The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-28

tering in the angle about lewiston
Charleston. At the foot of the hill
Is old Fit. Lapwai, the place where
the Spauldings established their
mission among the Indians In 1886.
They were the first newspaper peo-
pie In the northwest, having shipped
a printing press from the Sandwich
and the canyons of the Salmon, the
Clearwater and the Snake, all CEN
Islands and printed an Indian bible
and other Kings and taught classes to
read, as well as teaching them the
pursuits of agriculture. They
| brought apple seeds and others
across the continent from New York
and cultivated the first orchards in
Idaho. Not long ago the Daughters
of the Revolution erected a monu-
ment on the spot where the print
ing press stood and the press people
were shown points of interest in
Guiding the graves of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Spaulding. There was little gath
ering of Nez Perces about the place
when the caravan arrived. 1t had
been 88 years since the Spaldings
came, and the Whitmans, SO years,
I think, since committee of three
young Nez Perez braves walked
| from there to st. Louis to find Cap
tain Clark and ask him for the book
telling them the way to Heaven, and
AZ years since they rose to drive the
white men out of the country, SOL
diers, Christianity and all. Or, to
put 1t In its logical order the way
it happened, would be this:
The First Caravan.
In 1906 Lewis and Clark came
among them and traded for pack
horses, visited long and told them
of the Great Spirit and of Heaven
and how to get there. He told them
of the Book that explains more
about the way, the trail, as they in
terpreted it. In 1906 they came
back and visited again. BY 1880
the Nez Perces were so full of de-
sire for light on these things they
started three young men off to st.
Louis to get The Book, so that all
their people might find the way. |
Captain Clark was then commission |
er of Indian affairs and they found |
him. He took them to church and |
to fine meals and introduced them |!
around and showed them a very |
good time all winter and in the |
spring they set out for home heavy
hearted, for they had not The Book.
Reused the Missionary World.
The story of their trip was pub
lished in missionary and church pa
pers and electrified church people
who we're looking for worlds to con-
vert. In 1884 Jason Lee was sent
out to answer the call for The Light
and he opened his campaign at the
q Of
where he talked to Indians from all
over the northwest. Like chambers
of commerce they offered him ponies
and pelts and all sorts of bonuses IL
he would only come to their respec-
tive peoples to teach them the way
to heaven. He gave his first SER
mon at Fit. Hall, July 81, 1884, to
congregation of about two hun
bred people of many kinds and races.
He decided to go to the coast, and
the mission he established has grown
into the Willamette University.
Marcus Whitman came out to
Green River, went back to New York
and married Miss Narcissa Prentiss
and the two started west in the
spring to bring The Light to the
Nez Perces. At the Missouri river
they found themselves in the same
overland company with the Rever-
end Henry Spaulding and wife who
we're also going west to teach the
Nez Perces. Mr.. Spaulding had once
been a sutton for the hand of Mar
cissa Prentiss, but she had declined
his offer of marriage and he courted
and married the other woman but
carried wound in his heart, and,
as it later developed, a grudge
against Narcissa who had not mar
RED until after Spaulding did. On
the way across the plains he did
several things to embarras Mrs. !:
Whitman and it wounded her deep
y. 1t was unfair and 1t was un-
Christian, but she accepted the sit
lations in a Christian spirit and
waited for the time when he should
rise above it. The Whitmans es-
tablished their mission in what is
low Eastern Oregon and Spauldings
vent on to Lapwai, farther north.
Whitman was a planner and an en-
Dire builder Spaulding was stay
,r and a worker. Whitman made
lis famous ride to Washington and
'eturned with thousand people to
lold Oregon for the United States.
,paulding farmed and taught, and
printed things.
(To ho Copfipuodl