bound him. Then at once his instinct was to make a better home for
his family. He must get away from the heathen village, with its
squalor, and impurity, and idolatry. It is true that environment
does not regenerate the soul, but the renewed soul transforms the
environment. Better conditions are evidence of the new life. On the
contrary, when some fall back to heathenism, they fall into slovenly
attire, ill-kept homes, and neglected fields." [Footnote: Rev. C. L.
Hall, D.D., American Missionary Association.]

Alaska is a post which beyond any other in the American church
demands courage and endurance, both physical and moral.

"The natives of Anvik invited the missionary to visit their
village, 450 miles by water from St. Michael.

"These natives were Ingiliks, partly Indian and partly Eskimo. They
lived in underground houses and were superstitious, dirty, ignorant,
and degraded. Rude buildings were erected for a mission house and the
schoolhouse. In 1894 the first church was erected, the money for it
being a part of the first United Offering of the Women's Auxiliary.
Little by little the people came out of their holes in the earth and
built themselves houses. The community has been physically and morally
transformed. A saw-mill, the gift of a generous Eastern layman, has
been a most practical means of evangelising, not only furnishing
lumber for houses, but healthful occupations for the men. This
transformation has been wrought, not by legislation or civilization
as such, but by the consistent teaching and example of a devoted
Christian man and his splendid helpers. 'Through these long years,
in the loneliness of this far-away station, the missionary has
remained the kind, wise, spiritual shepherd of these native souls