Church at Home and Abroad, The (Jan- June 1896) . nt where he is turned loose. Thedogs travel at the rate of thirty-five miles a day,while the reindeer travels ninety miles a day. Itwould be possible to have communication witli allof the settlements scattered through Alaska once intwo weeks during the long winter season. AVhenlarge herds of reindeer are established in Alaska aplentiful supply of the best food will become every-where available. The danger to miners and othersettlers who run the risk of coming short of provi-sions, in case of mishaps to their annual stores,would be removed, as w
Church at Home and Abroad, The (Jan- June 1896) . nt where he is turned loose. Thedogs travel at the rate of thirty-five miles a day,while the reindeer travels ninety miles a day. Itwould be possible to have communication witli allof the settlements scattered through Alaska once intwo weeks during the long winter season. AVhenlarge herds of reindeer are established in Alaska aplentiful supply of the best food will become every-where available. The danger to miners and othersettlers who run the risk of coming short of provi-sions, in case of mishaps to their annual stores,would be removed, as well as the danger to thosenatives who have been deprived of their food by thedestruction of the walrus and whale. There is noreason why a large population of hardy peopleshould not live and find profitable industries inAlaska. The one food supply that amounts to any-thing is the long white, fibrous moss (Cladonia ran-gifera), which exists in such abundance that tenmillion of reindeer can subsist upon it within the 348 REINDEER IN ALASKA. [April,. 1896.] CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN CHINA—THE VOYAGE OP LIFE. 349 Territory of Alaska, judging by the experience ofcountries like Lapland and Finland where similarconditions exist. The main argument used by the Commissioner ofEducation for this appropriation on the part ofCongress is not chiefly the one based on the Chris- tian sentiment of the people, an appeal to preventstarvation, although all missionaries and other au-thorities report numerous cases of death by starva-tion. The object of the introduction of reindeer isnot merely to afford a temporary relief by furnish-ing food to the natives, but rather the transforma-tion of a people from the savage employments ofhunting and fishing into a higher grade of civili-zation, that of herdsmen and teamsters. In thecondition of herdsmen and teamsters these peopleat once come into profitable business relations withthe rest of the world. They furnish deer skinsand meat for commerce, and they fur
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