exploits, comments upon their intellectual and spiritual nature, and a great variety of other subjects. The history of the native races of North America can never be fully written without consulting the writings of Father De Smet.
Coming now to the vehicle by which Father De Smet transmitted to the public the information he had collected, it remains to note the most important feature of his career, his literary work. The vast magnitude of this labor can best be judged by the bulk of material contained in the present edition of his letters. The industry and application necessary to produce such a result were prodigious; yet in spite of the great quantity of matter its quality was such as always to interest the reading public.
The primary purpose of his writings was to interest the Catholic public both in Europe and America in his missionary work and thus aid in securing the necessary funds for the missions. This duty fitted in perfectly, with Father De Smet's natural tastes, for there is no doubt that he loved the work and would have achieved fame as a writer even without the specific motive above referred to. Concerning this primary motive Father De Smet has left the following definite statement: " I have been more or less engaged in the Indian missions for something like thirty years. The Reverend Father [General] Roothaan, of blessed memory, imposed it upon me as a duty to write very fully and to enter into minute details upon everything that concerned them - the diverse countries inhabited by the Indians, the manners, customs, beliefs, etc., of these strange and unfortunate tribes. My numerous letters, consisting of five volumes, bear witness that I have at least endeavored to discharge the duty laid upon me, and with humility and assurance, I hope that I can add that I have tried to do it faithfully. The present Very Reverend Father General encourages me by his letters to continue to give the details of my missionary labors year after year. All the superiors and provincials of Missouri