Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/75

 OREGON MISSION PRESS 47

A plate is shown of the Pickering alphabet as it appears in the new book, which contained 20 pages.

The account also contains so many minor inaccuracies in direct contradiction to Mr. Spalding' s statements in letters to the A. B. C. F. M. that the writer cannot accept it as a con- temporaneous diary by Spalding.

Nor does the writer believe that the missionaries assembled at Kamiah on July 10 to change the alphabet. Dr. Whitman's little daughter was buried on June 29, at Waiilatpu, Messrs. Spalding and Hall attending the funeral, and while it is pos- sible that Dr. and Mrs. Whitman accompanied them back to Lapwai and the party proceeded thence to Kamiah, it does not seem likely, especially as Dr. Whitman makes no mention of a visit to Kamiah in a list of six absences from his station during the year, though he does mention a visit to Lapwai to visit Mrs. Hall, the date not being given. Nor would Mrs. Spalding have left her bedridden guest, Mrs. Hall, to go with the others to Kamiah.

This book has a similar title page to that of the abandoned 8-page book, a little wider spacing between the words of "Designed for children and new beginners" showing that the page was reset by Mr. Hall.

It is 5^x4^ inches in size and printed in five unnumbered signatures of four pages each.

It is this second book that has commonly been considered as the first publication from the mission press,

In a letter written by Mr. Spalding to Mr. Walker, who had not been present at the annual meeting, dated Clear Water, Sept. 10, 1839, is found this sentence:

"We have taken Mr. Pickering's alphabet as you will see from the little book."

Dr. Whitman in a letter to Mr. Greene dated Waiilatpu, Oct. 22, 1839, gives the following account of the change of alphabet :

"We have settled upon the Alphabet recommended by your- self & the Board with the exception of v for short u which is represented by a All had become weary of the first attempt at writing with the one fixed upon by Mr. Spalding.

I never consented to it & on the accession of Mr Smith