Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-11-21

Under the Russian govr Inrnt missions
of the Orthodox church we're established
at various points of The territory, and
several of these still rX',t. THO last
Russian bishop, maj great ,Jility,
went out in 1870, but died in the follow
ing year, and has had no successor. A
Lutheran mission, established in 1915,
continued to exist until 1867, when it
was finally abandoned. A mission begun
at Fort Wrangel by a Roman Catholic
bishop and one priest in 1879 was sup
posed to have been abandoned, but there
are good reasons to believe that it is sill
in existence. In British Columbia very
considerable missionary work has been
done by missionaries of the church of
England; and at Anvik on the Yukon,
the Rev. John w. Chapman, misso-
nary of the church in the United States,
has been at work since 1887. At Mount
Hope, beyond Behring strait and far
within the Arctic circle. another mission
of the American church has recently
been established.
The immediate occasion of the organiza-
alton of Alaska as a missionary urisdic-
+ ton and the election of bishop to adj
minister its affairs is peculiar. 1t has
been said that missions Of the church of
England have been founded within the
territory belonging to Great Britain, but
adjacent to the United States. BY re-
cent survey il has been discovered that
these missions are really situated within
the boundaries of the United States. Ac-
cordingly, Bishop Bompas has addressed
to the American Board of Missions a sug-
gestion that these missions, founded by
the mother church, should, now be
adopted, supported and controlled by the
church in the United States, within
whose jurisdiction they are. There is
every reason why this request should be
complied with, and hence the organiza-
ton of the territorial missionary juris-
diction of Alaska under bishop of it's
own. The missions which will thus
come under the jurisdiction of the
church in the United States are of
such magnitude as to have baptized
1000 converts among the native people.
Besides these missions, however, there
is another under the care of Mr.. William
Duncan, lay missionary who was orr
ginally sent out by the (English) Church
Missionary society to labor among the
Me-tlah-kah-tlah Indians, whose conf
dence and affection he was eminently
successful in gaining. Under Mr.. Dun
can the Indians rapidly acquired many of
the arts and adopted the habits and GUS
I toms of Christian civilization. Unfortu-
nately some dissension arose between him
1 and the representatives of the English
l church; and in consequence of that Mr..
Duncan. with more than 1000 Indian
= followers, secured grant of land within
a the territory of Alaska, where they now
e are living quiet Christian lives, and, as it
: seems, acquiring some wealth by canning
b, salmon for export. As soon as the
f church in Alaska Is fully organized,
: there is every reason to believe that the
l., Me-tlah-kah-tlah Indians and the lay
v missionary at their head will be number
e ed with her adherents.
u Thus, in one way and another, the
church in Alaska, even at first, will not
: be altogether despicable in point of num-
bers. 1t will have six or seven clergy
and lay workers, and somewhere be-
e tween 900 and 1000 members. The
IL Rev. Mr.. Chapman. the bishop-elect. was
y born at Pikesyille, near Baltimore, Md,
in 1858. He is now, therefore, In his
- thirty-secOnd year. or the beginning of
II his thirty-thrd. He moved to Middle
Il bury, VI, when he was seven years old and
was there educated, being graduated from
II the college at that place in 1879. For a
II time he was engaged in teaching in Yer
e mont, New York and New Mexico. In
a 1881 he became candidate for holy or
e ders, and on June l6, 1856, he was grad
d uated from the General Theological SEM
n mary. He was ordained deacon in st.
# Thomas church, New York, June 90 Is
n Sc, and priest before his departure for
is Alaska.
u He is stationed at Anyik, about $50
IL miles above ST. Mchael's at the mouth
ID of the Yukon. 1t was not place that
&c would be chosen by an ambitious man
/ The valley of the Yukon is hardly the
il place in which one would look to find a
u mitre. 1t has found Mr.. Chapman
IL though he does not know it, and will not
. know it for nine months to come-chief-
e ly because his gentle and self-forgetful
l. spirit has commanded recognition,
Is while his clear good sense and business
e. like habits have shown him to be emf
ie nently fitted for the work of the episco-
L pate. One who knows him well, and
} who is cognizant of all the ciIcumSta
III ces, said when the letters of Bishop Bonn
t. pas were received: "Now let us make
IL TOh Chann,o,, oh nd foil him, In -