Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/106



78 ROBERT MOULTON GATKE

When we have spoken of the influence of the home, of the training in agriculture, and the formal instruction within the school room, we have touched only a part of the training offered in the mission and home. The religious and moral help given to the children far surpassed the other phases of their instruction. In all that they did, this was the chief aim of the mission workers. When we consider this major interest it does not appear strange that in the winter of 1837 six of the students were converted almost at the same time. Like- wise, since we know of the burning religious zeal of Shepard and others, it seems most natural that the expression of the newly experienced truth should have taken the high emo- tional form which was typical of the religious expression of that day, and which was expected by their teachers. Mrs. Shepard tells us that boys and girls who had been almost too timid to speak to their teachers, now spoke, prayed, and exhorted in meeting ''with great propriety." 13 The newly aroused religious feeling was so intense that its expression was in what some would today call an unnatural manner, per- haps even terming it morbid. At the close of school, Mr. Shepard observed that one of the lads was still at his bench and sobbing. He sought, in his usual kindly way to discover the reason. The lad replied that his "heart had become bad" ; that he "got angry with his enumeration table, and called it a dog." He wanted Mr. Shepard to pray with him, which he did.

The children sought their teacher, Cyrus Shepard, when they were perplexed and troubled. This we can readily understand when we consider his great love, and also recall his prayer life, of which Mrs. Shepard reminds us when she says : "The little grove on the Willamette River had witnessed Mr. Shepard's frequent supplications with and for his pupils. No parent could manifest more interest for his child than he did for these poor Indian youth." 14

It is fitting that we should know something about the teach- ers of the mission school. Because the school constituted such

13 Ibid., p. 184.

14 Quoted by Mudgc: p. 185.