Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-23

such by the efforts of women. The Aleu-
tian islanders are a race Of mixed EsI.i-
mo and Russian blood. Little, narrow
Tartar eyes. slanting upward ut the
outer corners, look at you out from
stOlid Eskimo faces, wearing ncverthe-
less japanese expression, and crowned
with head of thick, midnight black
japanese hair Here and there among
the children yOu see yellow hair or a
pair of blue eyes. and these mostly be-
long to the deserted offspring of north
European sailOrmen, who, tarrying in
the islands few years, have suddenly
experienced the impulse to skip out and
leave after the manner of their kind
Parental affection is not a distinguish
ing trait Of the Aleutian islanders on
the fathers side Waits from all over
the islands have been gathered in
the mission home maintained at
Unalaska by the Methodist women of
the United States. Crews of American
fishing and trading vessels along the
coast find the little ones huddled for
shelter beneath upturned boats or wan
dering half starved along the shore
hunting for food the dead fish washed
up by the sea. Abandoned children APP
pear to be speciality of the Aleutian
islands Wherever they find these the
coast ships bring them to Unalaska and
drop them like lost kittens at the door
of the Methodist Women Mission
home.
There is always family of from IS
to 30 waits at the home. The scruE and
scum Of creation? oh, yes, to he surel
But hear what superior intelligence
is making OF this raw material.
The United States government main
tains a public school for Aleut and 9TH
er children at UnalasAa The children
Of the mission home attend the school.
AT the time of my visit to Unalaska the
teachers were two sisters, the Misses
Melor These gently bred. refined, edu-
Gated young women had of their own
free will Turned their backs on all that
civilization has to offer and cast their
lot among the forlorn. dusky Aleut peo-
pie, missionaries as well as government
schoolteaChers.
And yet, if we must send mission ries
to farof lands would they were all Of
this liind-high bred highly educated
and gentle hammered Only such Will
stamp upon the heather the impression
that they reilly belong to a superior
race. The heather have more discrimi-
nation than we give them credit for.
| Here and there, going and coming,
have met during the past year numer-
OPS heralds of the gospel from our ma
tive land and-the truth must be told,
though | say it with regret "A crude,
uncultivated American missionary wo-
man who talks through her nose is not
a personality calculated TO impress the
pagan soul with tho infinite excellence
of the Christian religion.
The Misses Mellor reside at the
home, and they and Miss Rich have the
training Of the waif family. Elizabeth
Mellor is in charge Of the government
school.
It was the morning following a ma
tional holiday when we, our ship larry
ing at Dutch Harbor to obtain coal, ex-
plored Unalaska. On our way to the
American mission we passed the estab-
iishment OF the Russian Greek church.
priests residence house of worship and
school luilding. over the last was in
scribed Che legend "NIissionery School. 3"
The chuckle haa led Greek church priest,
likewise teacher in a territorial pos
session of tho English speaking United
States did not know how to spell the
English language.
The said Russian priest was lately
come to the islands. The ne who had
been there just previous, they told US,