GET 1ING ACQUAINT1 D.
He has a streak of vanity which
cropped out much to he amusement
of all. One Sunday afternoon the
hoys were out tor u ramble. Tom
had on his “stylish shoes”; coming to
a wet place he had little Peter Calu
:i carry him oyer so as not to get
hi* shoes inu Uly
About 20 miles from Wood Island
'.hcie is am ther little island tmmul
Spruce Island, or ‘‘IIol\ Island. as
it is somctnntu called because many
veais ago a pious monk lived, work
ed and died ihete. We will tell the
story of the monkin another column.
On Spruce Island April 9, 1895, a
little hoy w. s born named William
Robertson II is father bad come
from the States and was keeping
store in the little village of Ou/inke
on Spiuce Is'and where he married
Nastia Zilleztioff, a Russian girl.
They had a neat home, • nd Mrs.
Robertson bad the name of 1 eing an
ideal housekeeper, but reverses
• am to them, and woise tha 1 that,
sickness and death, leaving Wi.lie
and his two sisters motherless. The
father soon after brought his children
to the mission, where, during an
epedeinic of whooping cough one of
the gii died.
\\ :mic has a tight « omp:ti lion anil
rathe: .■ thin face some »vh.;i free* led;
hist\t -i .ire grav. and his hair is
brown and incined to earl. He is
about the tight height ami weight for
a hoy of i 7 ye.-, rs, and is a strong ac
tive lad
lie has the ca:e <>f the chickens,
litres ail the type-setting and piiuting
of the News Letter; and runs the en
gine of the mission laun h. He h« s
«ne trait which we hope will not
gt »w on him, that is a temlancy to he
al :-eut minded. One day wdien light
ing the rite instead of blowing out the
mate'll he put it in his porket. No
serious results followed however,
t To be continn tl)
First Russian Missionaries
N. \V. Pavuoi-f.
In 1794, in the month ot £ept; there
came from Valaaiii Island in the
White Se 1 where there is a large con
vent, tire or si* monks, to preach the
Gospel and perform other church
rites amongst the unbelievers of
Alaska, unknown at that time toother
parts of the world. One of them by
the name .>t Kev. Germana of about
middle age, selected for his hermui
cal life that lonely island by the
name of Spruce island, ilieie he
built .1 small chapel and small cabin
of logs to live in. He had no furui
lure and never used any bedding, but
slept on a bare plank; he had a file
plait* ill.-ale out oi i lay Him i<" k- i : « mi
the ’ each. He planted potatoes just
made a hole about 15 or 20 inches in
the ground, then put some sea weed
or old grass, then the p« utoes and
diit on top, and he would have a line
crop in the tali. Dtied niushruoms
and her lies he would put :n fresh
water in some vessel loi winte. use.
lie Wiisa veiy skillful and practi
cal pc s<’ii. He enlarged his home
in the course of time, where he
gathered a few boy? of poor families,
taught them manual labor, and to
read and sing the church songs.
With ail the rigours of Alaska win
ters he always wore very scanty gui
meiits and besides that he constanti\
wore nil he died, four iron plates
about t, :< 5 in*, lies ..rid one half inch
thi. k, joined with three-qmuter im ii
irou chain across his shoulders just
like we wear suspended.
lie died on Spruce Island in 183/
and his remains are still theie, but
the iron plates and chain are in the
Russian Church at Kodiak'
One of the monks wen across Sin*
likoli Straits to the main land to
preach the Oospel, but met his death
at the hand of wild swages The
rest <*f the monks went along the
A1 uti.111 IrdamIs, to I nga, I’nal- ska
and a • r . s Atka, where one after
thi o'ho: fu*r their good work among
the natives have 1 id theii weaiitd
bodies to rest.