The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-03-30
AN INTERESTING LECTURE
Mrs. KilbuCk Tells Of Fer Missionary
Work in Alaska.
AN OUTLINE OF Her ADDRESS.
Not a House or Human Being in
Sight when Mrs Kilbuck and
Party Landed On the Dreary Shore
of Alaska, 5000 Miles From San
Francisco-AnotherL Lecture,


The lecture on the 21st in the
Moravian church was largely attended
and was of an unusually interesting
and instructive nature. The platform
was attractively decorated with palms
and Towering plants, and the entire
scene was typical of the results
civilization and christianity and in
marked contrast to the dark scenes
and pictures graphically portrayed by
the earnest speaker. Mrs. Kilbuck is
a tail lady, with earnest, attractive
face, deliberate manner, and speaks
with the assurance of one who has
had every fact deeply impressed on
her mind by personal experience ana
suffering. She has been seven years
On this exposed field Of missionary
labor, and although it seemed as If
the strain had exhausted her vitality,
restored her health that she seems to
be again able to take up the duties OF
the position.
1t would be impossible to give re-
port of the many new and interesting
facts given by the lecturer, and hence
we will merely outline the same.
Seven years ago the little missionary
party landed on the dreary shore of
Alaska, 3 ,000mileS from San francisco.
Not a house or human being in sight.
A hastily pitched tent afforded shell
ter, but a storm during the night COM
PEELED the male members of the party
to struggle hard to keep the tent from
being blown away. This was the in
PRODUCTION to their new home. NOT
white woman had ever been seen in
that section, and few natives had ever
seen a white man. The speaker then
proceeded to picture the natives, their
mode of life, superstitiOns, dress,
filthy habits, cruelty in many in
stances, diseases, and utter lack Of
any form of religion whatever. She
described the appearance of the coun-
try, the temperature, (often so degrees
below Zero) the long days in summer,
TO hours, lifelong nights in winter
(alsO 20 hours and the products OF the
land, the flowers, fruits, berries, game,
fowl, and so on. 1t is difficult for us
to imagine how in a small under
ground hut twenty to twenty-five
persons can be content to live in
room fifteen feet square, yet such is
the case. 1t is hard to understand
how parents can give a child in mar
riage at ten years Oftage, and then on
the slightest prov0cation drive off the
husband. One young girl, near the
mission had been married to fourteen
different men, though still under
twenty years Of age. Many of the
most horrible crimes are most com
mon, such as the drowning of babes,
the murder Of insane persons, etc,
Into this section, where no house
was to be found, no white woman had
ever set foot, no interpreter within
hundreds of miles, this little band
came seven years ago, and in the
midst of experiences that are stronger
than the imagination of the novelist
they labOred, and now at the end of
this time they have a school and
number of converts, can converse with
the natives, are preparing a grammar
and if means and workers can be Sc
cured, will christianiZe and civiliZe
there thousands of heather Esqui-
maJIX