Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/157

 hero to resist, and all the attitudes with which he was familiar and which he shared would be against the cordial reception by the public of a full-blooded Indian woman in star relationship to the eager pulses, deep loves and painful renunciations of his book.

The missionaries themselves were practically never squaw men. They stood out for white woman and a wise Board back. East helped them, or at any rate women came along or were soon provided, peradventure in a safeguarding awareness that strength against temptation will be less falteringly preached by those who do not also struggle with it or feel its power. While they held squeamish views of these unions even when regularized, they nevertheless propagandized and performed the marriage rite as much as they could for white men and native women. In the unholy biology that God gives to humans, it was the best thing possible, infinitely better than the horrifying status quo.

Following are the eight entries in the marriage page of the Oregon Mission record book, with explanatory notes on some of the contracting parties, who included native women or women of mixed blood in all but one of the brief, ungarnished items. Saturday 7th March 1835 Mr. John Denton was married to Miss Isabel Shanagarati at the house of Lewis Shanagarati in the Willamette settlement by Jason Lee. Saturday 25th Feb. 1837.

Mr. Webley J. Hauxhurst was married to Miss Mary of Yamhill tribe, at the Mission house Willamette settlement by Jason Lee.

According to the Hauxhurst family bible, the date was March 16.