PAH. 
 H, AMU, 
 
 THE MfAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 Published to Commemorate the Completion of its First Decade. 
 
 "J'Zfe MOMAVIAJSr.'' 
 
 BETHLEHEM, PA., JUNE, 1895. 
 
 A. L. OERTEB, Editor. 
 
 AI/ASKA. 
 
 The Stonn-king's banners were proiitlly spread, 
 
 As his legions pressed forth in their might, 
 They fettered Alaska witli barriers of ice. 
 
 And gloomed her in Arctic night. 
 The Prince of Darkness marshalled liis elans. 
 
 And bound her in triple cliains ; 
 No light, no hope, for these dreary lands, 
 
 These desolate, snow-covered plains. 
 
 The auroral dawn of a better day 
 
 Flashed athwart tlie polar night ; 
 The wiiite bear, the walrus, the seal's soft eyes. 
 
 Ail turned to the growing light. 
 The imhruted Eskimo slowly caught 
 
 The beam in his dull, liojieless eye; 
 But brighter, yet brighter the day-star arose. 
 
 Till it flooded the earth and the sky. 
 
 The cross grew luminous as it stood. 
 
 The Eskimo bowed at its side ;— 
 "0! tell me tlie story once more," he said, 
 
 " I, too, need the cleansing tide.'' 
 Now, wasiied in the blood, made " Wiiiter than snow,' 
 
 He rises to newness of iiPe, 
 And, under the powor of .Sharon's sweet rose. 
 
 He awakes to a nobler strife. 
 
 0 wonderful Love! O wonderful Cross 1 
 
 That thus can conquer the gJoom 
 Of an Ai'eti<' night, and in ten short years, 
 
 Bring forth the radiance of noon ! 
 The ka3'ak still skims o'er the purpling wave. 
 
 But its owner now raises his face 
 To the heaven above, and in child-like trust, 
 
 Prays to Him who is mighty in grace. 
 
 The ice-crag still darkles and glooms, as of yoro ; 
 
 The auroral glory is as grand ; 
 The liai-vest is wliiio ! but the laborers are few, 
 
 " O, <.'onie !'' lo, their beckoning hand ! 
 The ocean surges thunder, " Come !" 
 
 The pine trees whisper it low ; — 
 Alaska doth stretch out her hands unto God ! 
 
 Who, — who is ready to go? 
 
 Salem, JV. C. K. A. T.kitman. 
 
 THE FOUNDER OP PROTESTANT MIS- 
 SIONS IN AI^ASKA. 
 
 By The Editor. 
 
 "Inseparably associated as the name of Carey 
 with India," says the author of Our Xorfhcrnmost 
 Possessions, "or those of Elliot and Braiuerd with 
 the Indian in the East, is the name of Sheldon 
 Jackson with Alaska. " To his faithful Christian 
 energy and untiring zeal, tlie people of Alaska 
 owe the introduction of Protestant missionary 
 work, and the establishment of schools for their 
 
 THE REV. W, H. WEINLAND. 
 
 SlIKLDON JACKSON, D.D. 
 General Agent of Kducation in Alaska. 
 
 education and elevation. The future Chi-istian 
 civilization of Alaska must and will revere his 
 name as that of its founder. 
 
 The first organized work in Alaska was, it is 
 true, begun by a native Alaskan Indian, whose 
 name was Philip, and who, after being educated 
 and converted at a Methodist Mission in British 
 America, returned to Fort Wrangell, turned an old 
 dance-room into a school-room and preacliing 
 place, and with the aid of a few decent whites, 
 began the good work amid all the discouragements 
 of the fearful depravity prevalent at that time. 
 
 In tlie year 1877 the Rev. Sheldon Jaelison was 
 sent by the IJoard of Missions of the Presbyterian 
 Church to investigate the needs of the people, and 
 took with him a noble missionary heroine, Mrs. A. 
 R. McFarland, who, "trained to eon(}uer emer- 
 gcneies by twenty years of missionary labor, and 
 consecrated to her work by bereavement and sor- 
 row," was willing to remain alone at her post, the 
 one missionary in Alaska. " These two arrived at 
 Wrangell ui tinir to take the w.>rk from the dying 
 hands of tlie Indian I'hilip." Aflei' a fearful year 
 of lonelv work, "aul came, throiigli the strenuous 
 ellorts of Dr. Jaelcson." who, iVoni his lirst \ isit 
 to tlie present time, has not ceased loadvoeule and 
 actively support the cause of Missions and of Edu- 
 ration in Alaska. 
 
 ■■In 1SS-) a small ajijiropriatinn was nindc (o start 
 a [Uililif sciiool svstrTu for all, wiiiiout rcfeiTncf- to 
 race," and it was very littiiig that Dr. Wlicldon 
 .lackson sliouhl be appointed by the United States 
 ( .u\crninent ■■General Agent of Education in 
 Alaska. One scliool and mission after the other 
 lia> liecn establislu'd tliroiigli his instrumentality, 
 ;nid - ius erowning worl; lias been the establish- 
 niciil ot a scliool and mission at Pt. Barrow, tiie ex- 
 ti-eme northern point of landin the United States." 
 iSext to Upernavik, Greenland, this is the north- 
 ernmost mission in the world. 
 
 In 1890, when Dr. Jackson lirst visited Arctic 
 Alaska, he found the Eskimos in a starving condi- 
 tion, and formed the plan of introducing the tame 
 reindeer of Siberia into Alaska, which has been 
 done with success. 
 
 Owing to the growth of the work in general, it 
 became necessary to appoint an Assistant General 
 Agent of Education, and the ofTiee was conferred 
 upon our Brother, Mr. William Hamilton. To 
 him has also been given the supervision of the 
 work in South Eaatern Alaska, and this year he 
 has been sent to Arctic Alaska and the Reindeer 
 Station. 
 
 THE TOXJR OF EXPI,0RATION IN 
 WESTERN AI^ASKA. 
 By the Rev. A. Hartmann, of the Moravian 
 Delaware Indian Mission at New^ Fair- 
 field, Canada, and the Rev. W. H. 
 Weinland, no-w of the Ramona In- 
 dian Mission in Southern Cali- 
 fornia, May— August, 1884. 
 
 "In accordance witli a Ilesolution adopted at 
 the last annual meeting of the Society for Propa- 
 gating the Gospel, the Board of Directors of the 
 Society has resolved to inaugurate an exploratory 
 missionary tour in the Western part of Alaska, in 
 order to prepare the way for beginning a work in 
 that Territory. 
 
 "At the request of the Board of Directors, the 
 Provincial Board has appointed the Rev. A. 
 H'ri:nui.,n of the (Janada Indian Mission, and 
 Brother William Weinland, a member of the 
 graduating class of the Theological Seminary, to 
 undertake this exploratory missionary tour. God 
 willing, they will leave for San Francisco next 
 week, whence, by permission of the Sei'retary of 
 the Treasury, at Washington, they will sail in 
 the United States Revenue Cutter Conoin for 
 Alaska."— r/ie Moravian of April 9, 18S-1-. 
 
 I. A LETTER FROM THE REV. A. HARTMANN. 
 
 In the year 1884 I received the following letter 
 from our dear Brother and Bishop Edmund de 
 Schweinitz, dated February 17 : 
 
 "My Dear Brother.— You will remember that 
 when I was with you last summer, you olifered, in 
 case an exploratory tour to the far Western coun- 
 
 THE REV. A. HAETMA>i^% 
 
2 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 THE PILOT. 
 
 try should be undertaken, to go on such a journey. 
 At that time I did not know of wliat was after- 
 wards brought to my attention. I met Dr. Jack- 
 son, the Secretary of Presbyterian Home Missions. 
 He told me of the thousands of natives, Eskimos 
 in the Western part of Alaska, who are wholly 
 without tlie gospel, and who have never even 
 been visited by a Missionary. 
 
 I brought this matter up before the annual meet- 
 ing of the Society for Propagating the Gospel, in 
 August, and our Board was requested to take into 
 consideration ways and means for beginning a 
 mission in that country. Recently Dr. .Taekson has 
 been here (Bethlehem) and preached on tlie sub- 
 ject, causing great enthusiasm 
 among the people. At our last 
 meeting the Board adopted a ser- 
 ies of resolutions. 
 
 Now I am instructed to ask you; 
 first, whether you would consent 
 to be one of the two bi-otliren we 
 propose to send out '.' .secondly, 
 whether you tliink that you could 
 leave the Mission for so long a 
 tinu', tliEit is, in all probability 
 from May to October? fliirdly, 
 wiietlier in your judgment it 
 would do to put Bro. Torgersen 
 in cluirge of tlie Mission witli 
 Joiin Kil'iucli as his assistant, to 
 attend In I he pivaching? 
 
 As lo llir "\hvv brother who 
 woiiM ;ie( oiii]i;iii y you, we have, 
 as\-el, noi Inken an\- sirps. But 
 we ijuilr ])o^i!ivc in maiutain- 
 ing our plan, lliat /iro sliall go; 
 
 II k it riglit to send 
 
 mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: 
 for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite 
 the host of the Philestlnes." 
 
 Well, we soon heard the sound of a going in the 
 top of tlie mulberry trees ; we heard it again and 
 again, and did then as occasion served us, surely 
 believing that the Lord was with us. 
 
 We were carried, so to say, by the Alaska Com- 
 mercial Company, and their agents on tlie conti- 
 nent of Alaska, to the place where the Lord in- 
 tended that a Bethel should be raised. Even the 
 very priest at Nushagalt, objecting to the establish- 
 ment of Missions in his so-called diocese, was just 
 an instrument in tlie Lord's liands to dii'eet our 
 steps aright. There befel us on our way no serious 
 accident, as far as 1 can remember; we never once 
 were in imminent danger of losing our lives, and 
 even, when on returning home, the Sadie F. 
 Caller ran aground close to the shore of the Alas- 
 kan Peninsula, when we thought that her bottom 
 would be bumped to pieces, and we would have to 
 leave her and camp on the unknown shore, even 
 then she was set free, and went on her way with- 
 out any harm having befallen her. 
 
 We traveled up the Kuskokwim, in fair and foul 
 weather, in sunshine and calm, as well as In a gale 
 with pelting rain. Perhaps the most trying time 
 was when we sat in the large skin boat on top of 
 the bales and boxes which were covered by a large 
 tarpaulin, trying to keep ourselves dry by means 
 of our rubber rain-coats, and feeling cold and 
 chilly. After being in that condition for a longtime, 
 a sort of despondency seems to creep over you, but 
 even then the hand of the Lord was upon us, for 
 we kept well in spite of the dampness and cold 
 wind. 
 
 And when we turned our faces homeward, hav- 
 ing found the place where now stands beautiful 
 Bethel, and when we were alone, staying at sun- 
 dry villages, entirely surrounded by the Eskiniosi 
 who might' have done wltli us just as thry iileased, 
 no harm came upon us, and we slept securely in 
 
 for we do not tli 
 one, on sucli a 
 among a lioiiy < 
 Thus wroir <; 
 beloved bri'tlin 
 nobody Iia. 
 his Iieai't, ami ■ 
 
 e and mucli 
 ■ perhaps, as 
 ■ulerprise on 
 d himself to 
 
 NOTBS FROM BRO. HARTMANN'S 
 DIARY. 
 
 COMPILED BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 On Saturday, May 3, the Brethren flartmann 
 and Wetnland sailed from San Francisco, Cal., on • 
 
 the U. S. Revenue Cutter Corwin, 
 
 commanded by ('apt. M.A. Healy, 
 now in eoiiniiaud of tlie Revenue 
 Marine Slrainer lltai-. Oiptain 
 Healy has IVmu liie lirst sliown 
 liiuLscIf a kiud friend to our mis- 
 .-iouaries. Il was at his suggestion 
 that oui' e.\[)lorers sought the assis- 
 tance of the Alaska < 'oiiniieiviai 
 Company, whose kind srrvices 
 were of such great advantage to 
 them, as Ihey still are to our Mis- 
 sion in Alaska. 
 
 A n er a voyage of two weeks, the 
 Cniuriii, on May 16, entered the 
 nn lt\- Utile harlior of Unalaska, 
 
 rill 
 
 Ei'a 11 Cisco, 
 , for whom 
 I rr provid- 
 )rtiii'/>om, 
 • sailing be- 
 
 " riie vlllase of Tfnalaska has 
 
 his Utmost to have it carried out. w'-i. ' \' 
 His letter to me closed : " Please irJ' ■ 
 let me know as goon as you can, 
 what you think of the above." Well, what did J 
 think about it? Gol and again, go! But what 
 about going on such a venture and leaving wife 
 and children Ijchind, and perhaps never seeing 
 tliem again on this earth? Now tliis business was 
 settled, just in tlie way, llioso who pledge them- 
 selves to serve Clirist, slLoub! settle it ; and so Bro. 
 Weinland and 1, in a sliori time, were ofT to the far 
 away and to us rutirrly unknown "Alaska." 
 
 Wewent in faith lliat the Lord Himself would 
 hold His almiglity hand over us, and open the 
 way for us, and vcrilij He did it; glory to His 
 Name forevermore ! 
 
 To David the Lord said, "And it shall be, when 
 thou hearest the sound of a going in the top of the 
 
 I, and 2-51 Aleuts and Creoles, of 
 
 )res, resideuoes, warehouses and wharves of 
 niM. It is Uie most important settlement in 
 L'lon, or that shall develop In the Allure. It 
 u' and Atlantic Oceans. In the mountains 
 11/ ■'iheldonJucA'son, D.D, 
 
 our little tent. 1 myself never took ill in any way 
 whatever ; perhaps I may say, that I never felt 
 better in all my life. The hand of the Lord being 
 upon us all the time, we finished the task entrusted 
 to us and came home preserved in body and 
 mind. And now what has the Lord done since 
 then ! 
 
 How many brethren and sisters have gone out 
 there to preach the everlasting gospel ! How 
 many natives have been gathered into the 
 fold of Christ! Let our motto be: "Forward! 
 Forward ! in the Lord's Name, to His praise 
 and glory, and to the salvation of tlie Eskimos of 
 Alaska. 
 
 A. Haktmank, 
 
 eonifortalde ([luuicr- 
 ed, awaitedthearriv 
 tlie Company's sleai 
 Tween UnaUiska and the main- 
 land. -Vfter its arrival, on the 24th, 
 they made the acquaintance ofMr. 
 Newmann, the Company's Chief 
 Agent, who propo.sed that they 
 should go to Nushagak in the 
 Dora, and referred them to Mr. 
 Clarke of that place, for further 
 information. 
 
 On Friday, 30th, they therefore 
 left Unalaska in the Dora, ad- 
 miring the magnificent scenery of the island, and 
 passing the island Unimak, with its high moun- 
 tains enveloped in clouds. For the establishment 
 of a mission among the natives, the eai)tain ad- 
 vised the Kuskokwim district, as there would bo 
 facilities of commimi cation, the steamer Dora go- 
 ing up the river every Sirring. Having taken on 
 board a pilot to guide the steamer through the 
 difficult channels, on Monday, June 2, they arriv- 
 ed safely at Nushagak, or Fort Alexander, a small, 
 but important place, about ^TO n:iiles from Un- 
 alaska, built on the side of a rather steep accliv- 
 ity. Mr. Clarke then introduced them to the priest 
 of the Greek Church, and he claiming the Nush- 
 agak and Togiak districts as his parish, and sug- 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 8 
 
 gesting the Kuskokwim as an unoccupied field, 
 they resolved to explore that district !i.s fur up the 
 river as might be advisable, tuliing tlie reeonmien- 
 diition of it as an answer to their prayers that the 
 Lord would direct tliem in the right way by the 
 men and moans ITe chose. 
 
 Leaving Nushugali on June !), the Dora con- 
 veyed our brethren hrst to Togiak Bay, and then 
 to Kuskokwim Bay, and the mouth of the Kusko- 
 kwim i-ivci', wiiich they reached June 12. A crew 
 of four men liuving been secured at Togiak, an old 
 man named War^liili, Chinieyune, Washili the 
 younger, and Nieolaiou, Iheir baggage was trans- 
 ferred to the open skin boa(s, in which the Com- 
 pany's stores were conveyed, and leaving the ship 
 at 8 I*. M., tliey seated themselves in the center 
 hok's of two liidarkas, pro])el]ed by native oarsmen. 
 
 Tlie first lialtintc place was reached shortly befoi'e 
 niidni,L!:lit, ami aftrr parhiking of a midnight meal, 
 rliTs, sprradini;' a wolfs skin and a 
 llic iloorof llir storc-liouse, which 
 1 inviird to nreiipy by Mr. Lind, the 
 
 ihv tin 
 bear's . 
 thev b; 
 Compa 
 
 station of the Alaska Commercial Company, 240 
 nules up the river. Wind and weather were at 
 first favorable, and the journey up the river would 
 have been delightful, but for tlie annoyance caused 
 by the mosquitoes. Farther on, however, wind 
 and rain took their place, and the boats being 
 laden with goods, on top of wliich the brethren 
 sat, or knelt, or stood, they had but Httle protec- 
 tion. "Cold and .shivering, and astonished that 
 we were able to bear exposure to sueli inclement 
 weather, we continued our journey, tlie Lord sus- 
 taining us. For a short distance it blew almost a 
 gale, and the large square sail had to be reefed." 
 All the villages along the river were visited, and 
 surroundings noted. At Ugavik or Ougavigamiut 
 they dined on Sunday, June 29. "On the oppo- 
 site bank of the river is a long stretch of high 
 land, quite suitable for the site of a mission sta- 
 tion.* The village Is one of the larger ones. Not 
 far from here, a portage is made to the Yukon, a 
 distance of 60 miles." 
 After a journey of nine days from Mumtrekhlag- 
 
 sources. We were obliged to make our way back 
 to Nushagak in our long skin-boats, a distance of 
 about 600 miles." Mumtrekhlagamiut was reach- 
 ed about 10 P.M., on July 11th. " We thus com- 
 pleted the first stage of our homeward journey, 
 having traversed a distance of about 2-40 miles in 
 two and a half days." 
 
 On July 14, after packing the supplies needed for 
 their three week's journey to Nushagak into their 
 two bidarkas— canoes 27 feet long, abovu 22 inrbrs 
 wide, and a foot deep at the center hoU , (^Ari'cd 
 with skins of the sea lion, the start was made. 
 "The text for the day was: 'There failed not 
 aught of any good thing which the Lord had 
 spoken unto the house of Israel ; all came to pass.' 
 (Josh. 21 : 45.) We looked back on the past witli 
 thankfulness, and forward to the future with con- 
 fidence and coui-age." The journey down the 
 Kuskokwim to the wareliouse occupied two and 
 a half days, the sun's rays being at times liot and 
 untempered by any refreshing breeze, at other 
 times the rain pouring down in torrents, so that 
 
 111. 
 
 II 
 
 rst(.'d 
 cir bard brd. 
 by contrary 
 
 Detained 
 
 nortb winds for five day 
 they resumed their jour- 
 ney at 2 A.M. on .J une IS, 
 so as to reach the next 
 village before the turn <3f 
 the tide. Continuing up 
 the river, at the next 
 stopi)ing-place " we slept 
 in our tent for the first 
 time," says Bro. Hart- 
 niann, "on a bed of long 
 grass, covered wilb grass 
 matting of ntitive manu- 
 facture, two large india- 
 rubber blankets, a wolf's 
 skin or beai-'s skin, and 
 a blanket." Tbe next 
 day's traveling was pleas- 
 ant, tlie river beeoniini;' 
 narrower, so that the op- 
 posite bank was distinel- 
 ly visiht-, add divide-l 
 by nuuierous islands intd 
 many i-.h a n n e 1 s . Tbe 
 shores wei'e lined with a 
 higher growth of under- 
 won.], an.l thickets of 
 small bireh lri.es alterna- 
 ted wilb ii'rassv or mossv 
 banks. On Kridav. .lune 
 20tii, fbev eanie within 
 
 sight of Muniirekhiaga- ^,;i,;\!v';.]:j^;!,Tv.^i:^,l™'^M?4'-;' 
 
 mint, an mqiortanl sfa- |,';;;,|;,\'',V,\''iMV^viVi\'"iiVrv'J|-h 
 
 tion of the Alaska Com- i;;,n;u,\''''lV"lhe'%iTlci'i\r'.'i-';- 
 
 mereial Corniianv, aljout '.'H- Tir^^^*-' skins bcjn!; tnn.siui 
 
 1 ■ ' lor a dooi'. i ire, when they li 
 
 80 mik'S fl'Om (he mouth Slieldon Jacksm, D.D. 
 
 Of the river, liro. Hart- 
 
 mann writes : " We were greatly cheered by the 
 view of (bis station, situated on a high bank, with 
 a background of pine forest. The text for the day 
 was very encouraging and remarkable — 'God said 
 unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell 
 there, and make there an altar unto God that ap- 
 peared unto thee.' It seemed as though the Lord 
 were now speaking to us in these words, and were 
 thereby pointing out the place for our future oper- 
 alifins among the Eskimos." Weighing all con- 
 siderations, they judged Mumtrekhlagamiut to be 
 the most favorable place they had thus far seen, 
 for the commencement of our mission. " The sta- 
 tion is situated at a bend of the river, and on a 
 bank, some 10 or 12 feet above high water. The 
 tide here risss about 4 feet. The breadth of the 
 stream is considerable, and to the left of the vil- 
 lage an unbroken expanse of water stretches east- 
 waril in a long vista. A small pine forest about 
 half a mile behind the statioii extends a good way 
 along the Kuskokwim. The high land down the 
 river, and beyond the pine forests, is destitute of 
 trees and shrubs, covered with tundra, and inter- 
 sected by swamps and small lakes, which make a 
 land journey in summer almost impossible." 
 
 On Wednesday, June 2oth, they started with 
 Mr. Lind, the trader, for Kolmakovsky, the next 
 
 amiut, they reached Kolmakovsky at 9 P.M.. on 
 Thursday, July 3, and were glad to enter Z\[r. 
 Lind's hospitable dwelling. "All day we wi.'re 
 pa.sslng a range of high, snow-covered mounia.in.'^. 
 For tlie greater part of the way, however, these 
 were hidden from our view by a lower, wooded 
 range, skirting the bank of the river. Occasion- 
 ally we enjoyed a iieep into plne-eovered glens." 
 "Kolmakovsky consists of seven log buildings, 
 built in the form of a square, open towards the 
 river. An hexagonal structure, the fort in days 
 gone by, is forty years old. The church, an old 
 building, with a rather rough interior, contains a 
 few shabby oil paintings with candlesticks in front 
 of them. The Greek priest from the Yukon comes 
 hither every winter." 
 
 On Tuesday, July 8th, they went ten miles 
 farther up the river to see the village Napaimiut. 
 " The journey thither took two hours and a quar- 
 ter, but we returned with the stream In fifty-five 
 minutes." The next day they began their return 
 down the river from Kolmakovsky. "Hitherto 
 we had been cared for by the traders, but now we 
 were about to be cast entirely upon our own re- 
 
 * At this i>!afO It llilrd iiil.ision suiliorL «as ostiUilislmd in im\ 
 IiiskokwuiL, l-iSO, iind Uie 8ec- 
 
 tl I I 1 11 r 1 Htei 
 
 ft I i i th t tl cio s 
 
 1 t 1 t t tl en e 
 
 mud banks, by paddling and poling and ilragging 
 the bidarkas, their mdetatigable crew of Eskimos 
 holding out inanfullv. thev reaebeil the narrow 
 entrance to Good News Bav, and nhout 1 A.M. on 
 July 18, in the darknes-, il h i, i d the surf, and 
 encamped on the shore. A>f.:-*he vovage around 
 Cape Newenhani would have been too perilous in 
 their frail skin-boats, thev ascended a narrow, 
 winding stream, very difticult of navigation, and 
 then commenced the portage across the "divide,'/ 
 paddling across four lakes succe^vcly, until, at 
 last, down a winding mountain torrent, alive with 
 trout, and surrounded bv beautitul scenery, they 
 swiftly passed through a \-asl soluude, nnil reach- 
 ed Togiak Bay on July 'i^''. '■ \\ e en |n\ (.i| i lu> sight 
 of the beautiful scenery, so lotallv liillei'eiil from 
 that of the lower Kuskokwim. Out m the glitter- 
 ing bay lie Hagemeister and the \\alrus Islands, 
 bathed, as it were, lu blue. All tiround us are 
 mountains, rising either m ranges or in isolated 
 peaks from the plains. ' ihis was the region it 
 had been their intenuon to explore, out as it was 
 claimed by the Greek Church, the plan was relin- 
 quished. 
 
4 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 July 29-31 a short trip was made up the rapid 
 and beautifully clear, but rather shallow Togiak 
 river, amid beautiful scenery, to make themselvei? 
 acquahited with the natives inhabiting its banks. 
 Leaving Togiakamiut on Augusts, they proceed- 
 ed down the bay and the coast lined with cliffs 40 
 to 50 feet high, some of them, detached from the 
 mainland, affording a safe haunt for sea-fowl, and 
 passed tlie Walrus Islands, favored witli delight- 
 ful weather and a calm sea. The full force of the 
 wind and a rougher sea, however, 
 were encountered before entering 
 the long, narrow and rather pictur- 
 esque Kulluk IJay, after which 
 they ascended a winding river by 
 moonlight, thedew falling lieavily 
 around them, and passed through 
 swamps and pools connected by 
 shallow and winding cliannels. 
 The next day, August 4, began 
 the second portage, broken by six 
 lakes, the last of which, 10 miles 
 long, and about 3 miles broad, 
 was safely reached at 8 P. M. 
 "It was a hot day, and the mos- 
 quitoes and sand-flies were very 
 troublesome. All our clothes were 
 dry, the weather fine, and our 
 health good. How gracious the 
 Lord has been to us and how 
 kindly He has led and protected 
 us !" Two and a lialf hours' pad- 
 dling brought them to the end of 
 the lake, and shooting down the 
 stream whii-li forms its outlet, 
 and ciilrriuir ilie next day another 
 lake, and jiassing down the ex- 
 tremely- iiiiiuoiirt Igushak, they 
 reached its nuiuth at 10 P.M., and 
 the following day, August 8, " favored again with 
 magnificent weather, we proceeded straight across 
 the bay towards Nushagak. Our men were kept 
 hard at work from 10 A.M., to 6 P.M., when Nush- 
 agak was at length safely reached. . . . The Lord 
 be praised for thus bringing us back again to this 
 Xilace in safety and in health." 
 
 From Nushagak, or Fort Alexander, they re- 
 turned to TInalaska by schooner, and thence to 
 iSan Francisco by steamer, arriving September 11. 
 The journey across the continent brought them to 
 
 Bethlehem on September 25th, 
 
 after an absence of five months, 
 during which tbey bad (raveled 
 mow liian i:;,ii(H) miles, about 2000 
 of whieli <'i)nsliliitcd tlic tour of 
 exploi^alion in Ala.ska. 
 
 gator, who should be assisted by one mate, one 
 sailor and a steward. 
 
 Jlost carefully did we go over our list of needed 
 supplies, lest anything be forgotten, knowing full 
 well that since a year must elapse before more sup- 
 plies could be received, forgetting might prove seri- 
 ous business. A careful eye was also kept upon 
 the cost of all purchases, so that the amount in 
 hand might suffice for everything needed. 
 
 Finally, on May IS, all was in readiness for sail- 
 
 was very evident that he was too obstinate to take 
 the advice of the mate for which he had asked, 
 and who was the more competent navigator of the 
 two. Words ran high, but who should arbitrate 
 between these men? Had we not better turn 
 back and have this captain replaced ? "Ask 
 McDonald," urged the mate. Sure enough, we 
 had almost forgotten. Just before sailing from 
 San Francisco, there staggered on board a man 
 who asked permission to work his way to Alaska. 
 
 He was so intoxicated that we 
 were inclined to refuse his request; 
 but learning that he wished to get 
 away from the city in order to free 
 himself from the meshes of strong 
 drinlv, we gladly consented. The 
 first few days this poor unfortun- 
 ate had remained below in the 
 sailors' cabin. Now, when called, 
 he came to the captain's cabin and 
 settled the dispute promptly and 
 eflectively. Robert McDonald 
 was his name, and he proved to 
 have been an old sea captain who 
 through his intemperate liablts 
 had lost several vessels, his repu- 
 tation — everything. There being 
 no strong drink on board, we 
 agreed tliat Unberf MeDnnald 
 
 , to wliich 
 
 apt 
 
 W \ -iM>I^WI>[ mVKli AROVK KOLMAKOVSKY. 
 
 ing. The last piece of lumber had been piled on 
 the deck, the last package stowed in the hold, a 
 final farewell telegraphed to praying friends in the 
 far East, a last warm, hearty hand shake and 
 "God speed" from Bro. Roberts and other kind 
 San Francisco friends assembled on tlie pier, then 
 the captain shouted, "Let go the line, hoist the 
 main-sail V and the JAzzie Merrill sailed out of 
 the harbor of San Francisco on her voyage pole- 
 ward. When we could no longer see our friends 
 on the pier, we all went below to the cabin, and in 
 
 CARRIED IN HIS BOSOM. 
 
 The Voyage from San Francis- 
 co, Cal., to the Kuskokwim 
 River, Alaska, by the First 
 Party of Moravian Mission- 
 aries to Alaska, the Rev- and 
 Mrs. Wm. H. Weinland, the 
 Rev. and Mrs. John Kilbuck, 
 and Mr. Hans Torgersen, 
 May i8 to June 3o, 1885. 
 
 ny T1[K UKV. W. H. WEJXIjAND. 
 
 Tli( 
 prep a 
 Wi're 
 beni; 
 vesse 
 Lean 
 
 days spent in San Francisco 
 ■alory to fsailiog for Alaska, 
 >u,->- days. Inquiries had to 
 le ill nil i|iiiirters concerning 
 ■ huniid for Alaskan ports, 
 i n,<;- I lial none \\- ere going oui' 
 W!i\', it \va< nrri'<sary tn find a 
 vessel lhai could be chartered for 
 the voyage. N'arious vessels were 
 oftereil to us, eacli of whicli we 
 examined eai'efully, in order to secure the best and 
 at tlie most advantageous terms. Finally we con- 
 cluded a liargaiu witb Mr. Charles Wells, a ship- 
 ping mciThaiil doiTig a large shipping business in 
 San I''ralieiseo. Ii )r 1 lie e|ia I'l er of 1 1 le I. izsie Merrill, 
 a small scbooner of lifty-nine tons burthen. 
 Formal papers of agreement were drawn up and 
 signed by both parties. Among other things 
 agreed upon, the lAzzie Merrill was to be placed 
 under command of a, courteous, competent navi- 
 
 OXIR KATIVE GUIDES. 
 
 fervent prayer committed ourselves to the keeping 
 of our Heavenly Father. 
 
 Tlie next few days were spent very quietly, for 
 all were more or less sea-sick. I think it was on 
 the thii'd day out, we noticed a serious disagree- 
 ment between the captain and the mate. To our 
 amazement we found that the captain was not a 
 competent navigator; tliat he had gained what 
 little experience he had in coasting; that he had 
 never commanded a vessel "oa the deep," and it 
 
 Lh.-zir Merrill reluctantly consent- 
 ed. Thus had the I^ord provided 
 for us a helper for tbe time of 
 need. 
 
 Gently, very gently, was our lit- 
 tle vessel carried forward. Indeed, 
 for several days we were com- 
 pletely becalmed— the ocean seem- 
 ed as level as a floor and as smooth as glasi*. 
 
 Our voyage lay northwestwardly across the Pa- 
 cific Ocean, so that we first sighted land on the 
 thirtieth day, as we approached Akutan Pass, the 
 gateway between the Paeilie 0<-ean and Behring 
 Sea. Here we passed a fishing \-essel, which had 
 just dropped anchor, and which had eiieounti'red 
 such head-winds and storms, tliai fort>-l'our (44) 
 days had been consumed in sailing from San Fran- 
 cisco. Most plainly did we sec the hand of the 
 Lord, leading iis thus gently but steadily forward. 
 
 Karly on the morning of the 
 tbirty-third day we found our- 
 selves rounding Cape Newenham, 
 and by tlie time breakfast was over 
 we were abreast of (iood News 
 Bay. From then on we skirted 
 along the east coast of Kusko- 
 kwim Bay, in plain sight of the 
 low-lyiug shore. 
 
 In drftwing up the contract char- 
 tering the vessel for this voyage, 
 we stipulated [ilaiTLiy that we 
 Jihould be taken, if possii>Ie. to the 
 warehouse at Sbiiiegagamiut, near 
 tbe iiioutli of the Kuskokwim 
 River, or failing to get to land, the 
 vessel should be talten as near to 
 the warehouse as possible. 
 
 About 9 o'clock on tbe morning 
 of June 19 the A/::/- .1/' /r/// si nu-k 
 bottom, for the water was very 
 shallow. We suggested to the 
 rai)tain that he had better drop 
 out further into the bay instead of 
 hugging tlie shore so closely. But 
 he refused. About 10 o'clock a 
 number of Eskimos were seen 
 coming in their kyacks, and be- 
 fore long the deck rang with the 
 greeting " Tschammai ! Tschammai !" Amongst 
 the number I recognized the old man who had 
 piloted the Dora into Kuskokwim Bay the year 
 before. Hence I suggested to our captain of the 
 Lizzie Merrill that he take this Kskimo to pilot 
 us to Shinegagamute. He refused. Bump, scrape, 
 stuck again — another argument in favor of tak- 
 ing the Eskimo to pilot the vessel through the 
 deeper channels. Slowly, as the tide was rising, 
 our vessel scraped along, but the obstinate captain 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 would take advice from no one. Soon he began to 
 ask, "Where is tlmt warehouse whicli you said 
 was at Shinegaganiiut?" I told liim we would 
 soon be there. But lie would not be convinced. 
 This time the obstinate captain took the instru- 
 ments out of the hands of the navigating officer 
 and insisted upon taking the noon observations 
 himself. To our astonishment he insisted upon 
 locating our position on the map ahove the mouth 
 of the river, and above the warehouse, from which 
 he proceeded to argue that no 
 warehouse having been seen, none 
 existed, and he would proceed to 
 unload our cargo on the sands 
 along the bay. But the sugges- 
 tion that we would report his 
 incompetency through the San 
 Francisco papers brought him ti) 
 terms. (In point of fact, we dni 
 report him to his employers. ■ 
 Finally, backed by the Brethren 
 Kilbuck and Torgersen, also \>\- 
 McDonald and the niate,weagri.'t <i 
 with the captain of the vessel that 
 if he would take the Eskimo as 
 pilot until 2 o'clock that after- 
 noon we would guarantee that the 
 warehouse would be reached by 
 that time, or failing in this, the 
 captain would be at liberty to 
 droj) anchor and put us and our 
 cargo ashore wherever we might 
 be at that moment. 
 
 Accordingly the Eskimo took 
 his stand at the prow of the ves- 
 sel. Now his hand waved this 
 way, now that, and the mate at 
 the helm obeyed his signals 
 promptly. No more scraping 
 along the bottom, no more sticking in the mud. 
 Gently we glided forward. About 1 o'clock the 
 warehouse loomed up in the distance. A shout of 
 tlianlcl'iilness rent the air. On and on we moved, 
 until at quarter of two o'clock tlieanchor was drop- 
 ped and the Lizzie Merrill was made fast to the 
 bank of the Shinnet River, not more than fifty 
 yards from the warehouse which our obstinate 
 cjiptain had refused to believe existed at all. 
 Pliinlvw were thrown from the deck to the bank 
 and by evenini>- of the 2Uth of June every article 
 belonging In mi^^iun was safe- 
 ly landed on Alaskan siiil. June 
 21 was Sunday, and we can assure 
 our readers tliat our service of 
 thanksgiving held tliat day in our 
 ten! ''al ilir wai-c]i(]iisr," was en- 
 tered inio !M'ai'lil\' by all. Papers 
 whicli reached us at lii'l hel the fol- 
 lowing year brought the startling 
 news tliat the Lir.zir Mtrrill bad, 
 on its very next voyage, gone to 
 the bottom wilh the same captain, 
 but otliei' sailors, all on board. 
 Surely lie who ealle<l us to the 
 work in Alaska, carried us thittier 
 in His lK)som. Thanksgiving and 
 praise be unto His Name ! 
 
 Banning, Oil., April 18, ISO^i. 
 
 —Till': /Ic'ir, on which Dr. Shel- 
 don Jackson made his last annual 
 trip to Northern Alaska, encoun- 
 tered much ice after entering Arctic 
 waters, owing to the unusual cold 
 of the preceding winter in Alaska. 
 After much battling with the ice 
 Point Jiarrow was reached, Augu.~i 
 6, and tlie ship moored to a field v( 
 ice about G miles long and a quar- 
 ter of a mile wide. At this nortli- 
 termost point of our continent is located a Pres- 
 byterian mission, and the Government refuge sta- 
 tion for sliipwrecked sailors; it is also the rendez. 
 vous of the whaling ships in summer. This season 
 5 whaling vessels have been lost in Alaska. Three 
 were fortunately without loss of life, but the others 
 resulted in the drowning of about two dozen sail- 
 ors. Those that escaped in boats were a month 
 knocking around the Aleutian Islands, much of 
 the time without anytlaing to eat but seaweed. 
 
 TBN YBARS OF MORAVIAN MISSION- 
 ART ACTIVITY IN AI.ASKA. 
 
 BY J. TAYLOR HAMILTON, 
 
 The Country. 
 
 Discovered by Vitus Bering in 1742, and a 
 Russian dependency for more than a century, the 
 vast territory of Alaska was purchased from Russia 
 in 1867 by the United States for 517,200,000. Com- 
 
 ESKIMO Ht;T. 
 
 prising the whole of the Continent west of the 
 141st degree west longitude, its extreme length 
 from north to south, is 1100 miles, and its 
 greatest breadth, from east to west, is 800 miles. 
 Spread out over the eastern part of the United 
 States, it would cover the territory from Maine to 
 Minnesota, and south to Georgia and Alabama. Its 
 coast line, owing to frequent indentations, is greater 
 than that of the entire eastern coast line of the 
 United States, being 7,860 miles in length. Its chief 
 river, the Yukon, which rises in British territory, 
 
 liSKIMOS AND STORKHOL'SE. 
 
 navigable for 1,600 miles, is another Mississippi. 
 Mighty mountains extend along the southern coast 
 and jut out into the peninsula which gave the ter- 
 ritory its name, some of them volcanic and many 
 of them covered with eternal snows. The climate 
 of the southern part is comparatively mild, and 
 very humid, owing to the warm Kuro-Siwo, or 
 Japanese current, of the Pacific. The northern 
 portion experiences the terrible cold of protracted 
 Arctic Winters, 
 
 The wisdom of the purchase of the territory as a 
 financial measure has long since been vindicated. 
 The seals ; the salmon and other fishes, that 
 teem in its rivers ; the primeval forests of cedar, 
 spruce, birch, fir, poplar and hemlock, and the 
 deposits of coal and petroleum and iron and gold 
 and copper that have been discovered, in addition 
 to its peltries, promise to render the value of the 
 territory yet greater with the fuller development 
 of its natural resources. The central and northern 
 parts remain as yet a terra incog- 
 7iUa for the most part. 
 
 The People. 
 
 The people of Alaska, estimated 
 by Dr. Sheldon Jackson at about 
 ;^5,000, the censtis of 1890 having 
 been imperfect, have been classed 
 as Americans, Russians, Haidaa, 
 Thlingits, Aleuts, Innuits or Es- 
 kimos, and Athapascan Indians. 
 Eight distinct languages and sev- 
 eral dialects are spoken. 
 
 In some respects the physical 
 traits of the different native tribes 
 are alike, in others they differ 
 widely. All are strongly built, 
 and inured to hardship and endur- 
 ance. The men have slight beards 
 or none at all, and frequently trim 
 closely the scattering h airs on their 
 chins or pluck them out. An Asi- 
 atic cast of features predominates, 
 and the ])eople of the coasts seem 
 akin to the Ainos of .lapan. The 
 Eskimos are distinguished from 
 the Eskimos of Greenland and 
 Labrador, by being taller and 
 more robust and healthy. All the 
 various peoples of Alaska are characterized by a 
 rather massive head, straight and coarse dark- 
 brown or black hair, dark eyes, high cheek-bones 
 and a nut-brown or yellow complexion. 
 
 The natives of southeastern Alaska, taught by 
 contact with civilization, have frame or log houses, 
 wholly above the ground, with sleeping apartments 
 partitioned ofTfrom the main or living-room, where 
 the central fire-place is built; and many of the 
 Thlingits usea modern cooking^tove. On the other 
 hand, the Eskimos, being largely nomads, in Sum- 
 mer occupy tents constructed of 
 the best material that is at hand, 
 skins or cotton canvas. In mak- 
 ing a Winter house, a cellar from 
 twenty to twenty-five feet square 
 is dug, from three to five feet deep. 
 At the corners and along the sides 
 of the excavation are set posts. 
 On the outside of these poles pieces 
 of driftwood are laid one upon 
 another to the top. Other timbers 
 are placed across the top, forming 
 the roof or ceiling. Against the 
 outside, and upon the roof, dirt 
 and sod are piled, until the whole 
 has the appearance of a mound. 
 A narrow platform extends along 
 one side or several sides of the 
 room, upon which are stowed the 
 belongings of the family and bed- 
 ding of furs. This platform is also 
 the sleeping place. Large shallow 
 dishes of earthenware, bone or 
 stone, filled with seal oil and with ' 
 wicks of moss, are the combined 
 stove and lamp of the family. 
 Sometimes these lamps are of 
 huge dimensions, 2 to 4 feet in 
 length and 8 to 10 inches in width, 
 with 30 or 40 wicks. In one corner of the hut 
 frames are suspended in which snow or ice may be 
 placed, which thawing and trickling into a tub 
 below shall furnish the water supply of the family. 
 At one side of some rooms, and in tlie floor near 
 the center in others, there is a small opening. 
 This is the doorway and opens into a hall twelve 
 to fifteen feet long and very narrow and low, 
 leading to a well or shaft. This shaft is six or 
 seven feet deep and leads up a rude ladder to the 
 
6 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 open air. Within, the combined smell of reeking 
 oil-lamps, rancid blnhber and the effluvia of 
 human beings and clogs, becomes malodorous in 
 the extreme. When on hunting or traveling ex- 
 peditions, temporary snow huts nrc l)uilt, peaked, 
 or in the shape of an inverted bowl. 
 
 All villages of any consequence Iiave their i)ublic 
 hall, resembling the private dwellings, only much 
 larger. Rome of these are 00 feet square, 20 feet 
 high and contain three tiers or platforms. These 
 buildings are known as the kashima or kashga. 
 Here the public festivals are held and dances take 
 place. Tliey are also the common workshops in 
 which the men make their snowshoes, dog-sleds, 
 spears and other implements. 
 
 FishUnes and nets and bird-snares are still 
 maik' of shu'ws iind raw hide. Arrows, spears, 
 nets, trap^^ and Imt'poons with floats made of 
 whole se^l-^liill~ liiiUiied, are used in hunting, 
 though guns arc hi iiig introduced by the traders. 
 For iransporfalion on land the people have 
 snowsliofs, and dog-teams and sleds, and on the 
 water the kayalv or bklarka and umiak or hidavi-a. 
 With a frame-work of drift-wood, these eanoes are 
 made of skins ; the kayak being a long, mirrow, 
 light, graceful craft, from 16 to 18 feet long, taper- 
 ing at either end, with one, two, or three holes 
 for the paddlers. The umiak is the family-boat, 
 and may be from 24 to 40 feet long, with a carry- 
 ing capacity for 15 persons and several hundred 
 pounds of freiglit. 
 
 Till- ron(l-sM|)ply ol' the Arctic Alaskans consists 
 of llic \vhU(- w luiU'. till' wah'us, seal, deer, squirrels, 
 hares, lieaviT.s, land oltcrs, etc., :ind of many va- 
 rieties of birds, csprrially ,i;ri_'se and ducks and 
 gulls. Fisli also rorin a lar.^■(■ iiorllon of Die diet, 
 raw, frozen, la-oiled i>v dried. I!crric< arc used 
 eitheriiia fresli stair or are mixed \^ilh wiiale i,r 
 seal oil, or with Tal rliuppcil line and healcn into 
 a paste—" nai iM' ii-e cccani." Lo\-e ol' strong drink, 
 in spit^Jof ail law to the i/onlrai'v, is beeondng a 
 special curse. In ohtaining their necessary food- 
 supply the people display nuicli ingenuity. Some 
 of their traps sirow reinai'kal^le cunning. 
 
 Ilolh sexes are tattooed. Labrets are favorite 
 ornaments. In early youth a cut is made in the 
 lower lip and a small wooden plug introduced, to 
 keej) it from closing. (Jradually it is eidarged, 
 and a lalii-el ofjade, ivory, hone or glass, isinscrted, 
 shaiifd like a silk hat in miniature, the rim being 
 inside the moulh to hold it in i)laee. (Jirls have 
 tlieir cai's ami sometimes their noses pierced, for 
 ornaments. The dress of the Eskimos eon.sists 
 
 mainly of shirts, trow- 
 sers and boots made of 
 deer-skins, or other furs. 
 Women's clothes differ 
 from those of the men 
 in having their lower 
 garments all in one 
 piece, and then- shirts 
 arc cut out at the sides, 
 leaving a rounded front 
 like an apron. Then' 
 hoods moreover are 
 larger, permitting an 
 infant to be carried m 
 this pocket at the l)ack. 
 
 Ignorant and savage, 
 and with a religion 
 built out of firm belief 
 i n gh OS ta an d ev 1 1 spin ts, 
 the Eskimos are super- 
 stitious to an extreme, 
 and ascribe everything 
 
 they do not understand t<t occult iiifkiences, tlius 
 falling ri'ady \'ietinis to llu' chicanery of shrewd 
 ]nen who clioose to (h'lve the [irolitahlc trade of 
 shamans" or witcli-doctors. IJelievers also in 
 the transmigration of souls, they fancy that spirits 
 enter even into rocks and winds and tides and 
 animals, and thai their favor or malevolence de- 
 termines the bnsiiH'sj^ of llie community as suc- 
 cessful or unsuccessful. They also believe that 
 these conditions may be changed by sorcery. 
 By suitable incantation-s, nonsensical mummeries 
 and ventrilo(|ui.sru, the shaman can control the 
 winds and tid<'s, and can reward friends and 
 luinish enemies. As with certain other repre- 
 si iitati\cs of healbendom, there seems to be no 
 ■^l>ecial cercmon\' among them connected with mar- 
 riage, i r the |>arties are young peo])le, the aft'air is 
 largely arranged by the parents, rechapsthe young 
 husband joins his wife's family, and is exi)ected to 
 hunt and fish for them. If he refuses to give his 
 father-in-hiw the furs he takes, he is driven out of 
 the house, and s-^mie one else more active or more 
 obedient is installed as the husband of the girl. 
 Sometimes a woman has ten or twelve husbands 
 before she .settles down. In this condition of things 
 it is not at all strange that the women become in- 
 ditferent and often falsi' to their husbands, and that 
 childhood is a pitifid slage of experience. Love 
 has little to do witli laniily-lifc, and husbands and 
 wives are sometimes excliangeil by mutual agree- 
 ment. Polygamy also prevails to a limited ex- 
 tent. There are various festivals wliich involve 
 heathen ceremonies— a whale dance, seal, walrus 
 and i-eindeer dances, dr. There are festivals for 
 the spirits of wives, of dea<i friends, of hiflarkm, 
 etc. A favorite celebration is the poilatch, when 
 gifts are mutually exchanged. 
 
 Inhuman cruelty is practiced towards the sick. 
 The jjrevailiim- diseases are sci'ofula, diphtheria, 
 ea(a!'i-)ial ili--orders, pnemnonia, ulcerations and 
 eonsuniptioii ; and the ilealli rate is large. A super- 
 stitious fear exists with reference to a death in a 
 house, so that when the sick are thought to be 
 nearing their end Ihey are carried out and jdaced 
 ill an out-housc. I f they do noi ilie as soon as was 
 e'xpi.'ctcd, they are kilh'd usitallv bv the shaman. 
 
 Oui 
 
 liial ■ 
 
 ■ missioiiai'i 
 'riie\' some 
 I 'shaman ' 
 loo manv ii 
 d we know 
 ■ had w 
 
 imes chil.) l() death and burn witli 
 ;ir ' wii ch ' who is suspected of kill- 
 iioceni people. A ease of this very 
 )r, tof I lie witch was an old woman 
 lii US jiarl of one Winter when she 
 said she had killed several chil- 
 ;id I'lu^mcd the whole vilhige, and 
 id eliilihed her to death, severed all 
 urm-d her with oil." 
 
 ■ KArilllSIA. 
 
 drcn : which 
 her .>wn luisi 
 her joinls am 
 
 Tile dead arc w rappefl up in skins and drawn 
 on a sled lo the rear of fhe village, where they are 
 phu'ed Oil .-i-atlolds, onl of the reach of animals, 
 in- npuii tlic ^iMuiid ami covered over with drift- 
 woo<i, or as aiiioni;- sumc <»f the tribes, are left upon 
 the ground to he soon torn in pieces and devoured 
 hy (lie dogs of the village. 
 
 The Moravian Mission. 
 
 The eonimeneement of a Moravian Mission in 
 Alaska was cjuite unforeseen by the members of 
 that Church until soon before its inception; and 
 the call came from an unexijected quarter. 
 
 DAVIO SECtTVlUK. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the Moravian "So- 
 ciety for Tropagating the (Josi)el among the 
 Heathen," held on August 23, 1<S8:!, at Bethlehem, 
 Pa., its Pre-sidenl, the late liislmp Edmund de 
 Schweinit/., S.T.D., L-oinniiinicateil a letter fi'oni the 
 Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D.l>., of New 'I'ork, t hen Sec- 
 retary of the Board of M issioos of I he I'rcsl.yterian 
 Church, and since l.s,s5 "Cniied States (Jeneral 
 Agent of Education in Alaska," in wliich he 
 urged the establishment by tlie Moravian Cluu'ch 
 of a mission in Alaska among the Imlians and 
 Eskimos. In.strumental himself in founding the 
 Presbyterian mission at Sitka a few years before, 
 Dr. Jackson considered the !Moi'avi;ui Church to 
 be especially fitted for this niuch-uceded work, in 
 view of the long experience of Moravian mission- 
 aries in evangelizing tribes of degradcii savati'cs ; 
 and stated that he had unsiicec^srully a|iplicd to 
 other denominations on liebalf of these neglected 
 heathen. 
 
 The Society, whose organization dates back to 
 the year 1787, having favorably entertained Dr. 
 Jackson's appeal, and the ajiproval of the lioard 
 charged with the .ireneral management <if the I\Io- 
 ravian Missions havim;- been obtained, Ibe Bev. A. 
 Hartmann, Mora\ iaii mi-.-ionary among the In- 
 dians in Citnada, and M v. \Vm. Wcinland, a mem- 
 ber of the graduating ela.ss of the Moravian Theo- 
 logical Seminary at Bethlehem, I'eiina,, were aii- 
 pointed to undertake a tour of exploi'ation. 
 
 Steaming out of San Francisco on i\Iay o, 1884, 
 in the U. S. Revenue Cutter Coru-in, they reached 
 Unalaskaon May 16, and thence proceeded in the 
 Dora, a steamer belonging to the Alaska < 'oiunier- 
 eial Co., across Bering Sea to the mouth of tlu^ 
 Nushagak River in Western Alaska. ller(' was 
 a Greek Church whose priest clainied iln- disiiact 
 of the Nushagak andTogiak Rivers as his i>arish. 
 
 Passing on to the Kuskokwim, they ti'a\elcd 
 up this river beyond Kolniako\sky in two larye 
 bidarlcas. Their interpreter was n Mr. Lind, an 
 Agent of the Alaska Commercial t'om|iany. llie 
 natives they found aiiproaebalde. The land 
 seemed to be prevailingly Mat, sandy soil on 
 either side of the river, covered wiih tnmlr-i, 
 tliough wooded mountains apjx'arcd in llii> dis- 
 tance. Retracing llicir wa\- o\erhind wiili llii' 
 frequent use of hhlai-l.-n^ to N usha.^'ali, the return 
 voyage to San Francisco Avas made liy Ihe cxidorcrs 
 in a sailing vessel, the Sailir F. Ciill<-r, without 
 special event ; and on Seiitcmher l'') tlii'v n^ai-hed 
 Bethlehem in safety, recommiMHling (iial a mis- 
 sion station be founded on ihi' Kuskokwim, near 
 the native village of Mumtrt'khlagamiul, about SO 
 miles from the mouth of the river. 
 
 The Spring of ISS^) sees a company of missionary 
 pioneers in San Francisco, en route for Bethel, as 
 this projected station is to be named. They are 
 the Revs. Wm. H. Weinland and- John Henry 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 7 
 
 Kilbuek.alinealdescendantof Gelelemend.aChris- 
 tian king of the Dcbiwiires in tlie .last century, 
 recent graduates of tlir M<ira\'iaii Theological Sem- 
 iuary, with their \\-i\-('s, and Hans Torgorsen, a 
 practical earin'tilrr, who as a lay-inissionary will 
 assist in ostalilisliin.u' Ihe Mission. He lias left his 
 wife at tlic CaiKuliaii iinlian Mission, where he has 
 liitliei'to bi.Tii cn.uimi'tl. They charter a schooner, 
 the Li.v-ir M< rrill, in nin- 
 vey themselves and their 
 building material and sup- 
 plies to the moiitli of the 
 Kuskoliwim, taking- with 
 them a sin:dl sail-lxiat, the 
 Betl«l Shir, wii!i which 
 to navi.ualr tliat rivfv. 
 Weighing anclior on iVlay 
 18, they arrive at tlie Kns- 
 kokwim on .iiini' li). 
 
 And now let Kilijuek's 
 narrative tell of the heavy 
 blow which fell upon the 
 inexperienced you ng 
 ecniidos l)et'ore tiieir work 
 was fairly begun : 
 
 " As soon as wc luul 
 unloaded our goods, and 
 made oui-scIncs ciiiii foi't- 
 
 arctic Winter, and not having a roof over their 
 heads ; Kilbuck, moreover, suffering from an 
 affection of the eyes that at times almost blinded 
 him ; tlie material which they had brought for the 
 construction of a house so wet from the frequent 
 rains, that they doubted whether they could use 
 it; and, to crown all, both of them able to com- 
 municate with the natives only Ijy "sign Ian- 
 
 able, th(.' 
 land a 
 eeeded 
 lumbtT 
 niiul, 
 
 1 'Wv. 
 
 I of 
 
 M IDllll 
 
 till.' \'iciiiity nl' 
 liad dftd'Hiiiicd 
 to L'stablisli our WrA Mis- 
 sion. On till* (.'veniny' of 
 the 14th we sr!ccl<Ml I lie 
 site of BetliL'l, wliicli was 
 a gentle rise about one- 
 half mile west of tlie trad- 
 ing post. We knt'lt upon 
 the luiutrn, and k'd bv 
 Brotli.T 'I'or^vrsen, (k'di- 
 catcd in pra.s'cr thai spot 
 
 unto tlie sei'viee ol 
 plans and wliolr I'li 
 Brother Torirefsi 
 after a fourth \»iu\ 
 land was in do wli; 
 for the foundatioi 
 the hiiiihei- dr\1i 
 Torg(.Tsen and i <■ 
 anolliei' ; w vv ex 
 three days ; and ti 
 siglit of tlie staliol 
 l)oard, and, l.elon 
 dniwneii. I iiiron; 
 
 sislatiee. I le sent 
 and therefore 
 T was unable 
 therniore 
 been 
 
 il,elle, 
 
 Lord, and committed our 
 ,t (lie iiiln [lis liand. 
 ■n niid I left Bethel, July 138, 
 of luiiilier. wilile Brother Weiu- 
 ii he eoiild towards getting logs 
 1, in addition to looking after 
 ill I he /.OHh/mn. Brother 
 \lierieneed one difficulty after 
 pHsed to a pitiless storni for 
 Dally, Anijnsl lo, when within 
 ion, I'li-oiher 'l^.i-i^-ersen fell over- 
 >re help i-i)uld reaeh him, was 
 )niied ISn^ther Weinland of what 
 id asked him to eome to my as- 
 til w ord i hal he wan sick in bed, 
 uld nol cotiu'. Owing to a calm, 
 |)rn<'eed, and flir- 
 ly eyis, whieh had 
 eil, n<iw thai I was 
 o use tlieiii, bei-anie 
 the pain ahiiost viii- 
 
 guage," except for the aid of Mr. Lind. Less 
 heroic souls might have searched for some possible 
 means of a retreat. Not so, these missionary 
 couples. They dry their lumber as best they can 
 in the kashima which Mr. Lind kindly places at 
 their disposah They erect their dwelling accord- 
 ing to the best of their ability ; and it is taken 
 possession of by them on October 10. They write 
 concerning this time of test, " You see that we can 
 say, ' The Lord is our Helper.' " 
 Thus their surroundings are described by them : 
 The .country to the west and northwest is 
 open tundra, while there is a considerable pinery 
 
 bearable , 
 tions, I anchored ihe boat, made 
 everything sniiL;-, and t lien .uet- 
 ting into'lhe hireli eaiioe with a 
 native 1 lioine. The meet- 
 
 ing at lionie W as sad, for \\ r tlHilv 
 felt the hand of the Loiii, but He 
 granted unto us faitb to look to 
 Him for comfort and strength. It 
 was not. until five weeks after, 
 that the body was found. It had 
 been I'Liiried down an unlYe- 
 quented elianiiel. and east upon 
 an island, and i( was onl\- bv 
 aceideiit thai it was dis.'nvereii bv 
 a native. Tin- remains <.f Iin.th('r 
 Mans Tnrgerseii now lie in jiea^'e 
 
 on the su 
 
 ■ek. 
 
 WesI of {\iv Mission Hoi|>e, freir 
 wliicli .'an be seen tll<' plan, 
 wbei'i.' al■eordin^■ to bis wish lie 
 died while u|K>n the i.onl's batii- - 
 lie!d. ' Whosoever shall lose lii^ 
 life for My sake and Ihe CosjielV. 
 the same shall save i[,' is the 
 prondse of Iliiii, to uliom lians 
 Torgei'sen ela\'e with all his 
 Strength." 
 
 The situation was indeed serious. 
 Two young men, idterly inex- 
 perienced in boiise-huilding— the 
 one, Weinland, having spent all his life at school, 
 in college and in tlie seminary, the other, Kilbuck, 
 a full-blooded Indian, who had as a lad left his 
 home in Kansas to be educated in the church 
 school at Nazareth, Pa., thence to take the classi- 
 cal and theological course at Bethlehem — with 
 their brides of a few months, face to face with an 
 
 to the north and northeast, which serves as a 
 break to the winter winds. To the east we have 
 the river and wooded islands, and in the distance 
 the rugged mountains of Alaska can be seen. 
 To the south is a channel of the river, 
 and a large thickly wooded island which 
 protects us from the heavy south winds. Good 
 water is near at hand, an arm of the river being 
 not more than sixty yards from us. Besides the 
 
 above advantages we have the following, which 
 have a direct bearing on our future work. Being 
 near the trading-post, we get to see a great many 
 natives from villages up and down the river, and 
 on the fiiiulra. The location is central. Taking a 
 two days' journey with a dog-team as a radius, we 
 form the criiter of a circle, within whose limits 
 may be found a population of 1200 natives, accord- 
 ing to the lowest possible estimate." 
 The Winter, which soon set in, was unusually 
 severe. On December 29, 
 the therm onieter reached 
 50 6-10 des;rees bidow zero. 
 In October neighboring 
 lakes were like rock in the 
 grasp of the cold ; and it 
 was the end of May before 
 the river was clear of ice. 
 
 In the Summer 1886, a 
 second station was founded 
 and named Garmel, on the 
 Nushagak River, near Fort 
 Alexander, by the I?cv. 
 Frank Wolf!', who return- 
 ing the same Fall, next 
 Spring jiroeeeded thither 
 with his wife and two 
 children and Miss Mary 
 Huber of Lititz, Pa. 
 
 In the same year, the 
 Bunmier of 1S87, Brother 
 Weinland and family were 
 compelled to return, owing 
 to severe sickness — a re- 
 treat which preserved 
 them for a successful career 
 of pioneer mission-work 
 in Southern California ; 
 but it was too late to send 
 re-enforcements to Bethel. 
 
 A ^veary, weary time 
 must the early part of the 
 Winter of 1887 to 1888 have been at the lonely out- 
 post of civilization and (.'hristianity on the Kusko- 
 kwim. Work enough there w' as to do. At times 
 troops of natives covered with boils, the heritage 
 of a period of semi-starvation, clamor for salves 
 and medicines ; the school must be taught, its sev- 
 enteen children clothed and fed — often washed, or 
 even disinfected, wdien first received ; there is a 
 log-house to be built with native help; there are 
 heavy parental anxieties about little Katie, the 
 missionaries' child, and sometimes the utter 
 cruelty of the unfeeling heathen is sucli that it 
 would depress any except the stoutest-hearted. 
 
 Here is an extract from the mis- 
 sionaries' Journal : 
 
 "Some one tied a helpless little 
 child of about two years down to 
 the water's edge at' low tide. Its 
 cries attracted the attention of a 
 passer-by, who found the water 
 already nearly up to liis neck. 
 The man took it to his home and 
 took good care of it. ft was recog- 
 nized as a Neposkiogamiut child, 
 whose mother had died, the father 
 leaving it in the care of an old 
 woman at Mumtreklilagamiut. 
 The child is sickly, and doubtless 
 was too niueli ol' a rare for her. 
 The only sur|trise that people 
 have about il is, rhat any one 
 should want to drown or kill a 
 hov ; their girls are often killed, 
 hut seldom hoys." .... "At 
 the miMitli of the river, an old 
 \\oman uas eut up into small 
 jiieees iiy a man, wlio supposed he 
 had lost his children tlirotigh her 
 witchery." 
 
 Yet the brave couple, though 
 sometimes in ilMiealtb, labor on 
 undaunted. In siiile of .':S0 degrees 
 below zero, Jirother Kilbuck will 
 walk twenty-five or thirty miles 
 io plan for the erection of chapels 
 at two other villages. At one 
 time, his nose and lips are frozen ; 
 at another, a blinding snowstorm meets him on 
 his way home. There must sometimes be con- 
 tests with the "shamans" who threaten- him with 
 their " black art." 
 
 Indeed it is now that an insight into the 
 language of the Eskimos is being won, that with 
 it comes a fuller revelation of the powers of dark- 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA, 
 
 tup: tit. "REV. ir. t. bauhman. 
 
 ness that must be overthrown. The gross and 
 habitual immorality that was well-nigh universal 
 presented a fearful obstacle to the entrance of the 
 truth. We quote again : 
 
 "One of the greatest evils we have to contend 
 with is immorality. It is so common amongst our 
 people that they can scarcely be made to realize 
 the enormity of the evil. The very best of them 
 are not exempt from this sin, and the young are 
 led into it with no thought of wrong. This ia one 
 more of our hard tasks, to get the people to si;^- 
 clenUi/ understand the vUeness of sin, to leave oft 
 from doing it." 
 
 But dawn is at hand. It is the Holy Week, 
 1888. Daily services, such as are customary 
 throughout the Mfjravian world, liave been 
 commenced on Pidm Sunday. Twice, or even 
 thrice a day, there have been natives who are 
 willing to listen for an hour and a 
 half to two hours at a time, to what 
 of the language the missionary can com- 
 mand. It is Good Friday. He is ex- 
 plaining that the blood shed by Jesus 
 Christ on the cross was for the taking 
 away of all sin, when some of the older 
 men exclaim "Kon-ju-nah ! (Thanks'). 
 We, too, (lesire to li:\ve our badness 
 taken away l)y (liat blnod.'" U is !''astcr 
 .Sunday, :it d:i\-lii'i>;ik, and fofty iH'('|)le 
 havfgathered about //'(■ gi-HV dJ linAlii v 
 Torgvr^cn. They sing, in the native 
 language, three hymns of the Resurrec- 
 tion. It seems the message, that He 
 died for our sins and rose again for our 
 justification, is halm for the wounds of 
 the hearts of P^skinicis, as well as uf tin.' 
 Caucasians who ha\-e x ni tlir messen- 
 ger, and of tlie Indian messenger w ho 
 brings them the glad tidings. They 
 leave the grave, having sung, "Praise 
 God from whom all blessings flow." 
 
 A nundier of natives soon apply for 
 membership in the C'liurch — some have 
 already months ago hinted at such a 
 desire, before they realized the full sig- 
 nificance of this step. A period of in- 
 struction and probation follows, and on 
 September 10, 1888, eight are gathered 
 in as the first fruits of the Moravian 
 Mission amongst theEekimos in Alaska. 
 
 And yet they were not strictly speak- 
 ing the first fruits. For at Carmel, on 
 April 22 previous, a German sailor of 
 about forty-five years of age, Louis 
 Gunther, who had been left in charge 
 of the property of the Arctic Packing 
 Company and who had been led to a 
 knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, 
 had been confirmed by Brother Wolff 
 after careful instruction in the faith. 
 Here the work had been mainly of a 
 
 preparatory nature, school being opened at Christ- 
 mas. Nor was there lack of labor in curing the 
 physical ailments of those who came to the Mis- 
 sion-station, as to a hospital, with broken limbs, 
 ulcers, running sores, boils or severe diseases. 
 The one drawback to the success, apart frcim the 
 difficulties of intercourse through an ignorance of 
 the language, was the persistent opposition of the 
 priest and the deacon of the Greek Church at 
 Nushagak, who did not scruple to use fair means 
 or foul to thwart the endeavors of the missionaries. 
 
 Tiu'niug once more to Bethel, the lieroie family 
 there were not to pass anollu'i- \Vinter entirely 
 alone. On May 12, 1888, the Kev. Erni'st Weber, 
 of Gracehill, Iowa, who had vohmtec'red and had 
 been ordained for servi(/c in Alaska, left San Fran- 
 (■isc<i, !ind arri\-ed at his destination on June Hi. 
 He is soon (juite at lumie in his work, his arrival 
 making it possible tu hasten the erection of the 
 log-house planned for a scliool anil chapel. 
 
 At the beginning of IJecember, he takes Brother 
 Kilbuck's place as teacher in the school, for the 
 fatter on the third of the month starts ofT with a 
 dog-team for a five weeks' visit to Carmel, where 
 be would confer witli the missionaries about tlieir 
 work. But thougli man may propose, it is (iotl 
 wlio disposes. The difiiculties of travel and tlie 
 heavy rains so prolong the journey thither, tiiat 
 Christmas has passed before be reaches the other 
 Mission-sl at ion. Ttien , terrible storms and in- 
 tensest eotd drlay tlie return. Seventy-three days 
 elapse before he reappears at home, like one risen 
 from the dead, "his hair and beard long and his 
 face all covered with black spots where it had been 
 frozen." The thermometer during this period had 
 registered 59° below zero. It had been a miracle 
 that lie got through with his life. "No wood but 
 green willow tirusb to burn, and very little food to 
 be gotten for liis teams of fifteen dogs." Meantime 
 his wife, worn out with o\iTW(irk at home, had 
 been seized wi(h serious illiK^ss. and was confined 
 for several weeks to tier l)ed. Yet grace sustained 
 her, so that she could write : "Never before did I 
 feel the nearness and dearuess of my Saviour 
 thoroughly. The future and its duty was plafnly 
 
 [continued on page 10.] 
 
 M lis. II. T. ]1AI 'HM AN. 
 
 AI^ASKA MISSIONARY HYMN. 
 
 Alaska's voice is calling 
 
 In earni',-.i, tunes, 
 O save I'ntiii sin eiiihnilling 
 
 My loiiii- lU'i^lectuii suns!'' 
 From snmv-i'lad liill and valley. 
 
 Where rolls KuHknls:\viiirri wave, 
 Or Yukon's waters I'ally, 
 
 The echo sounds,— "O save!" 
 
 The lofty mountains, tow'ring 
 'Neath starry dome on high, 
 The glacier's ice cliffs low'ring, 
 
 Hectare God's majesty. 
 With voice sublime all nature 
 His'glory dotli proelahn, 
 But man. His erring creature, 
 Doth not adore His iiauie. 
 
 . Wiiile Arctic shades enshrouding 
 "*■ Brood o'er the tundra wide, 
 See darker ulnoni Iji'cloiiiling 
 
 Men's suiil^. 
 
 In ilarkness 
 From Him wh 
 Tlie Li!b, the 
 
 And must they v 
 In all tlu-ir ^io 
 .Viid no oiLc hash 
 
 .ti every side. 
 ;rMs>, iliey stray 
 
 1 tiniie (li;S|USCth, 
 
 Truth, the Way. 
 andor Siidiv, 
 
 To 
 
 r, .!es 
 
 THE FIHST MORAVIAN MISSIOaAKIES TO ALASKA. 
 Eev. and Mrs. Weinland, Kev„';;aiid Mrs. Kilbuck, Mr. Torgerseu. 
 
 <> lilcs^ed S;ivi(iu 
 
 Tiion Slu'phenl L;i>od and kind. 
 Who (lo?st from sin release us, 
 
 iJo Thou Thy lost sheo[) lind ! 
 
 See bright o'er Bethel shining, 
 
 The star of hope arise, 
 Dark, lieathcn hearts iiielining 
 
 Its joyfiii beam to prize! 
 On (.'armel's all;ir luirninii, 
 
 The siicri'ii Ihujic lierlaros 
 lOaeli uami'Lei', lioni(;\vard turning, 
 
 Jehovah's uierey shares. 
 
 Go, heralds of salvation, 
 
 Proelahii the lidirifrs irlad, 
 And save with exaltation 
 
 Ahiskii, dark and sad ! 
 Arise, in splendor beaming, 
 
 Shed forth thy glorious rays, 
 A nation lost redeeming. 
 
 Thou Sun of Righteousness! 
 
 A. L. Oeeter. 
 
 Bethlehem, Pa. 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 9 
 
 MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES IN ALASKA 
 
 1 . The Rev. 3. H. Kilbuck. 
 7. Miss M. Huber. 
 
 2. Mrs. E. Kllbuok. 
 
 8. Mrs. ScliiecbetrC, 
 
 3. The Rev. E. L. Weber. 4. Mrs. Weber. 5. Miss M. Mack. 6. Miss E. Huber, 
 
 9. Tbe Bev. J, H. ScbcBchert, la Bro. E. Hebnicti. 11. Mrs. A. Helmich, J2. Miss P, King. 
 
10 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 [continued from page 8.] 
 
 set before mo. Brother Weber and I talked of 
 plans, and I promised to stay here as long as I 
 could be of any use in the work. This seemed to 
 be of much en'coui-a.iicninit to hiui, for he \v:is not 
 willinj^ to give up, ;iihI wisiicd in sl;iy working on, 
 hoping tliat some iMK' iiii.uhl be ^enl lo ISrlhel in 
 the vS'priiig. Our ennrstant prayer was that the 
 peo[ili' nf (HIT I'rovince would not, when they 
 heard thi' Mission's loss, beeome discouraged 
 and slacken in tlieworkof supporting and cheer- 
 ing the worlvers in tins important and promising 
 field of labor. We ourselves were willing to re- 
 main and work on, lo tlie liest of durability." 
 
 What joy attended the return of the one consid- 
 ered lost ! Says Brother Weber in his diary for 
 February 14, ISSO : 
 
 "When we leasi i xiieet it, the Ijord answers our 
 prayers. Tliis inorniii,<r, about eleven o'clock, we 
 saw two hirge teams cdiue ai^ound the island. But 
 we had so compleit h tri\'en liiolber Kilbuck, 
 that I did not Ihiiik'dt" lilni. Wlien I saw them, 
 some of the boys said, ■ Win. is llial? Let's get 
 the glass.' I'reitvsonn lln\'sLii(l I iiev believed it 
 was ISronier Kilhiick. ■[■iieii w<' a!! looked; but 
 were afiaid lo >a\- il was lir, fui' Trar we should be 
 disaiipoiiileil. •■Mi: l.ind was lure. He said it 
 was 111', Soon he waved his liaiid, and then we 
 knew ii was he : and words eanuol i.'xpi-ess the joy 
 that we felr. Mr. I,ind and I ran down In meet blm. 
 Mrs. Kiliuirk aii<l llie ^■hildren were .standing by 
 the house, waiiinu. !l jusl sei^nied as if :M.r. Kil- 
 buck bad i'is(Mi iVoni tiie dead, i do not lielieve 
 we siniuld have fell happier if lie had." 
 
 And the luippiness of return was celebrated in a 
 peculiarly idessed way, on the 24th of the month, 
 by the addition of ten scholars and four adults to 
 tlie Church. 
 
 Tlie visit to Cariuel had proved a very opportune 
 one. The opposition of the Greek priest had thus 
 far been most trying. On Thanlisgiving Day a 
 .special diniu'i- haii been )irepared for the selu>lars ; 
 hut all exi'<'})l lliosewho hciarded in the Mission- 
 house were ocdia-ed away hy I his s[ji I'ikial tyrant. 
 Again, at (.'lirislnias, the |irojci-icd I'Ulei'lainnn'nl 
 was reiulei'L'd a C(an |iarai i \ e I'ail lire h y similar 
 mano'iivers. Besides the eoniforl i>f synipalhy at 
 such a time, llie aliiliiy ot' Jirollier K'ilhiiek to 
 -sjieak l']rtkinio was a marvel and a stimulus to 
 emulation. 
 
 But tlie niemtn-able visit to Carmel served yet 
 aiiolhei' purpose. It nnide it i)ossible to send tid- 
 ings home in Febrnary Instead of nLidsuinmer, by 
 the kind othces of Lord l,i)nsdale, wlio was about 
 to close an adventiu'ons i<Hir in the Arctic regions. 
 Already the conxiiiioii had become fixed, that 
 additional help shouhl iie si'id to both stations, 
 and a call had gone forlh for volunteers. Now, it 
 appeared as though the brave woman who liad so 
 long toiled to (he utmost of lier strengtli without 
 female help a( Uclhcl, might be compelled to 
 reliH'n iioine, f'oi' a time at least. The news seid. 
 a thrill ihrcaigb tlu> American Moravian Church. 
 At least nineteen volunteers came foi-w ard for 
 service in Alaska. Two were selecti.'(i. John 
 Ilernniu Selnei-hert, of Watertown, Wisconsin, 
 wdio was sMh-:ei|uentl\' oi'daincd, was appointed 
 lo .<:<. b> ('arm. 4: ami .Miss Cnvv'w Detterer, of 
 Kivrrsiilr, New .Irrsry. a liaiigliter of a former 
 pasior 111' Moi-a\ian i-oiiizi'egatioii there, was 
 chosen for lirihrl. In aildition, tliewife of Bishop 
 Henry T. Ba(4inian, one of the I'i'ovincial Klders 
 of the AoLcrican Moravian Church, otFered to go to 
 Betlu4 foi' one year, wilb her \'oun,^csl son, so as 
 togi\'e?drs, Kill)iick the I'cst she so iLiuch ncedeil. 
 
 A<'eordingly this ne\\' company of inissionarics 
 sailed fi-om San Kran<'isco on .May l~>, I.SSH, .separal- 
 in.iz at Unalaska, to aia'ive safely at t heir respect ive 
 destinalions about a we(4i apart in .fune. At 
 ]lellu4, liealtb liad been n-slored to .Mrs. Kilbuck, 
 so thai her absenei' from her post was imt required. 
 Ahi>m I weiily children were atlendin.i; llu> school. 
 The liiilr coniiiTuation nmnina'ed twenty-two, not 
 eoiintin.i;- iiie missionaries. A{ Carmel, the alisence 
 of the (ireck jiriest, who had left f<tr San Francisco, 
 rendered labor uloi'c agreeable. During the Sum- 
 mer the ministrations of Jirother Wolll'to the men 
 of till' I anneries .seemed to be not wlioll\- residtless. 
 Tw.Mit llie tzirlsof the school wrre moi'eo\'er can- 
 diilalrslnr membrrship in fheCliinvh. Here the 
 niimb^r<-rM'bolai> in Ociohcr. IsMi, was thirty-one. 
 
 In iinsyrara Ihicf ( ; l ammar arirl Vocabulary 
 of the Eskimo Banguage of North- Western 
 Alaska," was prepared and published by the Rev. 
 
 Augustus Schultze, D.D., President of the Mora- 
 vian College and Theological Seminary, Bethle- 
 hem, Pa., as a ludp to fiitiu'e missionaries, A new 
 and greatly enlarged edition came out in 1894. 
 
 On the twelCtli of January, 1890, the Rev. Ernst 
 Weber was united In marriage with Miss Carrie 
 Detterer at Bethel. The cheering presence and in- 
 valuable assistance of Mrs. Bachman rendered it 
 possible to push forward very actively. A miglity 
 breach was made into the bulwarks of heathenism, 
 in that for tlie first time heathen masquerades 
 were suspended in several villages. Not a service 
 was lield at Bethel with less than -50 natives par- 
 ticipating, and at times their number readied 150. 
 Three villages, (iuiechlohgamiut, Kichichtoganiiut 
 and Akiaganuut, became so responsive to the good 
 word, tliata native convert was appointed a "help- 
 er" in eacli phice— Hooker, l.oniiik ami Kawag- 
 aleg. Hoolterwas especially acii\'e. Tweniy-two 
 persons of his village were add<>d to the Chui'cli on 
 February 2fi, 1890. But the powers of darkness 
 seemed to gather for a final struggle. Madness 
 broke out in connection with an eruptive disease. 
 A terrible tragedy ensued. We let liro. Kilbuck's 
 letter tell the sad story : 
 
 "In March the (^uiechlohgamiut pi'0|)le moved 
 ni> to tlieii' mountain villaiz'e where mo-^t of them 
 live in the Spring and Summer. While there, 
 Bro. lloolver's otih' son dieii, which was a severe 
 blow to him. Me' howcvia- did not lose faith iii 
 the wise providence of oul' heavenly l-'athcr. Be- 
 fore his son's death, while out trapi>ing, he \ias 
 seized with somerhinu like vei'li;i<>. On April I, 1 
 left home to look after a woiiuui w ho had lost lier 
 mind. I was away unlil liir nr.\i e\'eniiiy, when 
 ul>on my ari'i\al homi', I was infoj-med tliat Bro. 
 1 lookei' bad also lost his reason. Two young men 
 were at. hand to lake me up at once. As I was 
 nearl\' snow iilind, ! waited tndi! next morning, 
 when I left \\ itli the messengers, who liad come 
 after me, with a (cam of (4eveii dogs. All day 
 lonn' we traveled, and until nine o'ehn'k in the 
 night. Not far from (he village, we met a young 
 hoy who said Plooker's lialf-brolher a> aliout 
 out of his reason too. Dark ami i-old we entered 
 the village. Witli no one to lii-eet me, and no 
 signs of life, I felt a chill go through me. I at 
 once repaireti to Hooker's liiirriih<ir((. Cod s[»are 
 me any more such sri;hts ! Bro .Hooker was now 
 quiet, but tbei'e was a wild, friyldened look upon 
 bis face. Tlna-f were fe\\- [icopk' pi'csent, but tliey 
 wei-e like so many statues. T'lnally, another iialf- 
 brotlier of Hfnikcr'.s in an exeiied manurr I'elaied 
 as best he could the symptom - ni' : hr all! ieied man, 
 and then demanded if 1 c<adii cure him, 1 as- 
 sured him that I would do all 1 i-oidd, and must 
 trust to tlie Loril for the ri>st. As they ail com- 
 plained of being about worn out with walehing 
 and tlie consequent strain, I saitl 1 would gi\'e the 
 man mrdieine wliicii w nuhl cause him to sli^eji, 
 and tlicnlhry <'i)UhI lake their rest U Idle [ liept 
 watch. Al'lei' a i-onstdlal ion anuaii;- t licmsel ve.~, 
 (bey a.i;'reed lo this, >o I ga\-e thr palieni an opiate 
 an<i iir was sdou quiet, f i-emainrd wilb lliemau, 
 and was lookimi- u|p sotne sintahle L'cnu'dv, w hen 
 about niidni-bt I was called out. Outside I was 
 informed tlial i must go away by the order of the 
 " Momilaiu lio>' " I who was partly insanei. These 
 poor sinqile pco|4e believed ibis man iobr (piite 
 right and ohe\i'dhis commamlslo tiielclter. I 
 talked to the peoplr ;uid rmionst I'atnl wilb llu-ni. 
 but no, I must ,i;o, iIh'\- saiti, and hc^an P) eaia'\- 
 out mv bedding:' ami i)ro\ ision lio\. To the ques- 
 tion liow was I to .lio, seciiiir that 1 did not have 
 mv tram, and no si^ns of a sleiizii for mv liu;'i;'a!;'e, 
 I was loid thai I enuld i)aek them, lu'add'ilion I 
 w as to yo thi-on.i;h some sens<dess pcri'ormauee. lo 
 drive otr evil spirits. The peoph- heeaua- verv ex- 
 eiled ami were Iiuri-ying to and fro, and ii'i tlie 
 midst of the confusion, an nm'X|Krtcd frimd 
 turiird up, who said that his sleigh was n-ndy and 
 he would take mi- to bis \'ilhme, aiioiii h\e milrs 
 off. He uruvd me P> -o, savim:- tliat the pi npic 
 niigbl do a rash a<-t wliilriu ibrii- piv-rni >hite. 
 (4lad to liiid one tVimdlv per-^u, ^nid brbrviu^ 
 that liii^ friend wa< rai-rd'iq) I .y i le- Lord, 1 relucl- 
 aiitlv eomplird. uoi Imwrver u'oim;- I liroiii;h that 
 >illv pt rb^rmanr,.. Timt [ rould not do, if thev 
 look my life on llu' <pol. Wc had gone almul \\ 
 hundred \ ards w Inn wll h a nd^bl \- \ rll, the nil ire 
 vilhigi-, hVaded l>y I he " Mouulaiii Ilov." w liom I 
 bad seen lieforr. pursued us. ,My fl icud trusted to 
 his ie.iis for salVty, and lied, soon as I ascia-- 
 
 taincd that lli<' lan'suil was inlrndcd for ns, I slop- 
 ped ( he team, and ad \am'ed t<iward Ihe piii'sui.TS, 
 This bold move surpri^'d them, and I could see 
 the faint attempt on the jiart of some to stop the in- 
 sane man. I tdlly believe that if I had not made 
 such a tVonI, ihey would have attempted violence. 
 As it w a- how e\ rr, tiie " Mountain Boy " only in- 
 dulged in a w ild talk, in which he most thoroughly 
 berati'd me tor bis Itrother's illness, and called m'e 
 every inuiginalile name, that he could tliink of. 
 He attempted to lay hands on ray sled once, but a 
 determined, and quiet, "Don't,"* or "Hands off," 
 
 effectually stopped him for the time. Then they 
 indulged in a wild song, making the woods ring 
 witli tlieir \-i lW, lull let me iro in peace. I found 
 my fVii iid w.iiiiiii;- lor me, some distance ahead, 
 and 111' -ernird ndirvrd lo liml nie safe. At four 
 o'clock we an-i\cd ai his village, and at once got 
 someiliiiiLL lo eat, for I had not eati'U anything 
 sinci' I left bonu'. Here I remained until the 
 next tnorniiig, when I returned home, as Easter 
 was at hand. 
 
 "It appears tliat after T left. Brother Hooker 
 partially recovered liis reason and at times was 
 (piite sane. On the day before b'aster, all took a 
 sweal-itatli, including 1 looker, .\fter the batli, 
 the "Mountain Imy " and ani>tlier yoiini;' man, 
 also ipiite cra/.y, saiil that the sick man was now 
 quite ]"irepai'cil to leave them, lli' was a saved 
 man ami would iro to heaven. With this Ihey led 
 Bro. Hooker out, wilhout any elotiiiiii:, and com- 
 manded ill!' resi to ibllow.' They Weld (jiiite a 
 distance from the \illa^c, when the two men 
 ordered llie [leople lo >tand>till, and shut their 
 eyes and how their liead-, w hileihr Ihive w-ould 
 go farther on, Wiiat lia|>priird m>- informant could 
 not sav, but suddenl\- ibcre was a howl, a shriek, 
 and when he opened' Ids eyes, lie saw Hooker sur- 
 rounded bydoi;s who wcrr literally tearing him to 
 pieces, llv said be w;w so paialy/.ed w ith horror, 
 that he stood rooted to ilic spot, unal)le to move or 
 yell. In agonv be closed his eves and sfopijed bis 
 ears, imi to l ins da v lie <'ould see thai horrible sight 
 and bear his Itrother's shrieks, and ilic row Is of 
 the do-<. Such w-as the sail laid of Bro. \ [.)oker." 
 
 In llic Summrr of IS'll) rcen fon-rinents were 
 sent oul, Miss r,ydia Lebus, of Canaan, Xorth 
 Dakota, to Betbc'l, and Miss l';mma Hiiber, of 
 1/il itz, Pa., a sisier oi' the mis>iouar\- ali'eady there, 
 to Carmel. Mrs. ISaehman's safe return w ith her 
 son, ghuificned the Church in Au.nust. She 
 brought with her two Kskinio boys from the 
 Kiiskokwim, Coorge Nukachluk ami David 
 Skuviidc, w ho were placed under ('aptain I'ratt at 
 C'arlislc, Pa, During this year much of the mis- 
 sionaries' time at botli stations was devoted to 
 the work of the Eleventh Census, as assistant 
 enumerators for the United Stales (Government, 
 appointed with tlie consent of ihe mis-ion lioard. 
 More exact acquaintance wiiii Ihe eidcf feLiiure.s of 
 (heii' lield-; w as promoted !>yllie many t<airs now 
 made, iuvolvln.u' journeys that a,!;-.!ia-e.s;ated about 
 2r,50 miles in the Kiiskokwim valley alone. The 
 Eskimos of thai eniire distriei wia'e estimated at 
 5,264 ; 38(i.\llia|iascan Indians coiisi i tut iiii;- the re- 
 mainder of liu' native ]nipubaiou. The Nllshagak 
 Kskimos numl>ere<l l,!t."">:i, w ith about oO Indians. 
 
 Amon.nst !lu' iiotewoi'tliy events of the Winter 
 of l,S'.)u-;il, nniy be chronicled Ibe conversion of the 
 "Mountain Boy" after the restoration of mental 
 soundness -a conversion wdiost^ reality has been 
 demiaisti'ated by a consistent ('hrislian walk and 
 zealous assistance of the missinnai'ies e\er since. 
 Cieat fatality, Irom the inlUicn/.a, and a period 
 diiriiii;- wiiieli food was searcc amongst the natives, 
 likew ise chara-'lerized iliis |,erio<i. Thlscpidemie 
 to-etber wilb ihe slarlliii!;- disidosurc of tlie inves- 
 UiiiKions in couneclion with the ecnsus, that not 
 less Ihan r,u per cent, of the people are alHictcd 
 with soini' ehronic disease and that a large propor- 
 lion of the (ddldreii do not reaidi adult yeai-p, 
 led Ihe nd~sionarii's lo >lrenuonsiy a|ipea! for (he 
 
 is beini;- ennq)lied w il li by Ihe srmliii- of 1 Imuau 
 Homii:-, a iirotber of Mrs. K'ilbuek,to the llalme- 
 maiin :\Iedieai School of I'hiladelphia, after a brief 
 <'oursc at the Moravian College. His graduation 
 in b^'.iii will render it possible to supply tliis long 
 felt want. 
 
 What liad bi'iai for some l ime in eontemplation, 
 an <.Ilieial visK, eoiibi at len.L;lli be carried out in 
 llie Summer of ISiH. I'.isbop 11. T. liachiiian, 
 i'rcsidenl of the Provincial l^lders' Conference at 
 Bcihlehem, wdiose wifeV noble self-sacriliee will 
 ne\'er he for,i;ol ten in eoi meet ion wilb this mission, 
 w as the visitor. Sailing- <m ibe SI. /V//;/ on , Mine 
 1, he n arbed I'milaska on Ihe 1 lib, whem-e he left 
 for the Kiiskokwim on liie Dofd four days later. 
 The AV /II' I stiir, ill charge of Bro. Weber, met him 
 at the mouth of the river on the 22d, and on the 
 'MWi the };oal was at last reached. His arrival at 
 the mission siation is thus d(;seribed : 
 
 "The approach to IJethel, by water, is quite 
 flattering to the appearance of the little hamlet, 
 .fust at litis point the river widens out to two 
 or three miles. A low, grassy island, wliich is 
 .steadilj- increasing in size, lies some eighty 
 yards from the Bethel shore, and beyond it 
 there is another, ^much larger, covered with tall 
 
11 
 
 filial, 80 miles up the river, and the establishment 
 of a new station at Qiiinhai>"aniuit on the bay and 
 
 ii lii'i.llM'i- <.r Mr-;, KillnK'k 
 
 ill Cdlleiie in 
 AliLska as a 
 
 sai)liiij>s jiimI ;i ju-iivy inMi<'i'i;i uuih, ;nii] roiiclLi ri,i;' 
 far <l(i\v)i the ViVrr. As we sldrU'd aK.iiii- tlio 
 norllici-ii sidi- uf (he l;iri;cr ishuiil iiii'ii pi)iiilrr| 
 to some liiiih l)luirs ahead on llu- iiininkmd aiiU 
 said " M uiiK rcklilaL;ainiul." I ml [ con id dis(.'<i\rr nn 
 signs ol' a villai:c as vrt. l,aUT, iiu\\<_>\Tr, l)ic 
 bluff IVll uir sonirwhal, ami as wo n.ini<ied Ilic 
 point, of Ihr island 1 i-nuM liisrciai sonic |o\\- hidlil- 
 ings. \Vc soon rro.-M'd ovrrloliic sniallrr i>laiid 
 and loMiiwi'd ils nociiicrn l>aiil<. l'"i'oni :lii> poini 
 of view llic linildiiiirs of I'.ciiicl, <iainlini;- on liio-li 
 grouinl ;nid clearly milliiiod a,uaiii>l llic r\-cniii;;' 
 sky, liivscnicd an allracli\c [liclurc. I'lic tall 
 form of a man, who proved to be lii'ollicr Kilhnck, 
 soon eaiif:lil my e\i', ami in a \-ery siion lime be 
 was joiiicil by a i^i'on]) of oilier iici'sons. Mv men 
 were in spoi'tix-c iuinior and conlinned iia'ddlinii- 
 along the ishnul as il'jbey wer<' bonml ibe 
 river, but turned siiddoiii\- when opposite to 
 Betlicd, ;tnd in a few minuh's i was williin reacli 
 of eaijer. oulstretelied iiaiids ami loviii-' voices, 
 
 " ^ly arrival wa-^ an al'solnle snr|irise lo onr dear 
 missionaries. 
 
 "The b(iihlin,t;> of iU'liiel, which appear so well 
 as seen from ibe surfai-<' of Ibe rivi'i-, lose mncb of 
 thfir cbariii on closer inspi'dion. Se\'en in iinni- 
 ber, thev are siL'oimh- Imill, ami arc a credit to the 
 buikicis. 'I'be first main bnildiiio-, which was 
 crecred liv llie llrelhren Wcinland ami Kilhnck. is 
 Htill the i.i-sl dwellino: hniwc, ll mn^i^l^ of three 
 small rooms ami an allic Urol lici KilhneU ami iiis 
 family occupy t\\ o .-r ila-^c ron)ii>, and ihe ihird, 
 which iiad been ihe kilclirii nnlil ihi< ycai-, i.- now 
 the i!eneral reccpiion room, A i oimi'iid i>f the 
 low allic Si>icr l.clai- iia- her r>'-v >aiicluiii cair- 
 tained <il]' Willi |ioM ii lo : it i> t he same apart nieiil 
 which Sisler I'.achnian ficcupicd when here. A 
 larjie new kitchen was laiili last Winter to tho 
 right ot' llii^- hou.^e, and is eoniieeted with it by a 
 rooni>- enclor-cd ball, whieh is a i'oii veiiii^nt retreat 
 for till' nati\■e^ in raiii\- \\-cal her, a ml isaboii>eii 
 a,s a tool house and Ine'lslu'd, Ahoul lil'ieen vards 
 to tlie lel't of Ib'olher KiHai.'k^s house, looking;- 
 from t !ie hnn k of the ri\ cr, is l he former log 
 school-bouse. Into ihis i'.roliier Weber luis [)iit 
 parthions and a I'cilim;, and uiriied it into a neat 
 dwelliii,;;' of foiir >mall rooms for liim-elf and wife 
 and a poor crip|i!ei| min\-c i:irl of whom ibev ha\'e 
 talcen special cliar-e. r.riwnai Ihe two d we'll i nsi'S, 
 but on a lilM' far! her hack oii ihc t>n>//,;>. a])pears 
 tbebiiihlln- which is now used holh as a chaixd 
 and sehool-lHuise, and to the ri-!it of this, but still 
 farther hack, Ihe hat h-lioiise with tbrci' small a|iart- 
 mt'urs, and the old ami new stori'-hoirsi's and t lie 
 flshdmuse. liy closely luisbaiidiiii:- all tbes|";u-eat 
 their coin ma lid onr missionaries can carr_\' on their 
 work with ilieir present aceoni modal i<ms, but a 
 m-oper cliui-ch and a larger .schooidiou^e should be 
 imilt as soon a- [>o.-..-jl,|e. 
 
 "A lon- enld flame in froiil oi' IJroMicr Killuick's 
 hou.se riirni-la- a limited su|)plv of carlv i-adislies 
 and lelliice. .and each family has a la i-e' ve-vl,-ihlc 
 garden in wliii-h lurni|is, |ieas and heels, in addi- 
 tion to tile aLiove, a re g row n with moderate .sueces-s." 
 
 Bishop Bachinan's visit, at llelbel lasted until 
 July 7. .During this time an in\e>iioation of the 
 condition and needs of the w ork ^^ a> made. I'lans 
 for an enlargement of the >ianoii \\<'re disiai.-sed, 
 the building of a school and possilily of a eliapel 
 also, the erection of a chapel at Ougavigainiut as a 
 
 20 nuies below the warelionsi 
 confei'ence was estahbsbed : I'.r 
 polntecl the Superintendent of tin 
 dained a i'resliytcr. and the lii 
 and KawagaleLrsoiemnlv i'onsecra 
 The native nieinbershi|) was rcjjoi 
 souls, of whom tweiil\-l\\ o were 
 
 After traveling twenty-two day. 
 quarters afToi'ded bv a bidarka. w 
 tages, and acconi[ianu'<l by Hrotiier Weber and ; 
 native, witli a muier named l,edger and bis as- 
 sistants Ml a companion craft. I'.isbop Bacbnian 
 aceoinplislied the trip to ( arniel — esf iinate<i to be 
 about o50 miles liv the route taken, iIioiil:-]! onh' 
 200 as the crow Hies -in safdv. iliou-h Thnrxlay, 
 Julv 1(», was signalized lor hini bv a via-y narrow 
 escape ti'om drowniim'. tliron^'li ibe o\ eri n rn iim' of 
 the hid<u-/.-a. On the wav he iiisiieeled To>;iak as 
 the possible site for a tutiire mis.sion station. 
 
 He thus descrilies < armel : 
 
 " There IS mneli to si'c and admire at ('armel, 
 Tlie mission grounds are laiclosc.j a subshudial 
 wire t<aiee. In the center t<i this jilat are thi' prin- 
 cipai mission buildiiius. all ol w hich are closely 
 joineil toi^etlu'r under one 
 raiiyemeni except in i-ase i 
 ot their kind, and adapted to llu- demam 
 cold rei;ion. < om]iac-tlv and substaiiti; 
 thev arc \ I'l noi too ])l!iin, and within, 
 i'cccss is lilted n|) and occupied, wdiilst the; 
 
 1 bat iniporlant ad jnnrf 
 
 Killau'k. ap- 
 missinii, w:is or- 
 vihi-cii l.oniuek 
 edas-helpcrs." 
 led at lifty-tbree 
 eommunicanls. 
 ; in (lie ei'am[)ed 
 til frecpiont por- 
 
 iti economical ar- 
 riiev are moilels 
 
 built 
 
 cludi! 
 sniliei 
 
 I'l 
 
 fSSH. 
 
 hi.- 
 
 ' lirst I 
 
 Idii 
 
 c<l 1,^ 
 
 filler Wollfi 
 
 iioiise ]: 
 formiiii;- 
 'bids hu 
 
 aizaiiisi 1 1 
 ersed L- 
 
 aparlmenl^ 
 s. but wttl 
 cbool-room 
 are undei 
 
 I Ni'ar when be brouulit 
 ■v liiii.er to Alaska. It 
 '111 s tamiiy. Adjoining 
 lelicn and dinint; room, 
 
 ■el. 
 
 as bitlier 
 
 Kanulik. Just beyond it are the extensive works 
 of the Arctic Packing Company. Across the river, 
 two other canneries can he se(-ii in clear weather : 
 the Ibisiol K^iy, iilioul se\-cn miles away; and the 
 Seandina\-iaii, ahoni nine miles from Carmel." 
 
 Hero also a regular mi>>ion conference was es- 
 tablished as a consequence of the Bishop's visit, 
 its sessions to he held bi-weekly. The possibility 
 of founding a lilial al Togiak w-as discussed, but 
 the <iillicu!lies of the Journey t li it her - Summer or 
 Winter— were not to be overloi>ked ; and since then 
 it hiis been found to be deen-asiii!;- in iiopulation. 
 
 Keacbing liome on Septenilier 14, Bishop Bach- 
 man urged tlu! extension of the work on the 
 Kuskokwini. The Rev. l-^dward I-Ielmich, a stu- 
 dent of the Moravian Theological Seminary, and 
 Miss Mary Mack, of Xa/.areth, i'a., were now ap- 
 jiointcd. A small bouse, ready for framing, was 
 purchased by Mr. Plelmich in San Francisco. 
 But only a few days before the date of sailing, and 
 too late for any one to readily lake his place, 
 he sm'C'unibeil (o a seven' attack of ]uieuiiionia. 
 Mis.j Mack, Ibouiib given Ibe choice of returning, 
 bra\ely electeil to make the lout:' \-o\age alone. 
 The pro\'ideni iai detention of llrolhei' Ilclmich 
 pi'e\'enied Ibe .starting of the ibird station. It 
 also deprived Brother Kilbucdv of a much de- 
 served furlough, and coini>elIed him to make the 
 sacrifice of temporarily parting from bis wife and 
 three children. And it furtliermore interfered 
 with the shipping of a steam saw-mill to Bethel, 
 a iu'esent from the proprietors of Ihe tSaleni Iron 
 Works, of Salem, N. C, the sending of which, it 
 was believed, would materially lighten tiie phys- 
 ical labors of the missionarits. 
 
 Mrs. Kilbuck's furlough, in the Wintci- of ')I2 
 to '!):!, rendered absolutely necessary by the state 
 of her health, was diligently utilized by her 
 to arouse new missionary interest at home, in 
 >piie<ir her inidia-,^-oi niz' a s.'\-ere operation al the 
 
 I'.!-. 
 
 ll.T tS 
 
 1 hi 
 
 ■I's tu- 
 
 1«T 
 
 
 Mil.. 1 
 
 rn Ills 
 
 SUM 
 
 N ;il 
 
 .lie rn.l 
 
 ,.r llu 
 
 
 ii.lslii 
 
 V. Al 11 
 
 .....llu.i 
 
 l.llli 
 
 th<. 
 
 sislri-s 
 
 lIul.i-1 
 
 hiiv 
 
 . 1 lu'll 
 
 fheiTtii 
 
 l-OOIll. 
 
 \vh( 
 
 ri. llu 
 
 domiil 
 
 irv toi 
 
 llu. 
 
 tirls 
 
 S lltllU' 
 
 ■ thrii 
 
 1 111 
 
 iic-di: 
 
 1 ovt 
 
 isi^hl 
 
 SisI 
 
 ■1- M 
 
 ll'V ll 
 
 S lllsil 
 
 I ll 
 
 11 i-liii 
 
 Ill" ( 
 
 lirissv. 
 
 
 1 1 1 
 >hil. 
 
 Kill ..IV. 
 
 « l;i,s,. 
 
 1... iiii.l 
 nal iv|. 
 
 IIIDI 
 
 Iu.|' is 
 
 1 (IriTl 
 
 CuUl- 
 
 l.lil- 
 
 ui.l. 
 
 w. Ilv 
 
 lu;- ;il 
 
 Nils 
 
 h u ll 
 
 l.lll h 
 
 
 rrn. 
 
 (.,.(.,1 
 
 
 'l.. ll". 
 
 mis 
 
 i.iiiiiri 
 
 .s. ,S|S| 
 
 •r |.;iii- 
 
 Hill 
 
 lllll..'! 
 
 
 
 f / 
 
 M hu ll an' 
 
 -l(.si!;.|u.|| lu 
 
 iialiv.. 1; - 
 
 lios Mil., eh 
 
 Kisc lo l ast 111 
 
 llu-il. I..1 
 
 vith us. aw. 
 
 sitll;iU.(l 
 
 uMiinis llii. 
 
 nv..].. Ill 111 
 
 . riiiiil (ll thd 
 
 l.iiililiiuis r 
 
 .[.ri'sriili'd l)V 
 
 llu. v,.|-|i.-,i 
 
 liii.. (,r ihi' L 
 
 us villi 1.1 
 
 k n...iii tiR. 
 
 s.-lu.i.l - 11..1 
 
 llcvuiid 
 
 111.. h,,n:il,< 
 
 aiul lisil 
 
 llOllsr IS 1 ill' 
 
 larsii. sianU.u, 
 
 whi.R. (iiir 
 
 imssuiiiai.us 
 
 lunT siirri'i' 
 
 h-.l vi.rv M |.|l 
 
 111 luisiliu lliriiins. nola- 
 
 lui s. k'Uuri. 
 
 ami laihslus. 
 
 \ ll _ -Ml 
 
 u;. I.ir lh(. usu 
 
 ..r 111.. I",\ 
 
 s has h..(.ii 
 
 (.i...i.|(.il in 1 
 
 lis pari ,.r Ih... 
 
 vani ; "ll I 
 
 11. .ilh.-r side 
 
 ol 111., lilu. 
 
 or hoilsi.s. is 
 
 no fo 
 Ihe : 
 
 bou.-e. Iirih house ami 
 hoal and sleigh shed, be- 
 iiind which IS a large hot- 
 bell lor early vegetables. 
 Looking up the river. w( 
 seehrstthe native village. 
 
 >1KS. KILBUCK AND UAUGllTKH IX XATIVK COSTU.M K. 
 
12 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 skillful hands of the late Dr. Goodell, of Phila- 
 dcli)hi!i. TTer lirajiliic smd glowing statements 
 were a revL'lal um tn many. Happily recovered, she 
 returned in tlie Smmnrr of 1893, with I'e-cnfnrce- 
 ments, Eenjatniii PIfliuieh, of ^^ihbcwaing, Miclii- 
 gan, the brother of the former volunteer, and his 
 bride, n<\- Anna Liciity of Gnadenhiitten, Ohio, 
 togetliei- \\i(h Miss PliilippineC. King, of Philadel- 
 phia, a professional niu-se. With thcin they also 
 took hack the two lads who ha<l been at Carlisle. 
 
 Meanliiue Brother Kilhuek had been widening 
 (.be WDi'k around lielhel. A new fechool-house had 
 beeji buili, \vherr _Miss Mark presides. Brother 
 Wobei' and his w ife had nunle a successful com- 
 niencenient at Ougavig the prcviou-s Fall. At 
 Akiagainiut, Kawagaleg's village, a decided spir- 
 
 itual :iwa 
 
 Kili)U 
 ex pre; 
 he lui 
 eacb 1 
 wil'e \> 
 As a 
 
 nil 
 
 ■sul 
 
 I'liiiig had been experienced. After 
 -ci'\ ircs at the time of one of Brother 
 isii>, [irnciieally the whole village bail 
 ;i ilisii-e to join the Cbin-cb. lint 
 di' conditions, amongst tiie I'cst that 
 'd couple slioidd tii-si iic nnule niaii and 
 le sanction and lilessinii- of the Churcli. 
 sc\'eiLlcen coui)les wei'e willing to be 
 
 lie ha<l 
 
 misled that 
 
 thus joined togel 
 evening i)ra\'ei' 
 shoidii be regu- 
 larly niaiutain- 
 ed, thai the 
 1j o r d ' s I) a y 
 should be kept 
 sacred, and that 
 tbeijeopk'sbould 
 build a chapel 
 otit of their own 
 means. He ex- 
 l)ecte<l before 
 long to oi'gani/e 
 jv congregation 
 here as a iilial of 
 Bethel. At Ki- 
 kicht again i u t, 
 Loni u ck's vil- 
 lage, the ad- 
 vance had been 
 more slow, this 
 being a hc:id- 
 ([uarters <)f sba- 
 inanisni. Yet 
 there had ijceu 
 
 the n si one of 
 the sons of the 
 chief siiaman 
 havins:- beconira 
 professeil ( 'hris- 
 tiaii, and Iia\ itig 
 been disowned 
 by his relations 
 and ciu'sed by 
 
 his father in consei|Uenee. At Quinhagamiut, on 
 Kuskokuim Hay, a log bouse -21 x bS luid been 
 erected in the rough ; but so nuicb time bad been 
 taken by wailing for tlie iJnra and would also 
 l)e lost in conveying the goods up the river, that 
 it could nnl he completed. Willi regard to Ibe 
 means of D'aiispoi'tatioii, es])e<-ially in \ i<'\\ of the 
 rept atid h.^scs of lime it hi-,d long lH<n a cause 
 for rej:r<.t thai owing to circumstances beyond 
 control, all plans for a remedy bad as yet failed. 
 Coiisidei'al'Ie corrcs|iondenee with rcfci'ence to Oiis 
 sidiject had l)cen bad l.y Ihe I !oard wit h t he Alaska 
 Commei'cial ('oni]>any, whose otliecis showed their 
 ciistomai-y courtesy, ami also with private indi- 
 viduals in San Krancisc{). No ad vaivlageous ar- 
 rangement had oflered. Jiro. Kilhuek had con- 
 tracted with a i{ussian, Mr. Denientoff, for the 
 building at the Kiiskokwim River of a sailing 
 vessel of sultieicnl capacity to ans\\'er tlie needs of 
 the mission, liut uu ['oi l unalely ^Ir. Dementoff died 
 before tlie contract was lan-icil out. 
 
 At Carriu'l two houses were erected as additions to 
 the e(iui)»)nent of (he station, one of them a work- 
 shop 14x28 feet in dimensions. 
 
 After the arrival of the re-en forceuieuts in the 
 Bummer of lSf)3, the following disposal was made 
 of the missionary forces. Bethel should be served 
 by the Kilbucks and theHelmichsand Miss Mack, 
 
 with the help of David Skuviuk ; at Ougavigamiut 
 the Webers and Miss King should be stationed, 
 wliilst Brother Scluechcrt, ^dio had made the jour- 
 ney to Bethel during tiie Winter and had been 
 married to Miss Lebus on March 20, should return 
 with his bride to Carmel. This voyage M-as accom- 
 plished late in the season by a sailing vessel most 
 unexpectedly, a signal answer (o prayer being ex- 
 perienced by them whilst detained by the mud- 
 flats of the Kuskokwim, to the astonishment and 
 it appeai-s the heart's conversion of the captain of 
 the craft. 
 
 The Winter of 1893-94 was exceptionally severe 
 and prolonged, the ice not wholly leaving the Kus- 
 kokwim until in June. As late as !May S the ther- 
 mometer at Bethel I'egistcred 8° below zero. The 
 previous season ha<l been very wet, and it liad been 
 impossible to dry the tt^iuil ipuuitity of fish. This 
 haditsetlect upon lhcscho<il, which opened in a 
 pronnsing manner t'arly in Sepli>iiihci' wiib 2-') 
 l)upils. but had to be closed in .laiiuary for lack of 
 ]iro\isions for tlie boariling scholars, ll luflhec 
 caused great sullering amongst the people, the 
 UiK'i'al and pi'udent nianagemcnl of the mission- 
 aries alone keeping many in the vicinity nf ULissi,,,! 
 
 brought logs to exchange for boards. During his 
 first season Brother Helmieh was proving an inval- 
 uable heljier through bis management of it, and by 
 his aiititude in the acquirement of the language. 
 
 iM iss King's act^oniplished and self-denying 
 Services wwv highly appreciated, especially in 
 conneetion \\ ith the mission families themselves. 
 I)avi<i Skuviuk ami ( Ji'orge Nukachltik both made 
 a good rccoi'<l,(he foianer not hesitatingto do active 
 missionary work at Ougavig and its vicinity, and 
 the latter assisliiig Miss ^Im-k at Bethel as a monitor 
 in (be seliool. 
 
 The cheering tidings from the Kuskokwim were 
 clouded by the sad necessity laid upon the Provin- 
 cial Hoard, iiL the Su miner of \s\>l. of rrealling and 
 he r.rv. I'. K. Wollf. i'lHh'lerred by 
 liieh their station had thus received, 
 ng missicniaries at Carmel continued 
 future witli eonlideiit tiaisl and self- 
 .■vnlion. 
 
 the first decade of Moldavian 
 V great deal ()f tlu' work has 
 ilo ligurcs and statistics, 
 s years io break Ibe ground, lo acquire the 
 
 dismissing 
 the blow 
 the rciiiaii 
 to fare th' 
 sacri lieiiig 
 
 Sucli is the story 
 iLiissions in Alaska, 
 iml yi ilcv.loped 
 
 u.:^'uaL:'c 
 
 I r 
 
 (he 
 
 ■iptures, establish 
 schools, and in 
 get the good 
 seed sown in the 
 m i n ds a n d 
 hearts of the 
 people. That 
 the native 
 clun'ch has been 
 well- to u nded. 
 
 : 1 w t 
 
 Kixi; I'ossi.;ssi(jn OF Ti-:Ll.i-;i{ lil'iixn 
 
 TiDN." ,h:n!-:. 
 
 ■'On .liino in. iW. 
 
 lilKl ht'CII st'l m lUf : 
 Irt'O wi^niiiled our II 
 has laketi a leadin;; 
 
 ■iMirili'iawo-icl 
 Jiis iniiik ol' !>, 
 '■\\ nl" Colorado, 
 
 .stations from starvation. M o>t of i hr nal i x ^'slost 
 their dogs, and some of till' dog- liclniming loilie 
 mission also died. 
 
 Tlie religious work, on the other baud, prospered. 
 At the six principal villages, from Beiliel to Ouga- 
 vig, ;i dislaiiceol' .sil miles, no iiratlien ceremonies 
 took |tlace during the year. At ( Migavig the num- 
 ber of coinmnnicants rose lo .1.'). .\l Kichieblaga- 
 miut, whi're the prex ious ycai' a complete sejtai^ation 
 between t he ( 'hrist iaiis and the heathen had been 
 reported, now through ihe coii\ersioii of the cllief 
 shanuiii, " LittU- Whcisiuue" b\- name, wlio died 
 a humble and persisleiu beiie\-rr. iiolli sections of 
 the viUayi' came oul o|irnly I'or ( 'Iirisl, <laily ser- 
 vices were i list i t iilcd, and Sle|)hcn, the .son of 
 " Little Whetstone,'' who had a \'ear or more ago 
 left his borne rather lliaii surrender his faith, was 
 eliosen a "helper." At Akiaganiiiit, preparations 
 were made for the creel ion of a chapel. At (Juiech- 
 hdigamiut, the hoine ipf (he iaiiirnted Hooker, 
 after apparently iiivinciide opposiiioii to the 
 Gospel, there was a breaking down of the barriers, 
 and under the lead of the "Mountain Boy" the 
 people began to gather logs to build a chapel. 
 Thus the work of grace progressed. 
 
 With regard to externals, the saw-mill at Bethel 
 promised to be of great service, and a probable 
 means of improving the homes of the natives who 
 
 sIkmvii by the 
 p r a y<' r f u 1 n ess 
 and zeal of many 
 diirin- ilir seri- 
 ous illnessof tlie 
 mission-superin- 
 tendent in the 
 winter <if lH!J-i- 
 IH'.in, a number 
 of native Breth- 
 ren voluntarily 
 doing the U'ork 
 of lay evange- 
 lists. 
 
 The statistics 
 for reported 
 102 mcmlK^rs in 
 coniiecti(.in with 
 Bethel (includ- 
 ing Akiagamiut, 
 Kikichtagamiut, 
 (Juieeh loliga- 
 miut, Nepaskia- 
 gamiut, I'einga- 
 gamiul and Kol- 
 inako\>ky ,.")•'> at 
 
 Ouga\'igamiut autl tiiree neighboring villages, and 
 31) at Carmel - a tolal of 173. Three schools are 
 maintained willi an a\erage of 2"> to ;!(' scholars 
 at Bethel, 12 at OiigLi\-ig and ■2'< to 'Mi at Carmel. 
 At seven points coiigre.i^aiious of smiling, happy 
 worshipers gather about the missioiiai'ies and Ibeir 
 four regularly ap|Hiint<Ml hcljx'rs — Bomuk, Kawag- 
 aleg, Ste[)iieii and Kabukluk. Somi'tiuii's (iu> au- 
 diences a! lielliel have numiiered 2('0. Simday- 
 schools ari' in o}ieral ion. A train ing-<'lass of _\-oniig 
 men has been formed. During llint pari of 
 the year when the natives are imi srallered on 
 linutiiig exjicdil ions, daily e\eiiiiig |irayers arc 
 nuiinlaincd in the xillajics. Mission houses, 
 cha|ic)s and schools are being addo.i i 
 cburcii disciplii 
 tlie people at 1; 
 sorcerers also, a 
 and the jjower 
 family life arc coming to l»e prized by a hitherto 
 barbarous i)eo|)le. Provision is being made to save 
 them in body as well as soul. 
 
 What the future is destined to be, the Lord, 
 Whose comitig to reign over His rightful dominion 
 His faithful servants are seeking to hasten, alone 
 knows, concealed as it is in the sovereign mystery 
 of His providential designs. This, however, re- 
 mains certain : whatever that future, He will not 
 
 ( ■ari'l'id 
 
 In-iuu: adniinisii'rcd. Not only 
 . bill one by one wicked old 
 itbininin.u lo llie lov<' of Christ 
 the irtith. The decencies of 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 13 
 
 put to shame the faith and fidelity of those who 
 are in the field and of those who maintain them. 
 To Him be all the glory of succLSf; ! 
 
 The coiitrril of the Moravian Mission in Alaska, 
 belonff^ ullinmtely to the Mission Board at 
 Bertlielsdiiii', in Saxony, in accordance witli tlie 
 principle of the Moravian ( iiiircli, lluil " llic 
 Brethren's Unity andlhr P.rel hrenV Mission are 
 insoparately conne<;U'(i, and llial tliere w ill never 
 be a Unity of the Brethren without a .^Tission lo 
 the Heatlien or a Mission of tlie Brethren wliicli 
 is not an ainiir of llic wlmle Church.'' Yet tlie 
 praetii-al nian:i,L:enienl ul' Ihis parneiilai" Mission 
 has l)eeii coinnLlilrd to ilie i'rovin.-ia! Klders' Con- 
 ference of tlie nni'thern <li\ isii)n of ilu' Anieriean 
 Moravian Churcli, siihjecl in nnilti'rs of itn|ior- 
 tanct^ to llu' consent anil a])proval of the hii^liei^ 
 Boanl. In liiianeial matters and altairs of external 
 adniinisl ration, the !'i'()vineial i''l<iers' (.'i)nfereiH-e 
 are asxieiaU-d with their feUnw-direetors of the 
 Sneirly foi' I'l'upa.ii'at 1 iiy till' (inspel aniony' the 
 Heathen, wliieh has its seat at Betlili'lieni, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 The expenses of the mission, of necessity heavy 
 — owing to the 
 long journeys, 
 the need of i^end- 
 
 [Mrs. Kilbuck, in a letter dated February 12th, 
 1895, tliiis describes her husband's illness : 
 
 "Additiomd cold brought on pneumonia, and 
 on Saturday, December lo, we ceased to hope tlu\t 
 he w iuild r'vrn\<T. (iod Only knows how sad the 
 inuirs wiTe, iliai pLissed away so slowly. In the 
 e\Tnin,u ihe whole (•omi)any gathered in the 
 elia|iel, and tlie\' raised their voices to God in 
 jirayer foi- .I<)hn''s reenvery. Men and women 
 l)raye(i that ni.u;lit. 'fhe s<'hool-l>oys had special 
 [)ravej-s foi- iiim when thev were in their sleep- 
 illiZ'-hall, hefdiv \\\r\ u-Wwil. Urn. Hrhiiieli was 
 awav from iumir ai liie lime, ami we trll so alone. 
 
 I ne'ver l.-ri hi- lie(l>idr, 1 le.UTirvrd at Uie thniltiht 
 of nnl srciim- lillle Harry ami Kalir, lull enni- 
 forleil me ami Ihm wailed C-o-V^ will an(i linic. 
 His snH'ri-ing> were intense. liuLohl ihi' many 
 pi'ayers wi^re nnl iit vain, l-'i'nm ihe hour lhat 
 thos(> prayers were ulteicd he hc,iran to mend, and 
 allhou.;;'h his life linniz nri a tliri'ad i'oi' days, he 
 still imi)f(i\ed, and Ihe lillle inipi'ovement assured 
 us ot' a ehanye for the hellei'. The news siuH'ad 
 like wild-liri'. and peo|iir who nevei- eared fnr re- 
 ii.uion llirew asifle their heathen lielief and hej^an 
 ti) in'ay." Then aflei' sp(';iki of ilic kindm.'ss of 
 eaeli and all nf I lie Miissionaries, liro. \Veher hav- 
 ini:' niadi' th<' .SO miles from Oiigavig in le^s than 
 '2-i Imm-s. and Bro. Helniieli having returned, she 
 conlinues: "Not until January 13 was lie able to 
 
 mir 
 
 >ns 
 
 and oi hei' sup- 
 
 fi'aneiscn e a e h 
 SniLniier for the 
 sueeei'diiii;- year, 
 and tlie clolhiii.i!' 
 of the school 
 children — have 
 been met mainly 
 by voluntary 
 contributions on 
 the part of mem- 
 bers an<l friends 
 of the Moravian 
 Church in Am- 
 erica. Compa- 
 ratively small 
 grants have 
 been received 
 from the U. S. 
 Government in 
 aid of the schools 
 at lietbcl and 
 Carmel, as a pari 
 of the pnMir 
 school system of 
 the Territory. 
 
 (lifts, eitliei' ot 
 nnuiey or eiotli- 
 insj; or ot nseinl 
 artieles or books, 
 for the Mora- 
 vian Mission in Alaska may be sent to, and will 
 be thankfully received by, ttie Treasurer, the Rev. 
 Robt. dc Schweinitz, Bethleliem, Pennsylvania. 
 
 That I could not travel just when I seemed to 
 be needed the most, was a trial to me that I could 
 not at first nndei'stand. So fai' this Winter I made 
 only two short missionary trips over the tundra 
 before I became sick, and since then I could 
 not go away from the prennses until the 11th 
 inst., when I took a short snow-shoe walk. 
 Yesterday, the 13th, I was out again for another 
 walk. If I keep on thus I hope to be able to make 
 at least one trip up the river to Ougavig, and 
 give the C'jmmunion to our people. There are 
 quite a number of infants to be baptized and 
 couples to be married. 
 
 A few of our older members liave become volun- 
 tary lay-helpers, and (piite a number of lay-mis- 
 sionary trips have been made. In the Fall, before 
 my sickness, I conmienced a special class in Bible 
 instruction. Several youn.o- men who are pretty 
 well advanced in I'jiglish irawKd with the 
 "helper" Lomuck, and spoke directly from the 
 Bible, going over the lessons they had with me. 
 The people at large hail with much joy this for- 
 ward step, and these young men, though still 
 boys, are held in great respect. I expect to keep 
 this class of 
 young men for 
 anot her year, 
 when in all like- 
 lihood I hey will 
 he stal ioned at 
 the difrerent vil- 
 lages. 
 
 Ceorge and 
 Haviil in Spring 
 will marry pro- 
 mising you ng 
 w<^mt'n who arc 
 m)w" at the mis- 
 >ii)n to he in- 
 s I r u c ted i n 
 
 THE IvATEST INTEI.IvIG:eNCB. 
 By a Special Opportunity Bro. Kilbuck 
 forwarded the following from Bethel, 
 under date of Feb. 14, 1895. 
 
 At this date we are all well and are rejoicing in 
 the few warm days lhat we ai'c enjoying after a 
 week or so of storm. On the iMh inst. we heard 
 from Bro. Weher a! ()nga\'ig, and hi> reports that 
 all is well. The Winter, so far, has l.ecTi much 
 like our usual \\'!nters, cold biii u illi no unusual 
 storms. I^vei-y momh we ha\e had about two 
 weeks of niihl wcathci', the mercury being then 
 about the zero point. 
 
 The health of the missionary party on the Kus- 
 kokwim has l>een very good, except in my own 
 case. I have had an attack of ])ieui-isy. and laler a 
 relapse. M\- lii-sl sirluicss was in Novenilu'r, and 
 the relapsi' w as in I)rcenil)er. Tin.' Loi'd graciously 
 answercil the many an<l united prayers of our peo- 
 ple, so tinit although 1 was at the entrance of the 
 valley of the shadow of death. I was not permit- 
 ted to enter. My recovery has been very tedious, 
 and I am not myself yet, but eventually I hope 
 to recover my usual strength. 
 
 leave tiie house. He then went to church, and 
 spoke 11 f' /r words to the people, who were over- 
 whelmed with joy to see him again." .... 
 " I le is i!iLi)rovinu- ver\- fast latelv, but the pain on 
 his ches! is /e./ all gon'e." ) 
 
 At lirst 1 grieved because I could not go among 
 my people, esi>ecially as 1 thought that ray work 
 would be more needed than ever. At New Year 
 there was a great gathering of people from far and 
 near at Quiechloh garni ut, where a kind of pofkdah 
 was to take place. This atlaii- caused us some 
 anxie't\- in regard to the stability of our [leople, for 
 I expected emissaries of the Russian priest to be 
 on hand, and I wanted to be near our people to 
 steady them in their faith, if they should waver. 
 The emissaries worked bard, publicly holding 
 meetings, at wliich the,\' rii)okc somewhat from 
 the Word, but invariably jiut us in company with 
 the Kvil One, calling i[s " wolves," "snares," etc. 
 Our people became quite indignant, aiul while 
 refraining from disputations and strife, publicly 
 held services, and gave Gospel stories. Some of 
 our school- boys ,<ravc Bible translations. David 
 preaclied one pow<>rful sermon, which made such 
 a dec]) imin-esr-ioM on the people that many of the 
 down-right heat hen e.\i>ri.'ssed a desire to hear 
 more. >Since the pofiafch tliere has been a new 
 awakening, and many who had been indifferent 
 have come out with zealous efforts to be more 
 faithful, 
 
 Wee.spcrl lors- 
 
 lal.lish ihrin in 
 villages, as l.oili 
 can teach the 
 ])copk' niucii in 
 Cod's W.ird. 
 I )avid is a line 
 
 ;s' v very hojicful 
 •■>\ his becoming 
 a successful 
 e\angc!ist. 
 
 On September 
 ;i. a farewell ser- 
 vice was held for 
 r>ro. Kawagaleg 
 ami family, who 
 accepted the call 
 to Q u 1 n h .. ga- 
 miut for a year — or as long as we see lit. This 
 is the first couple willing to leave their all, 
 and for Christ's sake live among uncongenial 
 people. The occasion brought together a goodly 
 number of people, sad there was a deep interest 
 manifested. On Seiitember 11, Bro. Kawagaleg 
 left for his post, aud on the following day the 
 Brethren Weber and Helmieh also started for 
 Quinhagamiut, to finish the house and help Bro. 
 Kawagaleg to prepare for the Winter. On Decem- 
 ber 11, George was sent thither also to help Bro. 
 Kawagaleg until about Easter. Bro. Kawagaleg 
 was asked to come to Bethel for the Christmas 
 season, and make his first report. On the 23d of 
 December he arrived, and was heartily greeted by 
 everybody. I was then just strong enough to sit 
 up for about half an hour at a time ; so I really 
 did not get any good of his visit. After Christ- 
 mas he spent a few weeks among his own people 
 at Akiaganiiut ajid the surrounding villages. His 
 reporl was in snhstaiu'i' tliis: The jjeojile are kind 
 to him an<i are neighlHU-ly, and listi'U to bis Gospel 
 messages resjxietfully ; but further than tliis he 
 could not say that he had made much impression 
 on them. He returned on .Tanuary 14. 
 
 The school was reopene<l on .July 81 last year, 
 and has been steadily maintained all through the 
 Winter. We have had occasion to ivjoice over 
 this portion of our work also, as the children are 
 
14 
 
 steadily progressing in English and in Christian 
 eiilturo. 
 
 Tlie saw-niill still works well, :iii(l \vv sawed ou(. 
 about 30,000 ffet of lunibtT. We have now on hand 
 about 10,000. 
 
 At present Bro. Helmich is working at a boat 
 40' long, 10' '>" beam and about 6' deep. We have 
 liigii hoi)i.'s tluit tbe boat will be staunch, and that 
 it will be a success in every way. 
 
 The work in and around Ougavig has been very 
 gratifying. The village is entirely Christian, Bro. 
 Weber having this Winter receiviul as members 
 all who were not members before, llro. Wrlu r 
 raised his dwelling-house a half stor\- bighei-, an(i 
 also boarded lip tbe spaee betwei'n his hnusi- and 
 the school, so I lud, he wrili's, they ;ire quite eom- 
 fortably fixed. This Spring he and David, with 
 the voluntary help of the natives, expect to get 
 out logs for a chapel at one of the villages. The 
 day school at Ougavig has been I'egularly main- 
 tained tliis Winter. 
 
 [It may linally be added that with the cordial 
 consent of the I'rovineial Kkiers' Conference, Bro. 
 
 THB INTRODUCTION OF TH:^ DOMES- 
 TICATED RBINDKER OF SIBBRIA 
 INTO AI^ASKA, BY SHELDON 
 JACKSON, D.D., AND CAPT. 
 M. A. HEALY. 
 
 t'OMPILBD BY THE EDITOK. 
 
 There ai-e some ideas that occur to the minds of 
 men with the force inid value of an inspiration. 
 Nor are ( lorl-given ideas an im})ossibility, to those 
 especiall\' wbose besirts nn- lillcd witli a ti'ue phil- 
 ;nitiiroi)y, ;ind whose minris :\rv occujiicd witli 
 ])1luis for I he i)ra(-l ic;d bi^riclil of Iheir IV'llow-nu'ii. 
 Such an idea arose in llie nun<i of Dv. Sbt'ldon 
 Jackson, wln'M, upon visiting Arctic A!asl^il. foi' 
 tbe (u'sl time in llie Summer of 1800, for the ])ur- 
 posc of estaiiiisbiiig scliools at Cape Prince of 
 Wall's, Point Ilojie, nnd I'oint Barrow, he found 
 " l!ie Kskinios in liabi tinjr the shoi-es of Ibc Arctic 
 Orean inni iSrrin,;;' Sea in a starving comlition, llie 
 whale and tlu' waliais, liicir food from lime iinnie- 
 nioriid, lim ing b<.'('n ahnost exterminated by tlu' 
 
 of the country, they have become nearly extinct 
 in the parts inhatiited by the Eskimos. In the 
 country about Kol/ebue Sound a skin from a wild 
 reindeer is occasionally secured, but is so rare that 
 it assumes the nature of a curiosity. I'ractically, 
 all the reindeer skins used by the Alaskan Eskimo 
 conn* from Silici'ia, aiul a high price must be paid 
 for I lirni in I'urs, whicli are now almost as hard to 
 lu'oeui'e as tiic rrinileci' skins. 
 
 On his return to Wasldnglon afti'r liis visit to 
 Arctic Ahiska in IMd), Dr. Jackson reportni tlie 
 star\'iMg condhioM of llie b^sl^imos, and a liili was 
 inlmditccd in Congress |o secure an apjii'ojiriation 
 I'or pi'ocuring llii' <lonirsli(-aIe<l rcindi'oi' of Siberia. 
 Tlic lull pa>sr.l Ihe Srnair, Init I'aih d to be reached 
 in Ihr Hulls,., ;,iLd lliere l)riiig need of immediate 
 a<;tion, eonlriiiiilions were solieilcii Ihrougli lead- 
 ing newsiiapri's, ami more IhanSi^diio weri' Ihus 
 secured. hi:\Iay, ISH], Dr. Jackson again sailiMl 
 on the H'.n; 1o inspect Ihe schools in Wrslern and 
 Arctic .\laska. :md lit make invrsligalions eon- 
 CLTning tlLr iV'asibilily of Ihe }un'i-liase and Irans- 
 |>orla( ion of ri'indecr from Sii)eri;i in|o Alaska. 
 
 Kilbuek will probably go to Unalaska, and possibly 
 to Sitka, this Summer, on furlough for his health's 
 sake.] 
 
 Under date of March 7, 1895, Bro. Schoechert 
 sends the following brief letter from Carmel : 
 
 Some lime ago mail left here for the States, via 
 Kaf niai, anmngst which I sent a letter to the Pro- 
 vincial Kldei-s' Conference informing you that we 
 are all well, and tliat God luvd been pleased to 
 pros])er oui- work. Since tlien we have again and 
 again felt the Lord's goodness, mercy and blessing 
 in (iillcri'm ways, 
 
 1 shall not now make mention of our older peo- 
 ple, who have been doing very well. But a few 
 remarks concerning tlie children may interest you, 
 as they have been a source of groat I'ejoieing to us 
 all. One hour of religious inslrui-tion lias been 
 given daily since last Sunimi'i'. Tlic older chil- 
 dren are learning the Commandments and tbe 
 Catechism. These older children have come for- 
 ward right gladly, confessing their faith in Jesus, 
 and wish to do so publicly and become cluircli- 
 meinbers. Mrs. Schoechert and tbe Sisters are 
 getting along splendidly in every respect. They 
 send most affectionate greetings. 
 
 " Kou-jfl-nah ! (Thanks.) We, too, desire to have 
 our badness taken away by that blood." 
 
 whalers.'' Then it was that he conceived the idea 
 of introducing into Alaska the domesticated rein- 
 deer of Siberia, both as an immediate means of re- 
 lief to the fanushing people, and as a permanent 
 food supply and remunerative industry for the 
 future. 
 
 With reference to this enterprise Dr. Jackson 
 says, in bis "Facts about Alaska" : 
 
 "In 1890, when I first visited Arctic Alaska for 
 the purpose of establisliing schools and missions 
 among tlie Eskimos, 1 found them in a starving 
 condition. Tiic persistent i)ursiiit of the whale l>y 
 American wiialers had so far killed or driven olf 
 Ibal aninial. iiiat the natives could lU) longer 
 secure them l\)r Ibod. It was at once seen tliat 
 sometliing liad lo be d(me, or in a few years there 
 would he no peoph' left, ami, that while we offer 
 tiiem Ihe gospel with one hand, we must offer 
 (liem food' with the other. In conference with 
 Capt. Healv, commanding the Revenue Cutter on 
 which I was traveling, it. was concluded to make 
 the altemiil to inlroduec the lami' reindeiT of Si- 
 beria into Alaska, and leach the Eskimos their 
 care and niaiiaLi'emi'nl , so that they could become 
 henlers. and li\ e oll"liicir herds of reindeer, as the 
 New Mexican lives olV Ids flock of sheep." 
 
 Tile caribou, or wild deer, formerly abounded in 
 Alaska, and tlie reindeer skin was at one time the 
 common one used bylhc natives for their clothing, 
 tents, and everything else. But although the 
 deer may have migrated into the vast interior 
 
 \'arious points on the Siberian coast were visited, 
 at whi<-li largi' herds were found, and no tliffieulty 
 as to purchasing as many as would be needed dur- 
 ing tlic Summer, was e\])i rieneed. In order to 
 test Ihe (jueslion as lo whether tin.' animals could 
 be kept alive onboard slii]), and would thrive in 
 Alaska, sixteen i>f them were purchased and trans- 
 ported several hundred miles to Unalaska, ^ind 
 left on one of the islands in the harbor, in charge 
 of the IT. S. marshal. 
 
 As ( '(ingress had not yet made an appropriation, 
 the enterprise was continued, in 1S02, by means of 
 funds again contributed by benevolent individuals. 
 When the Bear reached Unalaska, tbe deer left 
 there the preceding Summer were seen grazing on 
 the mountain side, and (lie herd was found in good 
 condition, with an increase of two. Thus tluM|ues- 
 tion as to Iheir thriving in Alaska was settled. 
 Steaming up through Bering Sea, in searcli of a. 
 suitable location for tbe establishmentof a reindeer 
 station, SI leli an one was found at the extr<'me noflh- 
 east cornel- of I'orl Clarciiee ISay, so nameil l)y ( 'a]il. 
 .P.ecehy, of the ISrilisli Xavy, in AugiisI, \s-27, in 
 honor of liie Hukv of Clarence, afterwards William 
 IV, of Jhigland. A sile was selected upon a small 
 mountain creek, near Grantley Harbor, which is 
 about 9 miles from east to west, and about 3 miles 
 
THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 15 
 
 from north to south. (A few miles to the east of 
 the station was the location of the headquarters 
 for this region of the Russo-American Telegraph 
 Expedition of 3865 and 1S67.) The United States 
 flag was hoisted to tlio top of a temporary tiag-stafl?", 
 and a salute was lired. Tlie station was named 
 "Teller Reindeer Station," in lionor of the Hon. 
 Henry M. Teller, wlio liad heen active in advocat- 
 ing tlic enterprise. 
 
 In ]iis rejiort for the year 18«2-1S!)3, Mr. 
 Miner Bruce, of Nebraska, who liad been ap- 
 l)uinted Superintendent, willi ^\Ir. 15rnce (.libson, 
 of Califoi-niii, as his a^sisliinl, says: 
 
 "Al'lei- :i residt'iire hei'e ol' niie \'e;tr, aKhoUfih 
 within (.nedryrer nf ilir Arctic circle, 1 am fully 
 convinced Ihnl a lii'ilci' seieclion ennid nnl have 
 been made, licsides hi-in.u- v ilbin a I'ew Imm-s' sail 
 oftlu'poiin (.n Ihe Siberian eoasl fi'om wliicb 
 deer arc sbipind, the iiaUiral la\' ef llu' connh'y 
 raalii's it ea-y <<r' ac<'css IVoni all direclinns. It is 
 locab'il on llie i;(ji)d bafbor l)cl\vci>n (J(jl(i\iii 
 
 liay and Knl/,ebue Souiid. an<l llu' I'acI llial the 
 wbalin,t>' Heel rendezvous In^e eausi's nalixes to 
 conii; annually from tbe dilferenl sell lenient s many 
 miles away, tiius afibrding them a]i o|)portunily to 
 see tlie reindeer and get acquainted with the object 
 
 and nutritious grass, resembling bluejoint, was in 
 places abundant. ... In one locality the moss 
 was so abundant that four of my natives scraped 
 up with their hands in a few moments enough to 
 make a pile f> or K feet high and as many feet 
 througli. . . . T!ie lesult of my exploitations 
 showed an in(^xbauslible snjiply of reindeer food 
 everywhere." Tbe Sil>eriaii herders declared that 
 there was far greater abundance of feed than in 
 the reindeer ranges of Siberia. "Almost without 
 limit, the wliole section known as Arctic Alaska is 
 a vast natural reindeer range and capable of sup- 
 plying food for thousands of these valuable ani- 
 mals that are calculated to supply the great needs 
 of the natives, and it is to be hoped in the not far 
 future contribute to their comfort and civilization." 
 
 Tbe reindeer at Teller Station were in splendid 
 condition tliroiighoid. the long an<l severe Winter. 
 'J'lie Siberians say that they are more easily han- 
 dled in Alaska than they are in Siberia, probably 
 because fooil is more abundant. The capacity of 
 tbe reindeer as (h-aft animals and as travelers was 
 tested at the station, with satisfactory results. For 
 catching them, a lasso made of a seal thong, -50 or 
 60 feet long, is used, which is thrown so as to fall 
 over the horns. Mr. Bruce gives a diverting ac- 
 count of his first drive with reindeer, when the 
 
 The difficulties that were predicted as to the in- 
 troduction of reindeer into Alaska have been met 
 and disproved by actual experience, and the whole 
 subject resolves itself into a question of time and 
 money. When Dr. Jackson visited the station in 
 1893, he found there had been an iiici'ease in (be 
 herd, 79 fawns having been buvw in (he Spring. 
 Trips were again made to Sil)eria and 124 nuire deer 
 were brought over to the station, making a total 
 of 347. 
 
 In order to secure as Superinten<lent some intel- 
 ligent person, skilled in tlie methods i'inplo_\-ed in 
 the earc ofreindecrin Laphiml, luitiees \\<'re--cnt in 
 to the Scandinavian papei-s uT ( in> ('niicil States, 
 in answer to wiiieh li-iO I'cplies were i'ccei\rd. Mi'. 
 William A. Kjelbnann, a Norwegian, of Madison, 
 W'is., was selected. Sent to Lai>land for the pur- 
 pose, be persuaded a colony of 17 Laps to migrate 
 to Alaska, with their dogs an{l sledges, and tiie 
 party sailed from San Francisco for Arctic Alaska 
 on June 17, 1894. TheCongressional appropriation 
 of $G,000 having been exhausted, the expenses were 
 met by private contributions. 
 
 Tbe value of the reindeer to the people known 
 
 contemplated. The location of the Reindeer Sta- 
 tion is a beautiful om', and wlien viewed in mid- 
 sutmnei- is \vvy pietnr<'s(|iii'. Mountains ri,s(' ab- 
 rujtlly I'rom ('ai)e Prince of Wales, the most west- 
 erlv point of llTis ( 'onlinent, and aliont 110 miU's 
 west of this sin lion. I n Wilder !he northern li!j,'hls 
 are often seen, am! are >omcl i mes slarl I ini;ly grand. 
 Tbe North Star slamls in such a position that, 
 wei-e a pendulum suspended from it, the lower end 
 woidd swing almost (bri'ctly over the station." 
 
 The ni'eessary buildings having been erected, 
 during tin' Sunnner live tri]is were made by tbe 
 Brar lo the coast of Siberia, 17-") reindeer were pur- 
 . chased at a cost of about $(i2-j, and were landed at 
 tlie station. In accordance with Dr. Jackson's in- 
 struction.s, the surrounding country was explori'd 
 for a considerable distance. In its whole aspect, 
 soil and verilure, tliere was nothing to suggest that 
 it was within one degree of the Arctic Circle. A 
 thick growtii of grasses and flowers was found, 
 among which moss grew in abundance. The sides 
 of the hills are sometimes covered with short wil- 
 low and alder bushes, grass and innlergrowlh. 
 
 "Flowers were everywhen' abmidant," says Mr. 
 Bruce, "and of many varieties, llirds sani;' and 
 flitted among II U' bushes, c<>vi\vs oi' ptai'niigan 
 sprang iitit at our approach, antl the sun, which at 
 times shone througli lowering clouds, helped to 
 make tbe day such an one as is often experienced 
 in Suujmer among New England hills. Among 
 the grasses were found bunches of redtop and 
 patches of timothy, while on the lower lands soft 
 
 mercury stood at about zero, and the ground was 
 partly covered with snow. He says at the close of 
 it, "There is much to learn before one can feel at 
 home behind a reindeer, but it can only be had 
 from expei'ienee." The longest distance he trav- 
 eled in one day was about 30 miles. "One man 
 on a slt'd, with 50 or 7o pounds, is as inueh of a 
 load as a team of reindeer should carry for any 
 distance." "It is certainly a pretty sight to wit- 
 ness two or three reindeer teams trotting along, 
 one ahead of the other, on a briglit, frosty morn- 
 ing. Their gait is so smooth and even that the 
 motion of the sled is hardly felt as it glides over 
 the hard crust, and when the dlny obey the pulling 
 on tlie lines, as they easily learn to do, a pleasanter 
 team to drive could hardly be desired." In trav- 
 eling, the advantage of deer over dogs is that no 
 fish or other food need be carried ; and a team of 
 two deer will make as good time and travel as far 
 as a good team of six or eight dogs. The fact that 
 tbe di'er were brought through the Winter suc- 
 cessfidly did very much to establish confidence 
 among the natives, and to enlist their sympathy 
 in tbe enterpri.se. Delegations of natives visited 
 and inspected the herd almost daily, some of them 
 traveling 300 or 400 miles for the purpose. They 
 had predicted that the deer would all die ; but now 
 they say, "Hurry up — bring the deer next year — 
 plenty moss." 
 
 as Laplanders or Lapps, inhabiting the northern 
 parts of Norway, Sweden, Russia and Siberia, is 
 well-known. Some of the^e pciplr gettheir whole 
 livelihood from their herds oi' reindeer, anil the 
 reindeer business, if well managed, aftbrds large 
 profits, especially if the market for meat and 
 skins is not distant. The reindeer meat is consid- 
 ered a great luxury, and conmiands a high price. 
 Eaten fresh, it gives a delicious steak ; but it is 
 mostly dried and smoked, and is ratlier tender. 
 The smoked reindeer tongues are considered de- 
 licious, and sell atagood price throughout Europe. 
 Some Laplanders are to be found in Sweden, own- 
 ing as many as 4000 reindeer, worth from $35,000 to 
 136,000, which give to their owners 20 percent, 
 clear profit. Most of tlie Laplanders own several 
 hundred and upwards. A family can live com- 
 fortably on 300 reindec'r, anil those that own 1000 
 are considered to be in good circumstances. A 
 reindeer herd of 2000 is expected lo increase by 
 200 to 2.50 fawns annually. Evei-y part ofthe rein- 
 deer is utilized. Tbe blood, meat, enii'ails and 
 marrow are all eaten ; the skin is jnake into shoes 
 and clothing, and the sini'ws ai'<' siimi into thread 
 for sewing; tbe antlers ami bones are nnide into 
 all kinds of household utensils and ornaments. 
 Whatcaunot be converted into food or clothing, 
 utensils and ornaments, is boiled into soup for the 
 dogs or manufactured into glue. By the sale of 
 
16 
 
 THE MORAVIAN MISSION IN ALASKA. 
 
 Bkia, meat, cheese, and glue, the Lapp is able to 
 buy cloth, salt, coffee, and tobacco. 
 
 The wild reindeer abounded in the monntaius 
 of Norway and Sweden until tlie invention of 
 breech-loading Are arms threatened to exterminate 
 them. The mountains are covered with white 
 moss, the so-called reindeer moss, because it is the 
 principal food of the reindeer in the winter season, 
 being dug up through the snow, when not too 
 deep, with their fore-feet. "This moss absorbs 
 the humidity in the air, which malies it swell and 
 become elastic ; in a dry condition, however, it is 
 very brittle, or crisp. It contains Hour and gehitin 
 stuff", which makes it nourishing to the reindeer 
 and cattle. It grows very slowly. When eaten 
 by the reindeer, which eat only the 
 tops and fine parts of the plants, the 
 moss requires about twenty years to 
 regain full size." In the large forests 
 of Sweden, consisting of fir and pine 
 trees, there is also a great quantity 
 of lichen growing upon these trees, 
 of which the reindeer is very fond. 
 During the Summer they feed on 
 leaves and twigs especially of the 
 birch and willow, and on grass. 
 
 TJu; .serni-doinesticated reindeer of 
 Norway are smaller than the wild 
 ones, liaving a height of 3^ to 4 feet, 
 and a length of about 5i feet. This 
 reindeer is not very strong ; can carry 
 on itui back only 40 to 50 pounds, but 
 can draw a weight of 200 to 250 
 pounds. It is a very fast runner, 
 and some say will travel with ease 
 100 miles a day. 
 
 If the reindeer had not been do- 
 mesticated, the larger part of the 
 country north of the Arctic circle 
 in Europe and Asia would be utterly 
 uninhabitable. Tiie reindeer serves 
 as a substitute for the horse, the cow, 
 the sheep and the goat. None of 
 these domesticated animals can exist 
 in those Arctic regions. The rein- 
 deer will endure any degree of cold, 
 and its broad and deeply cleft hoofs 
 are admirably adapted for traveling 
 over the frozen snow. "On account 
 of the nature and instincts of the 
 reindeer, the life of their owners is 
 subjected to all tlie dangers and toils 
 of a nomad. Experience shows that 
 the reindper cannot, with advantage 
 to the (-wnei's, lie forced, like horses 
 or eattlr, m I'cniain at one and the 
 same plaee : he must, led by natural 
 instincts, roam about from place to 
 place, and forces the owner to a con- 
 tinual change of abode. Facts show 
 that resident families never, with any 
 advantage, could raise or keep rein- 
 deer, and the resident reindeer own- 
 ers therefore always give them over 
 to the care of nomad Laplanders 
 who, for a small compensation, take 
 charge of them," 
 
 The reindeer of Siberia would seem 
 to be somewhat larger than those of 
 Lapland ; at least, the Superintend- 
 ent of the Teller Reindeer Station 
 states that a full grown reindeer m,',riJ,V!in.'Hi'' 
 is about 43 feet high, and 7 feet llTi'sMtll"''' ' 
 long from its nose to its tail. At 
 the age of three years, when they may be consid- 
 ered full grown, one will weigh, when in good 
 condition, about 2-50 pounds, and will girth about 
 So feet. The horns measure about 2!> feet from tip 
 to tip, and there is but little difference between 
 those of the male and the female. Those of the 
 male are a little larger around. The cry of the 
 old deer resembles the grunt of the hog, and that 
 of the fawn is the same, only not so deep in tone. 
 The color of the fur of the reindeer is varied. Per- 
 hai>8 the most common is the seal-brown, which, 
 when free from other shades, is decidedly rich in 
 appearance. The fur, for such it may properly be 
 called, after it has taken on its summer coat is soft 
 and glossy, and about the length of that of the fur- 
 
 seal. The skin is soft and pliable, and but little 
 thicker than that of the fur-seal of the same size. 
 
 Intercourse between Siberia and Alaska is facil- 
 itated by the fact that Bering Strait is only about 
 40 miles wide, and that in the middle of it there 
 is a small group of islands called the Dioniede 
 Islands. "The largest of these islands belongs to 
 Russia, and the smaller one to the United States. 
 They are both inhabited, and at this point the 
 inhabitants of Russia and those of the United 
 States are separated by a channel only two miles 
 wide. The Eskimos of the Liomedes with those 
 at Cape Prince of Wales, are the great smugglers 
 of the north. Launching their walrus-skin boats 
 (umiack) they boldly eross to and from Siberia, 
 
 Golovin Bay (Swedish Evangelical), Nulato (Ro- 
 man Catholic), St. Lawrence Island (Presbyterian^, 
 thus making four additional herds. With the 
 increase of the central herd at Port Clarence, an 
 equal number of reindeer were to be supplied to 
 additional stations.* 
 
 "It is hoped that the present colony of Lapps 
 may find such advantages in Alaska that they will 
 become permanent citizens of the United States, 
 and will attract to Alaska an emia:ration from 
 Lapland, where the restrictions thrown around the 
 reindeer industry have created great dissatisfaction. 
 From year to year, as Eskimo young men leave the 
 reindeer stations, fully competent to take charge 
 of herds, the industry will naturally increase, and 
 the hei-ds become more and more distributed 
 throughout the country, until the whole northern 
 region shall be covered witli them, 
 as similar regions of Siberia and Lap- 
 land are now covered." 
 
 "There are in Central and Arctic 
 Alaska," says Dr. Jackson, "about 
 400,000 square miles of moss-covered 
 tundra that is especially adapted to 
 the grazing of the reindeer, and is 
 jirac'tically useless for any other pur- 
 pose. To reclaim and make valuable 
 these millions of acres ; to introduce a 
 large and permanent industry where 
 none previously existed ; to take a 
 barbarian people, on the verge of 
 starvation, and lift them up to com- 
 fortable self-support and civilization, 
 is certainly a work of national im- 
 portance." 
 
 trading the deer-skins, sinews and wooden-ware 
 of Alaska for the walrus, ivory, skins of the tame 
 reindeer, whale-blubber of Siberia, fire-arms and 
 whisky." 
 
 The passage across the Strait is made per steamer 
 in from 6 to 24 hours, according to the distance 
 between points, if not interrupted by the immense 
 ice-fields, through which it is, at times, impossible 
 to pass. 
 
 Last year, 1894, Dr. Jackson again visited Arctic 
 Alaska, and, in all probability, the proposed distri- 
 bution of a part of the reiudeer herd was com- 
 menced. It was proposed to distribute 100 head 
 of reindeer to each of the following mission sta- 
 tions ; Cape Prince of Wales (Congregationalist), 
 
 TH^ CRY OP THE AI,ASKAN 
 CHIIvDREN. 
 
 Far from the islands of Bering's dark 
 sea 
 
 Cojnes the sad cry of the children to 
 me. 
 
 Wandering, homeless and friendless, 
 forlorn, 
 
 Lightens thoir darkness no ray of the 
 morn ; 
 
 Lambs that the Lord came from ITeavoii 
 to save, 
 
 Hear tlieh- sad wailing borne over the 
 wave : 
 
 " Long is the darkness that over ns 
 lies, 
 
 When shall the dawn of the moiMiing 
 
 "Once we had plenty, the seas were 
 our store, 
 
 .Seals and the walrus came thick to the 
 shore ; 
 
 Now tiiey are going, we follow their 
 fate ; 
 
 Haste, lest your aid be forever too late; 
 Save our dark race from the grave of 
 despair, 
 
 Hear our entreaty, O, answer our 
 prayer ! 
 
 Low on the sand by the storm-beaten 
 graves, 
 
 Kneeling, wecall to youover the waves. 
 
 "Pity the orphans whose land they 
 
 hiive sold. 
 Fatherless, motherless, starving and 
 cold ; 
 
 Give to us only the crumbs you let 
 fall, 
 
 Help, in the name of the Father of 
 all; 
 
 (Jive to us, starving in body and soul, 
 Pity onr poverty, grant us your dole. 
 Ye, wliom onr mines have enriched with their gold; 
 Ye, whom our furs cover warm from the cohh 
 
 "Out of our misery gather ns in, 
 
 Give us a refuge from suffering and sin. 
 
 Lambs are we lost from the good Hhoplierd's fold, 
 
 Gather us in from the rain and the cold ; 
 
 Tell us of Jesus, and teach us to pray; 
 
 Tell us of Heaven, and show us the way ; 
 
 Then shall our song be heard over the waves, 
 
 Blessing and glory to Jesus who s^ves.''^- -Selected. • 
 
 * Dr. Jackson's Report of last year's transactions has not, 
 we presume, as yet been published, and not having received 
 a reply to a letter of inquiry sent to the Bureau of Educa- 
 tion at Washington, D. 0., we are unable to give any further 
 details, ,