(5)

as you have done fur the last twenty
years.” Mr. Duncan, seeing that they
were all cf one mind, consented to con-
tinue with them. Such was his ordina-
tion, and in my opinion a very complete
one.

Directly after Mr. Duncan's dismis-
sal the bishop went to England, and evi-
dently he and the Society came to the
conclusion that they had acted too hastily,
for on his return we find him writing a
letter to Mr. Duncan asking him to come
back; and that same letter contains one
of the most insulting proposals which
could be made to a man like Mr. Duncan,
viz., that he could retain the monopoly
of the trade. Such a bait, and to a man
like Mr. Duncan, who has given his
whole life to the spiritual instruction of
the Indians, and who cares nothing for
the trade excepting so far as it harmonizes
with the spiritual work, and continues
to be a marked benefit to his people!

If Mr. Duncan was wrong iu his teach-
ing, or in any of his acts, how is it that
the bishop seeks to enter into a compact
with him to return—a high and mighty
bishop offering a bait of that kind to a
man whose spiritual work he evidently
despises? What is the meaning of it all!

tis clearly this, that the bishop and the
Society find that they are in the wrong;
that they have acted on unfeunded accu-
sations hastily and without judgment,
and that they would like to have Mr.
Dunean’s services again.

How could he, whose work is so great
and so manifest, and who has labored so
unceasingly for the last 25 years, allow
any one to take the spiritual work of Met-
lakahtla, and he retain only the temporal?
It would be an acknowledgment that he
was in the wrong, and had been wrong all
those years, and that now he had to sur-
render to a stranger, who so far had done
nothing, and whose only claim to spiritu-
ality seemed to be that he wore different
clothing to that worn by Duncan. No! no!
He could not hand over his people or his
work for any such childish reasons. I
ask again, if Mr. Duncan has done no
good work, why does the bishop ask him
to return?

This same letter which the bishop
wrote to Mr. Duncan he parades and holds
up as an evidence of his wish for peace

and harmony, and whilst holding that
olive branch in one hand he undermines
Mr. Duncan with the other—seducing his
school teachers, his organist and others
by offering pecuniary advantages, and
trying to tempt the people with cheap
goods; but they are not to be bought and
sold like children. Where is the Chris-
tian consistency of such acts? [am cre-
dibly informed that the bishop despises
the spiritual work at Metlakahtla, If so,
why does he wish the people to come to
the Lord’s table? Where is the cunsis-
tency?

I hope you all understand that there is
no change in Mr. Duncan’s manner of
teaching; he is going on as he has done
for the last 25 years, and that whatever
may happen at Metlakahtla he is not to
blame. All went smoothly and well until
ecclesiasticism stepped in. Those unfor-
tunate divisions are doing great injury to
the spiritual and temporal work and de-
stroy all discipline, which Mr. Duncan
found so beneficial formerly in dealing
with the young men and young women.
Now, if they are chastised or corrected
they will find a refuge with the opposi-
tion party, and the uncertainty hanging
over affairs retards the improvement of
the village.

To sum up, the present condition of
affairs stands thus: That the Society
have dismissed Mr. Duncan on groundless
accusations, and they would like very
much to have him back again; but he pre-
fers to be free and untrammeled by any
society. That a church has been estab-
lished called the ‘Christian Church of
Metlakahtla.” That the whole village,
excepting about 40 adults and some chil-
dren, are with Mr. Duncan, and that
nearly all those who have left him are
persons or friends of persons he had to
punish for offences at some time or
other. That he has services in the church
three times on Sunday; Sunday schcol;
service on Wednesday evenings; day
school each day.

Attending to the sick of the village is
the most arduous work of all, giving him
no rest from 6 o’clock in the morning till
12 at night—not even time for his meals;
yet he never speaks a harsh word or sends
an Indian away, but listens patiently to
all they have to say. There can be no