The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-08-11
An Alaskan Missionary.
BATTLE CREEK. Aug. 2, 1s9

BATTLE CREEK, Aug. 2, 1898.
Pressure of other work has prevented Inc
from sooner fulfilling my promise to send
your readers an extract from the lecture OF
the Rev. s. H. King, Presbyterian mission
airy from Alaska. Mr.. King was accom-
panied by his wife and two bright little
boys, and the splendid health which they
enjoy shows that the climate can be en-
dured with proper care, IL it does rain two
hundred days out of the year at juneau,
where he Is stationed,
Seward was asked what he considered
the greatest act of his administration when
he replied, 1.-THE purchase of Alaska. If
this generation does not recognize 1t, the
next will" His wisdom and foresight are
now amply justified and Alaska is no long
or spoken Of as Stewards folly" The seal
industry alone has already brought in more
than the sum paid. and San Francisco firm
has contract for twenty years from 1889 at
a rate which will bring in revenue Of
nearly a million dollars year to the gov
eminent.
! Alaska has besides two other great in
dustries, gold mining and fisheries. Be-
sides the uncertain placer mining, the gold
bearing quartz is practically inexhaustible.
The Treadwell quartz mill operated there is
the largest In the world. Mr.. Kings labors
are among the miners at Juneau. He
describes them as tall, strong fbered men
who are able to stand with their rubber
| boots on in ice water for twenty hours out
of the twenty-four during the summer sea-
son, for they must work while the sun
shines, since in the long winter they must
| lie idle.
There are seyenty-six varieties of fish
found in the waters in and around Alaska,
ranging in size from the tiny speckled
mountain trout to the largest halibut and
whale. The herring, the cod and the sal
mon are found in every bay, inlet ford and
stream. Seventeen canning factories are
doing flourishing business. The MAORI
ty of the salmon used in the United States
Is put up in Alaska, despite its Columbia
river label.
AS to the natives, the Tchukees, the
Aleuts and Thlingkets form three distinct
tribes. The first named live in the ex-
IRENE north and dress in furs throughout
the year. They live on whale blubber
and seal fat. They are now the benef-
introduced by the Rev. Sheldon Jackson.
The Aleuts inhabit the Alaskan peninsula
and the long chain of islands that extend
southwest into the Pacific ocean to within
few hundred miles of the coast of Asia. The
Thlingkets of southeastern Alaska occupy
the coast settlements from Mt. ST. Elias to
Metlakahta island. The Presbyterians
have several missions among this tribe
while the Morayians, Methodists, EpiscOpa-
lians and Congregationalists are at work
among the Aleuts and the Yukon river
tribes. The Aleuts live on the seal indus
tries and have charge of several rookeries or
breeding rocks. They are allied in their
origin to the japanese, and they are won
derful mimics and quick to learn. They
attend the schools and are showing a very
reasonable progress, considering the fact
that they have been in heather darkness
and under Greek Catholic superstition for
centuries.
Fish is not only the staple article of food
with the Thlihgkets but they saturate every
other article of food which they use with
fish oil. For instance, they will take loaf
of bread and break it open and fill it full of
fish oil before they eat it. Large, nice sal |
mon berries grow OH the sides Of the noun |
tains and these they gather and preserve in
fish oil. Their huts are full of fish in vari
GUS processes of curing and their bodies |
and their clothes are always rank with the
smell of it. Imagine, If you will, church |
or school filed with these fish eaters, where
the temperature demands closed doors.
Mr.. King related an incident of girl
nicknamed "Boots," as illustrative of the
influence of the schools and christian teach |
ers. Boots" was little waf, so designat-
ed because she went about in pair of mi |
ner's rubber boots, much 90 large for her. |
The men laughed and hooted at her, and |
she in turn threw stones at them, and final |
ly she got into Jail. The missionaries heard |
of the case, went to the Jail, secured her re-
lease and took her into one of their schools. |
She is now young woman of seventeen,
bright and good, and member of the |
church. The men who jeered at the child |
did not see the jewel which could be taken |
out of these big boots and polished by the |
influence of christian teachers into an orna-
ment for the Redeemer's kingdom.
We have now in the Sanitarium another
Alaskan missionary, Rev. j. LOOMS Gould,
also of the Presbyterian denomination.
That denomination were pioneers in the
Alaskan field, having begun their labols
there some fourteen years ago.
The Santarium guests gave House
hold Concert" on Tuesday evening, the pro-
gram being made up of talent within the |
Sanitarium. The music was very good.
HELEN L. MANNING.