The Forrest City times., 1894-04-13
Alaska.

|
 rica they would more than repay the stu
 dent or the traveller.
 To the average person, Alaska is an un-
 known region which the mind pictures as
 covered with snow and ice. and as being
 a bleak. barren region.
 | When Alaska was purchased by the | United Stares, great indignation was felt
 by the South generally, for it was believed | that the purchase was made solely for the
 purpose of supplying with positions some
 of the superfiuity of officers around Wash ingtOn City. Why the United States did purchase Alaska has never been fully ex- pIained. By many of the congressman
 the purchase was looked upon as huge | joke, and they had much fun over 1t. At
 their hotels, they would call for ice ,on toast, fried icebergs, snow pudding, etc. l Yet the purchase was made, though in 1854 Russia had offered to give Alaska to to the United States if the government
 would go to the expense of making out
 the necessary papers.
 The Prusians paid. little attention to the territory while part of their posses sions. and about the only memento they
 have left is Greek church at Sitka. The native inhabitants are ignorant, and
 brutal, plurality of both husbands and
 wives Is practiced. and both men and wo-
 men indulge in fitnness too indecent to
 mention. Their huts are rude and dirty. The con ndition of the women is so dreadful that the mother grieves over the birth of a female child. The wives are terribly abused by the husbands andsoften pushed out to die. There is really no law, and ill the towns mass meetings decide all dis puted questions.
 As late as 1889 there was only one road in Alaska, and only twelve horses. The boat is the most highly prized treasure and its loss is considered great calamity. The totem pole is the pride of the Alas kan, and only those who are of noble blood. or rather who have pedigree are allowed to erect one, and the various froys,
 and other singular representatives are to him symbols of his greatness. When he erects pole before his dwelling he gives
 great feast at which he delights in giv- | ing away everything that he has. The scenery pf Alaska is ill many places
 grand. Here flows the mighty Yukon
 which rivals the Mississippi in length and greatness. Great fields of ice and snow | lie closed in between Mountains and cliffs which tower far above. In many places l the feet of the cliffs are bathed by the
 waters of the mighty Pacific.
 The winters are too long and the sum-
 mers too short to make stock-raising profit
 able. The Salmon fishery which prom ises to be the great industry of the coun-
 try is now in its infancy. There are forty or fifty canning factories which can thou sands Of barrels per day
 The chief profits which Alaska yields | the government is the revenue derived | from it's seals. The habits of these ami 1 mals are very interesting. The males ar
 rive fist in the Spring. They climb upon | the shore from the water and proceed to preempt land. In this they show as
 much sagacity as the average Okaho-
 mian, and have as many bloody feuds
 over it. ITO the victor belong the spells" | and the more timid or weak are showed | back upon the rocks while the choice lots along the waters edge are occupied by
 the stronger. After while the females
 arrive and war again ensues. As in the other case the strong prevail over the
 weak, and the latter have to spend their
 lives as bachelors except ill some instan- ceS where the female proves faithless 10
 her husband and elopes with one Of these | bachelors. The seals are very kind and
 attentive to their wives, and the Alaskan l l ity from this superior race.
 l When the sealing vessels arrive the
 poors sbachelors are againosthe victims as their fur is finer and softer and the skin
 is not torn by the scars Of many battles. | The females have the finest fur of all, l but only five per cent killed are allowed 1 to be females.
 l The murdering of these inoffensive an- | imais is most coldblooded and revOlting performance, as many of them are quite l tame and they offer no resistance to their slayers. They are killed by being simply knocked in the head with a heavy stick
 or club. The revenue agent is required l to be present at the killing, and count the skins as they are carried on board the seal ing vessels.
 There are about three thousand white | people in Alaska and fifteen hundred of
 these live in the town of Juneau. | The mail is delivered sometimes in
 three or four months. and in some locali-
 ties only twice year. Missionaries from all denominations are at work there. The | Presby teraus being in the lead.
 There are about dozen public schools l in Alaska and its islands and almost as
 many mission schools.
 | The revenue cutters go north in the 1 Spring to look after the sealing interests
 of the government, and the flag that floats
 over them is about the only sign of gov
 ernment eyer seen. A few years ago. ! hundreds of schoMers loaded with rum visited these shores and some of the
 whaers also traded in the vile stuff. The
 temptation was great as bottle Of whis- key would buy S2 00 worth of furs.
 This trade was threatening extinction
 to the native population. By the vigi- lance of the revenue officers this traffic