Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1877 — Manitoba's Curious Presents to the Pope. [ARTICLE]

Manitoba's Curious Presents to the Pope.

Tk* Catholics of the Prpvtnos of Manitoba, that wiM Amor. the ftad*Rtver of tha North, are about to ■end to the Holy Father some very curl ona aa wall aa valuable present* on tlie oc eoioe of kts Golden Jubilee. Thews presents oooalat Of a magnificent bed-rag of Meek elk-akiu (a very me and valuable fur), a email wolf-ekiu rug, a magnifioent pair of slippers and a euperb pair of glove*, made In the fashion of the conn«y, together with the winter outfit of m traveling in the north. This outfit it something very into resting. The Med rests upon a ground of white cotton and is drawn by three dogs, whose harness is a miracle of patience, for nothing is wanting. On the tied aiecooking utensils, an ax and some kettles; on the sides rise, over a closed net-work .of little bags or pockets, the raw-hides used to cover the loads, which consist of the missionary bedding, the linons, etc., for the altar, and the food for the missionary and his dogs. These little Imgs, or pockets, which sre of a very pretty design, will, this time, be filled with gold pieces, the fruit of the Buster collection taken up in all the churches of the Diocese of St. Boniface. Behind the sled and bolding Uie Eide-rope, comes the missionary with i snow-shoes, his long whin in his hand, hit loins girt with a belt of arrows, the manhimovt stuck in his girdle and his cowl drawn over his eyes. All this equipage is contained within a space nearly three feet king and six inches wide. Notwithstanding this, the smooth polished surface of the Great Slave Lake Can be seen in the distance; and beyond this, at the other extremity of the sea of ice, rises a Papal flag, on which are two appropriate inscriptions. The furs, the harness of the dogs, and the gloves and the shoes are all yellow and white, the Pope's colon. The object of this miniature outfit ia not merely to gratify an idle curiosity, but to give the Holy Father an idea of what manner of equipage our missionaries are obliged to travel with, and of the wilds of the Northwest and their long winters, during which they bear the light of Hie Gospel tram one tribe to another, sleeping m the open air, traveling hundreds of mites without meeting a living soul, and exposed to the fearful storms that sometimes sweep over those vast and icy solitudes.—Cincinnati Enquirer.