The times., 1899-03-05
BISHOP ROWES DIOCESE.
Travels 1000 Mile. Year visit
ing Missions,
(From the Chicago Inter Ocean.

| ing Missions.
| (From the Chicago Inter Ocesn)
| 4 Bishop. whose diocese is practically
boundless, and who travels $500 miles each
year in rowboat or on foot, hauling sled
loaded with supplies. is visiting in Chiea-
| go. This is Bishop Rowe. head of the Epis-
copal diocese of Alaska. and his annual
tour of inspection and preaching covers
distance of at least $500 miles. as he trav-
| els 5000 miles or more by steamer. Bishop
Rowe is young man. not over thirtyfve
years of age. and prior to his elevation.
three years ago. to his present position
was rector at SauIt Ste. Marie, Mich. He
is an enthusiast in his work, and speaks In
| the most matter-of-faet way of his Gnusu-
al experiences In the far North. He has
been in this country since October. trying
| to awaken the public to the needs and pos
sibiiities of the Alaskan field.
Bishop Rowe arrived In the city yester-
\ day from Omaha In speaking of his work.
he said:
| Il shall return TO Alaska next month
and Will go to the Aleutian Islands in MAJ.
hope this year to reach Port Hope
which is, / believe. further north than
any mission sustained by any other church
in the world l have been unable to reach
came near it our vessel was driven to
take refuge from rough weather in an in
let on the Siberian shore. so that | had
the pleasure of standing on Asiastic terri
tory. shall cruise along the coast most
of the summer. visiting Indian settlements.
and in the fall will come down to st.
Michael and spend the winter in visiting
the missions in the interior along the Yu-
kon. My annual trip covers from 5000 to
1000 miles, and more than a half OF this
distance 1 traverse either on foot or in
boat built by myself and propelled with a
sweep. | prefer to haul my own sled
rather than dogs, as a dog can haul
only about his own weight. and 1t is neces-
sary to carry dog feed. / wear the regular
Eskimo costume. hood and ALL made of
reindeer skin, for the Eskimos know bet
ter than any one else what is best to wear
in that climate. A queer thing about the
natives of the far North is that no Indian
or Eskimo knows how to swim. The rivers
are all of glacial origin. so that the water
is intensely cold. and they never learn the
art.
$50 far as | have been able to learn
most of the suffering in Alaska has been
due to the natural hardships OF life up
there and to disease caused by lack of
variety OF food. Most of the men who have
been prospecting look worn and emaciated,
but there is and has been plenty of food.
Although the Klondike is likely. In my
opinion. TO prove less rich than is gen.
orally expected. there Is undoubtedly
vast quantity of gold scattered over the
country on both sides of the boundary line
There is plenty of territory that will yield
good wages to men who will be satisfied
with such a return. There is any amount
OF such territory on both sides OF the Yu-
kon back of Forty-Mile Mission Creek
Munook, and on the sources of the Kuyuh-
kuk River. The source of this river is far
north of the Arctic Circle and I know
that there is gold up there. because some
OF my Indians brought down nuggets worth
$500 from there last season. and they are
not good at mining. either
In much of the country along the Yu-
kon potatoes. turnips. and other vegetables
could be raised. and the grass stands four
feet high | think. too, that cattle aud
sheep could exist up there. They could
stand the winters all right but the mos
! quitoes might be too much for them in
summer. for the suffering from this pest
] has not been exaggerated
: Our field for work there is boundIess
! in every way. for in addition to natives
upward of 100000 white men have gone
into the country recently. OF course, these
need looking after. and great RESPONSE
| bi!ity Is thrown upon us. We had three
missi.as three years ago but now we have
twelve
The Eskimos on the Asiatic side prac-
, tlce plural marriage. but the practice is
about eliminated in Alaska. Our mission
airy at Port Hope. DR.. briggs. gets his mail
and supplies only once year. and that Is
the only time be ever sees the face of a
white man. | think that in the future we
should SO manage as to do away with this
awful isolation by giving each missionary
a helper. At our mission at Anyik on the
, Yukon, one of the last Indians who prac-
ticed polygamy was shown the error OF
h,s Ways i4 fcr;,,sIe fashion last winter
he attempted to discipline one OF his foGf
wives. and the other three Joined forces
with her and rolled him around in the
snow until he became convinced of the
evils of polygamy.
The natives who are converted are re-
markably liberal givers. The Indian wo-
men at one mission last year contributed
fish, moccasins, and other things that real
lied SIS for the support of the work One
OF our missionaries. Mr.. Provost now
stationed at Circle City. has been the sole
missionary in a territory of 100. coo square
miles, in which there were 900 baptized
| Indians. II is not unusual for these In
dians to bring their dead 200 or 300 miles
that they may have Christian burial We
have built a number of schools and hos
| pitfalls, and fuel is so scarce in some dis
tricts that at Fort Yukon each OF the sixty
i've Indian children in the school is re-
quired TO bring a stick Of wood each day
TO keep the building warm We have Il
hospital at Skaguay. town of nearly TO-
O3O people, and destined to be an important
centre The work as whole is progress
Ing fairly and is extremely fascinating.
None of our missionaries has taken I'D a
claim. all preferring to devote their ener-
gies wholly to nobler work
The Dublin Drayving-Room.
(From the London NaiIN