Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/876

574 Indian anything, almost everything else than the Christ hunting spiritualist that had started the great wave of missionary sacrifice into the Oregon wilderness — personified by the Flathead appeal to General Clark at St. Louis in 1831. The Indian comprehension of the Christian religion was that of a wonder, a miracle, and not that of a moral code and discipline. And upon such a mentality "the line upon line, and precept upon precept" of Christian teaching had but little or no influence. And it was because of this defect in the Indian mind that the Protestant missionaries failed to influence and control the Indian; while the striking visual appeal of the Roman Catholic missionary to forms, ceremonies, vestments, and gowns caught the eye and the imagination of the uneducated native red man—and secured his friendship and obedience.

In consequence of this attitude of the Indian toward the Protestant missionaries, Lee was compelled to abandon his mission in the Willamette valley and make his plans to secure a permanent position and influence among the American immigrants; while Whitman bj' his persistence in a futile efi:ort among an unfriendly constituency lost his life and wrecked the whole American Board missionary effort.

This was the start of the Churches in Oregon. The Protestants gained little if anything of a foothold among the Indian population; while the Catholics established active missions among all the tribes, many of which have continued down to this day.

The first effort at colonization in Oregon, is the history of the first missionary church work in Oregon, and the history of pioneer Methodism in Oregon, and the record of the pioneer American Colony of Oregon. From 1834 to his death Jason Lee was the founder, pioneer preacher, and Bishop of the Methodist^ church on the Pacific coast—not Bishop by appointment, but Bishop by virtue of his leadership and headship of the great pioneer work. It was not until September 5th, 1849, that the first ]Iethodist conference was organized on the Pacific Coast; and that organization was effected in the chapel of the old Oregon Institute at Salem, and named ' ' The Oregon and California Mission Conference." This organization was authorized by the General Conference of the Church in 1848, and under instructions of Bishop Waugh to Rev. William Roberts as Superintendent. That was the first united action of churches into a working organization on the Pacific coast. The superintendents of the Oregon Methodist missions were, first, Jason Lee, 1834 to 1844; George Gary 1844 to. 1847; William Roberts 1847 to 1849, when the conference succeeded the Mission. This Mission conference included New Mexico, which was wholly disconnected with Oregon. Under that Mission conference, the following ministers were appointed to preach the gospel in Oregon; in 1849-50, William Roberts, David Leslie, A. F. Waller, J. H. Wilbur, J. L. Parrish, William Helm, J. 0. Raynor, J. McKinney, C. 0. Hosford, and J. E. Parrott; in 1851, I. McElroy, F. S. Hoyt, and Nehemiah Doane were added; in 1852, L. T. Woodward, J. S. Smith, J. Flinn and J. W. Miller; in 1853, Isaac Dillon, C. S. King-sley, P. G. Buchanan and Thos. H. Pearne. The only survivor of this list at this date (June, 1912), is John Flinn, living in East Portland, over ninety years of age. In 1853,