Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-10-10
AMID NORTHERN SNO VS..

ARCHDEAooN KmKBY's DESCRIPTION OF MIS-
sIoNARY WORK IN NORTHERN BRITISH CoLUM-
BIA AND ALASKA.
Large congregations at the Episcopal
church last Sunday found pleasure and in
struction, and, we doubt not real inspiration
to works of human helpfulness, in the dis
courses preached by Archdescon Kirkby,
morning and evening. Both discourses were
devoted to the mission work undertaken in
British Columbia and Alaska by the Church
of England and the Protestant Episcopal
Church of America, and an account of his
own experiences Rs a missionary there for a
period of twenty and q half years
The reverend gentleman was first stationed at
Fort Simpson, fur trading post on the Pa
cific coast of British Columbia, from which
point long journeys we're made over the fields
of snow to the north and northwest. large
part of his work was done in the valley Of
the Mackenzie, the great river of the north,
which pours a mighty tide of waters into the
Arctic ocean. The Indian natives of this
great territory are a simple minded, teacha-
BILE people, anxious to hear the tidings which
the missionaries bring them and faithful in
practicing what they are shown is right.
vivid description was given of the terri
bic cold of the long winters there, when the
mercury rarely or never rises above 20 be-
low zero, and often falls to 4O', so and CO.
below. There it is that one comes to realize
the real meaning Of the Psamist when he
says He casteth forth his ice like morsels
who can stand before his cold Z" The win
ter days are only four hours long and even
this short period of sunlight was greatly in
terfered with by the thick deposits of frost
and ice which formed in the inside of the
windows of the little house which the mis-
sionary and his family occupied. His only
70. q. 4.
and pour on hot water until the ice came of
in great cakes several inches in thickness
The stations and trading posts were $50
miles apart, and communication between
them could only be had by journeys on foot
with Indian companions, the baggage being
carried on dog sled, which is much like a
letter thrown over on its back" At night
camp was made by digging a space 10 feet
square down through the deep snow to the
ground 30 that a FIRE could be made. Often
after the supper had been eaten and the par
ty had wrapped themselves in blankets or
ciawled into their fur bags with their feet TO
the fire, the speaker would wake with deli
cious feeling of warmth to find that fresh
snow had fallen, covering him and his com.
panions as with a soft, warm robe.
The summers are hardly less uncomforta-
BILE than the winters because of the intense
heat which then prevails and, the scourge of
mosquitoes.
Letters from home and the outside world
could only be received three times year, and
newspapers and books once year-the latter
when the river opened and the boats came
up. Articles of clothing and other similar
nCcessaries had to be ordered two years in
advance.
Archdeacon Krkby was the first missiona-
~ to preach the gospel within the arctic cir
al g. a.
plant the standard of the cross in this utter
most part of the earth" His description OF
his first visit to Alaska in 1862 his passage
across the Rocky mountains in that far north
ern region, aud his boat journey down the
great river Yukon to Fort Yukon, was full OF
picturesque and thrilling interest. Here,
within territory now owned by the United
States, is a river 1000 miles long and 20 miles
wide at its delta, discharging into the frozen
ocean greater volume of water than the
Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
On this journey the speaker founded mission
stations of Indians ready to give up every.
thing to follow the truth as shown to them,
aud so anxious were they for religious in.
structon that be repeated the long journey
the following year TO pay them second visit
when he found that they had held true to
the faith, renouncing both polygamy and
their superstitious bondage to the medicine
men"-two points which the fur traders
agents had told him he must not NEEDLE with
if he would have his work among them pro-
duce any effect
Archdeacon Kirkby earnestly urges the du-
ty of the Church 10 the United States to take
hold in earnest of the missionary work in
this great territory which is now the proper.
| ty and the especial charge of the United
States. His dlscourses, both morning and
evening, well as his talk to the children in
| the early morning and his sermon at Gull.
! ford in the afternoon, were eloquently suR-
gestive of the great practical and self-sacrifc-
ing missionary work which the Episcopal
church in America is steadily carrying or
among the ignorant, the poor and the lowly
in the farthest parts of our Countrywide In
dams in our great western territories includ-
| ed. Mr., KiTkby spoke with deep satisfac
ton and thankfulness Of the fact that his
own son, "the dearest boy of them all, had
devoted his life to the missionary service, and
had recently left for his field of work il
| Alaska.
Archdeacon Kirkby shows himself vel
preserved through the severe labors of his 2i
years of arctic isolation. He is pleasant anc
easy speaker, with well defined touch of the
Unborn grace of English simplicity of though
and speech. This week he is on visit tC
several points in Vermont, where his mission
is the same as in Brattleboro. His home
! field of work now lies in Florida, where hC
has a desirable Settlements sort of compen
sation, we hope, for the rigorous work of hi
middle life.