82 THE LIFE OF E. J. PECK 



versation the language of the people among whom 

 he lives. He must always remain sensible of de- 

 ficiency until he has placed the Bible in their hands 

 in such a form that they can read it for themselves. 

 With this object in view, as soon as the first winter 

 was over Mr. Peck determined on transcribing 

 portions of the Moravian Eskimo Testament into 

 what is known as the Syllabic character. 



This system was the invention of the Rev. James 

 Evans, a minister of the Canadian Methodist Church 

 and a missionary to the Indians at Norway House. 

 Without such a method as this it is difficult to con- 

 ceive how the roving tribes of Eskimos could ever 

 have learned to read. By this means, however, an 

 ordinarily intelligent native can be taught to read 

 in eight or nine weeks. This would be quite im- 

 possible with the Roman characters, especially con- 

 sidering that many of the people come into the 

 trading ports for a few days only at a time. In such 

 high esteem is this system held, and so great a debt 

 of gratitude is due to Mr. Evans for his work, that 

 a few words in connection with its history will not 

 be out of place. The Rev. Egerton R. Young, in 

 his book, By Canoe and Dog Train, gives a full 

 account. He says : " The great work of Mr. Evans' 

 life, and that with which his name will ever be 

 associated, was undoubtedly the invention and 

 perfecting of what is now so widely known as the 

 Cree-syllabic characters. 



