The Fathers are the only Europeans that the natives think disinterested friends; the single-minded devotion with which they give themselves to a useful and philanthropic mission, causes them to be universally honoured. An extensive field lies open; so much so, that one is struck by the disproportion between means and aims; they are a forlorn hope of Christian knights valiantly assaulting the stronghold of ignorance; men doing battle on the summit of a scaling ladder, without sympathy given by the army encamped at a distance. Until these schools were founded, the natives picked up French under difficulties. The following translation of a song, will give the reader their sentiments concerning their study of the language:
SONG.
The day on which ‘bon soir’ was revealed to us,
We received a blow on the jaw.
We were nailed in prison.
The day on which ‘bon jour’ was revealed to us,
We received a blow on the nose.
Blessings have ceased.
The day on which ‘merci’ was revealed to us,
We were taken by the throat.