The Bishop's letter of April 25 reached Baraga on May 22 and he fears this answer will not reach the Bishop on time for him to give a report to Mr. William Almy Richmond . It takes at least a month and a half between the writing of the Bishop's letter and the receipt of Baraga's answer. Baraga finds it surprising that the government could have doubts "of the propriety of a portion of the school fund being allowed for the support of the Catholic schools." They know or at least ought to know that the Catholic missions are stronger and their schools are also stronger and more numerous than those of the Protestants. In L'Anse the number of Baraga's school children is larger than those of the Methodists on the other shore, if they care to report the truth. In Mackinaw, in St. Ignace and especially in the missions of L'Arbre- Croche the Catholic pupils are more numerous than the Protestants. That is the truth and the government can easily verify it through their agents. Baraga thinks he knows from where the government investigation comes. 1. From the Protestant missionaries, especially from the Methodists, who are quite numerous among the Indians. They establish schools where ever they are, but have sometimes only 2 or 3 regular pupils; others go there sometimes through curiosity. But the number in their reports is always large. They have schoolteachers every where and through their friends, who have influence with members of the government they contrive to get salaries for all their teachers. The number of Catholic teachers is very small in comparison to those of the Protestants. Therefore there is hardly anything left out of the school fund for the Catholic schools. But they are very careful not to mention that the number of the Catholic pupils is everywhere much larger than that of the Protestants. They make these misrepresentations to exclude the Catholics altogether from the schoolfund and to get everything for themselves. They are much to be feared, because they are the "Americans" while the Catholic are the "Foreigners". Their influence upon the government through their acquaintances, friends and relations is naturally much greater than the Catholic one. But Baraga hopes that the righteousness and impartiality of the Superintendent will help the Catholics to keep their rights. 2. The Protestants have more to show in their reports about the education of Indians. They are everywhere in great number, they have families, they establish everywhere boarding houses. There is one of these new establishments in Lapointe. They take the little Indians into their families or into their boarding houses and they teach them to speak English and with that sort of schools they make a great ado and the government is pleased. But the Catholics have hardly any boarding houses for the little Indians and they have hardly any people who could take them in and civilize them. Most Catholic school children are taught by the missionary as their only teacher or by half-breeds who are not qualified to teach English. The missionaries do not always have the time nor the talent to teach English to the Indian children. That is the reason for the contempt one has for the Catholic schools. The Protestants never fail to point out the difference between the education of their children and the Catholic ones. When they have one child of that description, they know how to belittle 50 of our children who do not know to read or write. What consoles Baraga is, that before God one of the Catholic children who reads humbly his Indian books is more pleasing to Him than 50 Indian Methodists who know English and who are extremely proud, who become the "middle-things" between the white people and the Indians and are ordinarily good for nothing. Only that alone can console a Catholic missionary. The Americans are charmed to hear an Indian speak English. That is all that Baraga can say in general about the Indian schools, but it may not be enough to make a report to the government. In Baraga's last letter to the Bishop he transmitted a list of his pupils, with a note that they are taught reading, writing and arithmetic in their own language. He cannot say anything else without lying. Of course they are also instructed in religion, but that he omitted in the report, as the government is hardly interested in religion. He hopes that the Bishop has received all his letters, therefore he does not repeat their content again. Baraga has written again to Father Francis X. Pierz, asking him to remain in L'Arbre-Croche, to arrange his affairs and above all to see that his testament is made legal according to American laws. Baraga is much afraid that the revolution in Vienna will weaken the Leopoldine Association in Vienna or do away with it altogether. If the government ceases to pay to the Bishop what is allowed for the Indian schools Baraga would lose $300.- every spring, and if on the other hand the Leopoldine Association in Austria and the Propagation of Faith in France cease to exist, then, Baraga thinks, he also might as well cease to exist. :: III-2-h A.L.S. French 4pp. 8vo.