National Republican., 1884-03-03
sCuont.s1N ALASKA.
DIR. Sheldon JaoHson's Plea for Aid In
BehaIr OF Morals In the Far North.

DIR. Sheldon Jaonson's Plea for Aid in
Behalf OF Morals In the Far North.
At the Assembly Presbyterian church yes
terday morning Rev. DIR. sheldon Jackson,
superintendent of Presbyterian missions in
Alaska, made an eloquent plea for the estab-
lishment of q local government for that
territory. Speaking Of tho great area and
wonderful resources of this territory, Mr..
| Jackson said: Alaska contains $50, 10Y square
miles, from the north to the south IL extends
| 1,40O miles, and from cast to west 2,2OO miles,
or as large as all the United States east of the
| Mississippi and north of the Carolinas and
/ Georgia. The total area of its islands is
81 POS square miles. 1t is the region of the
highest mountain peaks OF the United states,
and contains great volcanic system and
region of glaciers 1t abounds in hot and
mineral snrings, and includes ono of the
largest rivers in the world--the Yukon, 30 o
miles long. 20 miles wide Mt its mouth, navi-
gable for 800 miles, and with IN average
width of five miles.
The peninsula was purchased from the
Russian government for S720O0OO, and since
1867 moro than Si,0OO,000 have been realized
by the United States from tho rental Of the
! Pribylor islands, in Behring sea.
To protect the seal interests Of these
islands tho government leased them for
twenty years to the Alaska Commercial CONF
| DnnY iOi ABOUT NOUU,UUu UcT NtuI, JnS hluOuuI
of seal skins taken annually being limited to
100000
Speaking Of the popular prejudice against
| Alaska on account of its Arctic climate, the
speaker said This objection is true only in
the northern part of the territory, for its
length Lorth and south-over 1,400 miles
renders the southern portions as salubrious
as the states of Pennsylvania or New York.
"The official record of the temperature of
Alaska for forty-fvo years shows only four
winters in which the mercury has touched
zero, tho average climate Of chat point being
in summer that of Minnesota, and in the
winter that of Kentucky
Dr. jackson spoke at some length Of the
barbarism of the Indian tribes in the interior
portions, and the urgent need of congress
siOnal action to aid in its suppression. He
said there arc. by official survey, between
1900 and $1,000 islands on the southwestern
coast of the territory. The two little Islands,
st. Paul and st. George, containing ninty-
eight and sixty square miles respectively,
furnish nearly all the seal skins used to the
markets of the world, and yielded to the
United States between 1871 and 1852 over
S3,0OOC00. Alaska can supply the world
with salmon, herring, and halibut of the
best quality; it is also the great reserve
lumber region of the United States. Coal
is found in abundance; petroleum is found
floating on o lake near the bay of Katmai
lead graphite, and gold are taken out. Pre-.
cious stones are also abundant. The popula.
tion is 81 ,3s6, of whom about $4,000 are Esqui'
maux or Innuit. The Aleutiaps and Innuit:
are civilized and live after the European
methods. Among these the Greek church o
Russia claims 5000 members. In regard tC
education: Under the Russian government ir
1910, there were in the colonies eight schools
beside one for orphan boys and sons of work
men in the fur company, having tifty-twc
pupils, and in 1s4l, theological school wal
established at Sitka, numbering thirty mine
students. In 1860 the schools was remodelcd
after the Russian system. 1t was expected
that in 1867, when Alaska came under the
control Of the United States, the educational
advantages would be increased, but such was
not the case. The government, with two eX
ceptions, has done nothing for education
in this territory. For ten yeart
after the purchase the entire population
with the exception of two small Russian
schools and two on the seal islands, was left
without any educational opportunities what
ever. In August 1877, | took with me Mrs.
A. Il. Mcfarland, who opened school at For
Wrangcll. In 1879 | went again. and took
with me Miss Maggie j. Dunbar, who tool
the school, then numbering sixty pupils, anC
Mrs Mcfarland took charge of hous,
, which i erected at cost of $1,000 Durinj
the winter evenings night school has beel
carried on by Messrs. Young and Corlies. Ii
April 1873, school was opened at Sitka b.
Mr.. Brady and Miss Fannie T. Kellogg.
was soon closed, but afterward reopend unde
Miss Olinda Austin, with 103 pupils Fiv
schools in the Alexandria archipelago, wit
the small Russian schools at Unalashka an
Belkovsky and two schools of the Alask
Commercial company on the Seal islands
comprise all the schools in Alaska, leavin
population of 10000 without any educs
tional advantages whatever"
In conclusion, DIR. jackson said "As Alask
: is the only section of the United State
where government aid has not been furnishe
| for schools, it is but justice that the friend
: of education and humanity-not to say {
Christianity--should earnestly press Congress
for favorable action upon the measures no
before it for the appropriation of such
! reasonable sum as will promote the mori
, welfare of the territory"