Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 147, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1912 — ESKIMOS TAUGHT IDEALS OF LIFE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ESKIMOS TAUGHT IDEALS OF LIFE

DR. AND MRS. EDGAR 0. CAMPBELL of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, who have been spending a few weeks in the states, are enjoying their second vacation since 1901, when they went there to engage in social work among the Eskimos. Thrtr work is similar to that of Dr. Grenfell, though their Isolation is even greater than that of the workers on the coast of Labrador. Situated in the Behring Sea, two hundred miles from Nome and forty miles from Siberia, in the shadow of the Arctic Circle, St. Lawrence is inaccessible eight months in the year, and the other four the only connection with the outside world is the arrival of the United States revenue cutter, the supply ship, and a chance whaler now and then, and on one or two occasions a gasoline boat from Nome.

The island Is a government reindeer reservation and the most remote station of Alaska except Point Barrow, Which is the northernmost post office In the world. Yet Point Barrow has a reindeer mail service three times In the winter, while St. Lawrence has but one regular mail A year. “As you know,” said Dr. Campbell, *1 am employed by the government to teach the Eskimos and superintend the care of the reindeer. For flVe years my wife, who had been reared In Southern California, where she never saw a snow fall, was the only white woman on the Island, but when we returned ( from our first vacation the government sent with us a lady assistant teacher. “There is no authority on the island.” continued the doctor, “religious or civil.” The man who catches the most whale may be called chief, but he has no more control than others. The devil-doctors have a certain kind of power through their sorceries, by working on the fears and superstitions of the people, but not otherwise. The language is not that of the Eskimos of the mainland, but of Siberia.” Dr. Campbell has done what no man has ever done before, for he has reduced their vocabulary to a written language—and has published a booklet containing the alphabet, pictures of simple objects ahd translations from the Bible. It is a language of many syllables. A eentence of six English words of one syllable each, has twenty-three syllables in Eskimo. Tho Whole Thing.

In the absence of mayor, council, school board, police force. lighting, water and sanitary commissioners, banker,, architect and builder, blacky smith ahd the rest. Dr. Campbell attends to any sucb matters as may arise in addition to being physician, surgeon, school teacher, preacher, and reindeer superintendent. He has a most able assistant in Mrs. Campbell, who has thrown herself, heart and soul into the work. "What do we teach the natives?” asked Mrs. Campbell. “O, everything, from bow to wash their faces, to a knowledge of God," she explained. "They must be taught the simplest things —to cook and sew and wash their clothes and care for the children and clean their houses and keep their bodies free from vermin. , ■ “But few of them have stoves In which bread can be baked, and' for fuel for thes£ the men go in their boats fifty or seventy-five miles for drift wood.” Mrs. Campbell was trying one time to persuade the women to discard the Salome Indoor costume—which, in their case often consisted of little more than a string of beads, in favor of tbe American costume. She was told “we're too poor, if you’ll give us clothes we’ll wear them.” Upon being told they should trade their water boots to the whalers for clothing instead of tobacco, they said “well, par stomachs like tobacco.” ' “Besides the time and peril of securing the seal skins, and curing than and making the thread, it takes a woman two or three days to make a pair of boots and fire -pair of these they will trade for a box of tobacco,” said Mrs. Campbell! "The first few years there was a great deal of drunkenness, but be* tween the doctor and the government It has been almost entirely eliminated.” / Once when Or. Campbell searched

a boat in which some Siberian Eskimos had arrived, he found a quantity of whisky which he poured on the ground. . Before he knew what was happening he was struck down, trampled upon and several /ribs and '■ his nose were broken. It might have been very serious for the doctor, had it not been for a shipwrecked whaling crew in camp on the Island, which came to his assistance. “It was in the night time, and the Siberians had brought some of their people who were sick over to the doctor for medical treatment. And when I awoke to see my husband standing In the door, covered with blood, surrounded by strange Eskimos, I was very much alarmed for a moment." Reindeer Industry. In regard to the reindeer industry Dr. Campbell Is. very optimistic, notwithstanding an effort was made a few years ago to discredit the whole venture. “The government established a herd of seventy deer on the Island in 1900,” he Bays "and it now numbers six hundred ahd eighty, and many have been killed for food and clothing. This may not be done at will, but is entirely under government regulation. “Only about thirty-five at present belong to the government, the 'rest having , been given out to the herders in lieu of wages. Our chief herder, Sapillu, has 200 head from his earnings and their increase. “The teaching in the public school is not unlike ours, including industrial training and music. In addition to this the schoolhouse, which is also our home, is open to the public evenings and Is a social center in the fullest sense. From it emanates the Industrial, educational, business, social and religions life of the people. “Besides the regular school course there is a good work bench, blacksmith outfit, grindstone, stocks and dies, polishing lathe (for polishing ivory), fur-sewing machine, laundry and organ always ready for any one to use" ', • ,i One of Dr. Campbell’s pet schemes is the Building and Loan Association, which several young men have already established and built sanitary cabins for themselves and wives. Dr. and Mrs. Campbell are social workers of the most approved standard, developing the native and domestic arts, teaching sanitation and hygienic living and inculcating moral principles, in addition to public school instruction and medical care. What this means to this most restricted and wretched of peoples, Is beyond our comprehension, they say.