The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-06-26
The MOraVianS in Labrador.
The Settlement a Mission Church,
Its Work Directed From Sax0ny...
From Gustav Kobbe's Down on the Labrador
in The Century.

The first effort to found a mission
on Labrador was made by a Dutch
sea captain, Christian Erhardt, a
member of the Moravian brother
hood, who, in July, 1852, landed at
Cape Aillik in the ship Hope and
named the spot Hoffenthal (Hope-
dale). The attempt cost him his life,
for he was murdered by the Eskimos.
Nothing daunted by his fate, other
Moravians visited the coast, and ami
cable relations with the Eskimos hav-
ing been gradually established, a mis-
sion station was built at Main IL
It'll. This was followed, in lit,
by Hopedale, seventy miles south of
Main and about thirty-fve miles north
Of the first Hopedale at Cape Aillik.
There are now six Moravian mission
stations on Labrador-Hopedale the
most southerly; Zoar, Main, Okak,
Hebron and Rama. The last named
is not far from Cape Chudleigh, Hud-
son Bay. Snow falls there early in
September, and the ice off the coast
begins to break up before the middle
of July. Except for one dog-sled
mail in winter and the brief visit
from the mission ships in summer,
the stations north of Main are COM
pletely cut off from civilization. At
Hebron the gales are so fierce that no
buildings more than a story high can
Withstand them. y
The Moravian brotherhood is en-
phatically a mission church, its work
being directed from Herrenhut, Sax
ony. The mission on Labrador is
supported by the Society for the
Furtherance of the Gospel" in Lon
don, but the missionaries are appoint
ed by the authorities at Herrenhut.
A trade with the Eskimos Is carried
on at the mission stations, provisions,
clothing, guns End ammunition be-
ing exchanged for furs, seal oil and
salt fish, and the profits go to reim-
burse as far as they will the s. F. G.
This seems a queer mixture Of bust
ness and religion, and has called
forth considerable criticism. No one,
however, dislikes it more than the
missionaries themselves.
But, even with the trade, the mis-
sion is not self-supporting. 1t has
been charged that, as the Eskimos
are dependent upon the mission
stores for their supplies, they are
virtually held in slavery by the mis-
sionaries, and that the latter are as
keen traders as they are preachers.
But these charges originate with
persons who are themselves anxious
to establish trade with the Eskimos.
AS a matter of fact, the poor Huskies
would starve were it not for the mis-
sion stations, for they r proverbial-
ly improvident. I was in one little
Eskimo hut, perhaps ten by fifteen,
the proprietor Of which boosted six
large kerosene lamps, and had hung
cards of brass buttons on the walls as
we would hang pictures. Lamps and
buttons had been purchased of a
IL duluS SCuOOuCl at fClJ hl6h oISo -
exchange for the fur and fish the
hunter had captured with great labor
and no little danger, and this when
he had no supply of provisions laid
in for the winter.s Had he applied to
the mission store Tor such useless ar
ticles he would have been dissuaded
from buying them.
That branch of the United Elders
Conference Of the Moravian Church
which has special charge Of mission
work has under it's supervision a
school for the training Of mission
aries and a school and home for mis-
sionaries' children. The latter Is at
Kleinwelcke, ear Bautzen, Saxony,
and thither, at the age or seven, the
children from the mission stations
are sent. Here they receive instruc-
ton until their sixteenth year, and
after that they are assisted In pursu-
ing any special study for which they
have shown aptitude.
Missionaries remain in harness un-
til they conscientiously feel that they
have become too inirm to be Of fur
Their service; they are then retired on
a pension. Each set of stations has
Its superintendent, the head of the
Labrador mission at Main being also
German Consul. Most of the mis-
sionaries are Germans, though Eng
land is now contributing a few. The
oldest missionary at each station is
usually the Hausvater, and under
him conferences are held in which
the work is divided up among the
1brothers." Much secular work falls
to their share, for the stations are
but lonely outposts. At Hopedale,
for instance, one of the missionaries
is in charge of the store, andbalso
brews the light beer, which is the
only alcoholic beverage drunk at the
station, and the missionary who Off
ciates as principal Of the Eskimo
school is also the baker, and feeds
the sheep and fowl. The wives take
turn in cooking dinner and supper,
which are found" by the S. F. G..
and are served at a common table.
Breakfast, which the missionaries
provide at their own expense, is par