The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-10-28

. TIE great satmsoEfsheF Caa'oek, q,
Z During the tile Of the Russian ri
sessionsall the natives dres1ad in The skin,
of the seal and sdlionr Eom date or
American possession 1AanJ of natiy
have advanced i9eivili Ation veg pence
IDLY. This advancement has been purely
initiative, and it should be matter OF
record. The people are a-fun- loving race,
and they have remarkable resemblance
to the japanese. The. guitar, accordion,
violin and banjo are al familiar to them,
and fine violinists are not by any means
rare: They like coasting; they have
sort of bifnd-man's bun, dtdey pluys
scientifically game of cards, very similar
to "poker'' as described by Minister
schenck. They play Russianized chess,
and they are always ready shortly saftar
payday, to pitch fifty cent pieces IT. 4
hob or taw, the co4didda beny that he
who pitches his piece neafestE 10 the DIES
ignated object shall have all the money
that is pitched. The women generally are
models of virtue: The voting people
mature at about the same age that cur
young, people. do, and, as a rule, they are
A law of the Greek Catholic Church, of
"u1SA t1Cy 0lC oil COI4ukAulCCtuGS, pkO
hibits marriage between relations the tie
between whom is nearer than the seventh
degree. The men are naturally Jealous;
they watch their wives closely. Their
parental affection is very strong. The
children are Invariably taughtthe Russian
language. The Alaska 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
Aleuts now receive instruction from
graduates of best colleges. I confess
cannot see what tempted the graduates to
thus bury themselves alive, and, without
single exception, they are all as blind in
this respect as am, and there will leave
them. The first English schools were es-
tablished 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 inhabitance of the
territory. The innovation spread rapidly,
and now, in point of dress, the Aleuts are
as fashionable as the ordinary white
laborer in this country. At every settle
ment large enough to be notable there are
schools. In Sitka well-organized Ger
man school is supported by Bishop
Johannes, of the Greek Church. Sitka is
the port of entry of the Territory, and three
deputies do the revenue business of the
Territory. The superior officer is stationed
at 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. .PauD
there is an English school, and there is
also one upon the island of Oonalaska.
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
island-and on an average two Congress
sional committees sail up there every year
to investigate the work of the Federal rep
resentatives. The settled population. of
Kodiack, Oonalaska, Sitka and the
islands of St. George and st. Paul will not
exceed $500. The natives are nomadic
sometimes there are . 900 people in Sitka,
and at. other times there are not 500 people
there.
There are churches in all the settle
ments, 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 compre-
hensive system of itineracy protects the
Aleuts from any want of spiritual com
fort. Of all the people of the Territory
save those of the Seal Islands, the people
of Sitka and Kodiack are the furthest ad
vanced in civilization. They live in log
huts, with matched roofs, and in their do.
mestic habits are very clearly. On the
Seal Islands the Aleuts have one and one
and-a-half story cottages, built after the
American pattern blythe Alaska Compa
tpy, whose agents compel their owners OF
occupants to keep them perfectly clean
In other places in the Territory the Aleuts
live in. mound-shaped houses of turf
They prefer to locate on the side of a hill
and when house Of this kind is bur
rowed out it is one Of the most uncom
Portable places to pass night imagina
BILE. You enter through Q hole In thu
bank extending from the surface three o.
four feet up into the face Of the outer
wall. Until a fellow has been into ont
of these tombs he has no idea of what dark
ness is. did not try it, but believ,
the atmosphere could be lifted out il
chunks, and I will be responsible TO
the assertion that a hot sun wOult
have to put in its best ticks to get an,
light through it. Yet the owners of tn
graves live in them contentedly: The,
get light from oil taken from seals. 4
wick made from cotton, when they cal
get it, or grass, when they can do no bet
ter, is saturated in pan of oil; one enc
of the wick is protruded over the side
and when lit it gives out a flame in whicl
there is very little illumination and grea
deal of smoke and offensive flavor. Lamp
are rare Usually these huts have but
single room, varying in size from ten t
sixteen feet square. For fuel the hutmel
are dependent upon drift-wood. Thei
beds are made of seal-skins. A few hav
blankets. Considered generally the Aleut
are little better than our native In
Indians, and in some respects their Gus
toms are similar For example, in eacl
village there is chief elected by popu
lar vote There are instances where thi
Office has been continued in pne 4amil,
for centuries, but It IS nevertheless hot al
hereditary office, because the Aleuts re
serve to themselves the right to- at an.
time, elect a superior officer to presid
over them. That these people can eve
be made useful citizens of the genera
commonwealth is extremely doubtful
While legitimate commercial enterpris
is fostered and protected in the island
the natives will be selfsupporting; Other
wise they will become a burden upon til
country.
Work of the German Postoiice.