On his arrival in 1862, being an unmarried man, he became a resident at
the Kildonan Manse, and we find frequent reference, in the collection of
letters, to the hearty co-operation of the two ministers, and the spirit
of rejoicing that now they could overtake Kildonan, Little Britain,
Headingly, and the new station to which the Governor had given an
invitation at Fort Garry. Mr. Nisbet while an earnest preacher, and as
Mr. Black writes, "working diligently and acceptably," yet had a
remarkable liking for building. At Kildonan there is still pointed out
the parish schoolhouse, a stone building, much of the woodwork of which
was done by Mr. Nisbet personally. Mr. Nisbet very readily fell into the
ways of the Red River people, and two or three years after his arrival
was married to Mary McBeth, a member of one of the best known Kildonan
families, and sister of the present minister of Augustine Church,
Winnipeg.
HEATHEN INDIANS.
The question of how and where to begin work among the Indians was a
difficult one, and on Mr. Black largely fell the responsibility of
determining the question. He had the confidence of the committee in the
east, and he was the friend of the Hudson's Bay Company in the far west.
The Church of England and Roman Catholics were carrying on work among
the Swampy Crees, Saulteaux, and other Ojibways about Lake of the Woods
and Lake Manitoba, as well as in the far off Mackenzie River district,
while the former had almost a monopoly of the missions around Hudson
Bay. The English Wesleyans had for years carried on missions among the
Indians near Norway House and the north end of Lake Winnipeg, and after
the visit of John Ryerson, whose letters about the region were
published, the work was taken over by the Methodist Church in Canada. It
was manifest that the call sent the Presbyterian Church was to the
Indians of the western prairies, who had only seen the passing
missionary and were still in absolute heathenism. After much
deliberation it was decided to undertake work among the Crees of the
plains, of whom there were said to be from ten to fifteen thousand
largely without the gospel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account