Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/191

 RECOLLKITIONS OF AN OLD PIONEER. 181 I funnel tin- heroic anil saintly Father !) Yos, who had spent nni- or moiv years among tin- Flathead Indians. He re- ceived me into the church. The reasons for this change are set forth substantially in my work entitled "The Path "Which Led a Protestant Lawyer to the Catholic Church," from the preface to which the foretroing statement is taken. I was the only Catholic among my numerous living rela- tives. None of my ancestors on either my paternal or mater- nal side had been Catholics, so far as I knew. All ray per- sonal friends were either Protestants or non-professors, ex- cept four: Dr. MeLoughlin, Dr. Long, and Mr. Pomeroy, of On-iron, and (iraha.ni L. Hughes, of St. Louis. Nine- tenths of the people of Oregon were at that time op- posed to my religion. Nearly all the Catholics of Oregon were Canadian-French, in very humble circumstances, many of them being hired, menial servants of the Hudson's Bay Company. I had no. reason for the change from a popular to an unpopular religion but the simple love of truth; and, as I have so long borne whatever of censure may have been heaped upon me in consequence of this change, I think I can afford to die in the Old Church. When T was a young man I was often much concerned as to what others mi_rht think of 'me: and at times T was deeply pained by what others did say of me. In due time, however, and after full consideration and more experience. I came to this final conclusion, that it was my duty to do what was right in itself, and to avoid so far as I could even the appear- nun of evil: and then, if others wrongfully blamed me, it would be their fault, not mine. I saw I could control my- self, and was therefore responsible for my own conduct, but I could not control others, and was not responsible for their actions, so long as I did right myself, and avoided all appear- an f evil. If I should make myself unhappy because other people erred in their judgment of me. then my happiness would be within their power and in their keeping. I thought it my duty to keep my happiness under my own control so far as I could. I had confidence in the -rood sense and justice