Robert Tomlinson Letter to Church Missionary Society 05 June 1872
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[1] Kincolith
[2] June 5/72
[3] Reverend and dear Sirs
[4] Before I resume the thread of my
[5] narrative so abruptly broken off in my last. I would
[6] wish to call your attention to the question of the terms
[7] of land on which the mission buildings are erected
[8] and to ask your advice as to what further steps
[9] may we may take. I enclose copies of the correspondence
[10] on the subject. When these letters were written the Colony
[11] was in a transition state. Now that we are
[12] permanently joined on to the dominion of
[13] Canada. I think that the matter might be
[14] definitely settled, only I would wish to know
[15] first if you are willing to take the land on the
[16] terms laid down by Mr. Trutch’s letter
[17] supposing we cannot obtain more satisfactory.
[18] My last gave you a recurring account
[19] of the mission up to the beginning of January
[20] 1871. The events of the first half of this
[21] year present little that called for special
[22] notice. The services and schools were well
[23] attended. There was a steady improvement
[24] in the tone of the village and settling of
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[1] unstable kinds.
[2] In the 4th of July the first marriage was
[3] celebrated here. The bridegroom was a widower, though
[4] still quite a young man one of those baptized nearly
[5] two years previously. The bride was one of the borders
[6] in our house. She had been with us only about
[7] 18 months and as she was very young when she
[8] came to us I was loathe to let her go soon
[9] for though she had made rapid progress
[10] while with us she was not so far advanced
[11] as I could have wished. Since her marriage she
[12] has continued to improve and was among the
[13] number of those baptized last October.
[14] One of the chief blemishes in these
[15] tribes is the demoralized state of their marriage
[16] laws. Husbands have no confidence in their wives
[17] and the wives no confidence in their husbands
[18] they are continually separating and remarrying.
[19] To counteract these habits we endeavour to
[20] make the [Chris]tian union of man and wife as
[21] solemn and binding as possible and certainly
[22] could you have seen our little marriage
[23] party assembled in the little church
[24] you would have been impressed by the
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[1] solemninity of the scene. They were many
[2] strangers present in the way the service was
[3] conducted must have presented a great contrast
[4] to their riotous orgies on such occasions.
[5] The joy and thankfulness which I felt
[6] that I had been means under God of saving
[7] one from the fearful gulf of immorality and of
[8] guiding her course aright until I handed her
[9] over to the care and guidance of a [Chris]tian husband
[10] to be cherished and guided by him “until death do
[11] them part“ was sobered and soon after almost
[12] completely shaded by the cloud which passed
[13] over a little horizon and darkened our house.
[14] Hardly had I performed a marriage
[15] ceremony when I was called to watch by the
[16] sick bed of one of my dear wife whom God had been
[17] pleased to lay down with Typhoid Fever, a disease
[18] at all times formidable. but when accompanied
[19] with complications really severe. Mrs. Tomlinson
[20] was within a short time of her confinement which
[21] made it almost certain that the fever would
[22] hasten the event and yet the time was not so
[23] far advanced as to render such an event unattended
[24] little with great risk. or to give any reasonable hope that
[25] the child could live. Before the fever reached
[26] its crisis the baby was born. It lived but
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[1] a few hours and then Our Heavenly Father
[2] called it home again. It is hard for those living
[3] among sympathising friends to realize the trials
[4] of those more isolated. On this one day I had to fill
[5] the place of Father, Husband, Mourner, Doctor, Nurse,
[6] Clergyman. An yet I well knew that this untimely
[7] birth and consequently ^the^ short stay on earth of
[8] one whose birth we had been looking forward with
[9] pleasure gave the best if not the only hope for
[10] the recovery of her who is bound to us by the strongest
[11] earthly tie. Still it was not for many more days
[12] that I was permitted to know that our prayers had
[13] been heard and our request granted by our Heavenly Father.
[14] Such events we are too prone to call trials in
[15] a hard sense and not as they really are, the workings
[16] of our Heavenly Father on us. Making us to put in
[17] practice ourselves those lessons which our Great Maker
[18] has sent us to teach to others.
[19] When Mrs. Tomlinson was sufficiently
[20] recovered we visited Metlakahtla, where it is needless
[21] to say we were most heartily welcomes by our
[22] dear brother Duncan.
[23] The autumn proved extremely wet and
[24] dysentery of a very serious type broke out amongst
[25] these tribes. By Gods good blessing on our efforts
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[1] efforts but one and that a little child died
[2] at this village. In some cases the visitation has
[3] been blessed I will mention one family in particular.
[4] The father of the family had long been acquainted
[5] with the tribe of a certain extent this knowledge
[6] was not derived so much from what he had
[7] heard from either Mr. Duncan or myself. though
[8] he had sometimes been present when we were preached
[9] but mostly from conversations both native [Chris]tians and
[10] especially one resident here. Some two years ago ^He had felt the power^
[11] of the truth but was restrained by worldly motives.
[12] Some two years ago his little boy was severely
[13] burned. He brought him here and put him
[14] under my care. It was some time before the child
[15] was well enough to leave and during their stay
[16] the child’s mother heard the Gospel and the
[17] Lord opened her heart to receive it. She urged
[18] her husband to remain here. He almost
[19] decided to do so but worldly motives again
[20] prevailed. He is a very successful hunter
[21] and this season he was more than usually
[22] so. Consequently he determined to have a
[23] great feast and giving away of property
[24] in honour of his child which was to have received
[25] an additional name on the occasion. All
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[1] went on well so far but just as he had bought the
[2] necessary food and had nearly completed his other
[3] arrangements his child was struck down with dysentery.
[4] He was some 30 or 40 miles from here at the time
[5] and before he could reach this far the child died
[6] in the canoe. He buried it in our burying ground
[7] and then took to his bed suffering from an attack
[8] of the same disease as had carried off his child.
[9] His was very severe and tedious one. When recovery
[10] there was a strong conflict in his mind between
[11] the hearing off God or the world. It has ended in
[12] his taking a decided stand on the right side.
[13] His wife is delighted with his choice and as God
[14] has still spared the youngest child to them happiness
[15] beamed from her face.
[16] In October we were visited by
[17] Archdeacon Woods. he examined and baptized
[18] 15 adults and afterwords he baptized 8 infants.
[19] In his parting address he said that during
[20] his long stay of 11 years in the colony he could
[21] recollect nothing which caused him such
[22] genuine pleasure as his present visit. One
[23] thing particularly struck him that the {???}
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[1] of Jesus seemed to influence them all and
[2] that their chief desire as [Chris]tians seem to
[3] be to walk. to walk as nearly as possible in his
[4] footsteps. Two of the 3 Christians referred to
[5] in my last as having back slided were received
[6] back into communion with us on this occasion
[7] and the other has since returned so that we
[8] have not now to mourn one wandering sheep.
[9] While our number steadily increases.
[10] The substance of what passed between
[11] us touching my ordination for the Priesthood
[12] you will gather from the enclosed correspondence.
[13] Here I must again abruptly conclude
[14] lest I should again miss the steamer.
[15] Yours very sincerely
[16] Robt Tomlinson clerk
[17] To the
[18] Committee of the
[19] Church Miss[ionary] Society
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[1] P.S. respecting the purchase of
[2] the premises I ought to have added
[3] that I was compelled to buy or
[4] lose them as they were for sale
[5] and must have been sold without
[6] delay. There was no other available
[7] site for mission purposes within
[8] easy reach after Indian.