Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-28

they watch their wives closely, Their
parental affection Is very strong. Inc
children are invariably taught the Russian
language. The Alasks Commercial Com
pany first taught them the convenience
and furnished them the means OF modern
wearing apparel. This company has es-
tablished numerous schools, and the young
Alents now receive instruction from
graduates Of best colleges. 4 confess 4
cannot see what tempted the graduates to
thus bury themselves alive. and, without
q single exception, they are all ~ blind In
this respect a. am, and there will leave
them. The first English schools were es-
,ablished on the Seal Islands,. e., st.
George and ST. Paul Islands-by the
Alaska Commercial Company. About the
same time the company introduced
modern dress, and the inhabiiancs OF the
territory. The innovation spread rapidly,
and now. In point of dress, the Alenis are
As fashionable as the ordinary white
Iaborcr In this country. AT every settle
menf large enough 10 be notable there are
schools. In sitka well-organized Ger
man school Is supported by BISHOP
Johannes. Of the Greek Church. Sitka -
the port Of entry Of the Territory, and three
deputies do the revenue business Of the
Territory. The superior officer Is stationed
Al Sitka, where he Is assisted by one
deputy. Kodiack and Oonalaska have
each a deputy collector. Upon each Of
the Seal Islands (St George and ST. PAUL.
there Ii an English school, and there is
also one upon the island Of OonaIaska.
All these institutions are maintained by
the Alaska Commercial Company. There
are four agents Of the United States Treas
ury upon the Seal Islands--two on each
isiand--and on an average two Congress
sional committees sail up there every year
10 investigate the work OF the Federal rep
reseptatiycs. The settled population Of
Kodiack, Osnalaska, Sitka and the
Islands Of ST. George and 1T. Paul will not
exceed 2, 800. The natives are nOmadic I;
sometimes there are ., 900 people In Sitka,
and at other times there are notJ00 people
there.
There are churches In all the settle
menis, and In the larger towns priests are
located The villages that have no priests
are ministered TO by the priests from the
more populous settlements. A comprc.
hensivc system OF itincracy protects the
Aleuts from any want OF spiritual com
fort. OF all the people or the Territory,
save iIIDSt III tfIE Efdi lElhu'i53 ittS DtNIir
of sitka and Kodiack are the f1rthest adj
vanccd in civilization They live In log
buts, with matched roofs, and In their do
nestle habits are very clcanly. On the
Seal Islands the AIeuts have one and one
and story cottages, built after The
American pattern by the Alaska Compa-
ny, whose agents compel their owners or
occupants TO keep them perfectly clean
In other places In the Territory the hleuts
live in mound shaped houses OF turf
They prefer to locale ON the SIDE OF hill,
and when house Of this Kind Is bur
rowed out II IL one Of the most nncOm-
Portable places To pass night imaglna.
BILE. You enter through a hole In the
bank extending from the surface three or
four feet up into the face Of the outer
wall. Until fellow has been into one
of these tombs he has no idea of what dark.
ness Is. / did not try II, but ] believe
the atmosphere could be lifted out in
chunks, and / will be responsible for
the assertion that hot sun would
have 10 put in It's best Hicks 10 get any
light through it. Yet the owners OF the
graves live In them contentcdly They
get light from oil taken from seals. A
wick made from cotton, when they can
get IL, or grass, when they can do no bet.
Ter, II saturated In pan OF oil; one end
OF the wick ~ protrudcd over the side,
and when liz Il gives out flame in which
there IL very little illumination and great
deal of smoke and offensive flavor. Lamps
are rare Usually these huts have but a
single room, varying in size from ten to
sixteen feet square. For fuel the hutmen
are dependent upon drift.wood. Their
beds are made Of seal.skins. A few have
blankets. Considered generally the Aleuts
are little better than our native In.
Indians, and In some respects their Gus.
toms are similar For example, In each
village there IL chief elected by popu-
lar vote. There are instances where this
office has been continued In one family
for centuries, but Il IL nevertheless not an
hereditary Office, because the Alcuts re.
serve to themselves the right to, ut any
time, elect superior officer 10 preside
over them. That these people can ever
| be made useful citizens OF the general
commonwealth Is extremely doubtful.
While Legitimate commercial enterprise
Is fostered and protected In the islands
the natives will be seifsupporting; other.
wise they will become burden upon the
country.
Work or the German POstOiIice.