A TRIAL OF FAITH.
After this, meetings were held at Hastings, Reading, Eynsford,
Bayswater, Hampstead, Tooting, Wimbledon, Coleshill, Kensington, Ware,
and many other places; all much of the same character--money was
collected, and photographs and articles of birchbark sold. The Chief
excited much interest by recounting the circumstances of his own
conversion to Christianity. "When I was a little boy, not older than
that little fellow there," he said, pointing to a child in the
assembly, "I was very badly off. My mother was dead, and my father
loved the fire-water. I was often cold and hungry, and at night would
sometimes crawl into the wigwam and lie down beside my drunken father.
After I was grown older, a preacher came into our neighbourhood and
began to preach the Gospel to the Indians, and I used to go sometimes
to listen to him. I thought the words he spoke were very wonderful, and
I was so much impressed by them that I took every opportunity I could
of going to listen. As for my father, he would not go to hear the
preaching, and he did not wish me to go, but I used to go secretly
without telling him. One, evening I was going as usual to hear the
Missionary speak, wending my way alone through the dark lonely bush. My
path led me out into a clearing where I could see the distant horizon,
and the sun was setting in great splendour, the heavens all lighted up
with gold and crimson. Suddenly, like an arrow, there darted into my
breast the words which I had heard the preacher use about the last
great day when the Saviour would return again in glory surrounded by
all the holy angels. I sank upon my knees, and there and then offered
up my first prayer to God. The next morning I called on the Missionary,
and told him that I wished to become a Christian, and a short time
after that I was baptized. Some time after this I was very sick, and my
life was despaired of. My father, though disapproving of my having
accepted Christianity, was nevertheless very fond of me; he was much
grieved that I was sick, and I noticed that he had begun to think more
seriously of the Christian religion, for I had often spoken to him and
urged him to become a Christian; I had also prayed constantly to God
that He would change my father's heart. One day my father came to me as
I still lay sick upon my bed, and he said to me, 'My son,
Buhkwujjenene, I do not know whether you will get well again or not,
for I know you are very sick indeed, but I wish to tell you this, that
I have resolved to become a Christian, and to-morrow morning myself and
all your brothers and sisters are going to the Missionary to be
baptized.'"
It was a sore blow to us when word came from the Secretary of the
Church Missionary Society that the Committee had decided not to
continue the Garden River Mission.
It was to me a great trial of faith to be told that my choice lay
between accepting a more lucrative post in Rupert's Land or
relinquishing connection with the Society under whose auspices I had
first gone forth. What was I to do? How could I break the distressing
news to my poor friend Buhkwujjenene? I went down upon my knees, and
laid the matter before my God in prayer. And very soon the answer came.
A letter was put into my hand which said, "A friend will guarantee you
L100 a year if you will remain at your post at Garden River." How I
thanked God. I felt it was His hand directing, and I at once accepted
the offer. The Colonial and Continental Church Society guaranteed a
yearly grant, and I was sure that we were being led by God, and that
all would be right. I could meet my poor Chief now with a bright face
and a light heart. I could tell him that all was well; that the Garden
River Mission would be permanently established, and that the "big
teaching wigwam" should (D.V.) be built.
The next thing was to organize an English Committee and to open a
subscription list for the support of the proposed Institution. Among
them were the late Ven. Archdeacon Hunter, of Bayswater, and the Rev.
J. Halcombe.
A circular which was issued stated that the Chief had been greatly
encouraged by the sum of money (L740) already collected towards the
object he had so much at heart, and that the object of the Committee
was to further the good Chief's wishes by the erection of an Industrial
School at Garden River, where children both of Christian and of pagan
parents from all parts of the Ojebway territory, would be received,
clothed, boarded, educated, instructed in Christian truth, and also
taught to farm and to follow useful employments. The Committee did not
expect to do anything great at once, but to begin with small things,
and gradually extend their work as the way might open. The amount
required for the annual support of the Mission would be at least L600.
It was expected that the Canadian Government would make a grant towards
the support of the Institution when once fairly started, and the hope
was expressed that many friends would be found both in England and in
Canada to assist, so that the poor Indians might not be left destitute
and uncared for, but rather learn that it was the wish of their white
friends, while sending them the good tidings of salvation, also to help
them to become prosperous and happy in this life, and enable them to
maintain their rights as original owners of the soil.
These steps having been thus satisfactorily taken and money sufficient
collected to make a commencement, it seemed unnecessary to keep the
good Chief away any longer from his home, and one day in the first week
in August we put him on board a steamboat in London Docks and started
him off for Quebec. He preferred thus to go alone rather than wait to
accompany our party a month later, as he wanted to get home to see to
his cattle and crops and make provision for the winter. I gave him a
letter, with full directions as to time of trains, &c., which he could
show to any one, and Indians are always clever in finding their way
about, so that I felt no anxiety about him. When I met him afterwards
at Garden River, he pointed to his little log cottage, and said that
was better than all the great houses in England. However, he retained
very pleasing recollections of his visit, and often has he since asked
me to write a letter for him to one or another of the good friends whom
he made while in the country of the pale faces.
When we started on our homeward voyage, about a month later, we took
with us a young man from the Rev. D. B. Hankins' congregation at Ware,
named Frost, to be school teacher at the Institution when built, and
also a man and his wife from a farm in Kent as servants. On board the
steamboat we fell in with a family of emigrants, and persuaded them to
accompany us to Sault Ste. Marie. The man was a carpenter by trade, and
helped us in many ways, but the following year he fell ill and died. We
then took the widow into our employment as laundress, and she is with
us still. Our two younger children who had been with their nurse at
London, Ontario, during our absence, now rejoined us, and we were soon
once more settled and ready for a second Algoma winter.