The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-08-02
ICE FIELD MISSION WORK
Women in Alaska Forwarding
the Cause of Civilization.
ARDUOUS TASKS OF TEACHERS
Their Stations Almost Completely
Isolated From the Outside
World Difficult to Improve the
Condition of Natives of Juneau
Weddings Auong Tribes.

Alaska docs no. seem 50 far away since
| the papers contain daily accounts OF the
| geld that CLEANS in its soil like flecks
| Of crys;allized sunshine. Hundreds Of
people are hurrying to these gold beds, and
the East will no doubt send thousands OF
miners aad investors TO the snow wrapped
| fields, where it is winter nine months OF
the year and where the golden treasure is
jealousy locked under many feet of frozen
| ground.
According to Mrs. Gambell, devoted
| missionary. who for two years has been
| living en- st. Lawrence Island, in the far
nor herr waters Of Bering Sea, the winter
| begins the last OF September and stays
until the middle of June The mission
| station OF tie island is about thirty-five
miles from Siberia, and Mr.. and Mrs.
| Gambeu are the only white people on the
| place.
we are almost completely isolated from:
the outside world writes Mrs. Gam
| bell, to a home missionary; I'VE cannot
really depend upon getting mali from home
more them oEce a year. The lowest point
| reached by the mercury is % degrees he
| low zero. and when the wind is from the
| southeast tie snow drifts on the west
| side of our house until the building is
nearly hidden, the snow being three feet
deep on the roof. When the storm is over
the natives come with their shoveis, made
of the shoulder blades OF the walrus or the
baby whale, and dig US out. Sometimes
the air is so full of snow that we cannot
see the storchouse, only twenty feet away.
Our school Is Furnishing, and the pupils
are learning rapidly. We have nearly sixty
pupils on the toll and the Sunday school is
crowded Few of the natives will now
work on Sunday. In December the sun
rises little after o o'clock and sets al
D. M. On May 81 there was hard SNOW
storm. the flakes being as large as 90
cent pieces. On June % the ice on the
/ lake was still solid
Mrs. Jones, writing from the native
village III Juneau, says; 1T is difficult
to improve the condition OF the natives
hele Few take any interest in the
ciyilizing or Outstanding of the people
in Juneau save the missionaries. and the
tide of immo rality is something dreadful -
MIS- Carter, of the Sitka mission, says:
''some idea Of the duties of the sewing
that ia the last quarter we have mended
4 ,o58 pieces and made 25S, From Deem
Der L. 1895, to Dece mber L, 1896, there
have been mended 16, 82S pieces and s43
have been made"
Miss Sheets, whose health began 10 fail
On account of the severe cold. is resting in
Iowa. and Miss a. j. Manning, of Sitka
has beef sen: to Chilkat in her place Mrs
oonvalescing, aud Mrs Warne is back in
Chilkat, alter being at Juneau with the
little one
Mrs. J. W. Mcfarland, having taught
fer seventeen years in Alaska, is enjoying
a years vacation Mrs. Howell has been
commissioned a Government teacher.
There are now i'm the mission school at
Juneau twenty-sx children-sixteen girls
and ten boys-from five to fifteen years OF
age. The school could accommodate forty
More, but the board is hampered from
lack of funds. and applicants have to be
turned away nearly every week. The
Mission HCmc at Hytlah has had to be
closed for lack of money. During the sum-
mer vacation the boys of the mission school
at SitEa were taken several miles I'D the
coast to cut trees for the winter supply of
wood. Tae trees were large, some of them
seven feet in diameter, and ii took all
day to roll one of these large ones down
to the water, everybody helping. Finally,
all the trees We're rolled into the water
and made into a raft 375 feet long and
containing about five hundred cords of
wood.
Wooing and wedding in Alaska among
the natives are interesting and peculiar
rites. When young man is of suitable
age to marry. his mother, his aunt or his
sister looks Up wife for him. He seldom
marries a woman younger than himself:
she is much older, and sometimes is double
his age and even more. She is selected
from family whose position equals his.
or is ever higher. When a suitable woman
is found the young man is asked how many
blankets and animal skins he Is willing
to pay Tor her. whenthat important ques-
ton is settled. a feast is arranged in the
home of the bride, and the friends of both
families are invited. When the company
LIS assembled the woman's people extol the
greatness oftheir family. The young mans
marriage gifts are spread out where they
VIII make fine show. and then his
family sound their praises. The ceremony
lasts from one to two days. and finally
the young man takes his wife to his own.
abode.
Mrs. Jones is now In Iowa, at her old
home. having been compelled to leave
Juneau on account OF the cold, damp
climate. She is improving, and will re-
turn TO Alaska as soon ~ she is restored.