I
(By Arthur H. Miller, of the U. S.
Bureau of Education.)
When Uncle Sam bargained for the
Territory of Alaska for the sum of
$7,200,000 (whether by chance or fore
sight, we are unable to say) he pur
chased not only a rich but untamed
wilderness of wealth in the form of an
ocean full of fish, a vast domain
stocked with valuable, but very wild)
fur-bearing animals, and included in
the deal were twenty-five thousand Na
tives who could catch the fish and
trap the foxes.
These same Natives knew more
about Alaska at the time of its pur
chase than anyone else.
Of just how much value the Alaska
Native has been to the United States
in the development of the Territory)
will never be known, and moreover,)
there are too few to care, and that1
credit may be given to whom credit
is due, shall we not. in some measure1
at least, give the Native just consider
ation, even at a time when we cannot
always conveniently use him?
in the earlier days, when trails
could be traced only by keen instinct)
and an ardent hope that one would!
finally arrive if not tormented to
death by mosquitoes, or if in winter)
frozen to death, white prospectors )
were greatly dependent upon the Na
tives, or take perilous chances, when'
undertaking to penetrate to the inter-!
ior, then quite unknown to white men. j
In 1885, when Lieutenant Allen un
dertook his expedition upon the Cop
per river, this journey could not have
been accomplished without the aid of
Natives. He enforced the enlistment
of a company of them to guide him,
and assist the party to and on their
return from the interior. His treat
ment of them, however, administered
even under the strictest discipline,
so tempered by fairness and
kindness, came as a pleasant surprise
to the Natives, who had learned to
judge all white men by the treatment
received at the hands of the Russian
traders, and though suspicious of A1-;
len’s motives in the beginning, he won]
their confidence and respect. This]
was an important factor in establish
ing a friendly feeling among the Na
tives of the interior for the white men
from the States.
It is quite probable that every pros
pector of the Alaskan wilderness has
at one time or another depended upon j
the Natives as guides, or for shelter]
in times of extreme need, and when all;
the facts shall be known, in not a few
instances have the Natives shown the
white men the way to mineralized ^
ledges, that later have been developed j
by the white man’s money, into mines:
now producing thousands of dollars.]
and no doubt played no small part in !
the early development of mines now |
producing millions.
What a vertiable pot of gold it has j
been worth to trade between the j
United States and Alaska that the Na
tive is a good trapper and fisherman,
and at the same time very fond of
alarm clocks, guns and snuff. In
former years when practically all the
furs were obtained by the Natives,.
the trader would get a stack of skins
as high as the gun was long, for a
gun worth fifteen or twenty dollars.
It takes from thirty to fifty skins piled .
one on top of the other to reach toj
the height of a gun standing on end,
and of average length. Using this as
a basis of computation, about how
many millions of dollars worth of |
furs do you suppose were obtained for^
a few boat cargoes of trinkets and
snuff?
We have stated that the Native
showed the white man the way into]
Alaska. He did more than this. He
gave him many ideas as to modes of |
living suited to the country, enforced
by its rigid, inexorable natural laws, j
which one in those days especially
must guard against or perish.
In the days when trails were few,
and before road houses were establish
ed, the Native was “wise” as to what
to do in order the guard against the
dangers of travel, and more than this,'
what not to do. Who would think
of denying the Native credit for teach-j
ing white men many life-saving devices
contrived from the things at hand, in
order to battle against this severe
northern clime.
Yes, it is true that the Natives of
Alaska, without the knowledge of the,
principle of Archimedes, or knowing
the hour of arrival of Halley’s comet,
knew enough to live in contentment in
Alaska, without steam-heated rooms,
electric lights, or cereal and canta
loupes for breakfast. He managed
quite well without two steamboats
per week to bring him the war news
of barbarous atrocities of the so-call
ed civilized “Outside.”
He then lived a life that he now
often in retrospection looks back upon
as of sacred memory. He lived with
out the knowledge of the “root of all
evil," the love of money, and perchance
with his camp pitched square over the
“pay streak." Without this germ in
his system he gathered armloads of
native copper nuggets from the crop
pings of a bonanza for his arrowheads,
knives and weights for his tent flaps,
taking ample time to “Fletcherize” his
smoked fish, and with never a thought
of “beating It” to the nearest record
ing office to file on the ground.
But how often has he told us with
what a suddenness and shock to his
peace of mind came the rush of Nine
tv-Eighters with their sled loads of
“white man's grub.” shouting and
singing, intoxicated with the lure of
gold and the juice of corn or rye.
These men dealt, with few excep
tions, generously and kindly with the
Natives, often paying them liberally
for their services, and frequently aban
doning their caches and giving them
outright to the Natives.
Here we have the reason for the Na
tive's lack of appreciation of the value
of money. His first training and exam
ple was a lesson in extravagance,
and to this day most all Natives of the
interior scorn any amount of money
less than 25c, or two-bits as it is us
ually termed here.
Thus came the inevitable introduc
tion of the white man into Alaska, to
take, and to develop the rich natural
resources of the country, as God in
tended for the highest good of man
kind. But shall we forget this kindly
inoffensive race. who did not
resent our coming, but on the other
hand greatly assisted us in many ways
with the knowledge they possessed of
the country, which was worth more to
us just at that time than all the money
congress could have appropriated had
the congress been so disposed?
Now we “possess the land.” True
we have accomplished much ourselves,
but the Natives of Alaska helped us at
a time when we most needed help.
We came with our boats, bringing
modern equipment for rapidly subdu
ing the untamed wilderness, but we
c(#uld not lay our steel rails until the
dog teams and birch -anoes landed the
men to blaze the way and survey the
route. We could not build our mill
ion dollar steel bridge spanning the
Copper river, the most wonderful
achievement of engineering on the
famous “Iron Trail” to the copper
mines, until Chief Goodlataw and oth
er Copper River Indians, who knew
the Abercrombie rapids from infancy,
ferried the men and their tools scores
and scores of times to and from their
working base, safely around the ice
bergs floating down from Miles
glacier.
When the “Copper Kings” had com
pleted their river steamers at Chitina,
and knew how to navigate the waters
t>f the Copper river from Chitina to
Copper Center, Goodlataw, Doctor Bill
urn, and other seasoned Copper River
Indians stood on the bow and piloted
the boats safely through the proper
channels to their destination.
Now, we have found the gold and
the copper, the fish and the furs, and
are using them to fight our battles for
democracy against autocracy, but in
doing this shall we forget that this
transformation of things imperils the
existence of many Alaskan Natives
who in no small way assisted us in
our great achievement? We are
very busy mining our ore, canning our
fish, donning our nugget chains and
furs, hieing ourselves away to Seattle
and New York, too often telling our
friends around the banquet hoard whit
a miserable creature the Alaskan Na
tive is, and that he is merely in the
way of the wheels of progress.
Let us not forget that he taught its j
many things we needed to know when
we were in a country we did not un
derstand. Shall we not in turn teach
him how to live under the new con
ditions that we have created for him, i
and which he does not understand?
Ah, yes, no fear t.iat humanitarian j
America will not adequately provide
for the care and education of the Na
tives of Alaska when she fully realizes j
our debt of obligation and duty to,
them.
For several years congress has ap
propriated small and very inadequate
sums of money for the purpose of es
tablishing schools for the Natives of
Alaska, administered by the secretary j
of the interior through the bureau of (
education. More than seventy schools
have been established, manned by a
corps of nearly one hundred teachers, j
several phyiscians, and nurses, five
superintendents, with an enrollment
of thirty-five hundred Natives.
Land, fishing and reindeer grazing
reserves have been established by
executive order. Mtteh has been ac-.
complished. Indeed it is difficult to;
understand how as muen could be
done with an annual appropriation
averaging not to exceed $200,000, but
while much has been done, so much1
yet remains to be done, for lack of j
adequate funds to increase the facili-l
ties for industrial training, the es-,
tablishing of hospitals all of which is
a matter of common knowledge to
Alaskans.
The introduction of the reindeer in
dustry among the Natives of Alaska
has not only proved a wonderful sue- j
cess, but a boon to thousands of them
who make their homes in those sec
tions to which the reindeer industry
is adapted, but there is yet a large
number of Natives in the southeastern
district and in the interior who do not
receive this benefit.
For these, co-operative stores are
being established where it is possible,
boat building is being taught and
rapidly as possible it is the purpose of
the bureau of education to train the
Natives along industrial lines suited
to the country in which they live.
Here is the objection to sending Alas
ka Native children to the schools in
the States. They are usually returned
to Alaska after getting their train
ing in surroundings foreign to their
native home and they fit like a square
peg in a round hole.
Education is of little value to any
one if th^re is no place for him after
he has received it. Many an Alaskan
is disgusted with the term education
as applied to the Natives, having In
mind a scholastic education. The
term education, as applied to the Na
tive by the bureau of education, means
the training of both his mind and
hands and establishing them upon a
higher moral foundation, fitting him to
lead a civilized life and giving him an
opportunity for his highest develop
ment, and to earn his own living.
It seems hardly necessary to discuss
the question of the Native’s suscepti
bility to learn, yet everywnere the
.writer goes he Is asked the question,
“Can they learn anything?”
All he needs is the opportunity. If
our fathers had had no written forms
of communication in their blood for
generations we could not take to let
ters as readily as we do, yet the N -
tlve can learn the alphabet In a short
time, and in a few months form the
letters as well as you or I. In a few
years he has a fair knowledge of the
rudimentary branches, which to my
mind is doing pretty well for young
minds who forbears’ chief mental ac
tivities have largely been devoted to
stalking moose and smoking fish.
We. the white race, claim predom
inance in our ability for profound
learning and reasoning, which is no
doubt true, therefore we challenge all
other races to attain the same goal and
make good our challenge by giving
them the opportunity.
We think it has never yet been j
proved that the quality of a man is
determined by the color of his skin.
Alaska Natives have a very keen
instinct, in many cases quick witted
and ready to repartee. A certain tall,
lean-looking man in the Alaska Na
tive school service, who had a sharp
appetite and usually something to
satisfy it, once sharply reprimanded
a chimpanzee-faced, hunch-backed
Copper River Indian for not feeding
his lank, lean looking dogs, whose
ribs stood out in rows along their
sides like so many wooden hoops on a
barrel. The black eyes flashed over
a five-inch smile as he retorted
“Y’ou hiyu eat an’ you halo fat.” The
reasoning seemed sound to the lanky
pale faced instructor and the subject
dropped.
REV. THOMAS J. GLYNN
An automatic clock-work torpedo for
chasing and destroying U-boats has
been invented by Rev. Thomas J.
Glynn of Beaver Falls, Pa. The flying
fish torpedo will loop the* loop and dip
the dip under sea. The wings and fins
are used as diving rudders and are
controlled by clock work. The side
wings or rudders give buoyancy and
support to the torpedo. These rise
and flap like the wings of a bird or the
flying fish, and make the torpedo rise
or dive by a transom lever working
automatically within the torpedo. The
torpedo Is propelled by a gasoline mo
tor and will run for hours.
-♦
Use less wheat and meat. Buy local
foods. Serve just enough. Use what
is left.
-*
Practice the gospel of the clean
plate.
-•
Eat more fish, cheese, eggs, poultry
and save beef, pork and mutton for
our fighters.
-«
✓ Your eyes fitted. Compound and
astigmatic lenses replaced. See Os
borne.
DENMARK IS BUILDING CONCRETE VESSELS
_
..i t openhagen, Denmark, the building or eonerete vessels has been proved practical and shins of ;!()<) fpet In
lengt i are being constructed there. The Illustration shows the launching ol one of these re-euforeed eonerete vessels.
Inset Is a photograph showing how they are launched upside d-wi.
. # **
_-j_ rauib &
ALASKA
STEAMSHIP CO.
-IthlTnouT"' r'“rV'* *° *....
LEAVES SEATTLE LEAVES CORDOVA
January 24 Alaska January 31
K'bruaryl Victoria February 8
February 8 Northwestern February 15
The freighters Cordova, Latouche, Juneau, Valdez
and Ketchikan also make regular trips.
Tickets on sale at up-town office Alaska Steamship Bldg. Bag
gage or freight will not be received at the dock later than one hour
before sailing time.
F, B. TRACY, General Agent; S, R. HEDGES, Agent.
—Next Steamer—
S. S. ADMIRAL EVANS
Sails from Seattle Feb. 5th-D ue Cordova Westbound Feb. 11-Sails
from Cordova for Seattle via inside passage Feb. 19.
CALIFORNIA ROUTE
Special Ocean Excursions from Seattle to Sunny California. $33 to
San Francisco and return, final limit of sale February 28th. $50 to
Los Angeles and return. $54 to San Diego and return. Three sail
■ ings a week from Seattle to California points. Arrange your winter
outing through your local agent.
FOR FULL PARTICULARS APPLY
W. A. NOURSE, Agent. Empress Building.
!
i
I NORTHERN MEAT MARKET t
Wholesale and Retail Dealers in j|
g FRESH BEEF, PORK, VEAL, MUTTON AND PRO- §i
VISIONS |
g Particular Attention and Prompt Service Given t« orders frem
Mining Camps, Roadhouses and Interior Points
| HALIBUT and Other Fresh Fish of all Kinds Will be |
:ji Kept in Stock When Available. fj
| SMITH & GLASBRENNER, Props. |
Sixty Steam Heated Rooms Eletric Lighted
Hot and Cold Water in Every Room
With or Without Bath.
Cordova House
DOOLEY AND GREENIG
Headquarters for Railroad and Mining Men
Satisfaction Guranteed
Rates Reasonable
- .. ---- - - . . ... i
| Foos Gas Engines I
| 4,to 500 Horse Power
General Electric Motors
Roebling Tramways |
Pelton Water Wheels ' 1
Chicago Oil Engines and Compressors
HarmonMachinervCo.Inc i
V .V
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Catting
CORDOVA, ALASKA |
k