Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/79



OREGON MISSION PRESS 51

to Mr. Rogers & myself to do it for him. We have accordingly prepared matter for some 50 or 60 pages, which is now in press. Mr. Rogers with a little instruction from Mr. Hall is printing the work. He has sent me the first 28 pp. & it appears very well This work, tho' not entirely correct, I think to be gen- erally free from grammatical errors, & will answer our pur- pose tolerably well I find my own style quite stiff & fre- quently not according to the idiom of the language What Mr. Rogers has prepared, however, is in a more easy style & more according to the idiom of the language By travelling with the people & being much with them, he is able to speak the language with great ease & propriety He is a very valuable helper to us"

As an assistant to Mr. Hall had been employed a young man named Cornelius Rogers, who had traveled out to Oregon with the re-enforcement consisting of Messrs. Eells, Smith and Walker, which arrived at Walla Walla, August 29, 1838.

According to Mr. Smith he was to have lived with him at Kamiah, for on August 27, 1839, writing to the A. B. C. F. M. he says:

"Br Rogers, a young man who came out with us from Cin- cinnati, is to be associated with me the coming year, & will engage in teaching & preparing some school books He is a valuable helper in the language He has been with the Indians to buffalo this season & has made great proficiency in the language He has a natural talent for acquiring language & it is probable that he has surpassed all other white men in the acquisition of the Nez Perces language."

At the fifth annual meeting at Kamiah, Sept 2, 1840, by vote of the mission Mr. Rogers was formally placed in charge of the printing of the mission by the following resolutions :

"Resolved : That as soon as practicable a building, suitable for the printing establishment be erected at Lapwai, & such furniture provided as is necessary to carry on the department.

'Resolved: That the printing establishment, together with the erection of a building be entrusted to Mr. Rogers, under the superintendence of the Pru. Committee

Resolved : That 30 pr annum be appropriated for the sup- port of Mr. Rogers according to previous arrangements."

Mr. Rogers makes the following report of activities in the printing department, as quoted by A. B. Smith in his annual