, 1866-02-16
LEcTUREs by REV. y H. sPAuLDNe.
Early Oregon Mis- tons---Their Importance
In Securing The Country 10 Americans.

/
in Securing The Country 70 Americans.
IsuY7EE rwo.l
Now God knew the two women tha would un-
dertake this most hazardous work aud He knew
the only motive power that would move them to
IT, That same power that eparated, from the
first moment, the ever before separated Eternal
Father and Son, as they saw their new made
world, With its human race, sinking nuder the
heavy chains Of the Prince OF Death and which
raised the beloved Son to the Cross on Calvary,
n complete raBsom for the raee; the same power
that armed the mothers and wives on board tho
MAY Flower with suliicieat fortitude to land
on the unknown, uhinhabited wilds Of the North
East and eheerlully to step on shore amid the
SHOWS of winter, bclding ont 10 the wild Natives
the olive branch Of salvation; the power that
made the ninenewly married wives Of the FIRST
band Of missionaries to the Sandwich Islands,
willing and even happy to fOrsake father and
motherI houses and lands, and to turn their
backs forever upon weeping parents, upon home
and the hapPiest country in the world, and to
enter upon a sea voyage around Cape Horn, of
$1,000 miles, to take up their abode for life on
the dark heHthen shores of the Sandwich Islands
destitute of every comfort to be exposed every
day to hardshlps; aud revolving scenes, to be
met with only on the shores of Caunibaism and
p gan despUtism; power not found n gold but
contained in those last words Of the Saviour,
Go ye into all the world and preach the Cos.
pei to every creature
Mark the hand of God in bringing forward
his agents. In 1882 the Fiat Head, and Nez
Perces Indians, having received some ideas Of
God from gentlemen of the Hudson Buy Compa-
ny, and having committed Ave Of their young
men to that company to be by them taken across
the Rocky mountains and committed 10 the
school OF those seIf-deyoted excellent men,
MessTs. Jones and Cochran, Of tbe Church Mis-
slonary Society at the Selkrk settlement of the
Lake., still felt they expressed it very hun
| CRY for more Of Gods book" and resolved to
send men to the rising sun to obtain that book,
and men to teach IT, They seem to have been
encouraged in this also, by Catholic Iroquois
Indians from Canada, a few of whom had az
rived among them. This delegation consisted
of one principal chief, Que sub-chief and two
warriors. They arrived Mt the American Rem
d zvous OF Greene River in time to join the
American Fur Company their return from the
Rocky Mountains 10 the States. They paid
their passage (riding their own h5rses) by herd
lug animals, hunting, swimming rv rs aud 9th
erwise making themselves useful. AT St. Louis
Gen Clark, then Superintendent of Indian AZ
fairs tor the Western Territories; reteyed them
kindly, having met tue chief in his own country
26 years before. Two OF them died during the
winter. In the Spring, the other two
about to return to.their Nations, the Chief made
his last lament to General Clark; IL came to
you, the Great Father of tue white men, with
but one eye partly open. am to return to my
people beyond the mountains OF snow, at the
setting sun with both eyes in darkness and both
Isrtrts hf okeas ealle tor tsael,ers = a sseinq
back without them. ! came to you 4osssthe
Book of God. You have not led me to il. You
have taken me to your big house where multi
tudcS Of your children assemble and where your
!oung women dance we 10 not allow ouFI
women to dance, and you have taken me to-
many other big houses where the people bow
down to each other and light torches to worship.
pictures. The Book of God was not there AndI
III am tc return to my people to die ia darkness.
! TGis lament was oYerheard in an adjoining
| room by Young man Of the Methodist Churcn,
who Immediately made known the fact that In
dians had come from beyond the Rocky noun
tains to obtain Missionaries, in a letter to a
brother in Christ in Pittsburgh But justas theI
fact was about to come before the public, iii
came under the eye of the great Indian traveller
George Catlin, who, ProYidentially, was in that
! City at the time. lie advised not to publish the
statement lie did not believe it to be true MS
be had travelled from the Rocky mountains in
the same caravan with those Indians; had seen
/ them often in General Cb,rkcS office during the
/ winter; he had never understood that they came
/ for that purpose, but he would write to General
| Clarke. He did so, and soon received the frank
acknowledgement of General Clarke: The sole
object Of those Indians in visiting the States
| was to obtain religious teachers" Mr. Cat4in'
! Immediately gave the lactto the Editor and told
him to give it to the world l received this
| from Nj. Catlins own lips when we met him in
| Pittsburgh on our way to this country, in March
of 1896. The lament | received from the only
! surviving one of the delegation after arrived
in the Nation. The chief died soon after lesyJ
ing ST. Louis Only one returned to the Nation
The publication of this remarkable event, tiat
Indians had come 1900 miles aud from bryond
! the Rocky mountains to obtain the Bible and
| Missionaries, is probably without parallel in
our Indian history, although this race Of our
fellow beings until aduterated by the sins of
the white man, have ever shown hUngering
for the word of God produced as will be re-
membered, profound sensation. Nothing like
1t had ever occurred. 1t was the Macedonian
! cry repeated. Blu. who will 60 The disasters
| which had attended every attempt to reach the
| Pacific shores; the terrors of the Rocky noun
tains and the unknown beyond, rose up most
| formidable barrier The Rev. Jason Lee, of
Canada, and Dr.. Marcus Whitman, OF Ta5us- Co.
n. Y, were the first to respond to this call, in
the winter ofls34. The former offered himself
4 to the Board OF Missions of the Methodist church
/ \. Y. to cross the Rocky mountains and estab-
lish a MissioR somewhere the Northwest
coast and when he put his Mission on themouth
ot the kooskooskee, ION the map) the venerable
Secretary said: "That point is thousand
miles from any place. That place, or point
very near 1t, twelve miles of, naturally became
the mission station, not OF Mr. Lee, but Of the
writer, and for the reasons already given; the
very natural conclusion of Mr.. Lee that white
women could not cross the Rocky Mountains
and then prohoGnce wild opinion of Doctor
Whitman, that they could.
Mr. Lee, and his associates, Messrs. Edwards,
Shepherd and D. Lee, left the States in the
Spring Of s34, under the convoy of Capt Wy
etts caravan end reached the Aueriean Rem
dezvous in July. Here he met greatnumbers of
the Nez Perees and Flat Head Indians who had
visited that Rendezvous every year with the
hope Of finding their long-hoped for teachers
with 'the Book of Cod But this good man
of God, felt himself constrained (although with
a heart bleeding with compassion for them to
decline their earnest appeals for him TO turn
his steps to their Nations. Aud for the reason
already stated, had found the journey too hSz-
srdous for white woman to; undertake It, and
be marched with Captain Wyeft to Snake river
where the latter left portion of his company 20
construct small fort With wooden stnckades,
and to trap and proceeded on with the mission
party through the Snake Deserts, over the Blne