FRENCH
276
FRENCH
Haverhill, Mass. These newspapers are thoroughly
Catholic in spirit, as well as sincerely American.
Their editors and publishers met in convention, at
Woonsocket, R. I., on 25 September, 1906, and
organized the Association des Journalistes Franco-
Americains de la Nouvelle Angleterre. At that meet-
ing they adopted resolutions asserting their loyalty
to the republic, and advising the French Americans
to show themselves true and sincere American citizens,
to promote naturalization, to preserve their mother
tongue, to learn the English language, to maintain
parochial schools, wherein both languages should be
taught on an equal footing, and to ask for priests of
their own nationality to be their pastors. The resolu-
tions also requested the Holy See to appoint, when
feasible and proper, bishops of their nationality,
familiar with both the English and French languages,
in all dioceses in which the French Americans con-
stitute the majority of the Catholic population. The
first French newspaper to appear in the United States
w-as " Le Courier de Boston", which was published
weekly during a period of six months in 1789, the first
number appearing on 23 April, and the last on 15
October. The editor and publisher was Paul Joseph
Gu^rard de Nancrede, later a bookseller and stationer
at Boston, and instructor in French at Harvard Uni-
versity from 1787 to 1800. The next French Ameri-
can newspaper was published in 1825, at Detroit, under
the title of " La Gazette Franc;'aise", which issued only
four numbers. In 1817, the Detroit Gazette pub-
lished a PVench column during four months and then
abandoned the venture. The second French Ameri-
can newspaper in New England was "Le Patriote",
published at St. Albans, VernionJ, in 1839. Since
that time nearly 200 newspapers published in the
French language have appeared and disappeared,
leaving only those mentioned above.
French American activity, while effectively applied to the enterprises of religion, education, and the press, has not neglected provident organizations. The first French institution of this kind was the Soci^t6 de Jacc|ues Cartier, founded in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1848, while the Society St-Jean-Baptiste of New York, organized in 1850, is still in existence. In 1868 they had 17 benevolent societies, and since then they have organized more than 400 others, of which about 142 are still in existence. Moreover they have established federations, which have more than four hundred and fifty councils or branches, with thousands of members. To these organizations are due, in a great measure, the existence and prosperity of the most of the par- ishes. Many of them have inserted in their by-laws articles recommending naturalization. To obtain membership in any one of them the applicant must, in all cases, be of French origin and a practising Catholic. The local societies which still survive are distributed among the different states as follows: Massachusetts, 62; Vermont, 18; New Hampshire, 25; Maine, 12; Rhode Island, 11; Connecticut 14 — mak- ing a total of 142. It was in 1900 that, in response to the acknowledged need of a central organization embracing all the groups of the French race in the United States, the Union St-Jean-Baptiste d'Am^r- ique was organized, with headquarters in Woonsocket, R. I., through the federation of a considerable number of the local societies. This move has proved to be a very wise one, as is shown by the rapid growth of the new society, which has enrolled over 19,500 members in eight years. The Association Canado-Am^ricaine of Manchester, New Hampshire, established in 1896, tias a membership of over 11,000 and is working along the same religious and patriotic lines. In 1906, a new society, the Ordre des Forestiers Franco-Am6ricains, was formed by the secession of a few thousand mem- bers from the Foresters of America, and it now com- prises 40 courts. All the French American societies, with the exception of the Forestiers, give life insur-
ance, and, without exception, they provide for sick
benefits. Millions of dollars have been distributed by
them to the widows and orphans of their members
and to their sick fellow-members. The Society des
Artisans Canadiens-Fran^ais, though a Canadian
Society, and the Soci^te L'Assomption, a society of
French Acadians drawing the greater part of its
membership from the maritime provinces, also have
members in the United States and are therefore in-
cluded in the accompanying table, which shows the
number of councils or courts and the membership of
the four national societies in New England.
Membership of National Societies
Councils Mem- or Courts bers L'Union St-Jean-Baptiste d'Amerique 255 19,576
Association Canado-Am^ricaine 159 11,158
Ordre des Chevaliers de Jacques Cartier 4 897
Ordre des Forestiers Franco-Americains 40 8,500
Artisans Canadiens-Frangais 100 15,000
L'Assomption 17 1,500
These societies are all Catholic, and in 1905 the Union St-Jean-Baptiste d'Amerique and L'Association Canado-Americaine were instrumental in organizing the Society Franco-Am^ricaine du Denier de St- Pierre, whose sole object is to collect funds for the Holy See. The Sociit^ Historique Franco-Ameri- caine, incorporated under the laws of the State of Massachusetts, was organized at Boston in 1899, "for the purpose of encouraging the careful and systema- tical study of the history of the United States, and especially to bring forth in its true light the exact part taken by the French race in the evolution and forma- tion of the American people". With this end in view this society has met regularly twice a year since its organization. Noted American historians and writers, as well as several from France and Canada, have de- livered before it addresses which have contributed in no slight measure to enrich the store of French Ameri- can historical literature. Another organization which seems destined to play an important role, at least among the French Americans of to-morrow, is the Association Catholique de la Jeunesse Franco-Am^ri- caine, which was formed at Baltimore, Maryland, 4 January, 1908, by twenty-two young French Ameri- cans who were students in various universities of that city. This organization aims first of all to form true sons of the Catholic Church and useful citizens of the American Republic. Piety, study, and action consti- tute its threefold motto. Its first congress, held at Worcester, Massachusetts, 23 and 24 August, 1908, was attended by delegates from circles formed in different New England localities.
Besides the admirable work they have accorapUshed by means of their parishes, press, and societies, and in order to render their efforts more effective, the French Americans have held at different times conventions called for various purposes. The first of these gather- ings, destined to promote the interests of the mutual benefit societies then existing, and held under their auspices, took place at New York City, in 1865. Thereafter similar conventions were held annually, the year 1877 excepted, until 1881, as follows: 1865, New York; 18G9, Detroit; 1873, Biddeford, Maine; 18G6, New York; 1870, St. Albans, Vermont; 1874, New York; 1867, Trov; 1871, Worcester. Mass.; 1875, Glens Falls, N. Y.; 1868, Springfield, Mass.; 1872, Chicago, 111.; 1876, Holvoke, Mass.; 1878, Troy, N. Y.; 1879, Boston, Mass.; 1880, Northampton, Mass.; 1881, Lawrence, Mass. Since 1880 there have been six general conventions of French Americans, to which all the groups of this element, as well as all their societies, were inviteil to send delegates. These na- tional gatherings took place as follows: 1880, Spring- field, Mass.; 1882, Cohoes, N. Y.; 1884, Troy; 1886,
