Evening star., 1909-02-28
UWl0rB Of @r@nfeQQ.
Story of the Efforts of Labrador's Renowned Medi-
cal Missionary Who Is Ministering Among the
People Who Go Down to the Sea in Ships.

and the young man came out Of 1t with
the firm determination to dedicate his life
to God in field where he could make It
count the most.
II know that neither London nor the
medical profession would suffer much for
the loss of one physician" he said In
telling me of the experience, 'and so I
determined to go to Labrador to minister
among the people who go down to the
sea in ships and who suffer and die with
out medical attention"
He made the trip across the Atlantic In
little tight-ftting yacht and arrived
safely on the coast. Those who had
watched him leave thought that he was
we'll meaning fanatic: those who saw
him arrive were sure of it. Dr. Grenfell
cared as little for the opinion Of one
class as the other. There was 100 much
hard work ready to his hand to allow any
delay for discussion. He landed and
started work in the same hour. There
was no professional competition except
from few old women. who by virtue Of
their age had came to enjoy reputation
for the power to heal. Those prescribed
weird remedies which We're taken by the
people in simple faith. Why heaven
had chosen to reveal its secret unto these
women and by what means the revelation
had come no one ever discovered. but
their prescriptions were received as stand
ard all along the coast. DE- Grenfell
found four men dying with consumption
and yet cheerful in their faith that the
peated doses Of powdered bulls heart.
Patients in whose breasts ragged mortal
ills drank long draughts of a liquid made
by boiling wooden pulley blocks In water.
were cheating death. Diphtheria was
treated by binding split herring around
the neck, and frozen feet, frozen ears and
limbs injured beyond repair were ampu-
tated by the strongest man in the village
with an ak or a meat knife. Oh! 1t was
a pitiful state of affairs which DR.. Gren.
fell found. Whatever lack Of confidence
he might have had in his own ability to
cope with disease in all its forms was dis
PEELED at once when he saw with what
and with whom he had to compete.
His Competitors.
''My competitors were only a lot OF
misguided old women" said he. Except
for them l was the only doctor on the
whole coast. and so felt pretty confident
that was the best. I understand that in
some cities people still seek health at the
hands of misguided old women, but am
glad to say that in so progressive a
country as Labrador the old women are
now giving away 10 the orthodox medical
men"
Christian science had a glorious op-
pcrtunity to make good In Labrador. It
was In und!sputed control OF the field for
a thousand generations with nothing to
hinder 1t or to limit the scope of its ac-
tivity. And some way or other 1t failed
to work. at least the people now all like
DR.. Grenfell. The first summer he es-
tablished himself in a little hospital and
drove madly up and down the coast in
his boat, spreading health in his wake
, for the distance of a thousand miles.
Men marveled at the way he flew. He
knew nothing of the shore line. nothing
Of the shoals or harbors, or did he take
time to learn about any Of these things,
for the summer was short and the need
great. And a consequence they. picked
him often out of the water and pulled
his boat of the land, and 1t became a
common saying among them that THE
Lord must watch after that man Grenfell.
for we don't see how he does it." In
winter when the sea froZe up and cast him
off he made his way by dog sleds over
the same territory. travelling by night
and day. with pill box in one hand and
a Bible in the other.