The herald., 1898-04-17

gold in prospecs but the gold that pious
man sees in the rugged waste of igno-
rant and primitive natures, 1t would
seem to the seeker after worldly wealth
that when the venerable Archdeacon T.
H. Canham left England in 1881 to labor
as minister among the Indians of the
northwest, where he has since been an
earnest and indefatiguable worker, he
did a very foolish thing.
He does not think so. Neither does
his devoted wife, who followed him from
England in 1886, and was the first white
woman to cross the Rocky mountains
so far north.
Mrs. Canham, in describing the trip,
says: "The journey was undertaken in
the month of March, with dogs'and sleds
for the first 23O miles, in an open skin
boat for the next $50, and in a barge
towed by small river steamer for the
remaining 400 miles. We were nearly
four months on the way, and passed the
last six weeks in small tent on the bank
of the mighty Yukon, waitingtfor the ar
rival of the steamer, kept busy in the
meantime by the constant arrival in
small boats of white men and Indians"
| So far north did the archdeacon estab-
| lish his mission station after the arrival
Of his wife, that the mail only reached
him twice a year, and the Alaska Com
mercial company, by whom the mail was
carried, demurred at bringing letters to
such an out ut-of-the-way place even as
often as that, and it was only at the urg-
ent solicitation of the archdeacon that
they were prevailed upon to continue it.
| In an interview the archdeacon, speak
! ing of the delights of receiving news
papers while in his isolated situation
and the surprises that the progress of
the outside world contained for him,
said when newspapers and letters
reached us, we were so conscious of the
news being a year behindhand that,
though it was fresh to us, it had lost
great deal of interest, and chiefly set us
to wondering how things were by now.
To see women flying along on bicycles,
when I paid a visit to civilization after
long absence, was too surprising for
words. Another effect of our isolation
was the loss Of taste. We lived Sc Ok
clusively on the food of the country
the fish, deer etc.-brought to us by the
Indians that when l got to San Fran
cisco I could not tell roast beef from
roast mutton, or, say, chicken dinner
from either of them. With the exception
of turnips it is very difficult to get veg
etables to grow. When I was stationed
on the Peel river planted some pota-
toes in June; in August we had a sharp
frost which cut them down. left them
| in until September, and then found them
as solid as when planted. But at Fort
Selkrk I did succeed in raising a few
potatoes and cabbages, which were a
great treat to u.s."
| Asked as to his work among the Indi
ans, Mr.. Canham replied that there had
been much progress, but there were also
many serious difficulties to be contended
with, the chief being the rowing life led
by the tribesmen. The mission stations
are opened where the Indians know there
is a trader with whom they can barter
their skins and fish for clothing, tea and
| tobacco. At each station small wooden
house has been erected, which does duty
for school room and church. When the
tribes come in with their goods they
never omit to make call upon the mis-
sionary to shake hands with him. Next
morning thirty or forty children are
found at the school house. eager to learn
and very quick. But at the end of three
weeks or a month the whole tribe starts
on its wanderings again. They come
and take formal farewell of the mis-
sionary, and as soon as they have gone
another tribe appears. So, although the
school house and church are-never emp