The Iola register., 1900-12-07

soul of man passes into the body of
bird or fish or beast. The medicine
men are the great men of the tribe.
They are believed to have control of
the wind and weather, good and evil
spirits as we'll as all diseases to
which Indians are heirs.
1t was the hand of woman that
first established a branch ofthe Chris
tian religion in this wild country of
the North. About a hundred years
ago Empress Katherine of Russia,
sent her priests and missionaries to
establish the Greek church in Alaska.
Their efforts met with great success.
Many of the Indians gladly gave up
their native religion with its revolving
practices and embraced the purer re-
ligion of the Greek church, whose
forms and symbols appealed strongly
to their nature. So successful we're
they that when Alaska passed into our
possession over twelve thousand were
members of the Greek church. The
church with the aid of the Russian
Fur Company established number
of schools, reaching as far north as
the lower Yukon. These schools were
all.under the control of the Greek
church and were intended largely to
increase the influence of the church.
Only three branches were taught,
language, arithmetic and religion. As
early as 1892 a school for girls was
established; such schools in that time
were scarce in any land. Some years
after an Ecclesiastical school was
opened at Sitka, which was aftcrward
made a regular seminary. These
schools being largely supported by
the Russian church were almost i'm
mediately closed when Alaska passed
into the possession of the United
States.
And now comes bit of history
which you and |, being loyal and
patriotic citizens OF the United States,
will not relish. We who in the pride
of our hearts, look down upon the
poor Russian and thank God we are
not as the Russians are This is what
our own history records: 1T seems
that when i'm 1867 the great territory
of Alaska became part of the United
States it was to fall away from God 5
providence. For many years nothing
was done either to extend the work or
preserve the work already done. 1t
was expected that the churches of the
United States with their pure religion
and greater conservation would send
in more efficient agencies than Russia
had done. But ten years rolled
around and the churches did nothing.
Ten years passed and hundreds of inn
mortal souls that had never as much
heard that there was a Savior was
hurried:to judgment from Christian
land. Ten years came and went and
thousands of people were left TO grow
up in ignorance and superstition and
to form habits that will keep them
away from the gospel if it is ever
offered them" So readeth history.
The Presbyterian church made re-
teeap appeals for missionaries to go
to Alaska, but no one responded.
Congress made an appropria-
tion of $4,000 for educational
purposes: still nobody would 90.
There were Missionaries for other
lands, ,'rich England'sIndia, for darkest
Africa, but not one for our own coun-
try under our own dag. The Christian
Indians seeing that their schools were
closed, their churches broken up and
their people returning to heather
practices appealed to the President
of the United States. Here is an eX-
tract from that appeal: 1--WE ask of
our father at Washington that we be
recognized as a people. We ask that
we be civilized, christianized and ed
ucated. Give us "a chance and we will
soon show to the world that we can be-
come peaceable citizens and good
christians. Still nobody would go.
History tells us that little band of
devoted Indians is responsible for the
rebirth of Christianity in the Terri
tory. They secured contract to cut
wood for the government and there
they ''met together on the Sabbath to
worship as they did in theIold days
before Alaska became a part of the
United States" AT last DIR. Sheldon
Jackson met in Oregon Mrs, A. r.
Mcfarland, all honor to that name
and she recognizing the call as the
voice of God, girded on the armor
she had already worn for years and
went forth to battle for Christ, where
no one else would go, among the
Indians of Alaska, andlstarted at Ft.
Wrangel a Home and school for