Kamiah, Oct. 10^th 1883
Rev J.C. Lowrie

Dear Sir
Have you received one of Miss McBs ‘long letters,’ sent you last summer just before she started to visit ‘our Umatilla boys’? I do not see it acknowledged in any of the ‘Records’ which have reached me, and fear it may have miscarried. (The Annual Report, too, has not yet reached me.)If my letter has miscarried, and Dr Lowrie wished I will try to rewrite it. If he has read it, he will find something of an answer, unconsciously written to his question (or reference) in his letter to Mr D of June 20t^h (which I did not see until lately) in regard to Miss McB writing & preparing the Nez P Eng. Vocabulary, or Dictionary for the Smithsonian Institute. (I do not see how I could have given such an impression.) He will see that the Dic is not for the S.I. or Science but in a direct line of her work for her pupils and the missionary Nez Perces all of whom need it so much. She has never asked the S.I. to publish it or even if they would publish it, that she can remember. They know nothing from her of her late work on it.

She took ‘Meterological Observations’ for the S.I. while in the University in Iowa, and in the Chochtaw country. Father Montieth too, was an old friend of Prof. Henry’s. In 1875, in acknowledging the reciept of a list of Nez P. words, for which he had sent to Mr M. and Miss McB had filled out (at which time Father M. or she probably told him of her work on the language). Prof Henry wrote to her, offering to publish the Dic. & Gram. when completed. I. Hammond Turnbull also wrote her at the same time (at Prof. Hs request, offering to ‘assist’ in passing it through the press).

In Jan of 1877, F.V. Hayden of Washington D.C. wrote her, that Dr Lowrie had informed him that she was ‘making a study of the Nez P. language had a vocabulary begun, and urging her to go on with the work, ‘which he would like to secure for publication when completed.’ I cannot remember answering the letter. Chief Joseph making too much noise then.

In the summer of 1877, while a refugee from Chief Joseph (in Portland) Miss McB prepared a partial grammar of the Nez P. and sent what she had completed to the Sec’y of the S.I. just before she returned to the Nez Perces. Dr Lowrie knows her work since then. She has had no time, or thought for worldly ‘Science’. She knows something of the cost of printing. The mission printing press was the hope for the Dic. It would publish what she needed for her own work. That hope failing, her though was that if no other way should open (for the S.I. works slowly often and she needed the Dic. now) the S. I. would publish it (as they published the Dakota Gram. & Dic. a copy of which Prof H. sent me) and give us (as they gave the Dakota mission) such a number of copies as the Nez Perce Mission & missionary Nez Perces needed. Further than that she did not care. Was her though wrong? But publishing is still years distant (if ever, I fear, the work being an addition to her works, (the double work), last year, nearly causing a complete ‘break down’. Still, she does not regret it. Our boys have now a M.S.S. voc. Of 4600 (generic) Nez P. words, with Eng translations, which will be that much help. I want each one to write a copy for his own use. ‘Preparing it for the press’ even if it is never printed, puts what I have collected in such a shape as they can copy and use as they could not without that preparation. Was Miss McBs work wrong?

Dear Sir, if you could only realize for a day the hindrance to her own work for lack of such a help (If any one ever tried to learn say the Latin, without a Latin Dic. or other such helps in that language, he would understand.) Her pupils cannot study new lessons in a language foreign to them in their home without such a help. They must learn not only the sound but the meaning of every word from their teachers voice alone, in the school room (or out of it) often needing to hear it again and again to fix it in their minds. In reviewing then alone they have no helps to memory without such translations. (With such hindrances, and with self & family to support the wonder is not that they have not made more progress, but so much.) And with such help how much they might learn in the long winter evenings when their days duties are over – and let her use the strength and time saved by such help in advancing them further, or enlarging her work. She has had to have and has as many classes as she has pupils. It is too long to explain modus operandi here, taking each one separately in Bible study as last year, the other pupils following with eye and ear.

I have written, I think the pleading of our Umatilla boys for the Dic. and outside of these, and her school, it would be a help to the womens school. Mr Ds interpreters needed it as I know. The pupils of the Gov. school need it. There were no ‘spiritual’ words in the Nez Perce (spoken and no ‘Bible’ words of course. The ‘religious’ words, if used as they stood still embody and help to continue the old superstitious. Those trained in the Gov. schools alone though they may learn to read the English fluently, cannot rightly understand or translate the Bible for lack of knowledge of the meaning of the Bible words, and lack of the spiritual words, which it cost us so much labor to translate, or make. (I am saying nothing of the labor pertaining to Church & civil governments, civilization &c. which were not in the Nez Perces (spoken) of course and which the Church, and the people have come to need to understand and are sometimes needed mightily, understanding or illustrating Bible truths, even.) But Dr Lowrie is so weary of Nez Perce. Forgive me

Miss McB returned to her work with her Kamiah boys, the first of September recruited and strengthened, by God grace as she scarcely had dared hope to be although she only had about six day while in Spokane Falls of perfect freedom from work or care for the Nez Perces (save while on the road) during her absence. Her visit to our Umatilla Nez P. boys, did her so much good, and I trust was some help to them and to their wives. I thank God for giving her to see with her own eyes, and hear with her ears, the good work for the Master which our boys have done, (and are doing) among the Umatillas, and the confidence and respect they have won for themselves from Indians and whites. (When there are two such workers in every wild tribe of the North West (& S.W) she can perhaps say ‘now let thy servant depart in peace.’ But the work is Gods work. To His blessed Name be all the praise. Our boys are only human (like their teacher) they have trials to face and fierce temptations around them. I know I need not say to Dr L. pray much for them and for their people.

How much I too wish Dr Lowrie could visit us. There are so many things Miss McB would like to talk with him about, (and writing is such slow work.).Talk about the Spokane Samuel and the Umatilla Amos who would like so much to study with her, but have no means of support at Kamiah and the Kamians because of a second failure or great shortage of their crops this summers, for heat and drought are too poor to help them. Talk about Peter Lindsley, the most gifted and James Hayes the most advanced scholar, and perhaps the most promising of the five licentiates, when the other three were liscenced, and these two have always been, since she knew them, are all now, upright, Christian men. (James was a boy rather, when he first came to her.)

In regard to the return of Chief Joseph and his band to Idaho, I can endorse every word of Dr Geary’s letter in the August number of the Record as to the probable results of that return, knowing as I do personally, the feeling of so many of the whites in this region toward them. I saw while in Mt Idaho & Lewiston last summer, the feelings stirred by the news of the return even of the women with James Reuben, and saw the half averted faces even to our own good moral Christian because they were of their race & tribe. (Of the more than thirty prisoners (Nez Ps) who Dr Lindsley baptized at Vancouver and who were returned to their homes in Idaho only one (old Jacob) has held out, as far as I can trace them. The others have returned to their old state, or worse. The inducement in their circumstances to profess conversion were too great.)

The enclosed slip, one of many such, from a press at that time Joseph with the men at least (and many, of the women were as bad as the men) even if they should reach the Reserve alive, would be worse prisoners than they are now, liable at any moment to be shot on sight (the murderers at least). Besides, what Dr L does not speak of, I fear our own innocent Nez Ps would be made to suffer much, because of their presence among them. I think no true friend of our Nez Ps would send the ‘Exiles’ back to Idaho, but that is outside of Miss McBs ‘department.’

It may possibly be among the ‘might have beens’ that if Presbytery had known and listened to the solemn protest of his teacher who knew him so long and well and as no other white person could know hime) against his ordination as a man utterly unworthy of the sacred office, and who would use the power it conferred in advancing his heathen ambitions i.e. regaining the power of the old heathen Chief) the trouble he had caused about Joseph &c to Presbytery & Synods an General Assembly might have been avoided. Even Gen. Miles perhaps could not so have set in motion the Church. The Home Board might possibly have hesitated in sending a man his Presbytery would not ordain and much perplexity and hard questions been spared.

But is it too late to talk of that now.  Archie even in the Indian Ter. cooperating with his brother Jimmy (by letters) has caused much trouble to the church here since he went there and did what they could to hinder the work among the Umatilla by his (As) letters to our boys there all about money they told me, trying to stir them up about their salaries &c. (His salary is more than both of theirs, you know). Jimmy had five emissaries among the Umatillas at one time, last Spring, our boys and others told me working against our boys who were in danger of getting in advance of Archie in the minds of the Nez Ps & Umatillas, working against the new order of things, which it is against his ambitious interests should succeed. (His son-in-law is the son a Cayuse Chief) himself working with effects with Elijah the Umatilla Elder who accompanied Silas on his visit to Kamiah last summer.

What trouble it could and would make if Archie should return with the power of an ordained minister the spiritual and temporal head and ‘deliver’ of Josephs people. (His aim.) And now Miss McB has a ‘confession’ to make. She learned that the subject of Josephs return of course, Archie’s was to come up in the Synod (of Presb) at its meeting in Walla Walla last week, and she sent a solemn protest against the return of Archie as a minister to the Idaho Nez Perce Reserve; sent it by two of the white Presbyters whom she met last summer, (Rev B. Boyd & Rev McArthur, of Mt Idaho) that it might be sure to reach them & Pres. One of these although not one of the Presbyters who ordained Archie had heard nothing of his teachers protest, he said. The other was not present.

She had not seen Mr D for more than a year if I remember rightly. She was absent when he was at the Kamiah camp meeting last July. (And besides that first ‘protest’ cost too much and gained too little. She knows no reason but (to punish their teacher who is most vulnerable through her boys and her brightest hopes were invested in these two) for the course towards Peter and James, discouraging to them and causing so much loss of influence with them which has so troubled her because of its bearing on pupils who are still with her -She as a deep personal interest in the subject because of her pupils as well as outside of those [illegible] continually working against or trying to hinder our boys or the Masters Cause. It is to her interest because in the interest of that Cause that all the workers should have the greatest possible influence for good with her pupils - that all the workers should have the greatest possible influence for good with her pupils. But that trouble was silently borne.

Forgive this long digression. Dr Lowrie had seen all that has passed between Dr D & her on the subject I sent him the correspondence (save a few words once that I can remember. Archie had written last winter a year ago to his brother Jimmy so Jimmy reported that he had united in Church and session work, his Elders, the two heathen Chiefs, Joseph and Isulim, Maks Maks, and the Nez Perce policemen making a ‘strong session.’ [illegible] in all himself the ‘head’ (a union of temporal and spiritual power, himself the head, his ideal Church.) and driving the people into the Church. And he urged that the Kamians should make the Church here ‘strong’ in the same manner, which Jimmy forthwith attempted to do making much trouble by Councils, trying to force his two still heathen-hearted Sub Chiefs into the Kamiah session and raising a ‘fierce persecution’ against Robert because he stood like a rock against it. Thank God for Robert Williams, but what he has he had not to bear

The next time Miss McB saw Mr D she asked him if he had heard of Archies doings (& Jimmys) He had: and she said ‘It does not do me the least good now to say, I told you so" I asked him if he had [illegible] I do not know if Synod or Presb will heed her protest. Perhaps not, but it is all that she can do and the Master will not hold her accountable for more than that. Having received its greatest gift, ordination - Presbytery cannot control Archie. He has never been controlled, knows no control but his own wild ways. To stop him as a Presbyterian minister would only be to start him as a Methodist, or a Congregationalist or ‘Independent’. The small church of Josephs people even if brought home together, would never content him. The chief aim of his and his brothers working is Kamiah, and Robert (whom the people love and trust) can’t be displaced & failing K. then Lapwai if possible or even the Church among the Umatillas. Pray God, that the first ‘plank’ of the ‘bridge’ which brings Archie as a minister to Idaho may never be laid down, if it so pleases Him. The church here is harmonious and peaceful up to this time. My pupils, as good and as interested as ever. Some irregularities, caused nescessarily by the failure or shortage of their crops (in common with that of all the Kamiahn) making more difficulty in ‘laying up in store’ from the winters needs of self and family are about over now I trust, and the prospects are for a winter of hard work in the school room should God spare and permit it. Pray that God will bless that work (should He permit it) to the interests of His Kingdom and that He will give grace and strength sufficient to.  In the Masters work and that ‘blessed hope’

S.L. McBeth

I enclose a badly taken photo of William Wheelers little daughter. I wish I could send a ‘pen photo’ of Williams home and Silas but perhaps Dr Lowrie has that now. All outside of that home and what teaching helps she could give to them and their wives Miss McB left, where it belongs to Mr D (She has learned to ‘walk softly’ for the sake of her boys. A good lesson for her perhaps). She was glad she went when she did if only because of a little cloud the size of a mans hand which was rising between the wives and which no other miss’r worker, but ‘The Mother’ could have detected until it might have spread perhaps beyond the wives.  Perhaps no two white families would (could) have lived together in greater harmony in such close quarters one small room and a small kitchen for both.