THE following incident which occurred, as will be seen, many years ago, has lately been published, and is from the experience of Mr. Duncan, a well-known missionary to the Indians of British Columbia. He says:—
“I was teaching the Indians to write letters, and, as a matter of course, began at the name of the place at which the letter was supposed to be written. About that step there was nothing to call forth any remark from the Indians. Next came the name of the month. That elicited some smiles, but no questions. Then was added the day of the month, which also caused some interest, but no surprise. When, however, I added 1860 for the year, immediately the Indians inquired what did those figures mean, and why was the year so named? For a moment I was stunned at the answer which the question called for. Never before had I realized the startling meaning of those figures in connection with the Gospel, and how severely they witnessed against the Christian Church.
caravan with large city in distanceBEIRUT.
BEIRUT.
“The Indians seemed at once to seize with awe the information I offered on the subject, and their looks but too plainly indicated both reproach and astonishment that the message of God should have been withheld from them so long.
“I felt both ashamed and humiliated for my race, and wondered how so many generations of Christians since the apostolic age, could have dared, as they have done, to so willfully and fatally neglect, or, at best, but trifle with their Lord’s commission.”
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