Tárogató, 1940-1941 (3. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1940-09-01 / 3. szám
TÁROGATÓ 16 CHURCH RENAMED Wednesday evening, the 19th, whites and Indians crowded the church, built on the site of Mr. Evans’ first mission, who were greeted and the visitors introduced by Rev. D. D. Martin, Missionary to the Indians at Norway House. The gathering then heard it re-named the James Evans Memorial church. A framed picture of the founder and a bronze memorial plaque were unveiled by Dr. J. A. Cormie. Commemorative addresses were given by Dr. George Dorey, Toronto, associate director of the board of home missions, and Dr. J. A. Cormie, superintendent of home missions for the Manitoba conference. Both addresses were translated into Cree by Dr. F. G. Stephens, veteran missionary to Canadian Indians. THE MEANING OF HIS WORK Address given by Rev. G. Dorey, D.D. Thirty-five years ago as l drove through the bush from Prince Albert to Shellbrook in Northern Saskatchewan I saw some notices printed on cotton nailed to the trees. They were written in strange characters. On enquiry I learned that these were notices issued by the Government to the Indians and that this (tome) strange writing had been invented by a fellow-Methodist, an Englishman, some 65 years previously at a place called Norway House. Chance, some years later, put R. M. Ballantyne’s “Hudson’s Bay” in my hands. From it I got a description of Norway House and of the life at the Fort which made very vivid the kind of people for whose benefit James Evans invented the Cree Syllabic Alphabet. We have during the last two days been following in the footsteps of Evans as he first journeyed from the Red River to Norway House. We have been told his father sent him on a voyage from Hull to the Baltic. It is to be hoped that he became a good sailor if Lake Winnipeg behaved as it has done for us. We have heard of the invention of the system of writing and of the difficulties Mr. Evans had to overcome, and we gladly pay tribute to it all. For a little while may I try to put before you an appraisal of this work, to get at the meaning of it. It was a Great Adventure. The name of the Great Company that invited Evans and his fellow missionaries, “The Company of the Gentlemen Adventurers of England trading into Hudson’s Bay,” more or less promised that even missionaries might be adventurers. The Bible has many records of adventure. Paul had many great adventures. He had a real liking for a friend Epaphras whom he calls “my fellow-soldier hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your service.” St. Paul appreciated a venturesome spirit. This was a really great adventure if we remember the risks, the discomforts and the difficulties of a journey from Ontario one hundred years ago. It was an Unselfish Adventure. Some great ventures are made in search of gold or other material rewards. Even the search for the North West Passage by Sir John Franklin and others was primarily a commercial project. Evans and Rundle were in this adventure for the sake of others, and those men and women of another race. It was an adventure of Intelligent Service. Evans had it in his soul to do something for others. No doubt many had noticed that the Crees had no written language. They may even have thought of the need of this writing, but nobody had the gifts or the inclination to provide this. We should always remember also that the thing that moved Evans to render this service was not to assist the Indians in their relations to one another or to the white men. The missionaries believed that nothing was equal to finding God and knowing Jesus Christ. This was the force that impelled Evans in his work. Times have greatly changed, and with the times many other things. Methods ox travel are vastly different. Gas boats in place of sails—outboard motors replace paddles — aeroplanes have come, and with them the radio. Ways of making a living have altered.
