The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-11-24

Tue winter OF Icof, ine former UffcreC
himself to the Board of Missions Of tn,
Methodist Church of New York. to eros,
the Rocky Mountains and establish ,
Mission somewhere on the Northwes
coast aud when he put his Mission Of
the mouth Of the kooskooskee, fon III,
map) the venerable Secretary said
THAT point is thousand miles from an,
place. That pint, or place very neaI
it--twelve miles oit--naturaly becam,
the mission station, not of AIr. Lee, bu
Of the writer, aud for the reasons alread,
given, the very natural conclusion Of Mr.
Lee that white women could not cross th.
Rocky Mountains, and then pronounced
Wild opinion of Dr. Whitman that the,
could.
Mr. Lee, and his associates, Messrs
Edwards, Shepherd, aud ID. Lee, left the
States in the Spring of 1884, under the
cenyoy of Captain Wyett's caravan, and
reached the American Rendezvous in
July Here he met great numbers ot
the Nez Perces aud Flat Head Indians
who had visited that rendezvous every
year with the hope Of finding their long
hoped for teachers with 1.-The Hook oi
God" But this good man of God felt
himself constrained (al;hoagh with a
heart bleeding with compassion for them
TO decline their earnest appeals for him
10 turn his steps to their Nations. And
for the reason already. stated had found
the Journey too hazardous fur a white
woman 10 undertake it. aud he marched
with Captain Wyett to Snake river. where
the latter left portion Of his company to
construct a small fort with wooden stock
AIDES, and to trap, and proceeded on with
the mission party through the Snake
Deserts. over the Blue Mountains to
Nalla Walla, and from thence to Van
eouver hy canoes, where Mr. Lee saw at
once the valley of the Multponah should
be the base OF his future mission. fixed
not now SO much on account af the i'm.
passability of the Rocky Mountains and
burning deserts for females. but because a
more desirable field than the Nez Perces
on many ACCOMPLISHMENT the sea board
and nearer supplies, and also because un-
doubtedly the theater of white settlements
at no distant day. Mark here the hand
of the Lord, which holdeth the heart. not
of the king only, but OF all men. and ''as
the rivers of water he turueth it whither-
soever he will. Had Dir Lee, after all.
adhered to his original purpose 10 estab-
lish his mission among the Flat Head
and Nez Perees tribes. Doctor Whitman
would not have turned back from Greene
River, but would have pushed on with
Mr.. Parker to the coast, would have done
as Mr. Lee actually did. selected the
Multnomah valley as his field, returned
by the Sandwich Islands and doubtless
would have taken out mission hel9 hy
sea. 0ar mission fields wau,a Aave been
changed. the Nez perces. etc, would have
been occupied by the Methodist Board
aud the coast by the American Beard. -
Indeed. this was the original intention Of
both, As was observed by Methodist
brother, TO one of our number: "You
have got our field and We have got
yours"
At all events the opportunity of pre-.
senting the offer of crossing the Rocky
Mountains to the only lady heroine who
was found willing, in the United States.
to undertake the fearful work except the
intended wife of the Doctor. would have
passed by, as she was then on her way to
the Usage Indians and The Emigrant
Road by the South Pass would have re-
malued indefinitely, as it had remained,
an impossiblllty. But God, as events
have shown, had determined that the
gold should be dug out and By the agents
he Is actually employing lie must have
the emgrant route in the first place
Therefore lie delayed the Doctor aud his
associate the first year, allowed Mr.. Lee
to change his mind as to his future mis-
sion-feld from the Rocky Mountains to
the coast. This left the Doctor at liberty
TO change his proposed field, and also to
select the Aez Perees and Flat Head Ma
tions, which he did at once, on reaching
Greene river, meeting those tribes aud
learning what Mr.. Lee had done; and
this gave him the opportunity of return
ing to the States the same year, thus
saving year, and gave the opportunity
of presenting the offer of crossing the
mountains to the ouly lady heroine found
willing in the United States, besides Mrs
Whitman, to undertake the fearful work
The next year she would have been in
the Usage Mission, all Of which will APP
pear.
The same year, 1884, that Mr.. Lee
started from the States; Doctor Whit
man, and the Rev. John Dunbar, of Mass
were appointed by the American Boarc
| OF Commissioners for Foreign Missions
at Boston, and sent forward But b,
losing their horses at St. Louis, and b.
other detentions, they were Too late fo
either of the five Caravcns to the Rock,
mountains that year. The next year
1885, Mr. Dunbar having undertaken
mission among the Pawnee Indians OF tn
Nebraska or Platte river, DR.. Whitman
was joined by Rev. Sameul Parker 0
New York, and they reached the frontie
in season for the Caravan of the Ameri
can Fur Company, and Immediately pu
themselves under its convoy. The lead
ers and men OF this Caraven would hrv
preferred men of any other calling thai
Missionaries, and they were not backwar,
in making their preference known by tn
cold shoulder aud by direct attacks upo
Missions in general. And the two Mis-
sionaries made up their minds that the
had cold journey before them.
But God had not only the heart of tn
Nez Perces and Flat Head Indians in HI
hand, but also the arrows Of death; an
the Caravan had only got fairly out 0
/ tha lalains VI. hon hn cont a,nnncr tho,,A II