394 NORTH AMERICAN LINGUISTICS. 
Kauder {Eev. Christian) — continued. 
As ttese hieroglyphics are still in use among the Micmacs, who write and 
read them, and a font of type for them has actually been cast at Vienna, in which 
a prayer-book has been printed in our day, through the exertions of Rev. Charles 
Kauder, a Redemptorist missionary, who spent some years at Tracadie, it will not 
be out of place to give [Father Christian] Le Clercq's own words: 
"The easy method which I found for teaching our Gaspesiana theu- prayers 
with certain characters which I have formed, effectually convinces me that Ihe 
majority would soon become instructed; for, indeed, I should find no more diffi- 
cnlty in teaching them to read than to pray to God by my papers, in which each 
arbitrary letter signifies a particular word, and some even two together. They 
BO readily grasp this kind of reading that they learn in a single day what they 
would never have been able to retain in a whole week without the aid of these 
cards, which they call Kignamotinoer or Kategnenne. They j)reserve these in- 
structive papers so carefully and prize them so highly that they keep them very 
neatly in little bark cases adorned with wampum, beads, and porcupine quills. 
They hold them in their hands as we do our prayer-books during holy mass, after 
which they replace them in their cases. The main utility and advantage result- 
ing from this new method is that the Indians teach one another, wherever they 
may happen to be. Thus the children teach the father, the wife her husbaud, 
and children the aged, their great age giving them no repugnance to learn from 
their little nephews, and even from girls, the principles of Christianity. 
" It is, therefore, easy to judge hereby of the use of these characters to a mis- 
sionary who wishes to produce a great deal of fruit in a short time throughout 
the whole extent of his district ; for, poor as our Indians' memory may be, they 
can not only easily learn their prayers by these characters, but when they forget 
them it is easy to bring them to mind again by counting them one after another, 
in the manner shown them. 
" Our Lord inspired me with this method the second year of my mission, when, 
being greatly embarrassed as to the mode in which I should teach the Indians 
to pray, I noticed some children making marks on birch bark with coal, and they 
pointed to them with their fingers at every word of tlie prayer which they pro- 
nounced. This made me think that by giving them some form which would aid 
their memory by fixed characters, I should advance much more rapidly ihan by 
teaching on the plan of making them repeat over and over what I said. I was 
charmed to know that I was not deceived, and that these characters which I bad 
traced on paper produced all the effect I desired, so that in a few days they learned 
all their prayers without difficulty. I cannot describe to you th& ardor with 
which these poor Indians competed with each other in praiseworthy emulation 
which should be the most learned and the ablest. It costs, indeed, much time 
aiid pains to make all that they require, and especially since 1 enlarged them so 
as to include all the jirayers of the Church, with the sacred mysteries of the 
Trinity, lucarnatiou. Baptism, Penance, and the Eucharist. But, after all, what 
ought we not to do for God's sake? 
"As I sought in this little formulary only the good of my Indians and the 
e.xsiesfc and readiest method of instructing them, I always used them with greater 
pleasure since several jiersons of merit and virtue have been kind enough orally 
and in letters to exhort me to continue, even forcing me to send specimens to 
them in France, in order to show the curious a new method of learning to read, 
and how God avails Himself of the least things to manifest the glory of His holy 
name to these tribes of Gaspdsie. The approbation of Monseignenr de Saint 
Valier, now Bishop of Quebec, has more than sufficiently authorized their use, 
and thafworthy prelate has esteemed them so highly that after witnessing in 
person their advantage and utility in a very painful voyage which he made to 
Acadia, ho asked some specimens from the Rev. Father Moreau.to whom I had 
imparted them some years before." 
