The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-15

ansson do not differ materially from
those expressed by Commander Peary
on his return from his last and sue
cessful expedition in search Of the
north pole. Peary, in one of his ar
ticles. described in some detail the
Eskimo Of northern Greenland whom
he had learned to know we'll during
his many expeditions into that distant
land. He said most emphatically that
the very best thing that civilization
could do for those people was to let
them alone. Through long centuries
they had become so perfectly fitted
into their environment that white
men had found that the only way that
they themselves could suhsist in that
country was by adopting the customs
and practices of the Eskimos. eating
their food. hunting as they hunted.
using the same sort Of shelter that
they had evolved as hest fitted for
their needs. and becoming. for the
time being. Eskimos themselves. Mr..
Stefansson expresses a similar belief
with reference to the Eskimos with
whom he has come in contact. espe>
cially those who have not yet become
familiar with the white man.
We take It that the Eskimo Is as
much a product Of nature as is his
neighbor. the polar bear. It is use-
less to teach him to garden. as the un-
fortunate Carlisle student was taught,
for he has no soil to cultivate, and
no climate in which garden stun will
grow. He cannot be taught to live
in the white mems houses. for he has
nothing to build them of. nothing to
Of his life require him to move about.
He must live in tents and huts. If he Is
to live at all. He occupies a territory
in which the white man. as a white
man. cannot live. Cities cannot be
built there. Commerce 40 We know
1t cannot be carried on there. In that
territory our civilization would freeze,
and shrivel. and die. If we attempt
to civilize the Eskimo. he will die.
The question does not appear to be
1AS1tN IVY WSf W1tJ tldNC III lkldI
bleak part of the earth a race of peo-
pie who are civilized and educated
with our education. living lives similar
to ours. with ant like ours. and
means Of filing them similar to our
own. but whether or not We wish to
have any people there at all. for all
the facts ascertainahle show that the
attempt to impose Our sort Of civiliza-
ton on the Eskimo Is fatal to him.
The Eskimo. like primitive man
elsewhere. is in need Of spiritual en-
~lightenment. Observers whose state.
ments are entitled to respect say that
he is an,iable. honest. and possessed
OF most of the virtues which We re-
gard highly. But he is superstitious.
He is victimized by his medicine men.
He kills his parents when they be-
come unproduct!ve. 1t ought to be
possible to give him the teaching
which he needs without fatally inter-
fering with the customs which neces-
sity has established for him. and with
out imposing on him a lot Of disease
to which he is a stranger. II Chris
t,anity is anything worth while It Is
a life rather than a set Of words. And
II it is to be delivered effectively and
usefully. it must be delivered by a
living "a to people whose lives he
understands The effectiveness Of the
work Of DR.. 0renfell was due not
merely to the fact that he understood
his message, but to the fact that he
understood the fishermen Of the Lab
rador coast. without that under
standing he would have been as a
voice crying in the wilderness. With
it he became the friend and benefac-
tor Of a multitude Of people.