Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-02
Children Of tie North.
By Rev. E. Y. Peck.

But now would you ike TO KNOW Soho'hinS
about the Eskimo? Shall l tell you first where
they live? They live on the shores of Greenland,
Hudson's Bay, Labrador, and far away beyond
Hudson's Straits. In the very northern parts, IN
the winter months, the little children do not see
the bright rays of the sun, but during the short
summer the sun shines all the time. In Cumber
land Sound (Which my friends may see on mis-
sionary map) there is no night for some six weeks
in the year. and the children just sleep when they
like and play when they like. When | wished
to go to bed always put up shutter to the win
dow of little house, to shut out the llSnt
bue even then it not easy to go to sleep on
account of the noise of the children playing out
side. But of my friends wonder how the
children play in those northern regions. They
make balls of seal SKINS and then they all have
a game of football together. You will be pleased
to hear that they seldom get angry or cross with
each other when they play, but on the whole, live
happily together. They also like to build small
snowhouses. The boys cut out blocks of snow, and
then place these blocks one on top of the other
When the walls of the house are made the girls put
small deer skins inside top of a small bank OF
snow which is an imitation of the fur beds which
are used in the large snow houses. They are also
very fond of sliding down large hills Or banks OF
snow. They draw their little sedges (Which their
fathers make) up to the top of the bank and then,
when all are seated they rush down at great speed,
and call out most joyfully as they glide along
And now, shall tell you what the little Eskimo
eat? They eat the flesh of the seal, walrus whale,
the children of the Ear North" do not have three
meals day. but are very fortunate if they can get
even piece of seals meat or blubber when they
are hungry. l have often seen the little creatures
crowded together near the body of dead seal
waiting for a piece of the meat, and great
was their delight when portion was handed to
A them: it was not long, you before it was
y eaten up
q And now you would like to know, would you
81 not how the Eskimo children taught? You
81 will remember that the chief station in Cumber-
q land Sound is called Blackhead Island. On this
island my late friend, Mr. Parker, and myself lived
s. in house only eighteen feet long by twelve feet
wide In this little house the children came to
us to be taught. They were very pleased to hear
of the one great God and of the Lord Jesus. We
taught them how to read and write, and they
also learned quite a number of Scripture texts !;
also the Lords Prayer and the Ten Command,
ments They are very bright little creatures, and
about thirty of them can now read the little books
Mr. Parker myself gave them.
Our house was so very small that we thought
we would try and make church; but, dear boys
and girls, there nice trees growing in that
cold country and as we had not any wood, we
made church of seal skins. Abaut forty seal
skins stretched a frame, and we put old
boxes inside for seats. We also put a lot OF snow
outside to keep out the cold wind, and the children
came to this strange church to hear OF Saviours
love. We had. altogether, forty-f!ve children who
came to school, We called out their names every
day. and | am so pleased to say that one girl,
named Roopenwak (Which means Bird, never
missed a day all the time we held school in the
skin church.
And now shall I tell you what became OF that
church? 1t was eaten by Eskimo dogs! Very
early one cold morning, a pack OF hungry dogs
climbed I'D on the roof of our Arctic church, and
they tore the roof off and ate it. About hundred
of these creatures had got together, end they did
make noise, | assure you, as they growled at
each other and fought the pieces of seal
CHI Tho dOpG