History of The Catholic Ladder By Philip M. Hanley. Edited by Edward J. Kowrach (review)

460 BOOK REVIEWS to the evangelical Protestant bodies that claimed the religious allegiances of the vast majority of church-goers. Robert Calhoon examines the "persuasion" of Southern evangelicals and how their distinctive mentality informed their political thought, found expression in congregational discipline and homiletics , and wrestled with the contradiction of slavery. Several essays explore aspects ofthe Revolution's religious politics. Stephen Marini argues persuasively that the struggle over the ratification of the Constitution held an explicit religious dimension that cut across denominational lines, while Edwin Gaustad elucidates the contradictions and confusion over religion that marked virtually every state constitution as well as the work of the Confederation Congress and the Constitutional convention. M. L. Bradbury studies the impact of republican ideas on the church polities of Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Baptists. In a thoughtful concluding essay, Ruth Bloch examines popular religious culture in terms of the historiographical debate over the relative importance of classic republicanism and liberalism in American Revolutionary ideology and argues that religion blended the themes of communitarianism and individualism. The breadth of the material is extensive, though readers of this journal will regret the absence of any treatment of American Catholicism at a crucial moment in its formation. Those familiar with the work of the historians represented here will recognize many of these ideas; but the well-written and beautifully edited volume should prove valuable to the specialist as well as anyone interested in religious history and the Revolutionary era. Thomas E. Buckley, SJ. Loyola Marymount University History of The Catholic Ladder. By Philip M. Hanley. Edited by Edward J. Kowrach. (Fairfield, Washington: Ye Galleon Press. 1993. Pp. 246 [4].»24.95; 814.95 paperback.) In recent years, much has been said about visual aids for teaching as if the concept were something new. The production, then, of the Catholic Ladder by an obscure missionary in 1839 in the wilds ofthe Pacific Northwest should get appropriate attention. This missionary was the redoubtable Father Francis Norbert Blanchet, later Vicar Apostolic of northwestern North America (1843) and then Archbishop of Oregon City (1846). Blanchet first devised his teaching aid on a wooden paddle, which he called "the Sahale Stick," or "Stick from Heaven," for the use of Indian visitors from Puget Sound, to help them remember the simple catechism he had taught them. Subsequently, he composed his lessons on butcher paper, still in a very simple form. But as time passed, assuming more BOOK REVIEWS 461 was better than less, he added more and more detail, ending up in his last edition of 1859 with a very complex broadside that defies the talent of an ordinary catechist to understand. Meanwhile, other missionaries in Canada, the United States, and Europe, having recognized the value of what Blanchet had produced, designed their own versions of what had become formally known as Ladders. Ladders appeared in English, French, Spanish, and even Russian at various dates, extending from their origin into the twentieth century . The Ladder's presentation started at the bottom, using a system of bars and dots to represent centuries and years, with a sketchy history of the Old and New Testaments attached at the proper places, ending with the current theology of the Schoolmen, a narrow road leading Catholics into an enticing heaven and a broad road leading Protestants into a fiery hell. Protestant missionaries responded with their own Ladder, reversing the destinies of their followers with that of the Catholics. Their versions, which were never published , specialized in elaborate scenes ofthe pope and bishops falling headlong into the flames. These Ladders were seen by few and had little influence on the Indians. On the other hand, Catholic Ladders enjoyed great influence with the Indians , who tended to take what they saw literally. One of the many causes of die Whitman Massacre of 1847 has been correctly attributed to the Catholic Ladder, because many Indians believed that the Protestants were going to hell anyhow. Father Kowrach's edited account of Fadier Hanley's master's diesis, "The Catholic Ladder and Missionary Activity in the Pacific Northwest" (Ottawa, 1965), and his doctoral dissertation, "Frs. Blanchet and Demers and Missionary Preaching in Oregon" (Rome, 1965), is a happy achievement. Using the two academic...