The Alaska daily empire., 1919-09-10
SKETCH IS GIVEN OF CRIMONT IN
 OUTSIDE PAPER
Extension Magazine" Has Interesting Review of the Alaska Work of
 Northern Bishop

ka and more particularly was anothel monument to the determination an, energy of one man, Rt. Rev Josepl Raphael Crimont, S J, Bishop O. Alaska
 The war delayed plans for the fin, Parochial school now nearing com pletion here, and some doubt was ex pressed whether the building should go ahead in the face of the readjust ment problems and the uncertaint, of conditions. But Bishop Crimon never hesitated for an instant. Large in the faith that the money woul be provided, he said go ahead II the Extension Magazine" of May i an illustrated article about flask. containing an interesting sketch O the Bishop, and his work in Alaska but does not cover the results accom plished, from which the following clipped:
 In 1904 Father Crimont was mad, Prefect Apostolic of Alaska, which the highest ecclesiastical position i distrc. where there is no bishor and on July 9. 1917, he was conse crated bishop of that vast and und veloped Territory Bishop" I sa
 to him. after he had told me of th bitter hardShips and the cruel derr vatinne tha. he and his bother priest must put up with in th1t portion ( Gods vineyard "whv don't you te, the story of your difficulties to tn Catholic people of the States?"
 q will" he replied, but how"
 Little did the good bishop thini that just about that time we wer, wondering what would be our topi' for this months chat, and so, with out informing him of our need, WI naively suggested that on the wa to Baltimore he spend the time i, writing the story for the readers 0 the Extension Magazine. Read it fo yourself as it was sent to us in tn scholarly script of this apostolic man who is continuing in Alaska the wor, that Don Rosco started in Italy. "Conditions brought about by tn
 
 stress of the great war, the epidemi visitation, and other misfortunes have left Alaska in general. and tn | mission work in particular, in cril pied and helpless state. l turn | you and to our friends of the Cath l olic Church Extension for the CT l couragement and for the aid we nee to rise from the ruins that are, an | for the ruins that threaten.
 "The larger and better portion 0 our Eskimo flock at Nome and Mary Igoo, the pride and hope of Father Bernard and Lafortune, has beel wiped out by the plague. Ther remain the orphans to care for w | laid, last year, the foundations of new mission at Hot Springs, ninet miles north of Nome, where W | meant to establish larger center 0 | Christian civilization and Catholi | life for the natives of the Sewar | Peninsula, with boarding school fc
 boys and girls, and better homes fo
 our people, the location being idea
 as far as the country permits, fo seif-support from land cultivation | fishing, trapping, hunting and fue facilities. I have no report as yet c | the situation on King Island and O | Diomedi Island, nor on the southeas | ern coast of Boring Sea, Yukon De | ta. etc.-except that those region | have suffered greatly. At St. Michae l besides the heavy toll of deat among the native population, the U' suline convent has been reduced { ashes: of the nuns possessions onl one treasure was saved, viz, tn | Blessed Sacrament. The fate of Si
 Mary's mission at Akularak, who's district spans the distance betwee | the mouth of the Kuskokwim Is i the hands of our friends in tn United States It depends on ther whether or not workers and fund shall be forthcoming. The counc of the missionaries in northern Alas ka have been driven to the concl, | sion that the field must be abar doned Many of our missionariei l such as Treca, Bornum. Muset, Pa
 odi. Robaut, Keys, Lucchasi and D'
 Ion. have spent there all the measrr
 of zeal. sacrifice and pfiva.ion. whic
 the most heroic worker of the goi pel can give, and yet the result
 have been scanty. It is to be blame | ninety.nine per ce1t to the almo'
 unconnuerable difficulties arisin from the 'conditi ,ns' of the countr | in that district.
 While a notable percentage Of tn children from all over that tundr
 desert and inhospitable sea coas
 could and did receive fair amour
 of instruction and training in tn boarding school at St. Mary's mi
 sion. the adults and old people hay i not been in touch with the pries
 more than a few hours (some onl
 one hour) each year. For efficier
 work. building and resident prie' for at least teacher and catechist
 should be established in the most in
 portant localities. The difficulty {
 providing these places with food an
 other supplies offers such tremendou
 problems that the government. aftt putting up school at Hooper Ba,