246 OUR ARCTIC PROVINCE. 



The company found so much difficulty in getting the youth of 

 the villages to attend their schools, taught by our own people, es- 

 pecially brought u]D there and hired by the comjDany, that they 

 have adopted the plan of bringing one or two of the brightest boys 

 down every year and putting them into our schools, so that they 

 may grow up here and be educated, in order to return and serve as 

 teachers there. This policy is warranted by the success which at- 

 tended an experiment made at the time when I was up there first, 

 whereby a son of the chief was carried down and over to Rutland, Vt., 

 for his education, remained there four years, then returned and took 

 charge of the school on St. Paul, which he has had until recently, 

 with the happiest results in increased attendance and attention from 

 the children. But, of course, so long as the Russian Church service is 

 conducted in the Russian language, we will find on the islands more 

 Russian-speaking people than our own. The non-attendance at 

 school was not and is not to be ascribed to indisposition on the 

 part of the children and parents. One of the oldest and most in- 

 telligent of the natives told me, explanatory of their feeling and 

 consequent action, that he did not, nor did his neighbors, have any 

 objection to the attendance of their children on our English school ; 

 but, if their boys and young men neglected their Russian lessons 

 they knew not who were going to take their places, when they died, 

 in his church, at the christenings, and at their burial. To any one 

 familiar with the teachings of the Greek Catholic faith, the objec- 

 tion of old Philip Volkov seems reasonable. I hope, therefore, that, 

 in the course of time, the Russian Church service may be voiced in 

 English ; not that I want to substitute any other religion for it — 

 far from it ; in my opinion it is the best one we could liave for 

 these people — but until this substitution of our language for the 

 Russian is done, no very satisfactory work, in my opinion, will 

 be accomplished in- the way of an English education on the Seal 

 Islands. 



The Alaska Commercial Company deserves and will receive a 

 brief but comprehensive notice at this point. In order that we may 



they make up their ti thing-roll at the close of each day's labor. Nothing can 

 come to the islands, by day or by night, without being seen by them and 

 spoken of. I regard the presence of these people on the islands at the trans- 

 fer, and their subsequent retention and entailment in connection with the seal- 

 business, as an exceedingly good piece of fortune, alike advantageovis to the 

 Government, to the company, and to themselves. 



