Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 21.djvu/79



METHODIST EDUCATIONAL EFFORT IN OREGON TO 1860 69

attendance. By Feb., 1849, he had about 80, but they were very irregular in attendance, many leaving for good as soon as their curiosity was satisfied. He taught them reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic and music. They were very fond of the latter subject.

In 1839, the Whitmans received a printing press from Hawaii, and the next year succeeded in translating and print- ing some of the Bible and school books into the Indian lan- guage. This was the first printing done in the Oregon country. These printed leaflets replaced the pen printing which had been used formerly. Spalding, in writing of this, says, "Every verb seems to be almost endless in its conjugations and com- binations. I have carried an active, transitive verb through several thousand forms."

So we may suppose this account is not greatly different from the similar work of the Methodists. That Lee was not misled by. the apparent eagerness of the Indians for formal education is shown by the quotation above given, and by the fact that he always emphasized the material arts of civiliza- tion. 9 He called his mission establishment the "Methodist Oregon Mission Indian Manual Labor School," and tried to teach the Indians to farm, build, cook, clothe themselves, culti- vate fruit and vegtables and worship God.

However, other viewpoints are not lacking. The Catholics 10 found the Indians to be remarkably teachable; Samuel Parker 11, in 1835, speaking of the Indians on the lower Co- lumbia, said that the "character of unabused and uncontam- inated Indians would not suffer in comparison with any other nation that could be named, the only difference being that produced by the practices of the Christian religion."

But, however much the enthusiasm of the Lees was damp- ened by their first winter as missionaries, they continued the work.

9 Eells "Indian Missions," p. 20 "Capt. Slacum reported that the Indians were being taught the most useful of all arts agriculture and that without the slightest compulsion."

10 De Smet in the "Oregon Country," E. V. O'Hara, "Quarterly/' Sept., 1909. "He was astonished at the innocence of their lives and has left pages of writing in which he extols their virtues and their docility. It would be difficult to find a parallel in the history of Christian Missions for this rapid and permanent transformation of a savage tribe into a Christian community with morning and evening prayers in common." p. 224.

11 Parker's Journal, p. 155. Quoted by Bancroft, "Oregon History," Vol. I, p. 112.