similar injunction; but I am charged with the interests of other people who trust to me to protect them. To carry out your orders without offering a word in their favor would be simply betraying their confidence. It we differed still more from your manner of judging of our difficulties, it seems to us that we have still a right to our convictions, especially when everything seems to be dependent on a legal and common document which should afford an answer and a decision. Your order to vacate the college can be founded only on the fact of nullity of our lease; without doubt pg 378 your lawyers told you that it was really annulled; but ours tell us just the contrary, including even the lawyer that drew it up for Mgr. O'Regan. Up to the present therefore I see no legal decision in virtue of which we should give up our possession. Permit me to remark here that the document of which I speak gives us legal rights; it ours are extinguished, I bag as a favor that the declaration may not be looked upon by any one as an arbitrary proceeding on your part, but rather as the decision of a legal and competent judge. I think that without the least noise or scandal this affair can be easily examined, and if we must withdraw, we desire at least to be able to do so without the slightest resentment against Your Lordship. Very respectfully, Your Obedt. Servt., E. Sorin His Lordship made no reply. On the 19th the Rev. F. Sorin visited him, but could not obtain an interview on business. The pg 379 Bishop refused to treat otherwise than in writing and ended by saying that it was altogether useless to return to a subject positively settled in his mind. In vain did the Rev. F. Sorin try to induce him to read some lines of the treatise of Bouix, which reserve exclusively to Rome the right of judging the question; he would not read, but added that next day he would take legal measures to secure a legal ejection in due form for August 1st. On the 20th the Rev. F. Sorin addressed him the following letter: Monseigneur: In submitting to you the following copy, I humbly beg to present you here some of the remarks that I wished to make yesterday evening. 1. If up the the present I have refused my consent to our withdrawal from Chicago, it is because I thought it contrary to Canon Law, to our constitutions, and to the laws of the country. 2. We have never denied our obligation to pay the rent, and when our request for the performance of certain promises was rejected, we positively declared that we would pay the rent, in pg 380 the terms of the contract, including the past as well as the future. 3. If the Congregation or any of its members had not done their duty, I ought to have been informed of it before receiving orders to leave the city. [To attend to] the former was one of my duties, the latter was out of my power. 4. We were urged by Mgr. O'Regan to come to the city. I cannot see that we failed through our fault in anything that we had undertaken to do, except in the payment of the rent, which we thought ourselves justified in delaying for a time. 5. If an impartial judge would make a comparison between the state in which we found all things three years ago and that in which we leave them, we should not fear the result. 6. We made no profit, but rather find a deficit of more than a thousand dollars, not to speak of about thirty members for nearly three years, the cause being the hard times and the non- payment of schooling. It is easy to ascertain the condition of pg 381 the school-houses where our teachers were obliged to teach from the beginning, and also the circumstances of the parents whose children they were to receive, and then the blame will not fall on them, but instead of being blamed they will be pitied. The Rev. Mr. Dunn, who has always had the largest number of Brothers and the most numerously attended school, told me some weeks ago that he was pleased with the Brothers and that he never had any fault to find with them. 7. The great reason that seems to make our withdrawal a necessity, is your displeasure, ever on the increase, because Mgr. O'Regan had thus disposed of the college, etc; but to what extent this your regret constitutes a right to take it back, is a point that does not easily ally itself to the mere rudimental idea of contracts. 8. Frequently repeated declaration of Your Lordship that you are not bound by any promise of your predecessor, and that if you could find in the writing of the lease any legal subterfuge to evade it, you would unhesitatingly avail yourself of it--is something that I cannot understand. pg 382 9. You seem to have no fear of the scandal that would result from legal proceedings in this matter. I assure you that I could not be so insensible thereto, although it seems to me that I should have no reason to fear. Because I assure that I have full faith in the goodness of our cause if it ever could be brought into our courts. When I proposed a legal arbitration, I gave sufficient proof of this. But sooner than go before court in a suit with a Bishop, I would prefer even a greater loss and a deeper humiliation to the assurance of gaining a case of such a ruinous nature. You must have foreseen from the first that this would be our final determination. Hence, when you seriously threaten to resort to legal means to eject the community, you take a high-handed way of settling the difficulty to your own satisfaction. As to your doubts as to whether our Congregation is approved, however painful it was to me yesterday to hear you express them, I humbly beg you to permit me to say that I think it is. pg 383 If I have written one word to cause you the least pain, I beg you to forgive it; it never was my intention to pain you in any manner whatsoever; but you cannot be surprised to find me personally sensitive to such a termination of three years of hard work recognized in such a pitiful manner. Fortunately, I cherish the hope that I have not lost all merit before God. To be frank to the very last. Whilst I reverence your great virtues and your sacred character, I remain painfully convinced that you have not done us justice as we expected it of you. I hope again that you will deign to consider this matter once more and that you will see things in a very different light; and if we can longer continue our labors here, we can at least retire with your blessing and your wishes for our success. Very respectfully, Your Humble Servt. in X., E. Sorin, S.S.C. pg 384 The following is a copy of the Latin text of Bouix accompanying the above letter: Semel autem legitime constituto in aliqua diocesi conventu, jam non poterit Episcopus conventum hunc supprimere seu congregationem jure ibi conventualiter existendi spoliare. Nam Sedes Apostolica, Institutum hujusmodi approbando, hoc ipso jus ei confert, per varias mundi partes sese propagandi, et solummodo exp. remanet conditio de jure communi requisita, ut pro qualibet nova fondatione interveniat ordinarii consensus. Unde expleta hac conditione, id est, semel obtento Episcopi loci consensu, jus conventualitatis in illa diocesi congregationi acquiritur vi pontificiae approbationis. Jam ergo nequibit Episcopus ille, aut ullus hujus successor conventum supprimere. Sed si forte suppressio necessaria videbitur, ad Sedem Apostolicam recurrendum erit. Bouix, Tom. II pg 385 Immediately after this the Rev. F. Sorin prepared to recall all the members of the two communities: two priests, ten Brothers, and nineteen Sisters. There remained only ten days more to move, dispose of all the furniture, pay the debts, and collect what was due, not to speak of a store of Catholic books which the Sisters had opened in their Industrial House at the request of Mgr. O'Regan, and which left them now with a capital of four thousand dollars on their hands, with which they did not know what to do. It was adding great embarrassments and considerable losses to the disgrace of such a retreat, which the fear of scandal hindered them from even explaining to any one. But without the protection of the law, which was to be invoked against them, there was no way of holding out longer. It seemed better to them to sacrifice everything to the fear of a scandalous suit, leaving it to the Superior General to judge whether it would be expedient to follow up the matter, or to let it be gradually forgotten. pg 386 The writer of this memoir does not wish to derogate in the least from the profound respect due to the Bishop of Chicago. He thinks that he sees things just as he has set them down. He believes himself to be quite sure that vexation at the non-payment of the rent was merely the occasion for the Bishop to carry out a preconceived plan, namely, that of resuming possession of the college as soon as possible, this desire having only increased after the removal of the cathedral, which is now separated from the college by only a single street, but he seems to have consulted his own views only with reference to a temporary advantage of the diocese, without regard to the rights there acquired by the Congregation. This opinion, (which is nothing more [than an opinion] however,) is supported by the positive and repeated declarations of His Lordship that "if he found subterfuge in the contract, he would unhesitatingly use it," and that "Bishop O'Regan had no right to make this contract and that therefore it was null." Hence it would follow, if this way of action was lawful: 1. That little faith could be placed in the word and the promises of pg 387 even a Bishop, and that every agreement should be put in writing, since his successor would not be obliged to recognize it, even when on this word a community had placed reliance and had acted: 2. That contracts no matter how well worded and how conformable to law would be of no effect and would not protect the interests of a community making a contract with a Bishop, except in so far as it would please the latter to maintain them, unless when there is question of something that does not fall under public opinion, such as the cultivation of a field, etc. For it would be rash for a young community to try to manage a college successfully under the very eyes of the Bishop and contrary to his will; and if the moral influence of such opposition did not at once discourage a society, the serious threat of a suit, even if there was no cause, would assuredly prevent all resistance to a Bishop, since to make such opposition would be to take a stand amongst the enemies of the Church or amongst those that have renounced their character. pg 388 3. In the present case, the desire of the Bishop to reenter into possession of the college required the departure of the whole community, since if any member of it remained in the city, he would be considered merely as an agent of the Society of Notre Dame, to the detriment of the college in Chicago. It is useless to answer what must have been brought forward to justify the measure: that the members of Holy Cross were incapable. They were always able for the class of students that frequented their dilapidated schools. Who could reasonably demand that the Congregation sacrifice its best subjects where there was no encouragement and no prospect of success? During the first year Bishop O'Regan, whilst showing himself the protector of the society, only made promises; the second year was that of the vacancy of the See, when the Congregation did not receive the least help, the third year was still worse, since from the beginning Bishop Duggan himself declared his intention to resume possession, and the more surely to succeed in this, he refrained pg 389 from bestowing the least attention on the Congregation, although it was giving a Christian education almost gratuitously to more than a thousand children in his episcopal city. Matters stood thus when the time came for the annual retreat, and F. Sorin used this occasion as a pretext to cover the departure of the members of the establishment. In the middle of the second retreat, during the particular examination, the bells of Notre Dame were suddenly heard as for the arrival of a Bishop. It was, in fact, the Archbishop of Baltimore, Primate of the United States. He had heard of the difficulties of the Congregation with Bishop Duggan, and as he himself said, those difficulties made him wish to see the house. He remained for twenty-four hours, showed himself most gracious to everybody, listened to the whole story of Chicago, suggested what was to be done, and almost gave the assurance that everything would be arranged. F. Sorin wrote to the Bishop of Chicago almost at the dictation of the Archbishop, renewing his offer of service. The pg 390 letter remained unanswered which left the impression that all was at an end. A memorial of twenty pages had been addressed by F. Sorin to the Archbishop of Baltimore on occasion of his going to Chicago, and the Archbishop, after reading it, handed it to Mgr. Duggan. The Archbishop when leaving Notre Dame told F. Sorin to claim the return of this document if matters were not arranged, and to send it to the metropolitan at St. Louis. In conformity with this advice the Rev. Father P. Dillon was charged to proceed to St. Louis with the memorial. But when he presented himself to the Bishop of Chicago to obtain the memorial, all was changed, and the Bishop now only desired to have an understanding with F. Sorin and to retain the Society that it might continue to do all the good possible. The following week F. Sorin went to Chicago with his Bishop and found the Bishop of Chicago most favorably disposed. All things were settled without the least difficulty on either side, and the Congregation was more firmly established than ever in a pg 391 city where a few days before it saw no possibility of remaining. Hace mutatio dexterae Excelsi was the thought and the conviction of F. Sorin and of his councilors. It was a genuine triumph for all the friends of the Society in Chicago. However, new expenses had to be incurred at once to establish the two Societies permanently on the same grounds in a becoming and religious manner. Ten thousand francs were employed for this purpose in the course of the succeeding five months. In compensation the two schools took on a new development beyond what they ever had, and by the end of December the college had one hundred and twenty pupils and the Sisters nearly one hundred in their department. Providence The affair of the superior, who was suspected of being the in the prime cause of all the trouble, settle itself without any of the Departure vexations which he had imagined would result, and rather to the of F. Force advantage of the Society. He thought the parishioners of St. Joseph's were attached to him: he had the humiliation of having pg 392 repeated to him just the contrary: he imagined that the parish would be glad to retain him and would even prefer him as a secular priest: Providence allowed that the Bishop should speak in time and that their desire to have the Rev. Mr. Meyer, whose superior talents they had learned to value during about two years, should be encouraged. Mr. Meyer, who had always regretted Chicago, lent a willing ear to the proposition for his return. It was a way for him to be received back into the Society, and in some months peace reigned and all was moving smoothly in the college and in St. Joseph's parish. This magnificent parish counted four thousand souls. God grant that in return for all the anxieties caused by this establishment in 1859, peace and harmony may so reign that Heaven will send down blessings proportioned to the needs and the hopes of the Congregation. Its future has not been dimmed nor its importance lessened in the State of Illinois, especially since a new foundation has been authorized and established in Alton. pg 393 The State of Illinois is destined to become a great centre of Catholicity as well as of the Union itself. Twenty-five years ago Chicago formed as it were the limit of the United States at the West; today civilization has advanced so far that Chicago finds itself in the very centre. Towards the middle of December there was a new manifestation of insubordination amongst the pupils, in which the same number (40) were involved. Much prudence was required to restore order. Six were sent off and as many others went in consequence; but the right spirit was not so speedily restored, and until the end of the year the relations between professors and students were more strained. Ordinarily such uprisings leave an unpleasantness in the mind, which is no longer disposed as it was before. This time the cause seemed to lie with the prefect of discipline, who was not sufficiently feared and who allowed too much liberty.  pg 394 Chapter XIX. Nineteenth Year 1960 The year 1860, which was destined to have the first General Chapter of the Congregation of Holy Cross, was looked to by all the members of the Society as a year that would make an epoch in the annals. For the Province of Indiana it opened with brilliant colors and full of consolations, hopes, and encouragements. A winter of extraordinary mildness which was an assurance against most of the sufferings that otherwise seemed to be inevitable in a country exhausted by the pecuniary crisis of three years' duration; a reassuring appearance for the success of the crops entrusted to the earth the previous autumn; the college better equipped than ever; the novitiates filled; more numerous and more advantageous applications than in the past for new establishments; the schools already founded giving general satisfaction; the amount of the floating debt diminishing a little pg 395 by degrees and the dangers that had formerly threatened the existence of the Society lessening; public confidence returning; and the spirit of the community improving in proportion as the number and space permitted more regular and freer movements in the general march: God made his presence felt and peace reigned in the provincial house and its dependencies. It is to be regretted that the new Constitutions in English could not be placed in the hands of the religious, who were impatiently waiting for them so long; but seeing the grave inconvenience of a miserable translation and poor print, and the probability that numerous changes would be made by the General Chapter, it was decided that those new books should be kept locked up until the Chapter had decided. This was a real sacrifice, but it seemed out of the question even to try to escape it. However, the Rules and Directory were read and explained in each house. One of the first measures that the Chapter of Notre Dame thought it advisable to adopt for the general welfare, spiritual and temporal, was to regulate the status of the Sisters necessary pg 396 for the work of the house. The Chapter of St. Mary's was called upon for its opinion and cooperation, and by common consent it was agreed that the decree of His Reverence in regard to the cloister of the Sisters should at least be carried out to the letter, and that hte number of persons required for all the work of the house should be filled up as soon as the Brothers had vacated the building occupied by them, and when a suitable washhouse was built. All was to be ready at the latest by Easter. Then it would be no longer necessary to send anything to St. Mary's, as had been done for some years, not without inconveniences. The Sisters being numerous enough would form a regular community, with all the privileges of cloistered religious, and would be protected by their enclosure against the dangers which the growth of the institution was gradually making greater. This change would have been deferred until after the General Retreat, but it was thought desirable to have at least some months' experience, so that the advantages and disadvantages of it pg 397 might be placed before the General Chapter, enabling this same Chapter to determine in a permanent manner all the relations of the two Societies with each other. Towards the beginning of this same year the administration thought it advisable to make an effort to fill the new novitiate of the Brothers which was nearly completed, and which appeared to justify new sacrifices to procure for it additional promising subjects. The Rev. F. J. Dillon, then vice-president of the college, was chosen to go and preach this new crusade against the inroads of infidelity and of Protestantism, and to seek young men of faith and devotedness who would enroll themselves under the banner of the Cross. He at the same time received the obedience of Visitor, and he proceeded first to call on the Bishop of Alton, who had just opened a Brother's school, and who seemed to be very desirous of obtaining subjects for other localities. After some months of this new essay, there remained no doubt but that it was worth continuing, and that hte Congregation could not fail to be pg 398 richly benefited by it. In America people must make themselves known, must show themselves to the world if they expect anything from the world. The same considerations some months afterwards prompted the appointment of an agent in the West to canvass for pupils, sell scholarships, and collect the debts of the college and of St. Mary's academy. The choice that was then made of a non-Catholic gentleman may appear strange; but when it is carefully examined, it is easy to see that such a man, well known in a big city like Chicago, will succeed better than a Catholic in breaking down numbers of prejudices against Catholic institutions, especially if he is a man who has the confidence of the public and his children in those institutions, and that his son has been for three years in Notre Dame and is making progress. It is an experiment, which seems to justify the expenditure of more than 3500fr. for six months. The financial crisis continued to be felt in a more acute form, money seemed to be growing scarcer, and serious fears were pg 399 entertained as to the future of a college which, as everybody knows, needed an easy circulation of values to keep up a full quota of pupils. Such were the provisions of men, founded on a state of things easy to grasp and analyze. And yet from this state of the country God drew entirely different results. The number of boarders increased by one fifty, and payments were better, comparatively, than in previous years. There were as many as one hundred and seventy-eight students at one time in Notre Dame, and St. Mary's Academy followed closely in the same forward march. As to the finances of the institution, there was no great change in the treasury. The amount of the debt was going down very slowly, and it was fortunate that it had not risen at a time when people had to live on their actual resources and meet enormous interests without being able to sell anything. The establishments of the Province were gradually becoming more regular, and were growing more and more productive for the pg 400 Provincial house. Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus, Zanesville, were beginning to have the spirit of regular foundations, with good prospects for the future. Chicago was still under the painful yoke of pecuniary difficulties; its debts had even increased considerably, and yet its actual state gave more satisfaction and more promise for the future. The college had as many as one hundred and twenty-five day-scholars, and the parish schools were in better condition than ever as regards numbers; for as to the buildings, they were the same rookeries as ever. The select school of the Sisters had also grown satisfactorily, containing seventy-five young ladies, that is to say, one third more than any other school of the kind in the city. The two parish schools which the Sisters taught, at the cathedral and at St. Joseph's church, were flourishing and in good repute. St. Joseph's parish itself, after having threatened to give trouble, did not break the peace and was established on a more pg 401 solid footing, the Bishop having trouble transferred it over to the Congregation of Holy Cross for fifty years, in the same manner as he had given St. Michael's to the Redemptorist Fathers. Considering the improved condition of the two Societies which were at this time becomingly and canonically established on the premises leased from the Bishop; considering the dispositions of the Bishop which seemed to be most favorable; considering finally the standing on which the schools and the parish had been placed, and notwithstanding the debts, the future of the Congregation in this city was more encouraging than it had been for two or three years. Unfortunately the resources of the West were exhausted; the lack of money had become really embarrassing. Chicago is the centre of the West, which it represents in times of want as well as of plenty. Hardly were the Easter holidays over when St. Joseph's congregation in Chicago began once more to be restless. This time pg 402 the people were dissatisfied with F. Excl. He was recalled and Mr. Meyer left alone. Some months afterwards Mr. Meyer himself having left the Society and having been named pastor of another German parish in the city, the trustees went in a fury to the Bishop, declaring that they no longer wanted to have anything to do with the Congregation of Holy Cross, since they could get no one but F. Excl. The Bishop quieted them and told them to remain in peace till the following September. Another aged German priest, Mr. Hartland, was given them, and peace was restored. At this same time, a second fair was held in the city for the benefit of the establishment. It was a brilliant affair, the grandest that had ever been seen in the city, and without doubt it made an impression most favorable for the institution. it lasted four days and cleared five thousand francs. The end of the scholastic year showed a deficit of $3000 for the college and of $4000 for the Sisters, that is to say, a debt of $7000. It is true that $2000 were spent in repairs and $1000 pg 403 for rent paid in advance, and the following year would have the benefit of saving this expense of $2000 and $3000 in rent--in all $5000. It was therefore resolved to continue the experiment of this college for another and to abide by the result. At this epoch, when the first General Chapter of the Congregation of Holy Cross was about to open at the Mother House, the foundation of Notre Dame du Lac was entering on the nineteenth year of its existence. The following lines give a faithful statement of its present condition. Notre Dame has been known for some years past as one of the leading Catholic institutions of the West. It possesses a little domain of seven hundred acres of land on the banks of the St. Joseph river, two miles from South Bend, the county seat of St. Joseph county. This property contains two little lakes or bodies pg 404 of spring water, on the banks of which, to the East, the University of Notre Dame is built. It has today the appearance of a most agreeable and most romantic little village. The principal buildings are the University and its church, the novitiates of the Salvatorists and of the Josephites, the workshops, the farm-house, etc.; then to the rest of the college is the infirmary, the kitchen, and the Sisters' house, all of brick except the workshops, and all comparatively new. The number of entries this year was two hundred and twenty- four. Each year shows an advance on its predecessor, not only in the increased number of pupils, but in the more elevated tone of the studies. Thus the classical course was one third [larger] than in 1858-59. The University as such enjoys at present a reputation more flattering and more encouraging than ever. But it still has pressing needs, for instance, classes [class-rooms?] and an observatory. It can accomodate and probably will have two hundred boarders this year. pg 405 The University of Notre Dame is properly speaking the establishment of the Salvatorists in the United States. Of itself alone it would be sufficient to secure their future. If the debts weighing on the institution should be some day paid off, it cannot be denied that Notre Dame du Lac will be for the Congregation of Holy Cross a foundation worthy of being preserved. With its resources in land it could support itself without the least dependence on public patronage. Its little domain and its new lime and brick kilns afford it a surer source of existence than the number of its pupils. What has for this long time checked its forward march is its floating debt, the interest on which absorbs all its profits. Were not this the case, it could now afford to hire the best professors of the country at good salaries. If it could add $10,000 to its actual budget for professors, they could soon be had. The religious character of the institution draws to it a class of young men amongst whom the Society of Salvatorists will pg 406 as a matter of course draw some recruits every year for its novitiate. It is thus that two thirds of those that compose it today have entered, and it was never in better condition. There are at present a dozen novices who are all choice and promising young men. In front of St. Aloysius's novitiate and close to it is that of the Brothers, recently built on the site of its predecessor, and larger than it by one half. It has at present some fifty novices and postulants. It is the only house at Notre Dame where the Brothers are represented by themselves, and in a manner somewhat worthy. The St. Joseph's novitiate is built on a charming little island which forms a considerable elevation between the two lakes. It is the most beautiful spot of the whole property, and in a short time, when the plan shall have been fully carried out, it will be really charming. There also the Josephites, as well as the Salvatorists, will have in time a foundation to be envied, an existence less precarious, perhaps, than anywhere else. East of their novitiate pg 407 and on the opposite side of St. Mary's lake, is the house of the working Brothers, and around this house are grouped their barn, stables, cattle-sheds, etc. all on a scale proportioned to the extent of their domain and of their number. Farther on , on the public road, are their workshops, and the house for their apprentices. Of the latter the number is forty, as follows: five with tailor, eight with the shoemaker, five with the carpenter, two with the blacksmith, and the other twenty divided up on the farm, at the limekilns, and at the brickyard. Without going out of their own premises, the Brothers can here advantageously employ any number of workmen. The value of Notre Dame in Dollars and Cents can hardly be set down; but if it were necessary to make a rough estimate, it could hardly be less than $75,000. pg 408 Dependencies The Congregation having of its own accord given up all its missions except those of Lowell and of South Bend, which are at the very doors of Notre Dame and which are attended to by the Rev. F. Excel and the Rev. F. Carroll, the consequence is that all of its efforts and directed to one only object--education. In Chicago, eighty-six miles west of Notre Dame, it has a University and four parish schools where fifteen members are at work. The University of St. Mary of the Lake was delivered over to it by special contract in 1857, at an annual rental of $2000. This contract, entered into when times were better, was not one of the most advantageous, since thus far it has brought in nothing, and the time of fifteen religious has been absorbed in it without compensation, leaving contrariwise a deficit of $2000. But indirectly, by the influx from the West that it has caused to Notre Dame, it was not a loss, and just now there is reason to hope that it may turn to the benefit of the Society. Last year there were one hundred and twenty-five day-scholars. pg 409 The four parish schools count eight hundred children and give entire satisfaction to everybody this year. St. Patrick's especially is doing wonders. The teaching Brothers are each paid $200. They have just rented a house for themselves for five years near the church, with the view of having it serve as a residence for all the teaching Brothers of Chicago. Besides, the Congregation has a large German parish connected with the University. It counts from three to four thousand souls, and affords a means of doing good and of helping to support the University. Cincinnati Next in point of importance comes Cincinnati. St. John's German school counts five hundred and seventy-five children, under the tuition of five Brothers. It brings in $1000, or $200 per capita. It has a great reputation on account of being the first Catholic school of the city, and it has suggested to a number of priests the desire of obtaining Brothers of St. Joseph. Bro. pg 410 Boniface, who has been its director for two years, deserves great praise for his devotedness and success. Philadelphia Two parish schools were founded here, one at St. Paul's four years ago, and the other at St. Augustin's last year. Each of them employs three Brothers for two hundred and fifty to three hundred children. By special contract the latter assures the payment of $1000 annually, the former is paid through the scholars, which gives more annoyance than profits. Baltimore The Brothers have two houses in this city: one a parish school at St. Patrick's, and the other an orphan asylum two miles from the city. The school has hardly more than one hundred and fifty children, and the asylum thirty-five. Their salary is fixed at $150, with board and lodging. This new foundation, which is pg 411 not yet one year in existence, is doing very well under the direction of Bro. Edward, one of the best members of the Society. The pressing demands for Brothers that come from this city are the best proofs of this. Toledo, Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio This is also a double foundation. Three Brothers live together in one house, and have an English school for the Irish congregation and a German school for the German parish. The former has one hundred and fifty children, the latter eighty. Their salary is $800. This is a good institution which may be developed to advantage. Columbus, the Capital of Ohio Archdiocese of Cincinnati Here also the Congregation had a double school, but for want of members the German school had to be given up for a time. During the past year the Irish school is the only one that the pg 412 Brothers have. It has one hundred and sixty children under two Brothers, whose salary is $150 with board and lodging. This is a valuable foundation which should be well cared for and which has bright promises for the future. Zanesville, Ohio. Archdiocese of Cincinnati An Irish congregation, St. Thomas's, under charge of the Rev. Dominican Fathers. Two Brothers are employed here at the same salary as in Columbus, and they are giving full satisfaction. Here also the future is promising. Fort Wayne. The Cathedral It is now several years since the Brothers have resumed charge of this school, which is very satisfactory and gives no trouble. There is one one Brother, but two will be needed at the next reopening, as well as at pg 413 Madison, Ind., Diocese of Vincennes where the Brothers have been established a year since, to the great joy of the pastor and his flock. There are one hundred and twenty children. The usual salary $150. Alton, Ills. Diocese of Alton The Cathedral Two Brothers have here a fine school of one hundred and sixty children. The Brothers have been living with the Bishop for nearly two years, and they seem to come up to the expectations of everybody. The usual salary. Sorinsville This is the last foundation of Brothers, one mile from the University, in the midst of some twenty Irish families who have settled near the town and the college, and for whom a school-house pg 414 was built last year, and a teacher provided, who goes every morning to take charge of some thirty to thirty-five children. They pay perhaps for light and fuel. Recapitulation Foundations 11 Schools 17 Teachers 37 Salaries $8000 Of this amount one fourth might be considered as clear profit, did not Chicago turn over its surplus to the support of the college. The balance goes in rent, vacations, and in some cases for board. pg 415 XX. Twentieth Year 1861 In ending the Chronicles of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Chicago towards the last part of 1859, F. Sorin, was far from expecting to find it so soon in the like difficulties, made emphatically painful by a series of acts which proved to evidence that "a gross injustice" had been committed, as will be presently seen. The author of these pages only repeats here the expression of the Bishop of Chicago: the impartial judge cn easily determine on which side is the injustice. But before beginning, he wishes to remind the reader not to lose sight of the fact that it is with a Bishop the Congregation is in dispute, and that any justification of the Congregation implies a grievance or perhaps a reproach to His Lordship on his councillors. He would also remark that all the proceedings of the Bishop for the last two years are such as to leave no doubt in pg 416 regard to his wish and fixed resolve to take possession of the college as soon as it would be possible for him to do so, without any regard to the engagements of his predecessor, which he never recognized in this matter. Now he knew better than anybody that in a city like Chicago it would be rash for a religious Congregation to attempt to hold a college or a school of any kind without the good will of the Bishop; but that it would be folly to hope to succeed against his will. In vain would talent and devotedness combine: they would fail against the opposition of the Ordinary. When therefore in the month of August 1859 Mgr. Duggan appeared to have returned of his own accord to such dispositions as F. Sorin could desire, and when he promised the establishments of Chicago the protection that was necessary for them, the Congregation believed in his word and had not the least doubt but that he would be a benefactor, and would more than repay them for the considerable damage that his opposition had caused since his coming to the episcopal see. pg 417 As has been said, the Congregation by its contract was only bound to keep a respectable day-school, without any collegiate course whatsoever. The better to show his desire of pleasing the Bishop, F. Sorin then promised to neglect nothing to keep up classes of Greek and Latin, French and German, mathematics and vocal and instrumental music, etc., and this he continued to do, employing men of ability at considerable cost. By the advice of the Archbishop of Baltimore the Congregation had promised to settle the arrears of rent for the three past years, as soon as any profits came in, which did not seem to be an unlikely or remote possibility, owing to the confidence inspired by the declared and efficacious protection of the Bishop. On his part, the Bishop had promised that he would in writing give the Congregation the St. Joseph's German church, on the same conditions on which he had ceded St. Michael's to the Redemptorist Fathers. And when later some members of this congregation tried pg 418 to make trouble and to have it taken from the Fathers of Holy Cross, His Lordship repeated his declaration that there was no danger, and that he would rather close the church than yield to their insolent demands. Almost at the time of the reconciliation just mentioned, the Bishop made known his pressing need of money, and his wish to get $3000 before the following month of May, promising that if it were advanced to him, he would make no further demand till the month of May of the next year. With considerable difficulty the Congregation succeeded in obtaining for him on time the sum specified. Up to this time no doubt had arisen as to his real dispositions, and in its full confidence in him the Congregation had made improvements costing more than $2500, and put up such buildings as would set the Sisters on a regular footing, so that by the following spring the Congregation had expended 30,000fr. in buildings and repairs on the grounds. It is true that the Sisters pg 419 had obtained from their benefactors nearly half the amount: the rest came from the property of the Congregation. Thus far all things seemed to be moving harmoniously. The Bishop was well pleased, as he himself wrote to the Superior General in France when mentioning the services rendered him by the Congregation. However, this good will, real or apparent, was soon to pass away without any possibility of assigning a cause for the change. A pretext was sought in the change of the superior of the college; but before there was even talk of naming a successor for him the Bishop had veered around. The Father himself could not be permitted in that. At the solemn distribution of premiums in the college the Bishop, who was in town and whom everybody expected, did not make his appearance. If the cause of his return to his first dispositions was not easy to discover, the object was readily seen: the Bishop again wanted to resume possession, and to bring this about he had only to attack the Congregation on the one point, whose facility had efficacy he had discovered. pg 420 Meanwhile the few evil-disposed persons that have been referred to in the matter of the German church, returned to the charge, and by means of representations that would not have been even listened to by a Bishop well disposed, they persuaded him to take St. Joseph's church suddenly from the Congregation and to transfer it to a priest of their own choice, whom they afterwards drove away: and this contrary to all justice as well as to the repeated assurances of the Bishop. Thus after four years of devotedness and of services such as had never before been bestowed on this parish, the Congregation was deprived of the principal support which it found there to meet its engagements. This was not merely withholding protection, but it was ratifying a loss which he well knew would be fatal to the Congregation in Chicago. This church had been given from the first as the only assured source of revenue from which to pay the annual rent of the college. pg 421. This act, which needed no commentary received one that left no doubt. Some weeks afterwards F. Superior went to the Bishop to ask for some compensation for the loss of this church, for instance the charge of a little Irish congregation which he had been already attending at the request of the Vicar General. The latter could hardly attend to it, seeing that he was pastor of the cathedral and of a large parish of five or six thousand souls. this simple request was simply rejected. Shortly afterwards, when the newspapers of the city announced that the Canadians of Chicago were going to build themselves a Protestant church, the same Father presented himself to His Lordship and offered him the services of a French priest of the Congregation. The Bishop knew that those poor Canadians, as well as a certain number of Belgians, were without a pastor for five years, and that their abandonment had become a serious matter. He seemed to be pleased with the offer and requested the Father to go pg 422 to Notre Dame du Lac and arrange the matter; but on his return the next day everything was changed. The Father was refused, although he asked the Bishop for absolutely nothing more than permission to work in the city for the salvation of some thousands of his countrymen who were daily apostatizing for want of a priest that understood their language and would take an interest in them. The dispositions of the Vicar General were hardly less discouraging. It had been agreed and covenanted with the Bishop that the teaching members whom the priests employed would be paid $200 each. The Brothers engaged in teaching at the cathedral were thus entitled to $400, and the Sisters to the same amount. When the end of the scholastic year came, he positively refused to pay the Sisters any salary. Under other circumstances this injustice might be let pass unnoticed, but the Sisters had to pay for their board and lodging; and without wishing to cause any trouble to the Vicar General for the payment of the $400 in question, they were pg 423 obliged to tell him that they could not continue to teach the school without a salary. Inde ira. Would it be believed? He preferred to employ a married lady at $450 a year rather than to leave his little girls under the care of two Sisters against whom he had no complaint. As to the salary of the two Brothers, and of the other three whom he employed at St. Patrick's, he paid in notes on time, some of which were protested, and others have not been paid to this day. The cathedral school was also given up, seeing that no Brother had the courage to continue it in the state of total abandonment in which it was left. The three other Brothers of St. Patrick's and of the old cathedral remained at their posts, but till the present day they have not received the least part of their salary. Last Christmas, with the consent of the pastor, they got up an exhibition at St. Patrick's for their own benefit. It brought in $200, which His Reverence took for himself without leaving them a cent. And this is the gentleman who tells all that pg 424 will listen to him that the Congregation does not pay its rent and should consequently retire. There is certainly reason to be surprised that the Congregation held out so long against such opposition; but if we consider the expenses it had gone to and the considerable debts it had made to establish itself respectably in Chicago, relying on the promises of two Bishops on which it tried to hope, spes contra spem, we shall perhaps better understand what was only too plain, namely: that the Bishop would hold to his declaration, that he was not bound by his predecessor's act, and that he would take back the college without any regard to what losses the Congregation might thereby suffer. To gain his end he did not hesitate to adopt measures that he himself would have unhesitatingly condemned in others. Nothing was easier than for him to place the Congregation in a position to pay the rent, supposing he ought to have exacted such a sum, which many called a "permission to do good in his diocese." The school- pg 425 houses were left in a shocking state of neglect; the efforts of the most devoted members were thwarted; each superior lost courage when, year after year, he saw not only the precarious condition of the establishment, but the unmistakable proofs of bad will on the part of the ecclesiastical authorities, whose object was perseveringly followed up, to drive the community out by a system of mean annoyances. This state of things was communicated to F. Sorin when he was still in Rome. He was on the point of making it known, but preferred to allow some time yet, to see the evil with his own eyes, and to seek once more what remedy could be applied before laying, the matter before the tribunal that could be right do the community justice. Moreover the rent was paid up to the month of May, and till then there was nothing to fear. On his return in April the civil was had broken out, everything was changed in the United States, commerce was entirely pg 426 paralyzed, and in money transactions everybody understood that patience towards a debtor had become a necessity. In such a state of things no one would think that a Bishop would avail himself of the physical inability of a Congregation which was sacrificing itself under his very eyes, to declare to it that since it did not pay, it must leave the city, otherwise he would take legal measures to have an ejectment in form. Let us quote his very words. F. Sorin presented himself to offer his respects to the Bishop, but the latter being absent, he deputed the superior of Notre Dame du Lac, who was acquainted with him, to learn from his own lips what credit was to be given to the rumor that was abroad that he intended to take back the college. The Bishop confirmed the rumor, adding that he expected all the members gone before the 1st of August. F. Superior being very much surprised at such an arbitrary command, wished to know the cause; but none was assigned except that of the poet: Sic volo, sic jubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas. For an hour and a half the same Father continued to set pg 427 before the Bishop all the complaints that the Congregation thought itself justified in bringing against the manner in which it was treated since its coming to Chicago. He listened to all, admitted most of the charges, and ended by saying that he had greatest esteem for the Fathers of the Congregation and that he was ready to give them proof of this at all times and throughout his whole diocese; but as for the college, his decision was irrevocably made. Some days later the same Father was sent back to the Bishop with the following letter from the Provincial: Notre Dame du Lac, June 8th 1861 To Mgr. Duggan, DD., Chicago Monseigneur, I request you that if in reality you want us to leave the premises which we occupy in Chicago, you will have the kindness to signify to us in writing your orders to this effect, so that we may have some document to justify us, if necessary, in this step. Very Respectfully, E. Sorin pg 428 The following is the answer: Chicago, June 11th 1861 Very Reverend dear Sir, In answer to your letter I have only to repeat to you what I have often said before: that since the contract between you and Bishop O'Regan has been violated by you in almost every point, I have only to take back the property of the Church which you are occupying. The college has not been properly kept, the schools in the parishes have been neglected; and the rent which you agreed to pay has not been paid. For these reasons and others I require that you no longer retain the property of the Church; and remitting you the several thousands of dollars new due, I simply demand possession of our own property. If I must resort to legal measures to attain this object, let all the scandal and all the consequences fall back on you. For three years I have borne much for the sake of peace; but I am now resolved not to be any longer pg 429 trifled with. Your positive refusal to comply with any of the obligations of your contract forces me to adopt the course against my inclination. I give you three days to answer, after which I will consider myself at liberty and will employ the only means left me to redress this gross injustice. Respectfully, +James, Bp. of Chicago On the 12th F. Sorin, to whose eyes and conscience this letter did not contain a truthful phrase answered as follows: Monseigneur, In answer to your esteemed favor of yesterday permit me to tell you that I yield to your orders and to the fear of scandal, however different from yours may be our manner of appreciating our labors in your city these three years. You say that we have not fulfilled our obligations; we believe on the contrary that still less have you complied with yours. But since we must go, we will do it religiously, I hope in peace and humility and with your blessing. pg 430 Very Respectfully your humble Svt., E. Sorin, C.S.C. Three days afterwards the college and the two Brothers' schools, the Sisters' day-school and their German parish school were closed, without the utterance of the least complaint as to the Bishop's conduct. But it seems that the more each member of the Congregation was on his guard, so much the more free did public sentiment feel to express itself in their regard. The sensation was too profound not to become annoying to the Bishop. The day after next he wrote to the Father Superior to tell him that, instead of six weeks, he could allow him only three in which to vacate the premises, and that if all the members were not gone in eight days, he would appeal to the law. Thus it was ever the law, scandals, and the threat that if the Congregation gave him the least trouble, he would forbid all his clergy to send even one child to Notre Dame, and he would not even give permission to any of the Fathers of Holy Cross to say mass in his diocese. pg 431 From all this it follows that, however firmly the Congregation may be convinced of the injustice that is done it, it cannot appeal to Rome to protect and safeguard its rights, nor to any other authority, without causing a fearful scandal in the Church. Domine adjutor meus et liberator meus. This was the last trait to show in a clear light the spirit of persecution of which the Congregation was the object in Chicago. The college had a number of old accounts to collect and debts amounting to $3000 to pay, the Sisters had on hand a sum total of $5000 to pay to various book-sellers and dealers in Church good, one half of which [books and goods] they still had in their store, of which they could now make no use. This store had been opened at the request of the Bishop for the convenience of the clergy and of the people--and now it is peremptorily closed, as were the classes, to the great loss of the good Sisters. God alone knows how great is their embarrassment just now. pg 432 Moreover they also leave, on the portion of the grounds which they occupied, buildings and improvements to the value of $5000, one half of which they paid out of their own funds, and the rest they collected, whilst at the same time they were not receiving one cent of the salary to which they were entitled. Seeing that in the terms of the contract, which was to last fifty years, the improvements belong to the Bishop, those $5000 of improvements and the $5500 paid the Bishop in cash for five years use of the property, more than compensate him and cause him not a fraction of loss in the operation; whereas the Congregation has given gratis for five years the services of thirty members, who are now forcibly ejected, with a debt of $8000 which they must pay--and all this as the result of a deception the mere suspicion of which would have seemed to them a crime. And today they are not even permitted to make known their grievances. On the contrary, they must go their way in silence, as if incapable or unworthy of the confidence of the Bishop, who pg 433 would have neither arbitration nor reference to the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda, but who was always ready to appeal to the secular arm to force them to obey. He knew very well that they would all sooner lose everything than cause scandal in a diocese that has had more than enough of scandals. But they cannot understand how a Bishop, dealing with a religious Congregation approved by the Holy See, refuses it the privilege of carrying to Rome its difficulties, with the ecclesiastical authority, but will call only on the secular arm whilst he is reminded in every tone that it belongs to Rome to settle the question and not to the secular tribunals. Nothing would have prevailed on F. Sorin thus to drop the matter before Rome had decided; but when only three days, that is to say some hours were left him in which to forward his answer to Chicago, otherwise the Bishop would begin a suit whose disastrous consequences no one could foresee, he did not hesitate to yield to the moral violence to which he was subjected, leaving it to God pg 434 to do him justice, and seeking in the treasure-house of hope a compensation for the injustices of this world. The difficulties of Chicago are followed by those of Brother Amedee of St. Laurent near Montreal. This Brother had left Notre Dame in the month of July 1860 to enter the province of Canada, with the written permission of the Very Revered Father General, but contrary to the formal prohibition of F. Sorin whom he thus placed in the greatest embarrassment, quitting his obedience of bookkeeper just at a time when he was alone in the office and when his departure left it closed without anyone to take charge of it. He had sent his trunk to the railroad station, without having it pg 435 examined according to custom, and he himself set off in the middle of the night, without handing in any accounts or leaving any statement or memorandum of what he was taking with him. He was a man of a fickle, sombre, mysterious character, whose ways were secret and erratic, having the zeal of a Pharisee in regard to others but with a way of his own of understanding poverty and obedience as applied to himself; he was eager for news and confidences or meddling gossip; he had achieved perfection in making all those that came in contact with him unhappy, whilst sowed discord broadcast in a word, he had the talent to make himself detested and almost insupportable to all in the house. When the Very Reverend Father came to make his visit in 1857, he could not see clearly through his books: the three years that followed left the same veil over his operations. Mystery was his element. When F. Sorin went to St. Laurent in the month of October following, the Brother handed him, unsolicited and without pg 436 a word of explanation, a check for 400 fr. On his return from France in April 1861 he met this same Brother in Philadelphia, where he passed several days with the Brothers of Notre Dame, apparently in the best of spirits. Towards the end of May Brother Charles Borromeo, whom F. Sorin had brought from France the preceding autumn at an expense of 1200fr., asked for permission to go to Canada. As he was urgent in the matter F. Sorin told him to write to St. Laurent that he would be permitted to go if he were still wanted there, provided Canada first paid back to Indiana the money advanced for him, but that on no other condition would F. Sorin consent to the change. The letter was sent accordingly, but without any regard to it, Bro. Amedee sent Brother Charles Borromeo a check on New York for an account sufficient to pay his travelling expenses from Notre Dame to St. Laurent. F. Sorin opened the letter, as he does for all the correspondence of members of the community, and returned the letter and the check to Brother Amedee. pg 437 The Brother then begins a series of threatening, insulting, and arrogant letters. He repeats over and over again that he holds the fate of Notre Dame in his hands and that it depends solely on him to sink the institution. He has three ways of doing this, one of which consists in bills that he can put in circulation--and thus ruin it; the other two more dreadful and more infallible, etc. What could those bills be that were in the hands of a professed Brother who had been for four years secretary and treasurer of the house, and to whom the house owned absolutely nothing at his departure? At the very start F. Sorin, more disgusted than vexed at such language, sent copies of the first letter of Brother Amedee to the Mother House in France as well as to his immediate superior at St. Laurent; for the Brother had had the impudence to gain it and out that he wrote under F. Reze's eyes, and that the Mother House pg 438 sustained him--and he appeared to have no doubt of the truth of his assertion. Be this as it may, neither the Reverend F. Reze nor the Very Reverend F. Superior General seemed to have approved of his conduct. The former answered evasively, attempting to prove that he had tried all possible means to quiet this Brother, but without success, adding that the danger seemed to him imminent, and advising great prudence and even concessions. It began to appear that he would be well enough pleased to get Brother Charles Borromeo for nothing, although the question admitted of no doubt that he should first reimburse the advantages for his voyage from France to America. He even promises that if this satisfaction were granted to Bro. Amedee, there would be an end of the whole matter, saying that Brother Amedee himself had assured him that he would be content with this, and that on the arrival of Bro. Charles Borromeo at St. Laurent he would at once send a receipt in pg 439 full to Notre Dame, with all the notes and papers that he held in his possession against the house of the Lake. The Rev. F. Reze himself went security for the keeping of this promise. F. Sorin, who, on the word and the writing of his actual superior behind Brother Amedee to be capable of ruining the institute, and who had no ulterior purpose but, if necessary, to bring the matter to the knowledge of Rome, preferred, for the sake of peace, to sacrifice the 1200fr., and what cost him far more, the feeling of honor and justice which he was obliged to lay aside before any injustice and provocation that went beyond all bounds. But what can a victim do who is attacked on the high road by an assassin who holds the knife to his throat? He sent the Brother, therefore, not expecting very strongly that a man capable of writing such threats and of convincing his superior that he would put them in execution, would keep even promises attached by this same superior. pg 440 And in fact, instead of doing as he had engaged to do Bro. Amedee on the following week sent F. Sorin a letter similar to the others, stating that he had just received from Ste. Croix the letter in which he had denounced him to His Reverence, and that consequently he would not now keep his purpose unless he received from F. Sorin a new cloak of French cloth, a complete new outfit of clothing, etc, etc, and then he repeated his insulting declaration that the fate of the Lake was in his hands. Meanwhile the answer of His Reverence had already reached Notre Dame du Lac. It seemed to be favorable to F. Sorin, settling in his favor the question of the 1200fr., and offering to expel Bro. Amedee from the Congregation if he demanded it. Moreover it stated that St. Laurent was informed of this decision. It might be expected that the result of this intervention of the Mother House would manifest itself, but it did not. F. Sorin, finding that the letters of Ste. Croix, like his own, had no effect, demanded reimbursement, but in vain. pg 441 It would be hard to find anywhere else a series of letters from the pen of a religious more disgusting than these; and yet, strange as it may appear, his immediate superior, who could not pretend ignorance of the facts, did not hesitate to write to F. Sorin that in this matter Bro. Amedee had shown more delicacy than might be imagined. Let us devote some lines to an analysis of the whole affair. In the month of July 1860 Brother Amedee; secretary and treasurer of Notre Dame, leaves his post by stealth, not letting anyone know what money or other valuables he takes. In the month of October following he hands F. Sorin 400 fr. without saying why nor telling whence the money comes. In April 1861, the same Brother meets F. Sorin in Philadelphia and shows himself to be animated by the best spirit. On his return from Europe in May, F. Sorin finds that this same Bro. Amedee is at work to bring Bro. Charles Borromeo to Canada. The year before this Brother had been promised to St. Laurent by France, but His Reverence afterwards gave him to F. Sorin. pg 442 At the entreaties of this Bro. Charles F. Sorin permits him to inform St. Laurent that he may go there, provided the 1200fr. which he cost Notre Dame shall be refunded to F. Sorin. Bro. Amedee answers for St. Laurent by sending only the amount necessary to pay the journey from Notre Dame to St. Laurent. The check is returned to him by F. Sorin, whereat Bro. Amedee is displeased!!! He insolently writes that he has five means to destroy Notre Dame, and that he holds the honor of his superior in his hands, that this superior, under whose eyes he is writing, thinks as he does. A copy of this letter is sent to the superior referred to, who answers evasively. A second copy is forwarded to the Mother House, which is greatly alarmed by it. The Brother repeats his threats and insults without seeming to fear the least blame either from St. Laurent or Ste. Croix. Finally he promises that if Bro. Charles Borromeo is sent to him he will cease and deliver up all pg 443 his means of destruction. The Brother is sent, but he lays down new conditions; he requires F. Sorin to write to him a general declaration that Canada owes him nothing and he promises that if this receipt is forwarded to him he will return all his documents. The receipt is sent, with no better results. He now demands a cloak, a habit, etc. F. Sorin refuses to make any further sacrifices even for the sake of peace. It is doubtless painful to have to record things of such an irreligious nature in the annals of a community; but if those annals are to be considered as a history resting on a foundation, they must either speak the truth or be silent, unless it be understood that they show only the fair side. But that would not be doing justice to the institute, nor even to the action of Providence; because unless we see the obstacles and the difficulties of all kinds that have been met, it will not be possible to appreciate the triumph of grace. Moreover, the miseries contain lessons or warnings which will not be useless for our successors. Although the personal dispositions of Bro. Amedee were alone pg 444 the ostensible object of the complaints of Notre Dame du Lac from the month of May to the end of this year, it nevertheless appears probable that they would have had no importance if his superiors had been better disposed towards Notre Dame. St. Laurent has for a number of years shown feelings of a kind of envy, sometimes thinly disguised, which have never allowed the administration of Notre Dame to be on terms of cordiality in matters that would be for their common good. Bro. Amedee, who, perhaps without suspecting it, is a fire-brand of discord and does not know how to live in peace with anyone, profited of this weakness to turn to the annoyance of the Providence that he had deserted, all the projects for the grandeur of St. Laurent, which he wished at any cost to see take the first place, were it only to justify the preference that he had shown for it. Hence the pompous announcements of foundations applied for and made in the United States. To believe him, Canada was going to sweep all before it, and Notre Dame would soon be only a secondary concern. pg 445 That the administration of St. Laurent lent a ready ear to the suggestions of the Brother in question can hardly be doubted. How far the Mother House itself had been entrapped by the artful representations of this dangerous Brother does not appear to clearly; but one thing is certain: that he considered himself perfectly assured of the support of Ste. Croix, even in this last dispute. In addition, there is within reach a secret argument between Ste. Croix and St. Laurent to deceive Notre Dame, as witness the opening of New York, not only without the knowledge of Notre Dame, but with a formal denial of the fact it had been resolved upon. Nevertheless, the Very Rev. F. General had himself declared, on his visit at the end of September, 1857, that the house of New York would not be reestablished without consent of Notre Dame du Lac. This kind of underhand dealing towards the first foundation of the Congregation in a foreign land proves that they are on the alert at Ste. Croix; but that the voice of honor and of peace is always consulted is far from being as well established. pg 446 The administration of Notre Dame is quite willing to see herein one more effect of perfidious insinuations and intrigues of Bro. Amedee, but it is none the less convinced that this establishment at New York, under the circumstances in which it was made, is an apple of discord very unwisely cast by the General Administration, and that no honorable nor religious principle will ever be found to justify it. It is a shameful piece of underhand work coolly and unnecessarily perpetrated on the administration of the Lake, which in 1856 was sanctioned and directed by Ste. Croix in its act of closing New York. The two facts that we have just related will perhaps seem to be told with some bitterness; but if one knew the memories still fresh in the mind of the narrator, they paint very imperfectly the anguish caused by the former and the vexation of the second. F. Sorin had returned from Europe with increased devotedness to the Mother House; but to his unspeakable regret the conduct of Ste. pg 447 Croix towards him in those two events disenchanted him very much. Hence the coolness with which he listened to the demands of Ste. Croix, which asked for favors whilst multiplying injuries. On April 15, the Very Rev. F. Superior General paid two notes for F. Sorin amounting to 15,000fr. as a loan in return for a similar favor for a like amount in 1855. This sum was to be refunded in three instalments of 5000fr. a year on the future appropriations of the Propagation of the Faith. This loan and this promise of repayment were a proof as well as a result of the reciprocal sentiments of the Mother House and of her eldest daughter. Soon after having signed those notes the Mother House was subjected to that agony (which no one understands better than F. Sorin) caused by the catastrophe of M. Julien. Even before the first payment on the 15000fr. was made by Ste. Croix, F. Sorin was asked to hasten his payment, and at the beginning of April he sent 1000fr. to the treasury of Ste. Croix, and had made arrangements pg 448 to hasten the other payments. It was his intention to settle the whole account this year, in order to help the Congregation, whose existence was threatened. Here F. Sorin thought he had some claim to be believed on his word, after having paid out 30,000fr. in 1855 to save the Congregation. He would have been only too happy to prove anew, in a similar manner, his personal affection for the Very Reverend Father General, whose critical position he understood; and even if prudence had condemned him, filial love would have prevailed and Ste. Croix would have received even more than it advanced. Unfortunately the two incidents just spoken of caused bitterness of heart, and when the heart was embittered, it was all the worse for Ste. Croix. Besides, the condition of the two houses was more precarious than could have been anticipated before this matter of the 15,000fr. came up. Ste. Croix was far more embarrassed than could pg 449 have been supposed. The lake was in the midst of the horrors of a war which no one would have believed. Ste. Croix wanted to have its funds come in sooner than was agreed upon, Notre Dame was hardly able, on account of the war, to meet its engagements. Seventeen times Ste. Croix insisted on payment before the time, and just as often F. Sorin was obliged to defer. He had promised to make his repayments from the Propagation of the Faith, and he must wait to learn what allowance would be made him and until the usual checks were received. F. Sorin was urged to obtain a draft on the treasurer, contrary to the confidential instructions which he had received from this office and which he had made known to Ste. Croix before leaving France. And because F. Sorin did not yield to the appeals of Ste. Croix, for the simple reason that he could not, cruel reproaches were heaped upon him, orders were issued and reiterated in virtue of holy obedience, even when the execution of those orders was out of the question. Ste. Croix refused the sanction pg 450 of professions requestion by the Lake, and all the imaginable means were employed to compel F. Sorin to do an impossibility. Things were even carried so far that the budget was retained; and to the end of 1861 it had not been returned from Lemans.---Let us sum up once more. Bro. Amedee, the Sisters in New York, the affair of the 15,000fr.--these were for this year the three chief sources of vexation such as Notre Dame had not previously gone through. pg 451 Portiuncula, or Church of Our Lady of Angels On his return from Europe in the month of May, F. Sorin found the new chapel of the Brothers' novitiate almost finished. It had been begun the previous fall in the model of the true chapel of St. Francis of Assisi, 40 x 20 ft. F. Sorin had obtained for the new sanctuary all the indulgences of the Portiuncula in perpetuity. It was blessed by the Bishop of Fort Wayne on may 29th, and the altar was made by him privileged for every day of the year. Soon afterwards F. Sorin asked of Rome to have this chapel declared a regular pilgrimage, and on date of ? the Pope granted this petition. These two favors were received by the Congregation at Notre Dame du Lac with the liveliest gratitude. Here F. Sorin had dug, for Bro. Vincent, his first companion, and for himself, a sepulchral vault where they are both to rest in pg 452 the expectation of a glorious resurrection. The vault is under the floor in the centre of the nave. In this spot is to erected a little monument in the shape of a kneeling desk to receive the right hand of the Very Reverend F. Moreau, founder of Holy Cross. The hand will be raised in the attitude of blessing. All this was explained in writing to the Very Reverend Father himself in 1861, and his answer approved the design, which is not altogether devoid of sense, as can be seen on a little reflection. There is where people will come to pray and mediate. The right hand of the venerable founder and the body of the pious patriarch of the Brothers of St. Joseph will be two of the most precious relics possessed by the Congregation. It is already the resort of all those that are anxious to pray and to obtain some favor. The professor of painting in the college has set above the altar a Virgin of Foligno making to begin the beautifying of the grounds next spring, which will greatly enhance the eternal charms of the chapel. pg 453 Ecclesiastical House of Retreat On the 25th of the month of September the corner stone was blessed by Mgr. Luers, Bishop of Fort Wayne, surrounded by all the clergy of the diocese, who had just ended their ecclesiastical retreat, preached by the Rev. F. Smarius at Notre Dame. This undertaking had received the encouragement of the Holy Father as far back as 1852, but it had to be deferred for want of funds, etc. On his return to Rome in the month of January, F. Sorin was questioned on the progress of the work. The Holy Father himself was pleased to start the list of subscribers and sent 2000fr. to F. Sorin, who was thus placed under the obligation of beginning as soon as possible. Other offerings for this purpose were made, and before leaving Europe F. Sorin had received 5000fr. for the Missioners' Home. The document in which the Holy Father was pleased to recommend the work was soon subscribed to by fourteen Bishops, and a number of priests hastened to show their sympathy for the work. pg 454 A plan was prepared ad hoc, and the estimated cost was $20,000--136 ft. in length, 36 ft. wide, three stories high, with forty eight private rooms, besides the common rooms. The location at the head of St. Joseph's lake is equally charming and suitable. The foundations being once blessed, the work was continued by the men of St. Joseph's novitiate who took the bid in the amount of $. The undertaking was announced in the Catholic papers of the country, and other donations were added to those of Europe. A society of priests was organized on the plan of that already established in several dioceses of France and Germany, but on more advantageous conditions, since from every priests who wished to come and end his days there a subscription was required in proportion to his age when he subscribed. The undertaking has received the highest praise, and is destined to render eminent service to the American Church, as said the Rev. Dr. Keogh in the Pittsburgh Catholic. Its object is to gather aged missioners together and provide a retreat to those pg 455 that desire it, when they need it and have the requisite qualifications. It places the Bishop of North America under a certain obligation and makes interested friends of all the subscribers, who look upon Notre Dame du Lac as their future home. War between the North and the South Contrary to all the anticipations of thinking men, war broke out at the beginning of spring by the attack on Fort Sumter near Charleston, and before the end of the year more than a million men had taken up arms, each in defense of his rights. For more than fifteen years the South had been complaining of the North, and every year the Union seemed to be threatened. Men in Congress were accustomed to those threats, which had come to be but little regarded. The South was in earnest, was active, and had prepared. The first cannon fired in South Carolina took the people of the North pg 456 entirely by surprise. In some months two hundred thousand soldiers were in the field, and by the end of autumn about six hundred thousand had abandoned everything to defend their country. Of this number one third were Catholics. Notre Dame du Lac at once thought of providing those Catholic soldiers with the helps of their holy religion. F. Paul Gillen was the first sent to Washington, the headquarters of the grand army, towards the end of June. He did much good there. Three other Fathers were successively sent thither and accepted by the government as chaplains, namely: FF. J. Dillon, PP. Cooney, and W. Curley. The Sisters were also called by the government to take charge of the wounded. In autumn twenty-two Sisters of Holy Cross took charge of several military hospitals: at Cairo, Paducah, and Mound City. In this latter hospital there were about one thousand beds. It would be hard to speak too highly of the good done by those Sisters wherever they went. Before the end of this year pg 457 they baptized forty dying soldiers, after having instructed and prepared them all. Never had any circumstance been more favorable to the progress of the Catholic religion. In the presence of death man reflects. The devotedness of the missioner and of the good Sisters cannot escape his attention, especially when, in spite of himself, he contrasts it with the coldness and the helplessness of Protestantism. The University The hard times this year, which caused half the country to close, had so far had no such effect on this institution. The number of boarders has even exceeded that of last year, owing to its distance from the seat of war. The same unfavorable condition of the times has had several other advantageous results for Notre Dame. 1. It has suggested the plan of taking the bills of each director of an establishment payable in three, six, and nine pg 458 months--an excellent means of obtaining without trouble a considerable sum total and of compelling each director to practise economy, so that he may be able to pay his bills when they fall due. 2. In order to employ fewer professors, the novices of the two novitiates follow the courses of the university, which are more thorough than ever and in which they make more progress without causing any trouble--and this plan is to be kept up in future. 3. Finally this same difficulty of the times has compelled everyone to look more carefully to the observance of strict economy, and if there has been suffering in one sense, there has been gain in another: the morale of the institute has been the gainer, and that is the main point. pg 459 St. Joseph's Novitiate This year has been as a year of new birth to the Brothers' Novitiate. Hardly had the building been finished on the plan of the former house much enlarged, when it was filled with novices and postulants. Soon what had been considered sufficient for a number of years was found to be too small, and it was deemed necessary to think of adding the two towers [wings?] which had been left for the future. Fifty-five novices and postulants spent the year there as models of regularity and of the observance of the rules of the novitiate. The classes were followed at the college and there was greater regularity in the exercises, the number there present representing piety became established, peace reigned without interruption, and it can be said of the house that it was truly a regular and edifying community.  pg 460 Chapter XXI Twenty-first Year, 1862 The year 1862 was for several reasons a memorable one in the annals of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. The continuation of the civil war; the sending of new chaplains and of a still larger number of Sisters to the army; their successes, their dangers, their trials, the deaths taking place in their ranks; the recoil of the miseries of the Mother House; the suspense for more than six months in expectation of the Visitor General, which instead of improving the condition of things with the lapse of time, only increased the trouble; the lack of pecuniary resources to meet the constantly growing needs of the institution; the prosperity of the college and of the academy in spite of the hard times; the success of the Brothers' schools; the pg 461 desertion of some; the necessary enlargement of their novitiate as well as of the house of the apprentices; the sudden erection of a new hall for exhibitions an recreation; the completion of the new St. Mary's Academy; the continuation of the work on the house for aged ecclesiastics; some urgent requests for new foundations at Alton and Springfield, Lafayette and Washington--these are the principal chapters that deserve attention if they could be developed without danger of offending anyone. Without a doubt the most charming side of the society of Holy Cross in the United States this year was that of the war. There was at one time together five Fathers and more than forty Sisters in the armies of the Potomac and of Tennessee and in the hospitals of Paducah, Louisville, Cairo, Mound City, Washington, and Memphis; and whilst the Reverend Fathers followed their regiments or their brigades amidst the bullets and all the other dangers of war, the Sisters [were attending] in the hospitals, some of which pg 462 occasionally contained as many as fifteen or sixteen hundred wounded or sick soldiers at a time; and the most consoling conversions were numerous around them, the number of baptisms in the hospitals becoming greater every day. During the course of this year the Sisters of Holy Cross baptized with their own hands more than seven hundred soldiers, after having properly prepared them and inspired them with eagerness to belong to the Church of their good nurses. Nothing could be more edifying than the conversion and the last moments of those brave soldiers, who thanked Heaven with their last breath for having granted them the grace to find true life even at the gates of death. Two of those devoted Sisters fell victims of their zeal in the same hospital, Mound City, as well as one of the Fathers sent temporarily to help the many wounded men crowded together in this vast building. The two Sisters were Fidelis and Elise, and the pg 463 chaplain was the Rev. F. Bourget, who had come the year before from the Mother House in France. All three were excellent religious. They were greatly lamented by those for whom they had sacrificed their lives, as well as by their fellow-religious at Notre Dame and at St. Mary's. Those sacrifices were undoubtedly a gain for the victims: [and] they gave the Congregation of Holy Cross, in the eyes of the public, a consecration that it had not before received and which surrounded it with a happy prestige in the New World. Whilst it was thus gaining an enviable reputation in the outside world, the demon jealous as he always is of all that is good, and especially of the salvation of souls, made ready to attack the Congregation at the very centre of its life and its prosperity, and he nearly succeeded in utterly destroying it. Never perhaps were men more united in a common devotedness to the same work, and never did the spirit of darkness succeed better in pg 464 setting them at cross purposes as to the means of reaching the end which they all had in view. The Mother House appeared to her elder daughter to misconstrue entirely her real sentiments, and vice-versa; and soon, on the one side and on the other, everything was interpreted in the worst sense, matters being carried so far that religious, who still loved and esteemed one another, began to spy each other's actions like veritable enemies. There is no doubt that all this trouble was the devil's work. A Visitor was sent from France. Instead of the favorable results that everybody looked for from this Visit, through some mystery not to be explained unless by the wiles of the evil spirit, none of those hopes was realized, and a series of troubles that had not even been suspected began one after the other to arise, in a manner equally surprising and afflicting. Neither party had foreseen the lamentable consequences of the first disagreements, which were in themselves slight and of little pg 465 importance. But when a man is once aroused to what he considers his duty, there is no knowing how far he will go. At the end of the year the Visitor was in New Orleans, without having arranged anything satisfactorily in the Province of Indiana. Amidst all the vexations caused by this misunderstanding, Heaven kept up [our] courage by precious blessings. The college and the academy were in a prosperous and most encouraging state. The war had ruined many institutions along the disputed lines: thus far the north of Indiana had lost nothing by this scourge of the nation, but on the contrary had, in a way, gained by the misfortune of others. The same reflection applies to public institutions. Unfortunately confidence, which is the soul of commerce, no longer existed. Whoever happened to be in debt when the war began could not escape being embarrassed to meet his liabilities. Notre Dame had to suffer from this, especially since provisions and all other articles were going up in price, and paper money was daily less trusted by businessmen. pg 466 However, with the protection of its heavenly patroness, it maintained its credit and position, and this critical year, which might have entirely ruined it, left it more solidly established than ever in public confidence. This same year the increasing number of boarders made it more than necessary to have a recreation hall for the Junior Department. There were now seventy juniors, who in winter and in bad weather had to take their recreation in the study hall. Mrs. Phelan generously offered $1000 for this purpose. With this amount not only was a recreation hall built, but a hall in the upper story for the distribution of premiums, thus saving the institution an annual expenditures of from eighty to one hundred dollars for the erection of a proper theatre. The work on the house of ecclesiastical retreat was continued according as means were forthcoming. The Rev. Father Dillon spent some weeks int he city of Pittsburgh, where he collected nearly four hundred dollars for this object. pg 467 The first trial of steam heating was made this summer at St. Mary's academy, and gave all the satisfaction that could be desired.  pg 468 Chapter XXII. Twenty Second Year 1863 The unfortunate war which was desolating the country for the last two years was destined to be prolonged throughout this whole year, the principal events of which bearing on the Congregation of Holy Cross in this Province we are going to relate. The four missioners continued their dangerous work with the same courage and the same results. The Rev. Father Carrier joined them in the spring. He was chaplain of the Catholic soldiers in the army which had the signal honor of taking Vicksburg; but he was recalled the following summer and returned about the beginning of October. The Rev. Father Dillon, whose health had been failing for some time, was obliged to seek to recover it in a strange climate and in repose, and started for Europe in the month of August. Sisters were sent in larger numbers to the hospitals, and baptisms were still more frequent amongst their wounded and sick. pg 469 Before the end of the year the number of those whom they had thus prepared and regenerated ran up to eighteen hundred--not to speak of all those that went home edified and made life-long friends of the Sisters of Holy Cross. The Visit was resumed in May, but with hardly any serious result. After some ten days the Visitor took his departure from Notre Dame du Lac and was heard of no more, leaving it to the General Chapter which was to be held in the month of August, to pronounce on the difficulties of which this visit had been the unexpected and probably also the involuntary occasion. 1863-4 The Chapter did meet at the appointed time and the question General was examined at some length. The results are known, and this is Chapter not the place to make any comments on the subject, on which the highest tribunal of the Congregation has pronounced its judgment. However, Rome has kept silence at least all this year on the pg 470 difficulties of the Congregation, and at the end of December nothing authentic or official had been issued by that supreme tribunal. This year the number of entries was greater than ever. The pupils came the first days in such numbers that soon every spot was occupied, and beds had to be placed wherever they could be crowded in. Then, laborers became so scarce that it was hard to find men to cut fire wood. The Council of Notre Dame suddenly found itself face to face with the almost impossible task of obtaining the Steam heat amount of wood necessary for the winter, which had already set in. 1863-4 After the most serious deliberation it was resolved to introduce steam heating as an escape out of the difficulty as had been done at St. Mary's. There was not a day to spare: it was November. The work was urged forward with all possible haste, and by Christmas the college was heated satisfactorily and economically, as it had not been done before. The steam heating at St. Mary's a year earlier had much to do pg 471 with the great reputation of the new academy. The council hoped that something of the kind would happen for the college, nor was it disappointed. The advantages of this new system were not known until it was in full operation. Soon afterwards steam was introduced into the kitchen. It was everywhere considered a blessing, savings on an average twenty to twenty-five dollars a day. The administration took this occasion to raise the terms for board $20, and no one found fault. Towards the end of the year His Reverence having ordered F. Sorin to protect the Brothers against conscription, the latter sent the original to Mgr. Wood, Bishop of Philadelphia, who exonerated him from all blame, although he expressed his regrets that such were the unhappy consequences of the fratricidal war between the North and the South. The four Brothers in Philadelphia once being withdrawn, it was impossible to continue the three schools, seeing that only pg 472 novices would be left, who by themselves would be unable [to manage the schools.] F. Sorin gave no orders in this matter, but was content to sent the Brother Director an exact translation of the letter of His Reverence. Meanwhile the Rev. F. Carrier, who had obtained excellent letter from General Grant to the President asking exemption for the members of the Congregation, proceeded to Washington, and obtained from the Secretary of War a verbal promise that our Brothers residing at Notre Dame, in consideration of their workshops, would be exempt if the lot fell on them. Therefore, instead of proceeding to Canada, as His Reverence advised, the Brothers, who were just as safe at Notre Dame, resolved of their own accord to return thither. The Rev. Father Stanton of St. Augustin's found the greatest difficulties, real or imaginary, to replace those Brothers, and protested against their recall. He unjustly laid the blame on F. Sorin, who was only carrying out the orders of his superiors. One thing that contributed not a little to tranquilize the pg 473 members of the council during those two years of trouble, was that they all along expected the Visit of the Superior General, of whom they had not the slightest fear if they only had a chance to show him how much the dispositions of the Province were misjudged. They never doubted that his presence would have restored perfect harmony in a few days. In the month of August of this year the Brothers' school at St. Paul's, Philadelphia was closed during F. Sorin's voyage to France, the pastor refusing obstinately to give or promise a fixed salary such as the Brothers receive in all their other establishments. Experience had proved that otherwise the good Brothers would not make their expenses.  pg 474 Chapter XXIII. Twenty Third Year 1864 This year was to be marked by several events. The sudden increase of the college which was to count 360 actual boarders, so that Notre Dame became one of the most numerously attended boarding schools in America; the decrees of the Holy See reuniting the three Provinces of Indiana, Canada, and Louisiana and fixing the seat and the novitiate of the American Province at Notre Dame du Lac, thus giving hopes that peace, harmony, and union, equally desired by all, would soon be firmly established. On this occasion His Reverence was invited jointly by Mgr. Luers and F. Sorin to come and preside over the Chapter and to regulate matters, and also to persuade the Reverend Mother General of the Sisters to fix her administration at St. Mary's, near Notre Dame du Lac. Whilst Providence was more evidently than ever bestowing blessings on the Congregation of Holy Cross in America, the demon pg 475 was striving as usual to destroy it. Elections in the States are generally an occasion of some commotion. This year, amidst the horrors of war, they could not but be the object of general interest, seeing that on them depended the continuation or the termination of those same horrors. The council of Notre Dame felt how necessary was prudence in such delicate and dangerous circumstances. It took the matter into consideration and adopted a resolution which was calculated to have the best result. Unfortunately it was badly carried out, or rather was not carried out at all, the member to whom it had been entrusted foolishly confiding to a third party who did not understand the consequences and took no steps in the matter. The result was that the house was very seriously compromised in the eyes of the country. Mr. Colfax, chairman of the House of Representatives in Washington and an old time friend of F. Sorin, as a matter of course counted on the votes of Notre Dame. Now, as most of the pg 476 Irish in this country imagine, right or wrong, that the republican party is hostile to them, three fourths of them voted against him. He and his friends were indignant at this. Next month the exemption which F. Carrier had obtained for five members on whom the draft had fallen was recalled, and the post office threatened, and all those privileges were to be forfeited in a moment. In this crisis F. Sorin did his best to direct all minds and all hearts to the glorious Patroness of the Lake. This time, as so often before, she showed that her arm was not shortened and her maternal heart had not grown cold. Every member promised to say one thousand Hail Marys. F. Carrier was once more sent to Washington, where after a week of long and earnest work, he succeeded in having the recall of the exemption revoked. Fortunately for the community Mrs. Sherman, a fervent Catholic and a friend of the institution, wife of the famous general of that name, had some months before taken up her residence in South Bend for the sole purpose of having her young pg 477 family educated at Notre Dame and at St. Mary's. She took a lively interest in the case of the five conscripts, and wrote immediately to President Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton. Providentially those letters were received in Washington on the very day when the general telegraphed to the government the fall of Savannah. It seems evident that the Blessed Virgin this time employed the excellent wife of the general to secure this favor. The unexpected success of the college had given rise to the desire of increasing or repairing the building. A regular petition to this effect was addressed by the council of Notre Dame to the Mother House, and then by the advice of Sainte Croix to Rome, asking for authorization to devote ten thousand Roman crowns [scudi] to the enlargement of the University buildings. In the same document the Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda was asked to sanction the weekly publication of a magazine in English especially devoted to the honor of the Most Blessed Virgin, in the pg 478 style of the Rosier de Marie and of several religious publications lately established in Italy. The answer of the Cardinal was most gracious, and the two petitions were granted. In times of war, and especially of national or civil war, all the passions of the poor human heart are to be dreaded. More than once the institution of Notre Dame du Lac would have had to tremble for its existence, were it not that it never doubted of the protection of its advocate. Whenever the revolutionary storm became more violent, Notre Dame being the central point of a considerable radius, naturally became the object of an attention that was rather hostile than favorable. Never had it been more indispensable to make use of the greatest prudence and to keep up to the ideas of the times, and especially not to lose sight of the guidance of Providence. Its position, although brilliant, was none the less insecure. A false step, a mistaken measure, would compromise everything, destroy everything. The more the number of students increased in the college, so pg 479 much the more serious did the danger become; because there was far from being anything like unity of views amongst them in political matters: the two camps were on the contrary clearly divided, and were it not that the Blessed Virgin protected all, there would have been quarrels; and even the shedding of blood would have taken place elsewhere besides in Virginia and on the other battlefields. But it is a testimony which it is consoling to record, that those young men who at Notre Dame du Lac represented the various shades of the politics of their families and of their States, lived in harmony even whilst their fathers and their brothers were slashing one another some hundreds of miles away. Happily at the very beginning of the war divine Providence had inspired the sending of chaplains and of Sisters to the armies of the North. Their devotedness was as a buckler to protect those that remained at home. The death of several of those noble victims at their post of duty and of honor increased the good will of the country. pg 480 The community had no reason to regret its advances. The devotedness of its members was appreciated by the government, the generals, and the officers, whose public eulogiums testified loudly to the country in what estimation their services were held. Out of a hundred others, here is the public testimony borne recently by the commanding general of a brigade in his official report after the battle of Nashville: "As to the Rev. F. Cooney, chaplain of the 35th regiment of Indiana volunteers, he cannot be too highly praised. I am happy to be able to point him out as one of the model chaplains of the army: gentle pious, and brave as a lion. He marched without fear in the midst of his heroic regiment, in the shadow of death, affording the wounded and the dying the aids of his holy religion, encouraging each soldier by his example and his words, without distinction of faith or of religious opinions." Such a testimony from the pen of a man who before the war was at the head of the knownothing movement against Catholics is above pg 481 suspicion. At that terrible and bloody day of Nashville, December 16th, there were two Protestant ministers also present: the official report does not even mention them. When this same Father, worn out by fatigue and almost a wreck, some weeks afterwards, preaching at mass, announced to his regiment that this superior recalled him, and it was evident that his state of weakness did not permit him any longer to continue a ministry which was too burdensome for him, those veterans, as he himself relates, who during nearly four years had fearlessly met all the imaginable dangers of war, began to weep like children. On that very day a petition was drawn up and signed by all the officers of the regiment and by the General of the division, who with his own hand declared that the recall of F. Cooney "would be a calamity." This document is a real masterpiece of the noblest sentiments of the human heart. The superior of Notre Dame could not resist; F. Cooney could nowhere else be more highly esteemed, pg 482 more loved, in a better position to do good. A similar scene was enacted twice in regard to F. Paul Gillen in the army of the Potomac; it was found equally impossible to recall him, although the state of his health seemed imperatively to demand it. When F. Corby returned to Notre Dame after three years' service with the army of the Potomac, it required a positive order to tear him away from amidst the dangers that he had over and over again confronted without showing the least symptoms of fear. He had been literally present at all the battles of the Peninsula under McClellan and Meade, and afterwards under Grant. He also, and more frequently than any other, had marched amongst bullets and balls, and under the same aegis as his confreres had never received the slightest wound. All of them had unbounded confidence in the protection of the Blessed Virgin; they placed their trust in her, and were neither confounded nor forgotten. The Rev. Father J. Dillon, director of the missioner pg 483 chaplains, was the first to break down. At the end of two years his lungs became affected. Against the advice of the best army physicians he remained in the army much longer than he should have done. Finally he went to Europe, but returned after twelve months in about the same state of health. The doctors that had observed the course of his malady were of opinion that a trip to California would be beneficial to him, and in the month of October, he started for San Francisco. His first letters seemed to indicate a change for the better in the health of the pious missioner; but it will take a year to pronounce on the improvement in his health. The sudden increase in the number of pupils in the college this year is due in the first place to the Patroness of the institution, who was more importuned by prayers, more honored, more loved than ever. The secondary causes are chiefly the following: 1. The harmony and devotedness of the professors; both hired and members of the Congregation. A little more attention to their pg 484 general comfort, a higher salary for those that were not members of the community, a well established assurance in their minds that the administration esteems them and desires their happiness: in a word, there has been in the faculty everywhere this year more than any other, content and devotedness to the success of the college. 2. Everyone loving his duty and performing it con amore, the progress of the students was the more marked; parents understood this as soon as did the children. 3. The table kept pace with the times; nothing was lacking nor were any complaints made. The good Sisters who devoted themselves to providing, three times a day, not merely for three hundred and sixty pupils, but for nearly six hundred persons, deserve all praise; for it was no easy task to please such a family with the imperfect means at their command. But that devotedness which is the fundamental characteristic of those good daughters of Holy Cross makes up for all else. pg 485 For twenty years those dear Sisters have devoted themselves to the service of Notre Dame du Lac, and the success with which it is crowned at the present day is in no small measure due to them. During the first twelve years when they formed an integral part of the community, their fidelity in all their trying labors was simply beyond praise. Since the separation separate accounts were kept at St. Mary's, as was but right; but the devotedness of the forty Sisters to Notre Dame du Lac has remained the same, equal to all the requirements of the institute which they love as in the first days. They were born here in the paternal house, and the mutual desire is that the sentiments of their early childhood never undergo the slightest change. What is done contentedly and lovingly is generally well done. It is not only in the kitchen, but in all the important employments wherein they are engaged that they need to be sustained by this interior content. Their devotedness is a blessing to the whole institution. pg 486 The most important of the improvements at Notre Dame du Lac this year was the rebuilding of the infirmary, which from a little old cabin was made a respectable building of 100ft. in length by 45ft. in width, three stories high. This building, like the college, is heated by steam. For the present the second story is entirely devoted to classes, and a part of the ground floor [is occupied] by the professors. The remainder, that is to say, what is strictly speaking about half of what is actually necessary, for the infirmary.  pg 487 Chapter XXIV. Twenty Fourth Year 1865 In the annals of Notre Dame du Lac this year formas an epoch in more than one way, but chiefly by the holding of an extraordinary Provincial Chapter by orders of the Holy See, presided over by an Apostolic Delegate; and also by rebuilding the college. Thus far the Chronicles of the Congregation in the United States could be written only with such reserve that one is compelled to acknowledge that they do not state the half of what the impartiality of history would demand. It is hard for a son that has the least regard for the honor of his father to reveal weaknesses which he would infinitely sooner keep forever secret. But if, however, it is desirable to transmit to the future a true history whence instruction can be drawn and the providence of God towards his work can be admired, it would be unjust, we think, always to present accounts not only incomplete, but directly false and unjust. pg 488 The writers of these memoirs does not wish to judge of the intentions of anybody; God alone has reserved it to himself to pronounce herein. But it would be an outrage to truth to seek in all circumstances to screen from blame those whom he heard blamed in the most positive manner by His Holiness himself. For instance, it was to him and to the Procurator General that the Holy Father said one day when speaking of the Very Reverend F. Moreau. "One admirable head for himself, but abominable in the conducting of others." His Eminence the Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda was often heard by the same Fathers to speak in the same sense of the Superior General and of his nephew. If the Very Reverend Father Moreau and his nephew have been so long spared in these pages, it is not because they were thought blameless in regard to the embarrassments in which the administration of the Province was involved, but in order to avoid every reflection disadvantageous to them. We now resume more freely, in a few pages, the history of 1864. pg 489 The General Chapter of 1863 had decreed the fusion of the Provinces of Indiana, Canada, and Louisiana into one, whose seat was to be fixed later on. This measure was simply an act of resentment of the Very Rev. F. General and of his nephew, who sought merely to lower Notre Dame du Lac. It was pitiful to hear them talk of its insolence, etc; and, according to them and some others, this poor mission of Notre Dame hardly deserved to live, and its suppression or its ruin would not cause a single tear. Painful though the admission may be, there appears to exist no doubt that His Reverence and nephew were constantly seeking means to be revenged on Notre Dame. The fusion just mentioned had no other cause; this was no secret to any of the members, not only of the Chapter, but of the Congregation. The intention was to fix the seat of the new Province at New York. The Superior General himself said to the writer of these pages that he was thinking of placing his nephew in New York as Assistant General, with the pg 490 charge of all the American foundations; but as the General Chapter was so near, he preferred to leave all to its decision. The suppression of the Province having been resolved upon, nothing was easier than to have it passed by a Chapter in which the Superior General had taken care to secure a majority of votes, which left Indiana no chance nor hope of success. The pretended impartiality of His Reverence was from the beginning to the end of this assembly nothing but a thinly disguised mockery. Probably the matter did not escape the discrimination of the Propaganda, which, instead of leaving to the Superior General the decision of the question of residence, decided it itself and located it at Notre Dame. The Bishop of Fort Wayne was named Delegate Apostolic and charged to call together a chapter in which the election of a Provincial of America would take place, and the revision of the Constitutions of Provincials. The Chapter met at Notre Dame in the third week of Easter, and F. Sorin was elected to the new charge by an absolute pg 491 majority. The Chapter seemed to have established peace and harmony, and during some months it might have been believed that concord would finally succeed the interminable miseries of the past. If His Reverence had cordially accepted the result of those measure which his bad will had called forth, there is no proof that the consequences would not have been all that could be desired. But everything had turned against him, and Notre Dame, which he wished to humiliate, had gained a victory which it had not even desired. The defeat was too humiliating to be accepted by him. That was not the spirit of the Superior General nor of the nephew. It is hardly necessary to state that the decrees of a Chapter so unfavorable to the higher authorities were of no effect. Even before putting them to the test, the union of the novitiates into one, which had been decreed, nor pronounced to be an impossibility, as also the administration of so vast a Province by one man. The Rev. F. Charles [Moreau] in New York would have been pg 492 equal to the task; but the idea of entrusting to F. Sorin of Notre Dame the government of Canada, Louisiana, and New Brunswick was a * See pg 351 *. of the actual The great event of the year was the call of the Superior document. General to Rome with the positive intention of keeping him there. Words have It was only after the third summons that he finally obeyed. The been cut off Reverend Fathers Drouelle and Champeau were summoned at the same time. This does not belong to our annals of America, and yet it is not out of place in them, since it is at this epoch that all is about to change for the Congregation, and in particular for Notre Dame. The resignation of His Reverence was accepted at once, although the fact did not become public till the following year. This same year His Reverence had sent the Rev. F. Charles to Rome. He was a declared enemy who would do everything to justify his acts in America. Besides his own cause, he represented in Rome that of his uncle and of the whole general administration. He lodged with the Procurator General, whom His Reverence had pg 493 designated as one on whom he might rely without fear. However, F. Charles ruined himself forever at Rome.  pg 494 Chapter XXV. Twenty Fifth Year 1866 The Superior General, only in spite of himself, had obeyed the order of the Cardinal Prefect to proceed to Rome. After some months, seeing clearly that instead of gaining anything, he was gradually losing in the estimation of all those that had at first taken some interest in him, he left Rome as if by stealth. This not only displeased His Holiness, but also all the Cardinals. From this time forth the Reverend F. Moreau had no friends at Rome. His resignation, already accepted, was made public, and the Rev. F. Chappe named Apostolic Vicar General provisionally until the Chapter. This time His Reverence could not accuse anybody of influencing Rome against him. He had been himself the author of his own downfall. He had been seen, heard, followed, examined. No one had remained to answer him. It is said that he formally demanded the expulsion of Reverend Fathers Drouelle, Champeau, and pg 495 Sorin, with whom he declared it was impossible for him to govern the Congregation. He also wished to sell Ste. Birgitta, without even informing the Propaganda beforehand, and he actually did sell it, privately. He wished to leave Rome, which he no longer loved. The 31st of May of this year will remain memorable in the minds of the inhabitants. The year 1866 must form an epoch in the annals of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The resignation of the Superior General having been accepted by the Pope, a Vicar General was at the same time named by the Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda, with all the powers of the Superior General, until the regular election of a new General by the next Chapter. F. Chappe, first assistant, was chosen to administer the affairs of the Congregation and to convoke the General Chapter, which met at the pg 496 usual time at Sainte Croix. It was presided over by the Bishop of LeMans as Delegate Apostolic; all the members summoned were present with the exception of the Rev. F. Charles Moreau, who through a whim chose to deprive the Chapter of his lights and cooperation. Mgr. Fillion in this delicate circumstance showed more consideration than the lack of politeness of the dear Father deserved; but he went right on without paying any further attention to this act of singularity. The acts of the Chapter having been made known to the Congregation, it will be sufficient for us to remark here summarily that Mgr. Dufal, Bishop of Delcon in Eastern Bengal, was elected General, and [this choice] was afterwards confirmed by the Holy See; that the Congregation was divided into four Provinces: France, the United States, Canada, and Bengal. To relieve the pressing necessities of the Mother House which was loaded down with debts, America subscribed a sum total of 70,000fr. pg 497 Unfortunately the provisional government was destined to be prolonged until almost everybody was beginning to lose patience and hope. The whole Congregation had necessarily to suffer, although the Mother House, where the ex-Superior General resided, naturally suffered much more from this state of things than any of the other houses. Finally on September 12th of the following year official news was received at Sainte Croix that he [the Superior General], had arrived at Marseilles, and everybody began to breathe more freely. Immediately after the General Chapter F. Sorin proceeded to Rome with the Reverend Procurator General as deputies to lay the acts of the Chapter before the Holy See. He remained there three weeks, and obtained from the Holy Father, propria manu, the approbation of the Ave Maria, in five lines, and the blessing of the crown of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. pg 498 On his return to the States at the beginning of October he proceeded to Baltimore to assist at the National Council to which he had been invited by Mgr. Spalding, and this delayed his return to Notre Dame till the 21st of the same month. The scholastic year was already well under way, nearly three hundred and fifty boarders had entered, and everything promised a most successful year. However, as soon as he learned of the reduction of fifty dollars that it had been deemed expedient to make in the former cost of board, he felt that the profits would not correspond to the number, and he expressed fears to the administration. But it was a time for misfortune that could not be helped. The books showed a loss, a real deficit of $10,000 at the end of the session. After such an experience, he insisted on having the former charges restored, which was done at the return of the pupils in September 1867. This year 1866-67 was necessarily affected by the inaction pg 499 resulting from a state of expectancy: expectation that the decrees of the chapter be approved by Rome; expectation of the new General; expectation of the Rules as revised by order of the General Chapter, which could not be distributed before the arrival of the new General. But if in the Province of the United States there was not much enterprise, there were at least patience and peace. The novitiate of the priests needed repairs. It was closed this year. When all had been brought to a state, not only passable, but even more satisfactorily and comfortable than it had ever been, the Rev. F. James Dillon, elected Master of Salvatorist novices by the Provincial Chapter, took possession towards the end of August with six excellent novices, all chosen from amongst the *See p. 357 pupils of the University. The novices have no longer anything to of original do with the * college. pg 500 The Rev. F. Letourneau having been named chaplain at St. Mary's and pastor of the Assumption at New Lowell, the Rev. F. Carrier was appointed the successor in St. Joseph's novitiate. He undertook all the teaching of the novices who thus ceased connection with the college. The two novices were thus for the first time on regular footing according to the letter of the Constitutions. Hence they inspire new hopes. Another step in the same direction was taken this year by the decree of the Provincial Chapter to furnish the Missioners' House at the expense of the Congregation to make it the residence, (besides of some priests that might wish to come and make retreats there), of novices who, finishing their novitiate before the age required for profession, would there continue their studies until they made the perpetual vows. The work is going briskly forward, and will be completed about Christmas. On the north tower will be placed the telescope presented the institution by His Majesty Napoleon. pg 501 Since the return of F. Sorin, the community has gained in its religious life by its more complete separation from the college. It has passed the year in this happy separation, occupying alone the two lower stories of the infirmary. At the last reopening of the school it changed the first story with the minims, nor did it suffer much from isolation. The missions have equally been making progress. Cincinnati has made the acquisition of a respectable house for the sum of $8,000, which the establishment will pay by degrees. Besides, St. Philemon's school has been taken again, so that fourteen teaching Brothers reside there this year, each at the head of a large class of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty scholars. Fort Wayne is likely to have a footing of its own for the Congregation. The four Brothers who conduct this school are doing well and are very happy. Four other Brothers are established by an ancient authorization in Lafayette, where by mutual agreement they are to build on their own ground at the charge of the pastor, a house to pg 502 cost $25,000, they relinquishing their salary for five years. The two schools of Alton and Springfield employ, the former four Brothers, the latter only two. They are also promising houses. The new foundation of St. Patrick's is still in swaddling clothes, but will perhaps emerge from them. The Rev. F Cooney is superior. Brother Raymund is still at New Dublin, where he rules all things, if not according to his best judgment, at least in a free and easy style. Baltimore not having signified any intention to continue, remains closed, seeing that no signs of reopening were manifested. Holy Cross is a recent foundation of four Brothers on Mr. Murphy's land. (p 359) The Rev. F. Paul Gillen is the superior, and he has just built a house there for his little colony. It is a mission that will probably be blessed by Heaven, and will be consoling and fruitful. The Rev. F. Letourneau, superior of the Brothers at St. pg 503 Mary's, takes his meals with them and assures to all for the future the satisfaction and the advantages of community life. The community has made a valuable acquisition this year in the purchase of 1320 acres from Mr. Irwin, five or six hundred of which are a deposit of turf. About one thousand tons have already been taken out and will replace twelve hundred cords of wood. Our neighbors are astonished beyond measure to see that Catholic from beyond the sea have come to discover such a treasure for them. They could not be convinced until they saw the fire that this black earth made in our boilers. The event of the year is the big bell, which everybody wants to see and to hear. It is the largest bell in the United States, and unquestionably the most perfect and most sonorous. It can be heard for fifteen or seventeen miles. The material improvements this year at Notre Dame were the painting of the outside of the college, and the painting of the pg 504 inside in oak color, which wonderfully adds to the beauty of the two. Then the erection of the two lodges on the principal avenue, at the point of intersection of the road going towards St. Mary's, with a view to prolong thither the parterre that begins under the windows of the college. The two lodges are joined by a rail fence which closes the road, that to the east being used as a post office and the other as a porter's lodge, in which also Bro. Francis Xavier keeps a little store of religious articles. The number and the spirit of the pupils in the college seem to be improving upon preceding years. If nothing happens to cloud the horizon, the year appears consoling and full of promise. God grant that His kingdom be sought first and always and by each and every one, and that we may thus deserve the continuance of the blessings without which we can do nothing. pg 505 Additions or Reminiscences (1880) While reading over again the foregoing pages nearly forty years since they were commenced, I was not only interested in this faithful record of so many proofs of the visible and constant attention and tender solicitude of divine Providence, but I sincerely regretted they were so poorly related, and even some, at least, totally overlooked. But who could say all divine Providence has done, since 1841, for the children of the Holy Cross in this New World? Every day from the first to the last should have its chapter, and each one, as the work went on, developing itself and increasing the number of its devoted laborers, should multiply its pages, in order to show the real and true cause of the growth of such a small and insignificant seed into a tree the shade of which already protects so many innocent souls and pure hearts. Indeed if there is a man upon earth who can account for the pg 506 steady progress and unceasing development of the work of the Holy Cross in America, it should be the one who came first to commence it and who to this hour ever remained its principal Director. But he more than anyone else feels absolutely convinced that whatever the devotedness of his associates and co-workers may have been, it would have amounted to and resulted in a complete failure, if God had not blessed their puny exertions in the undeniable manner he did, making of us so many living witnesses to the truth of his apostle's solemn declaration, that the weakness of God is stronger than men; that the foolish things of the world God hath chosen that he may confound the wise; that he hath chosen the weak things to confound the strong; and the base things and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his sight--I Cor., 1, 27-29. This precious and most consoling text is familiar to all missionaries. I learned it pg 507 by heart, or rather took it to my heart long since. God alone knows how well it has served me. Hence I repeat without a particle of shame, but with a readiness equalled only by an absolute conviction, that if there is anything praiseworthy in the rapid growth of the mustard seed brought over from the old world and planted by us in this new one, it is to the abundant dew, the incessant and ever increasing blessing from above that it is due. Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. Our share in what the world may perhaps admire, what is it? Simply and honestly, to have checked and opposed the workings of divine grace instead of cooperating faithfully with it. Ah! if we had all and every one of us duly responded to the advances of the divine Master, what glorious results would new rejoice the guardian angels of this New World! But alas! the more forcibly we feel obliged to confess our infidelities, the more evidently do we prove that what little good has been done must be wholly pg 508 credited to the protection of Heaven. One thing, perhaps, will appear evident more than any other, viz: that he Blessed Virgin has taken this mission of the Holy Cross in America under her special protection from its very incipiency throughout. To me the evidences of the fact /if I can use the only expression I know to convey my conviction/ are such, so numerous and palpable, that, when I think of them, Notre Dame and what has sprung from it stands beyond doubt the work of our glorious and Immaculate Virgin Mother. 5th of August. Our Lady of the Snow Long before we left France for this New World, I remember very distinctly that there was in my mind a predominant thought and in my heart a special, and abiding desire, which I might call a hidden passion, viz: to devote my time somewhere, to consecrate pg 509 my life to preach what I knew of the Blessed Virgin. My first sermon, written at home in 1837 when I was only subdeacon, was on Our Blessed Mother, from the sacred text: Qui elucidant me, vitam aeternam habebunt. I read it all to my dear parents before I preached it, and they seemed to feel more than pleased with my first oratorical essay. From this first debut until I left all, I preached often, my first love increasing year after year. But on the day of our departure, when I opened my new Breviary for vespers, [until then the Roman liturgy was totally unknown to me, having never used but that of our diocese], I was struck to see that we were starting on a beautiful festival day of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of the Snow. The impression I received from the happy coincidence was not to be soon obliterated. I had absolutely nothing to do with the choice of the day. How often have I not thanked her since for choosing it herself, as a proof that she wished us to leave for our new pg 510 mission under her maternal protection, to look up to her as to our guiding star! Mr. Leo Dupont was with us in the coach from Mans to Havre. He had volunteered to accompany us to the sea and to arrange everything for our embarkation. We were intimate friends. He served us admirably for three days. Without him we might have found it impossible to take the sea. He was the last to shake hands with us several hours after the boat had left the shore. One may imagine his joy and his comments when he learned the name of the festival on which we were leaving our friends at Mans. A few weeks before we had made together one of the three hundred and sixty-five pilgrimages which he published some years later in his beautiful Annee a Marie, in 2 vols. I knew his admirable love of the Mother of God: he thanked her as only saints know how to thank heaven for deeply felt favors. I said my office in the coach--vespers and matins: I never felt happier; it seemed the Blessed Virgin claimed not only pg 511 my thoughts and affections, but my whole life: she wanted all I could give. Oh! how glad I would have been to give her something worth offering and receiving! My only consolation then was to make no reserve. But insignificant as was my poor return, she seemed to accept it. Since this first mark of maternal tenderness, who could enumerate the daily proofs she has given us of her undying love? To whom was I indebted a little later on for celebrating my first *in Logans- mass in Indiana on Rosary Sunday?* and for reaching Vincennes, port invited the end of our long journey, in time to say my mass and preach by the V.R. before our venerated Bishop on the solemnity of her Divine Martin, Maternity? I should have been stone blind not to recognize on the since Bishop above three occasions the loving hand of a Mother even if she had of Natchez entirely withdrawn her sensible protection all the time intervening. But of the two months and six days that our journey lasted, I could not point to a single one on which she forgot us pg 512 and left us in want. If time permits I will relate some more, were it only to show to our dear religious of the Holy Cross in America how good the Mother of God has been to them from the beginning; how much they owe her and what boundless return of gratitude and love she has a right to expect from each of them. The above three first delicious etapes in a little more than two months were too significant to be passed unnoticed by young missionaries whose souls were wholly absorbed in on same thought, viz: to make known in the New World the Holy Mother of God, to whom they had consecrated their best love. For her they had left all; for her they actually lived; for her they passionately wished to spend themselves and be spent to the end of their life. If she blessed their labors, they had not even a doubt their mission would prove a success. Without her they could not account to any man for the first elements of Christianity; [they could] not even explain to heathens the Apostles' Creed itself. Like the happy shepherds of pg 513 Bethlehem, they themselves had been want to find Mary and Joseph and the Infant; in the same order they intended preaching the Gospel to the Indian and to the citizen of the New World; in their deep convictions, Mary was the key to open to all, the mysteries of the Gospel. How could the Son be reached without speaking of his Mother? and how could she be made known without being admired and praised and loved? pg 514 1843 Towards the end of the extraordinary winter of 1842-1843, on the 15th of March, a remarkable even happened in the mission of St. Mary's of the Lakes, which alone was more than enough to console our new missionaries in the little trials unavoidably imposed upon them by the rigor of the season and its unprecedented duration, (the snow covering the ground for full five months, with the exception of two days) two serious causes of the sufferings of the country at large, but particularly for our new comers, whose arrival at South Bend had been preceded by a heavy fall of snow, ten days before, and who found in their long wished for new quarters no preparation whatever but an old log cabin completely abandoned since three years, without any furniture except a bed and three chairs. For three days they went to town in the evening and returned pg 515 early in the morning to fit up the venerable old mission house. They went to their task with a will; and the fourth night they all slept deliciously in their new lodging, more precious in fact to each one of them than any palace in the New World could have been. By degree all their real wants were successively supplied: not a complaint nor a murmur nor even a regret was heard in the little band through that trying memorable winter: they were happy as they never were before. Devotedness knows no fatigue or privations; and where true love finds labor, even that labor if loved, said St. Augustin fifteen hundred years ago. At times they were indeed richly repaid, as the following little anecdote or real occurrence will prove. In his frequent visits to his beloved Indians at Pokagan, Michigan, Father Sorin one day heard of another settlement of Pottawatomies, ninety miles east, in Indiana, who had never been pg 516 visited by any missionary, and who had expressed a certain desire to become Christians. Immediately two of the best men of the Pottawatomies were dispatched to the new village, and in three weeks they reported their new catechumens well instructed, ready for baptism, and very anxious to see the missionary. They could not wait; they were impatient, for fear, they said, that they might die before becoming the happy children of God. Very early next morning the missionary was journeying in a sleigh, with an interpreter and a driver, towards Nantawassippi, fifty-five miles east of South Bend, to the residence of an excellent Canadian friend, Mr. Marentet, at whose house our neophytes were to meet him to receive holy Baptism. It was 5 p.m. when Father Sorin, nearly half frozen, reached the spot and found himself surrounded, before he could get out his cutter, by nineteen Indians, everyone the very picture of joy and happiness. pg 517 After supper an examination of the little band was commenced in serious earnest. Father Sorin was surprised at the thorough knowledge they possessed of the elements of the Christian doctrine. Then came Confession, then Baptism, finally night prayer, closed by singing in their Indian language. It was nearly 12 when all, on their knees, begged the missionary's blessing. Before separating, the hour for holy mass was fixed at 7. But they would entreat the missionary not to awake until they sang from below the morning canticle; the programme was accepted and punctually carried out. Never perhaps had they all slept so sweetly. At 7 a.m. instruction on Holy Communion occupied an hour; then mass was commenced. Oh! it was a sight not to be easily forgotten. Commencing by the instructors, the chief and his wife, the queen, as she was called, they all came slowly and reverentially to receive the Bread of angels, then an aged squaw pg 518 of over eighty years of age, and then all except a little boy only three years old, the grandson of the woman, who had carried him on her back twelve miles, that he too might be regenerated in the waters of Baptism. Another instruction followed. Who could describe the attention with which it was received! At 11 Breakfast was served. But not one of the new Christians would do anything else but look at the missionary, until he had finished his meal. As soon as he rose from the table the queen stepped towards him, with her husband. Father, she said, we have neither gold nor silver to offer you; but pray, do me the favor to accept these vain things, which I prided in too much; and while uttering these words she was actually fulling from her fingers seven copper rings, which she placed forcibly in F. Sorin's right hand. He thanked her with a trembling voice and with tears in his eyes. Well may it be questioned if he had ever received in Paris or la belle France any gift that moved his heart pg 519 as this spontaneous and sudden Indian generous act did. When he returned to France in 1846, Father Sorin distributed the seven Indian rings among the seven chapels of the Blessed Virgin he knew best, where they are preserved as interesting mementos. Father Sorin would have been delighted to spend the remainder of the day with his new and beloved spiritual children; but he was due at home that evening. By 1 o'clock he started back with his interpreter and driver. At 11 he reached his quarters, where he found a good Brother looking for him, in his room, and taking care of a log seven feet long which he had been pushing into the chimney as it burned away. The journey had been long and cold, but the heart had enjoyed it beyond expression. Such days lengthen a man's life. At twelve he was fast asleep in the same bed on which Father Badin, the protopriest, his successor the saintly Deseille, and pg 520 the famous Benjamin Petit, who died a martyr of his charity for the Indians, had successively rested from their much longer and severer fatigues. Next morning he could thank heaven for the blessings and the joys of the previous eventful day, at the very altar whereon F. Deseille, an hour before his admirable death, had, with a trembling hand, opened the tabernacle and communicated himself with the holy viaticum, because no priest could be procured to attend his last moments. Haec meminisse juvabit. Some day probably not far distant, a religious monument will be erected at Notre Dame to perpetuate the memory of the above glorious names, to which a fourth, no long, but rather much more illustrious, that of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brute, shall be added, to the great joy of hundreds and thousands of honest souls, who knew them to venerate and love them. Sketches have been written of each of them: they form a conspicuous part of the history of the Church of God in the west of the United States. But an especial tribute of respectful pg 521 gratitude is due them where they labored so faithfully and so efficiently. The best proof their honest and happy survivors can offer of their real appreciation of their merits and of the services rendered by them to the cause of religion and civilization, should be a substantial one, viz a lasting monument, for the consolation of the present generation and the instruction of ages to come. "Let the memory of the wicked perish with a noise." The sooner the better. "But let us praise forever the memory of the just;" for hereby the living man honors himself. It would be a disgrace to Notre Dame and to St. Joseph County to leave much longer such names unrecorded for public gratitude. Not another spot on our vast continent is under such obligations to the modest and yet heroic names above mentioned. 1. Father Badin, the protopriest of the United States, is known all over the New World, where he spent himself for more than pg 522 60 years; but where in the almost boundless field of his labors did he leave his mark and immortalize himself as he did here? Nowhere did he purchase any ground but here. As he himself stated to the writer, one day, after ministering to the wants of his dear Indians, while gazing over the two pretty lakes on the shores of which he stood in admiration, the thought flashed on his mind that such a beautiful spot should be secured for God. What a delightful place for an orphan asylum and a college! Instantly, he resolved to buy it. "How well inspired," said he another day to F. Sorin, when he returned to Notre Dame fifteen years later, "how well inspired I was when I entered these 524 acres!" Were he living yet he would say the same and would bless God the more. When the present state of Notre Dame is compared of that of the primeval forest, entered from the Government some fifty years ago by Father Badin, the inspiration of its acquisition ceases to appear a groundless assertion. That is was a providential design pg 523 he himself never doubted. He rejoiced in it as he never did in any other undertaking. He looked upon it, not as a proof of his personal foresight or sagacity, but as a superior design of which he had been the simple instrument. So deeply was he convinced of this that when he revisited it he gave it all he possessed, $6000, on which he received a little annuity until he died in 1853. Here the mustard seed planted by the missioner's hand grew and gradually and providentially developed into a tree in the branches of which the birds of the air have come to rest and dwell. This is, indeed, F. Badin's principal mission, where his labors have been especially blessed. (1832) 2. Rev. Louis Deseille. Next in point of time and importance comes the saintly Mr. Deseille, who fixed here his general quarters as a resident missionary of Indians and while Christians during the five years he lived in the country until his death in the fall of 1837. It was he, properly speaking, who created the pg 524 mission, and he enriched it, not only by his liberal and continual alms to the poor Indians in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois, but by his incessant apostolic zeal and most edifying life, and above all, possibly, by his memorable and angelic death, which alone would forever place him amongst the holiest missioners of the Church, and surrounded his mortal remains and the blessed spot where they rest, with a halo of sanctity, which has been considered, since forty-five years, as an undoubted pledge of extraordinary blessings upon the labors of those who would come after him, to continue and develop his great work. Who could remember such a death and not say: "Oh! may my last moments be like his!" The possession of such precious remains is, for Notre Dame, a treasure beyond value. Three times already since our religious of the Holy Cross knelt around those venerated remains have they been religiously removed, each time to occupy a more honorable place. pg 525 But the outside monument is yet to desideratum. May God enable us soon to show to all, our veneration for the saintly predecessor he himself sent to Notre Dame to lay the foundation of an edifice which he will continue, we trust, to protect and assist unto perfection. He died here in his little log cabin in 1837, but his memory is yet fresh and popular all around. To let it die out when it is so precious to religion would be an inexcusable folly. 3. The Rev. Benjamin Petit, who comes in third on the list, remained here but a very short time, scarcely one year, and yet he seems to be the best known and to have been the most loved. History furnishes such examples of men so richly endowed, so exceptionally drawing every one and everything to themselves, that when a noble end is aimed at, genuine zeal finds in nature a help which hardly anything can resist. Such was, it appears, even from childhood, the third missionary of this western Indian mission. Richly endowed by pg 526 nature, as all say, and raised by a mother equally remarkable for her superior abilities and her piety, he had made brilliant studies in his native city, Rennes, where, as a lawyer, he had already secured a flattering prospect of success, when the saintly Bishop Brute changed all his aspirations and won his wind and his loving heart to the poor missions of Indiana. Two days after his ordination in Vincennes, he was sent here to replace a saint, as he was called by all that knew him. He saw with his own eyes how deeply the loss of Father Deseille was felt all around, little dreaming then that in less than twelve months his own death would plunge so many broken hearts into even a deeper sorrow and more overwhelming affliction, as he was loved already, after such a brief but wonderful exhibition of virtues, abilities, and sacrifices as none of his predecessors, good and excellent as they were, had ever been loved and admired. Half a dozen of his letters, to his Bishop or to his mother, fully justify the universal regrets caused by his untimely death, pg 527 which the saintly Bishop Brute himself called the death of a martyr of charity, and by which he was so much affected that no other cause could be generally assigned for his own death, shortly after this sad loss, then the desolation it created in his heart. The beautiful pages of the "Annales" and of the "Ave Maria" on Father Petit's memorable career dispense us from any further attempt to repeat here what is already familiar to all. What a loss for the mission he loved so well! So much accomplished in one year! And to die at twenty-seven years of age! So much regretted by all that knew him!