of considerable length. An incomplete collection of these comprises 437 articles.

In more recent years, but still during Mr. Duncan's lifetime, frequent articles appeared in religious papers, written by travelers, editors, or clergymen, who visited Metlakahtla and saw for themselves the work that had been accomplished. Nor did the interest cease at the death of Mr. Duncan, in 1918. It was several years later that Governor Bone, of Alaska, declared that there was no more interesting spot on earth than the field of Mr. Duncan's labors, and during the winter of 1928-29 two radio talks in the city of Washington made mention of his work.

Official references to Mr. Duncan and his work are very numerous. Since the Department of the Interior was entrusted with the general oversight of Annette Islands Reserve, the references in publications of that Department are more numerous than in any other. But his work has been mentioned in more than 300 public documents, while hardly a Department of the Government has failed to take note of the work of this humble missionary, who, although grievously slandered by those seeking to displace him and appropriate the fruits of his labors, rested his case with the Master whom he served; and it now appears that nearly every slander concocted by the envious or the evil-minded is fully refuted in documents written by servants of the Government who, in the course of their regular duties, set down the facts as they had observed them.

ADDRESS OF WILLIAM DUNCAN BEFORE THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS AND THE CONFERENCE OF MISSIONARY BOARDS AND THE INDIAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION, WASHINGTON, D. C., JANUARY 6, 1887

(The Story of Metlakahtla, by Henry S. Wellcome, p. 384)

By invitation of the President, Mr. Duncan delivered the following address before the Board of Indian Commissioners and the Conference of Missionary Boards and the Indian Rights Association at the annual meeting held at Washington, D. C., January 6, 1887.

MR. DUNCAN'S ADDRESS

Mr. President, ladies, and gentlemen: I feel it to be a very great honor that I am permitted to be present with you this morning. I have not met such a body as this before during the whole of my life; a body where all who sympathize with the Indian are admitted and invited to participate. I have listened with very great interest to all that has been said, and am ready to indorse especially a good deal of what has been said in reference to the capabilities of the Indian to be made a good, honest, and upright Christian man.

It has often been said that it was impossible to improve the Indian; we have lived to prove that utterly false. For 30 years I have devoted my life to the Indians, and I have lived to see in this present generation, men drawn out from the very lowest and the most degraded, barbarous savages, to be men that I am proud of.

I may give briefly, in a few moments, a statement which will explain to you where I have been living.

About 30 years ago I left England * * * I had to go around South America, for there were no railroads across the country in those days.

I went to a place where it was supposed the largest number of Indians were living in one locality, that, is at Fort Simpson, in British Columbia. There were 2,300 Indians located there; they were not the kind of Indians you have in these Territories; they were not moving about from place to place, but they had a large village; I counted 240 large houses.

They were in the most degraded condition; so degraded that it would be simply impossible for me to tell you in detail the abominable sights I saw. They had gotten down to cannibalism, for I have seen them there, acting under the influence of their medicine men, committing the most horrible outrages upon human bodies. I found them in a most savage condition, so savage it was not safe for a white man to move among them.

19689

On my way out the few whites that were established in a fort at Victoria, about 500 or 600 miles from the place to which I was destined, endeavored, with all their power, to keep me away from these people. They said they would be certain to hear of my death.

I begged that I might be permitted to live in a stockade that had been erected by some white men up there for trade; I begged to live there until I could speak the Indian language. I was given that privilege, and for 8 months I did nothing but study the language, for I did not believe in mutilating the Gospel by going and talking to them in broken English, or in Chinook jargon, as I wanted to give it to them in their native language.

I, therefore, for 8 months did little or nothing but to keep myself close in the stockade with an Indian who did not know English. By the acting of words I got a good deal of his language from him; and in 8 months I was able to preach. At that time I went out to the various camps. Although they were living in one locality, I found they were divided into nine different tribes or bands, under their old chiefs.

The Indians themselves ridiculed the idea of their ever accepting the white man's teaching. They have their own stereotyped notions about God, as they have about everything else. The white man is another being altogether to them.

I simply kept straight on teaching day by day, and although I was attacked on various occasions, and my life was in jeopardy over and over again, yet by God's help I was able to persevere.

At first I did not attack these people in their customs; I did not ridicule them or speak against them wantonly. I went on simply teaching them-giving them light. I saw they wanted light, and as the light began to dawn, those works of darkness began to disappear, and in a very few years their heathenish customs simply dwindled

away.

My great point was to get an influence over them; to isolate as soon as possible the little germ of Christian truth which had made its way into their minds-to get it away from heathen influence.

Therefore, for the first 5 years I worked there, it was with the view of getting a party to begin a new life-a new era in their history.

After 5 years' effort I succeeded in getting 50 under my influence, and these 50 left with me. We started a new little colony 17 miles away from the heathen camp, and that 50 has grown into a thousand. It finally became so strong, so loyal, and so thoroughly civilized, that its power has extended all over the country around, upon all sides of us, even to Alaska.

The Indians have become anxious for teachers. There is no longer any barrier; it has disappeared, and now they see just as other men see; it is to their advantage and to their comfort and happiness, to know God and to live in a civilized and Christian way.

I will just mention two or three points, which I believe essential for the advancement of the Indian. It is a sad thing that almost every department necessary for the advancement of men everywhere, in every part of the world, has been well studied except the Indian question; it has never been thoroughly and consistently studied.

There have been more mistakes on the part of the white man, a great deal, than on the part of the Indian.

In my opinion, the giving away of presents to the Indians has had the effect of pauperizing them; bribing them to keep quiet, terrorizing

them-in fact every measure which has kept them back has been a mistake.

Trust the Indian! I can indorse fully what I have heard Captain Pratt say in regard to trusting the Indian. The way I acted when I got this little colony was simply to trust them as men we had raised up, who had become capable and industrious. Those men are now able to compete with the white men in their various industries, and we have now a ship taking away from our little province 8,300 cases of canned fish, all done by the Indians. [Applause.]

We manage a sawmill and run a little steamer, all done by the Indians. The people said I was mad because I was trusting these Indians, but I had not been deceived by them. I saw from the first that the only way of advancing them was to trust them.

I have had instances of men doing wrong, yet I may say I have had fewer such instances among the Indians, than among the same number of white men.

I believe they are capable of all the brain power, of all the conscientiousness, and of all the ability necessary to make splendid men of themselves, and it is a disgrace to our Nation, a disgrace to our civilization, that we have Indians now at the present time in the state they are. [Several voices: Amen! That is so!] [Applause.]

One of the most embarrassing questions that was ever put to me by an Indian, was one that was put when I first went there. It was this: "What do you mean by 1858?"

I had to tell him that 1858 represented the number of years that we had the Gospel of God in the world.

He said, "Why didn't you tell us of this before? Why were not our forefathers told this?"

I looked upon that as a poser.

He said to me, "Have you got the word of God?"

That, in the English language, would be equivalent to saying, "Have you got a letter from God?"

I said, "Yes; I have God's letter."

That would really be the idea that would reach the Indian.

He said, "I want to see it."

I then got my Bible. Remember, this was my first introduction. I wanted them to understand that I had not brought a message from the white man in England, or anywhere else, but a message from the King of Kings, the God of Heaven.

They wanted to see that. It was rumored all over the camp that I had a message from God. The man came into the house and I showed him the Bible.

He put his finger very cautiously upon it and said, "Is that the Word?"

"Yes", I said; "it is."

"The Word from God?"

I said, "It is."

He said, "Has he sent it to us?"

I said, "He has, just as much as he has to me."

"Are you going to tell the Indians that?"

I said, "I am."

He said, "Good; that is very good."

Now, you see, if I had gone out there in the name of a single party; if I had gone and told them I had come from the Queen, or from a

26465-39-pt. 35-85

nation, immediately I would have created in that man's mind a sort of antagonism; but as soon as I told him I had a message from God, who made him, he instantly began to pause and think, and wanted to know about that message.

When I was able to tell those Indians in their own language the Word of God, it just had the same effect upon them that it has upon the white people, and their congregations are as earnest, as conscientious, and as indefatigable in their worship of God, as any congregation of white men. The influence of this work has spread all over the country.

I will just give you a brief idea of how I was deceived, on that point, in a very heathen tribe. They had heard that I was coming, and the chief, in order to show his great delight at my arrival, put up what they call a large cap.

Their cap was an umbrella. They had no idea of preventing rain from falling on their heads by its use, but looked upon it simply as a web-footed cap, and so they used it on state occasions. As soon as I landed I saw the man with the umbrella, and saw the excitement.

He sent a message to this effect: "I would like you to come into my house, and I shall send my messenger to tell you so."

I immediately encamped upon the bank of the river. By and by, I was told that all things were ready and prepared to receive me.

I said to my little crew-for in those days I took only boys with me, being afraid to take men, as they might kill me for the purpose of getting my clothes-I said, "What are they going to do when I go into the house?" "Dance." "Tell them I did not come here to see dancing, and I cannot go therefore."

They told the messenger to tell the chief that I objected to seeing them dance, that I had come with a solemn message to them.

The chief replied, "Tell the white chief he must come; if he doesn't come to me I won't go to hear his word; but if he will come I will go and hear him."

That changed the matter altogether.

I had a little consultation with my boys, and they said, "You had better go; if you do not go the chief will not come to hear what you have to say."

I walked up to his house, I confess, in a very grum kind of a spirit. I did not like to attend a dance. The idea of a missionary going to see a dance! [Laughter.] But I saw that I had to do it; public opinion was in my favor. [Laughter.]

I was very glad afterward that I did go. When I entered the house there was a person there ready to point out a seat for me. There was a bear-skin spread over a box, for me to sit on.

The chief had all of his men placed around in different portions of the house, which was a very large one. I observed that he had gotten a large sail and used it for a curtain in part of the room.

Very soon I saw two men step out. One had a rod in his hand beating the floor. They had a kind of theatrical performance. The old man, after stamping his foot and putting his rod down very firmly, said, in his own language, of course, "The heavens are changing."

The other man was there to respond, "Yes; so it seems; the heavens are changing."

A few little remarks of this sort were made, and then the sail was drawn aside and out dashed the chief, dressed in most magnificent