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fhQ ZbiToh and the Indiaiis.

'I^he TUOUBI.I1; ut :vl I'/n.AJ-CA.IITLA

(FROM THE DAILY COLONIST, VICTORIA, B. C, JULY 2eth, 1882.)

L.'ist oviMiiti'4 iit 8 o'clock fill iiitoriisi iiiLj
meetiii'4 was licl<l in t\w Keforimul E|iis-
copal Cluucii, Huinbnklt streijt, for. tluj
purpose oi iirariiiL; an accoiii.t I)y iJisliop
(Jri(l<,'e and Senator Macilonald of tlu-lr
late visit to Motifikaiitla, and tlio present
condition iif the niissinnary Held there.

'I'he nieetinj^ was largely attended, the
chair being occupied by Mr. James W.
Douglas.

The meeting having been opened with
prayer by liush'^) Cridge, the chairman
brielly iated that fhey were met to hear
an account of Mr. Duncan's labors at
Metlakahtla.

Senator Mai'dnnald on rising .said:

Laiiifs and gentlemen — Hefore going
on wiih mj addies.s I wish first of all to
dispel a (lebisioii under which many are
laboring wiih regard to thetr,idt3 at Alut
lakalit'a. Many say and supjiose that Mr.
Duncan is enriching iiimself and hoarding
up money. It is also siip[»osed that I am
in partnership with him The whole
thnig is utterly without foundation. I
have nothing to do with his trade, mure
than liel|iing him all I can without fee or
reward. If tiiere are profits in the trade
they are all spent for the benefit of Metla-
kahtla, and 1 am of opinion th.it there
are few poorer men in the province than
Mr. Duncan. The trade was established
entirely for the benefit and convenience
of the village, and one great object was
to keep the people at home and free from
the tem))tations and contaminatiiuis of
towns. Mo doubt all of you have heard
something of Metlakiditla. It is a name
not confined to the boundaries of British
Columbia. It is well known in England
and in many other parts of the world as

one of the most successful inis.sions in the
world. A young man, not a priest or a
bishop but a layman like ourselves, and
foiinerly a commercial man, went into the
wildeiiu:ss among a lot of heathen and
barbarou.s savag'-s, who had never heard
the Wold of (iod-a jieople steeped in
vice, degradation, and daikness — and he,
single-handed with (Jod's help, carved
out a monument to Christianity, and a
civilizatii'ii most remarkable con>ideriiig
its age. You now find a community with
hopes, and ambitions, and breathing aspi-
rations, like yourselves.

Many of you liave heard rumors about
the unfortunate divisions at Metlakahtla,
some of them exaggerated and some with-
out any foundatiiui — ruin<irs circulated by
Mr. Duncan's enemies ; some of them
being persons he ha'j had to chastise for
ofi'encea at siune time or other. Hearing
those reports, liishoj) Cridge and I were
induced to i)ay a vifiit to that place to
hear and see for t)urselves how matters
really stood. Wo had also the hope that
we might be able to strengthen the heart
and hands of our dear friend Mr. Dun-
can, and V)e of sjine service to hiin. We
also hoped, although a very faint one,
that something might be done to bring
the two parties together. Our first hoj-e
was certainly realized, Mr. Duncan and
his people being delighted to see us and
giving us a right hearty welcjine. It had
been given out that he had no friends,
that ho was a rotten branch cut off by the
society, without influence or friends, con-
setiuently they were the more pleased to
SCO us, knowing that we were friends.
But with regard to effecting a reconcilia-
tion, we soon discovered from the tone of

(2)

thu people that such a thii)^ was impos-
siMo without an eiitiro surreiidor of tlic
principles Mr. Duncan had iticulcnttd for
the past twenty years- pi inciplus which
have made him conqueror over stupen-
dous oliHtacles and diliicultiea. We uuuld
see that there was room for one church
only at Metlakahila.

Many willing hands were ready and
pleased tu help us on shore, and to carry
our baggaf^e to Mr. Duncan's house. One
is at once struck with the respectful and
respectable appearance of the people, wiu)
form a marked contrast with Indian.s .seen
at other parts of the coast. The village
presents a neat, trim appearance with its
beautiful church standing in a square
with streets on the four sides — the uni-
formly built houses, the paved streets,
the trade shop, the workshops, ware-
houses and cannery, all show a master
hand and great judgment. Ne.ir the land-
ing place is a large building tailed the
market house, where st range Indians can
hnd warmth and shelter, whether thev
come to trade, or hap|jen to be def.vined
frnin .any cause. This shows great care
and forethought on Mr. Duncan's part,
whilst in otlier places they are left like
dogs on the beach. We had many visitors
the evening of our arrival, and were sere-
naded by a brass band. The next day
being Sundjiy, we attended divine service.
When the bell rang the people could be
seen flocking in from two sides into the
fine large church, about double the size
of this building. A more imitressive
scene could not be — the wrapt attention
of the large congregation (about liOO) was
in marked contrast to that of more civil-
ized worshippers. The men were com-
fortably and cleanly dressed, and the
women clad in plain dresses, shawls, and
handkerchiefs for head dresses, gave one
the im[)ression that they came to worship
— sedate, quiet, and earnest— not as if
they came to see and be seen. The re-
sponses were repeated by all in a loud
and distinct voice, as if they meant what
they were saying. The organ was j)layed
by a native like a professor; the singing,
heartily joined in by all, was truly grand.
In the afternoon Frederick Ridley, a na
tive, preachrd in .tn ensy, fluent style,
reading a chapter in English first, and
preaching in Chimsean. The service is

as near that of the Church of England as
pi>ssible, without vestments or outward
adornments, which in ether communitibs
have so much attraction ujr frivolous
church-goers.

On the following Monday evening we
were invited to attend a meeting in the
church, at which about 5U0 persons were
present. One of the native elders opened
the meeting with prayer. Then many of
the most prominent men made speeches
in an easy, eloquent manner, offering us
a hearty welcome, and all expressing sor-
row at the divisions in their once united
and happy village, where a short time
ago they all worshipped under one roof.
I am afraid they attributed a power to us
which we did not possess — that of re-
storing peace and harmony, and helping
them to remove the cause of their trou-
bles. The control those people exercised
over their language in speaking to a qaea-
tion on which they feel so deeply and
keenly was truly wt.nderful. No harsh
word.s, no threats of violence, no inviting
to a l)reacli of the peace — atfTding a very
marked contrast between their behavior
and that of white people under similar
circumstances.

We replied to their speeches, com-
mending them f ir their moderation and
excellent conduct, for their devotion to
their friend and teaciier; counseled them
to go on as they had done in their faith
and religion, and as law-abiding citizens,
and on no account to take the law into
their own hand.s, but to place their com-
plaints and grievances by jietition before
the governor general. This they agreed
to do, and we left them preparing memo-
rials and petitions.

Indians from different parts of the
country on hearing of our arrival left
their hunting and fishing and came dis-
tances of from 50 to GO miles to see us to
give us a welcome and to express sympa-
thy with Mr. Duncan. Frequent nie.ssa-
ges of sympathy came to him from the
surrounding heathen tribes, all con-
demning Bishop Ridley for attempting
"to reap where he had not sown." They
say Mr. Duncan gave his life to us, toil-
ing and laboring to break our heathen
customs and bring us to the light. He
pLjughed the land, so ed the good seed
which is growing and ripening, and now

(3)

H atnuifjer who luis not toiled or done
Hiiytliiiig wishes to smp in and ttiku till
the fruit. "Let liiiii take ex;iiii|ile by
whiit Mr. DiiiR-aii hii.s done mid cultivate
new fields f«ir himself." One of the most '
niMrvelous things is the influence the \
work at Metlakiihthi has had tm all the
surrounding nations. The Word spoken
there ha.« leavened the wimle coast, made '
Hydahs and other warlike tribes forsake
many of their heatlien and evil habits,
and now they can visit each other in con- 1
tidence and i)eace, instead of meeting as I
they used to do as deadly foea. Another
great work done by Mr. Duncan has been
the suppression of the whiskey trattic
along the coast. Although 8'>ine of the
heathen Indians manage to smuggle bot-
tles now and then in bags of flour and in
other ways, yet the trade, so far as white
men are concerned, is crushed out. A
short time ago the managers of the can-
neries on the Skeena were greatly op-
posed to Mr. Duncan and very bitter
against him simply becau.se he insisted
on the Indians being treated properly
and justly and because they would not
work on Sunday. Now those very men
are among hi.s warmest friends, because
they see that he and the Indians acted
on good and conscientious principles.

I wish you all to understand clearly
and unmistakably that all the work done
at Metlakrhtla has been done by Mr.
Duncan, a layman, my impre.ssi(m being
that the help given by his asasstanta was
not of much account; and I wish it to be
understood clearly that Mr. Duncan h?.s
gone on for over twenty years without
change or vacation, teaching and preach
ing the same truth and the same gospel.
He gave satisfactiiui to the society, to
the Indians and to his friends, and they
are many, who were and are justly proud
of him and his work. The Church Mis-
8i(mary Society were proud of his success
and held his work and mission up as an
example to other missions, and all went
well and smcjothly until Bishop Bompas
visited Metlakahtla a few years af,o,
when the question for the admission of
some of the people to the Lord's Supper
was brought forward. This wa.s no new
question; it had been discussed by Mr.
Duncan and the elders, who saw many
difficulties in the way, owing to the In-

dians not HiifHcicntly understanding the
meaning of that sicrament. if those who
were most tit to go to the Lord's Table to
partake of what the Indians would call a
feast went up before the whole coiigrega-
tiiiii they thought it would lead to
jealousy and ill feeling, and if the non-
par! icipants left the church whilst others
remained for the sacrament they would
fancy that some wonderful, mysterious
ceremony was going on. They therefore
came to the concli;sion that it would be
wise to <lelay that rite tor a time until
the Indians were more fully instructed in
its meaning and freedom from mystery.
I do not know what the report of Hishop
Bompas to the society was, but the im-
pression seemed to take hold of its mind
that :Vlr. Duncan had kept the Indians
from coming to the Lord's Table, which
is an entirely erroneous impression. It
is also said that he refuses baptism to in-
fants. It is true that he does not ap-
prove of baptising infants of heathen
parents, who attich a superstitious im-
po"tance to the ceremony without having
any knowledge of its true meaning; but
infants of baptised parents he willingly
admits to that visible sign of Christianity.
I wish you to understand that in any
remarks I shall hnd necessary to make
about Bishop llidley. there is no ill feel-
ing or animosity. So far as I know him,
he is agreeable and entertainina, and
might be U'^eful in other parts of the
country where there are no mission-
aries; but at Metlakahtla I consider him
useless. I do think, and say in the most
emphatic manner that it has been a great
and serious mistake sending a bishop to a
diocese like (Caledonia where there are
very few whites and very few missionar-
ies to oversee; church dignitaries being
generally fonder of power and authority
than of performing simple missionary
work. What are required in this country
are hardworking, self-denying Christian
men, and not bishops with elevated ideas
of church ceremonies. On the ar-
rival of Bishop R' ay at Metlakahtla, he
made a speech the people in which
he stated that he \ad not come to inter-
fere with Mr. Duncan, but would willing-
ly work with him; that was just as it
ought to be had it been acted up to.
Soon the bishop began to show that he

i2G5G^)

(4)

wlslicd to be master. Not lioiiig allowed
to build II Ixmso on the public park iit
M(^tlakahtla, lie t(uik a jmiip of I
17 miles to Knrt Simjisoii wIuto he Iniiit i
a house at a coat of between fesy.OliO i
and .IrJ^fOOO, in vvliich l»e dues not live, :
and wlu'tlier jiaid for l)y iiim or the so i
oiety, it may be looked upon as an entire
waste of nionwy, having no adlKU'enis,
school or church tliere, the whole tiling
showing a lack of judguu-nt and a dcsiie 1
to act without tiie advice of ]»ractical aiul
experienced men wiio have a knowledge
of the country and the Indians. 'Die
bisliop also finds fault with JMr. Duncan's
translation of the prayers, and revives
the question of admitting some of tlie In- j
diana to the Lord's Table. The elders
and Mr. Duncan holding the same opin-
ions and giving the same reasons tiiey
gave Bishop Hompas for not j)articipating.
Mr. Duncan could see that tlie full
ritual and ecclesiastical acc(.n)i)aniiiienrs
of the Church of England were not suited
to a primitive people — (and here I will
mention how noticeable is the hold Chris-
tiatiity takes of a primitive people, and
the confidence and faith they have in
God's word; and the love with which they !
treasure their bibles is beautiful to be-
hold) — and that what they required wai
the most simple form of gospel preaching.
Those ideas he communicated to the So-
ciety, with the recjuest that Metlakahtla
should be allowed to manage its own
affairs. In reply they requested Mr.
Duncan to come to London to talk mat-
ters over. That he could not do owing
to pressure of business. A conference of
the missi(Uiarics, clerical and lay, in the
northern part of the country was held
last year, to which Mr. Duncan sub-
mitted the question, " Whether they
W(udd recommend the Society to allow
Metlakahtla to become a free mission I"
This they declined to do; but resolved to
recommend that it should be kept as it
always had been, a lay mission. The
bishop was strongly ojiposed to such a
recommendation, and wished it rescinded;
but the conference adhered to its opinion
and forwarded the resolution to the So-
ciety; and probably the bishop sent a re-
port and a different recommendation, and
it is now self-evident that about
this time the Society entertained the

idea of disjiensing with Mr. Duncan's
services on tht; <;round that lie would not
allow some of his peopli- to partake of the
Lord's suppiM', and that he did not ap-
prove of infant baptism, and that he had
declined at their rt'ijuest to visit Eng-
land — none of those charges l)eing in ac-
cordance with facts. Last November the
bishop came into Mr. Duncan's room, and
after some conversation handed hiui a
letter of dismissal from the socitity, and
giving expression to words to the effect
that lie was master now, and would take
charge of the society's proi)erty.

Mr. Duncan at once piei)aied to leave
the mis.sioii house, and when what had
just transpired became kn"wn in the vil
lage a house was placed at his (lis])osal by
one of the Indians, and hundiuds of lov-
ing hands carried his furniture and liooks
to his new (piarters. There was great ex-
citement; but, to the credit of the In-
dians be it .said, there was no breach of
the peace. A meetiiiLt was held that
night, at which resolutions were passed
requesting Mr. Duncan to continue with
them, to be their minister and teacher.
He said he would not give them an an-
swer then, as tliey were excited and many
of the ])eople were away. Shortly after
this another meeting was held, and the
same re8oluti(jii come to; but Mr. Duncan
would not even then give them an an-
swer, wishing first of all to be certain
that all the (leople were with him.

Just about last Christmas a large meet-
ing was held in the church, the first time
it had been opened since Mr. Duncm's
dismissal last November. A dejmtatioii
waited t)n Mr. Duncan, recjuesting him
to come to the church. Jle did so, and
found (iOO or 700 persons there, and a
seat placed for him at the head of the
centre aisle. One of the elders then ap-
proached, carrying a biiile in his hands,
and, facing the congregation, said: "You
are now asked to conlirm with your own
voices your action at the different meet-
ings, and to say wliether you wish Mr.
Duncan to continue as your teacher and
minister." With one voice they said:
" We desire him to be our teacher and
minister." The elder then turned to Mr.
Duncan, placing the bible in his hands
and saying: "Continue to be our minis-
ter, and go on teaching the Word of iUod

(5)

as ymi have floiie f >r the last twenty
yoars. " Mr. Diiiicfvii, Hcninj,' tlmt tlii-y
wero all i>f oiio iiiiixl, CDiisi-iituil to cdii-
tinue with them. Such was his oniirni-
tidii, and ill my t)i)ini()n a very cimplute
one.

Directly aftir Mr. Diinciin's iliMmi.s-
Bil the hi.sluip went to Eniilniid, and evi-
dently he and the Society eanie to the
com idsion that they had acted fooha-^tily,
for on hi.s n^tiirn we tiiid him writiny a
letter to Mr. Duncan a-skiiii; him to couie
l)ack; and that same letter contains one
of the mo.tt insulting proposals which
could be made to a man like Mr. Duncan,
viz., that he c()uld retain the monopoly
of the trade. Such a l)ait, aiui to a man
like Mr. Duncan, who has j^iveii his i
whole life to the spiritual instruction of
the Indians, and who cares iiotbin^ for
the trade excepting so far as it haruionizes
with the spiritual work, and contiuues
to be a marked benefit to his people!

If Mr. Duncan was wrong in his teach-
ing, or in any of his acts, how is it that
the bishop seeks to enter iuto a couipact
with him to return — a hi^h and mit.'lity
bishop oti'ering a bait of that kind to a
man whose spiritual work he evidently
despises^ What is the meaning of it alW

lis clearly this, that the bisliop and the ,
Society lind that they are in the wrong;
that they have acted on unfounded accu-
sations JiastUy and without judgment,
and that tiiey would like to have Mr.
Duncan's services attain.

How coidd he, whose work is so great
and so Manifest, and who has labored so
unceasingly for the last '25 years, allow
any one to take the .s])iritual work of Met-
hikahtla, and he retain only the temporal
It would be an acknowledgment that he
was in the wrong, and had been wrong all
those years, and that now he had to sur-
render to a stranger, who so fiir had done
nothing, and whose only claim to sjiiritu-
ality seemed to be that he wore ditleront
clothing to that worn by Duncan. ^o!noI
He could not hand over his people or his
work for any such childish reasons. I
ask again, if Mr. Duncan has done no
good work, why does the bishop ask him
to return!

This same letter which the bishop
wrote to Mr. Duncan he parades and holds
up as an evidence of his wish for peace

and harmony, and whilst bidding that
olive branch in one hand he unilermiiu's
Mr Duncan witli the oilu'r — seducing his
schoid teachers, his (»rganist and others
by ottering pi-i'iiniary advantages, and
trying to teni|il the people with cheap
goods; but tluy are not to be boiinhi and
sold like children. Where is the Chris-
tian consistency of such acts/ I am cre-
dibly informed that the bishop despi.ses
the spiritual work at Metlakahtla If so,
why does he wish the peopln to come to
the Lord's tal)le? Where is the consis-
tency/

I hope yoii all understand that there is
no change in .\lr. Duncan's mainu-r of
teaching, he is goiny on as he has done
for the last 25 years, and that whatever
may ha[)in;n at Metlakahtla he is not to
blame. .All weiii smoothly and well until
ecclesiasticism stepped in. 'I'hoso unfor-
tunate divisioii.s are doing great injur}' tu
the spiritual and temporal work and de-
stroy all discijiline, which Mr. Dunciin
found so benehcial formerly in dealing
with the young men and young women.
Now, if they are chastised or corrected
they will tind a refuge with the opjtosi-
tion l)arty, and the uncertainty hanging
over allairs retards the improvement of
; the village.

To sum up, the prescmt condition of
affairs stands thus: That the Society
: have dismissed Mr. Duncan on groundle.ss
' accusations, and they would like very
much to have him back again; but he pre-
fers to be free and untrammeled by aiij
society. That a church has been estab-
lished called the ''Christian Church of
Metlakahtla." That the whole village,
excepting about 40 adults and some chil-
dren, are with Mr. Duncan, and that
nearly all those who have left him are
j)ersons or friends of persons he had to
punish for offences iit some time or
. other. That he has services in tlie church

I three times on Sunday; Sunday sclu.ol;
service on Wednesday evenings ; day

! school each day.

jj Attending to the sick of the village is
; ; the most arduous work of all, giving him
j '• no rest from o'clock in the morning till
j 12 at night^ — not even time for his meals;
j yet he never speaks a harsh word or sends
I; an Indian away, but listens patiently to

I I all they have to say. There can be no

(6)

diiubt that 0>)d created and raised him
up Mpecially for tlie work he in now duinjj
81) well.

The caniiory estaMishud to furniHh em-
ployiiie?it for the people of the villa;,'e he
has to superintend, owing to the sicknesH
and inefheiency of his manager. The
cannery is a sight worth seeing. Men,
women and children, clad in the cleanest
cotton clothini; and apri^ns, going about
their work in a quiet, business-like way;
no harsh language, no swearing, no con-
fusion or noise; all showing admirable
training and management, and a great
contrast to many other places where a
ditfereni class of laborers is employed.
My hope is, that with all these burdens
on his mind and shoulders he may con-
tinue in good health, and I have to ask
you to give him your prayers and sym-
pathy.

Bishop Cridge referred to his first visit
to Metlakahtla fifteen years ago. A great
work had been done. Four years pre-
viously about fifty of the converts had
been removed from Fort Simpson to sep-
arate them from old associations. The
stoiii — an absolute necessity — had already
yielded over §3,000 profit, the whole of
which, together with grants of materials
from Governor Douglas, had been spent
in ret. i!ding the village and other im-
provements. Two things especially struck
the speaker: Mr. Duncan's care in spirit-
ual matters, especially in admitting con-
veits to baptism; and his entire self-sac-
rifice. The mission house was open from
early rising to late taking rest; none were
denied access; none cut short in their
business, however trivial it might be. On
revisiting Metlakahtla last month, after
the lap8« of fifteen years, Mr. Duncan
was found doing the same work on the
same combined plan of industry and re-
ligion, with the same self-sacrifice and
toil, and with no change but that of
progress along all the lines of his work.
On Saturday, the day of the visitors' ar-
rival, the olders met to arrange the ser-
vices for the following day, and requested
Bishop Cridge to preach in the morning.
Native preachers in curn occupied the
pulpit once on each of the four Sundays
the visitors were there, and their earnest
scriptural exhortations were listened to
with every sign of devout attention by

their native brethren. Mr. Dutican
preaches twice each Sunday, and on
VVedne-vday evenings. Bible cIiiHsei" and
Sunday schools are conducted in part by
Mr. Duncan and in part by native m>-n
find Women. The church, built entirely
by native hands, will hold eleven hun-
dre<l worshipers. Its noble proportions
and majestic simplicity, Mr. Duncan's
own dej'ign, strike the eye on entering;
but when you hear the hymn sung l)y the
whole congregation with remarkable
sweetness and fervency, and the responses
like low thunder rolling througii the
aisles, and reflect what this people once
were, it is impossible nut to feel deejily
moved. The service is liturgical, quiet,
and deeply soU^mn. At the re(juest of
the natives and Mr. Duncan Bish<i|) C.
baptised thirty-three adults, after careful
examination and inquiry, and twenty-
three infants. Referring to the troubles
at Metlakahtla, while avoiding acrinmny,
it would be necessary to speak plainly.
It was comnmn to regard troubles of this
kind as often little more than personal
quarrels. Nothing could be further from
the truth. The battle at Metlakahtla, if
the term criuld be used of a strife where
one party stood wholly on the defensive,
was one of principles not of men; and,
the names being changed, the incidents
are much the same all through the Chris-
tian world. He would let the natives
speak for themselves rather than use his
own words; and he tiiought it would ap-
pear that they were capable of judging
their own affairs — in fact took a common-
sense view of the situation uiiobscured by
theological mystification. He would first
give a brief outline of the crisis through
which Metlakahtla had recently passed,
and then fill up the picture from the na-
tive speeches. On the news of Mr. Dun-
can's dismissal (Nov. 28th) flying through
the village, the natives were overwhelmed
with amazement and surprise. They pre-
pared a house for his reception, and
straightway, without asking his leave,
transferred his effects from the mission-
house with wonderful celerity. The elders
next called a meeting of all the people.
Mr. Duncan, having at their request
stated the facts, and having charged the
natives not to consider him, but only
their own welfare, withdrew from the

(7)

meeting. With every dernonstnition t»f
feeling, and jifter the delivery of iriiuiy
fervent itddreBHeH, the people, without a
dlHRuntient voice, resolvttl, tirst, thut Mr.
Duncan f*honld not leave tlieni; and sec
ondly, that they would belong to no de-
nomination, but be a free native church
though on brotherly terms with all. At
length, on Christmas day, the elders con-
ducted Mr. Duncan into the chnrcli, where
a largo congregation was assembled, and
havinw placed him in a chair in front of
the Lord's table, another elder advanced
up the middle aisle bearing a bilile. tie
paused and addressed the congregati.iii,
and then turning to Mr. Duncan placcvl
the bible in his hands and with great
solemnity requested him, in the name of
the congregation, to minister to them the
word of God as heretofore. This may
not be an ordination, viewed from tiie
ecclesiastical stand- point, but who will
question the propriety, validity, and jus-
tice of this commission t It would bo
difficult to give an exhaustive account of
the causes which led to these demon-
strations. It must sufhce to observe the im-
portant fact that the natives had for many
years been intelligently noting the evils
of religious divisions both within and with-
out the Church of England. Tliey had been
forced upon their attention in both those
aspects by special circumstances. The
non-administration of the Lord's Supper
has been prominently put forward as an
objection against the work at Metlakah-
tla. He Could emphatically state that it
was not the divine memorial itself that
the natives refused. There were things
connected with it which they could not
understand in the light of God's word —
their .mly rule of faith. The presence of
the Lord's table in the church is a proof
that they were only waiting till those dif-
ficulties should bo removed. He would
observe, also, that the refusal of the Epis-
copal administration of tliis ordinance
was the act of the natives them.se.lves. I'as-
sing to the speeches of the natives. Bish-
op Cridge would observe that they were
delivered in his presence and that of Sen-
ator Macdonald, that "the chiefs" might
know their mind. Twenty-nine of the
elders and chief men of the village spoke
on two evunings. One chord of sorrow
at their being divided was touched by

each speaker. They aro not yet inured,
as we are, to this kind of strife. One tes-
timony to Mr. Duncan's unchanging love,
devotion and blameless course was borne
by all. They had known his work, but
not the Work of those who were dividing
them. He " had gi.no through the fire
for the Tsimsheans;" ho had " walked
through blood and the smoke of guns,
following his Master.'' Each exi'rcsscd
decided ili.sapprobation of the course pur-
sued by the charch party, and almost
every speaker made some scriptural (juo-
tation or allusion in support of his re-
marks; but each address also contained
some distinctive feature. One spoke of
their migration to Metlakahtla from their
old homes to avoid divisions, and now
they were incurring divisions again. An-
other said that there was work enough
for the cliurchmon to do in preaching to
the surrounding tribes, withtmt trying to
divide the Metlakahtlans. Several spoke
of the evil effects of their divisions on
tribes, in that some were beginning to
•'blame the work of God," which hitherto
they had thought good; others spoke of
the evil ettects on their own body.
"Their children were beginning to quar-
rel over the name of God;" "Brethren
were beginning to hate one another;'"
"They were afraid to speak to their chil-
dren and their brothers." The work
which did all this harm could not be of
God, they said. While it continued
" there could be no progress as hereto-
fore." One asked Mr. Macdonald to rep-
resent their case to the governor-general.
His Excellency (Earl DuflFerin) when at
Metlakahtla some years ago had told
them " to apply to him when in any
trouble, whether from white men or In-
dians, and he would help them." An-
other alluded to the church party opening
a store, though they had blamed Mr.
Duncan for doing so. This, he said, was
to tempt them; it was like "holding up a
flower to catch a humming bird." God
did not so deceive them. The church
party, said another, had told them that
they were only children; " but they, too,
were children, for they were crying to
get something which belonged to their
fellow-children." The same party, said
another, had told them that the " So-
ciety " had right and power over Metla-

i2ii

5(iiy

(H)

ktilttlii. In this, Nuid tliu speuker, rimy
Hiii'|i>iHM iiiir fiii'iiriitlici'.s; (iiir iinrosturs
Niilil indiviiUiiil hIjiviis, Itiit. tli(!^*< "hio not
atraitl to Ixiy ii wIioIh villii;{t!. " Ht;
vvuiild yive iiii cxtniol ffui 'lis imti^h i»f
tilt' |K).iii)t'iil fH'i'ctH of Mr. Unm-an'rt
work 1111(1 of its a|>|>iciMatioii liy thu iia-
tivurt all aroiiiid. At a toa liivoii l)y Sen-
ator Macdoiiald about four liiiinlrLMl nat
down, iiK-liiilin^' a ]iarty of llydahs who
had c'onnt to tradtr, and vvlio wuru also in-
vited. I he hand |ilayod durini; the re-
past. After tt'a, accordiiis^ to cn.^toni,
Heveral Hpeakers, both T.^Mn-sheanH and
Hydahs, ad<lri's.si)d the nusetin;.^. " IJe-
fore Mr. Duinian came," naid one, " tiie
TsnuHlieaiLS and Hydah.s were alwayu at
WiiT. We were always in mortal fear, and
conld never meet witiiout idoodshed.
N<)\r all that i.s chan;;e(l. Wo meet hh
br'jtJiren antl are not afraid. It 1.4 the
Word of (»od which Mr. Duncan l>rouL;ht
s that has done thin." Ahout thirty
!ars aj,'o a party of Hydah-t lay in ain-
bn.sh on the site of the prt-Ment vdlaye of
Metlakalitla and rushed on a party of
T.simsheaiis pas.sinjj; iiy. After a Idoody
hizht the HvddiH carried oi}' a Isimshean
hoy and ^'iil. .Sonn- ytNirs afterwards the
Tsimsheans h(.n<{ht back tlie lioy. He is
now a Christian, and was the interpn'ter
for the Hydaiis at this fea-st. 'I'he ^irl
became the slave wife of the Hydah chief .
and bore a .son, who, accordinji; to custom,
was also u slave. At the retjueat of the
Tsimsheans Air. Duncan sent to the Hy-
dahs to deliver up the boy. After some
negotiation he was sent back. He is now
a Christian, and une of the fishermen.
Instead of receiving a ran.som for the boy
the Uydahs themaelvea had tu make com-

pensation for the original outrage. "We
know Mr. Dinioan," said one ot the Hy-
dahs at this meeting, "and will do what
he says. He haa punished us, but it haw
been for our yood. Who are thi-y that

, want to send .Mr. Duncan away / NVe ilo

I iu>t undiu'stantl it."

: It was was moved by ,Mr. ii. W. Pearse

I and seciuided by the Uttv. .! Ii. Chan-
trell.

That in view of the successful workini;
of Mr. Dunciin's plan of ciuniiining in-
dustry with religion in his labors at Met-
lakatl.t, this cong">gation strongly depre-
cates the coni.i : enuMit if a rival trade-
st<u'e in that vdlage, as tending to
weake. and divide the natives in their
prosperous advance under that plan in

J civilisation, order, and temporal well-

[ being. Carried.

It was then moved by Mr. A. A.
(ireen, seconded by Mr. W. Wilson,

That while passing no opinion (Ui the
respective merits of church organizations,
this nireting is stnmgly of opinion that

; the endeavor to establish a rival church
at Metlakiihtla, contrary to the expressed
will of a large majority of the natives is
not only iiiiiiiical to the peace and har-
niiuiy of (lie village, but also to tlie
spread «)f th>! gospel anittng the surround-

; ing tribes. Carried.

."senator Macdoiiald moved a vote of

j thanks to the chairman, Jas. Douglas,

\ Es(|., which being seconded was carried
unanimously.

Similar votes of thanks were moved to
Bishop Cridge and Senator Macdtuiald
for their exce'lent addresses.

The meeting was then closed with a
benediction.