that prose was the true medium for the expression of his thought. His prose style was simple and direct, and never monotonous. It is in many places overburdened with religious phraseology, and the frequent recurrence of the terms peculiar to the work of the Church detracts somewhat from its pleasure to the general reader. This trait is more apparent in the earlier letters intended for publication with a view to influencing missionary contributions, than in his later official and personal correspondence.
In his personal letters Father De Smet indulges in a great deal of pleasantry, as this was about the only opportunity in his order of life for the natural exuberance of his nature to find expression. Like other men he had his idiosyncrasies of style, one of which was a fondness for the use of a word under different meanings, often carrying the practice to an extreme length.
Finally all his literary work is characterized by a lofty sense of purity and honor, and there is little in it to which the most scrupulous taste could take exception. The uprightness of his life found expression in his writings and this is the highest encomium that can be bestowed upon them.(4)`
(4) The following is a list of the more important publications of Father De Smet's writings :
Published during his lifetime.
Pamphlet, by Father Verhaegen, entitled The Indian Missions in the United States of America, under the Care of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus. Comprises 34 pages, 26 of which are devoted to two letters of Father De Smet's, one on the Potawatomi Mission and one giving a brief account of the 1840 Journey.
Letters and Sketches: with a Narrative of a Years Residence Among the Indian Tribes of the Rocky Mountains. M. Fithian, 61 N. Second Street, Philadelphia, 1843.
French edition of the above, entitled Voyages aux Montagnes-Rocheuses, et une Année de Séjour chez les Tribus Indiennes du Vaste Territoire de 1'Orégon dépendant des Etats-Unis d'Amérique. P. J. Hanicq, Malines, 1844.