[191] CHAPTER XIII. OF THE ORDER OBSERVED IN THE SEMINARY, AND SOME PARTICULARS RELATING TO THE SEMINARISTS. HERE is nothing so difficult as to control the tribes of America. All these Barbarians have THE the law of wild asses,-they are born, live, and die in a liberty without restraint; they do not know what is meant by bridle or bit. With them, to conquer one's passions is considered a great joke, while to give free rein to the senses is a lofty Philosophy. The Law of our Lord is far removed from this dissoluteness; it gives us boundaries and prescribes limits, outside of which we cannot step without offending God and reason.] Now it is very hard to place this yoke, although it is very mild and easy, upon the necks of people who make a profession of not submitting to anything, either in heaven or upon earth; I say it is very hard, but not impossible. In fact, I am convinced that it is beyond the power and skill of men, but that it is very easy to God. [192] We are astonished to see how wild young men, accustomed to follow their own caprices, place themselves under subjection, with so much meekness, that there seems to be nothing so pliant as a Huron Seminarist. Not that it does not require great skill, gentleness, and remarkable patience to manage them,for to employ harshness towards these Nations is to throw them into rebellion. I believe, indeed, that jetter dãs la reuolte. Ie crois bien que ces ieunes gens fe voyans trois cens lieuës efloignez de leur pays se rendent plus fouples; mais il faut confeffer que leur docilité & obeïffance a esté vn grand present de la part de noftre Seigneur. Comme ils se picquoient au commencement de viure à la Françoise, le Pere leur fit entendre que nous regliõs toutes nos actions, que nous ne faifions pas ce qui nous venoit en la fantasie, mais ce qui eftoit raisonnable, & ce que nous auions projetté: qu'il feroit bon qu'ils nous imitaffent en ce poinct; s'en estans monstrez tres-contens, on leur dreffa ce petit ordre qu'ils gardent tous les iours auec beaucoup d'obeiffance & de fubmiffion. Le matin estans leuez on les fait prier Dieu, ils le remerciet de ce qu'il les a creez, & de ce qu'il les a cõferuez, & de ce qu'il lui plaist les apeller à fa cognoiffance: ils lui demãdent fon fecours & fa grace pour ne le point offenser pendant [197 i.e., 193] la iournée, & puis luy offrent toutes les actions, les confacrant à la tres faincte Trinité, en l'honneur de laquelle ils recitent trois fois l'oraison de notre Seigneur, & trois fois la falutation Angelique, pour honorer la faincte Vierge. Ils recitent auffi le fymbole des Apoftres, & quelques autres prieres. Apres leur priere ils vont à la Chappelle, où ils affistent à la faincte Meffe, iufques à l'offertoire feulement, ils font fi ponctuels, que la Meffe qu'on leur a affigné estant fonnée, ils s'y trouuent ordinairement tous les premiers, iufques là qu'on les a fouuet proposez pour exêple à quelques vns de nos François bien plus negligens qu'eux en cét endroit. Apres la Meffe on les fait defieuner, puis on leur monftre à lire & à efcrire, apres quoy aians pris quel the consciousness of being three hundred leagues distant from their own country makes these young men more tractable; but it must be confessed that their docility and obedience has been a great gift to us from our Lord. As they took pride, at the start, in living after the French manner, the Father gave them to understand that we regulate all our actions,that we do not act according to mere whims, but do what is reasonable and what we have planned beforehand; that it would be well for them to imitate us in this regard. Upon showing themselves very willing to do this, the following little program was arranged for them, which they observe daily, with much obedience and submission. When they arise in the morning, we have them pray to God; they thank him for having created them, for having kept them, and that he is pleased to call them to a knowledge of himself; they ask him for his help and grace, that they may not offend him during [197 i.e., 193] the day; then they offer him all their actions, consecrating them to the most holy Trinity, in honor of which they thrice repeat our Lord's prayer, and thrice the Angelical salutation, in honor of the holy Virgin. They also repeat the Apostles' creed, and some other prayers. After their prayers they go to the Chapel, where they attend the holy Mass, as far as the offertory only. They are so punctual that, as soon as the Mass assigned to them is rung, they are usually the first ones there, so that they have been often held up as an example to some of our French who are much more careless than they are in this respect. After Mass they breakfast, then are taught reading and writing; after which, having taken an inter que relasche, le P. leur fait le Catechifme, leur expliquant les myfteres de noftre creance, aufquels ils fe rendent fort attentifs. L'heure du disner estant venuë, eux mesmes dreffent leur table auec vn ou deux ieunes François, qui ont demeuré auec eux, & quelque temps apres auoir pris leur refection, ils ne manquent pas d'aller faluer & adorer noftre Seigneur en la Chappelle, luy presentant cette petite oraison; Mon [198 i.e., 194] Dieu ie vous remercie de m'auoir conferué depuis le matin iufques à maintenant, conferuez moy le reste du iour, oubliez mes fautes, & m'aidez à n'y plus retomber, ie vous prefente toutes mes actions, donnez moy voftre grace pour les bien faire. Apres cela on leur enseigne encore vn peu à lire, puis on leur donne la liberté de s'aller promener, ou de s'addonner à quelque exercice, ils s'en vont ordinairement à la chaffe, ou à la pefche, ou font des arcs & des flesches, ou defrichent quelque terre à leur façon, ou font quelqu'autre action qui leur aggrée. Sur le foir aiant souppé, ils font l'examen de leur confcience, comme auffi leurs prieres à genoux, puis s'en vont prendre leur repos. Eftre né Sauuage & viure dans cette retenue c'est vn miracle; eftre Huron & n'eftre point larron (comme en effect ils ne le font point) c'eft vn autre miracle; auoir vefcu dans vne liberté, qui les dispense d'obeïr mefme à leurs parens, & ne rien entreprendre fans congé, c'est vn troifiefme miracle. Mais defcendons à quelques particularitez que leur maistre & instructeur a remarqué. L'vn d'eux aiant offenfé quelqu'vn de nos François luy alla demander pardon apres [199 i.e., 195] auoir fait fon examen immediatement deuant que de mission, the Father teaches them the Catechism, explaining to them the mysteries of our faith, to which they give strict attention. When the dinner hour comes, they themselves, with one or two young Frenchmen who have remained with them, set the table; and some time after this meal they do not fail to go to the Chapel to salute and adore our Lord, offering him this little prayer: "My [198 i.e., 194] God, I thank you for having kept me from morning until now; keep me the rest of the day; forget my faults, and aid me not to relapse into them again; I present to you all my acts, give me your grace to perform them well." After that, they are given a little more instruction in reading; and then are free to go and walk, or to devote their attention to some occupation. They generally go hunting or fishing, or make bows and arrows, or clear some land in their own way, or do anything else that is agreeable to them. In the evening, after supper, they make their examination of conscience, saying their prayers on their knees, and then retire to rest. To be born a Savage and to live in this restraint, is a miracle. To be a Huron and not to be a thief (as in truth they are not), is another miracle. To have lived in a freedom which dispenses them even from obeying their parents, and then to undertake nothing without leave, is a third miracle. But let us come down to some peculiarities that their master and instructor has observed. One of them having offended one of our Frenchmen, went to ask his pardon after [199 i.e., 195] having made his examination [of conscience], imme |