El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-08

Alaska was called i'm derision, Sew
ards Folly Uncle Sans ice box and
other such names. 1t was considered
land of ice and snow without any
possible money value except the fur
seals of the Probylof islands and other
furs from the interior and perhaps a
few fisheries along the coast
300 White in ISIS.
When / first went to Alaska in
1878 there were not 200 white people
IN the territory, and not a gold, or
copper or coal mine discovered; only
one salmon cannery, and one or two
small saw mills The $4,000 natives
were practically all in a savage state.
The only Christian missions in
Alaska ND to 1877, were those of the
Russian Greek Catholic church, scat
tered at wide intervals along the
shore of the Pacific ocean and Behring
sea. The first Protestant mission was
started at Fort WranEell in the summer
Of 1877 by Mrs A. r Mcfarland, a
Presbyterian woman who was accom-
panied to her field by DR.. Sheldon
jackson. She bravely undertook the
protection OF the native girls, the eS-
adjustment of schools. church service,
etc, becoming in the largest sense q
mother to these savage children of the
forests. For ten years / was explorer
and founder of missions among the
u tribes Of Thlingets and Hydas in
habiting southeastern Alaska, travel
ing during that time by native canoe
over $4,000 miles.
schools for Young
Training schools for the native
youth, where the boys were taught in
useful trades, the girls in housekeep-
ing. and all in the principles Of an
English education and the religion of
Christ were established in Wrangell,
Sitka, Howcan, Juneau and Haines-
Eventually these training schools We're
ali merged into one, the Sheldon jack
son Institute at SitSa, which is still
doing splendid work in the higher
training Of the native youth.
Has Helped Natives.
The progress of all of these missions
has been very encouraging and II Is
doubtful whether the same amount Of
money, time and labor expended, has
brought a larger return in Christian
civilization in any other part OF the
world than in the territory of Alaska.
The natives of Alaska are a trans
formed people, living after the white
mans fashion and in nearly all the
tribes Of Alaska the younger genera
tion speak, read and write English, are
members of the various churches, and
many of them. both men and women,
are voters with the same civil rights
as the whites
But Alaska has become in later
years prominently a white mans land.
Farms for Millions
Presently these great interior val
ieyS were loutu 70 pooScsS AiAS -,
mates and good soil, and IT Sradually
dawned upon the consciousness of the
people of the United States that the
empire Of the north could furnish
profitable farms for millions Of set
Tiers The gold seekers also found
deposits of copper tin, silver, anti
mony and especially of coal, oil and
marble The interior and the southern
coast were heavily forested with val
liable timber inviting the lumberman
and paper maker, and the thousand
of streams in southern and western
Alaska teemed with salmon and trout
while Goldfish, halibuT. herring, mack
ereI and many other sea fish abouuded.
1.-THE Ignorance and scepttcism or
congress, the greed of selfish syndi-
Gates and Of still more selfish poll
ticians and other causes, have COM
bined to make the progress Of Alaska
comparatively slow. The coal fields or