MISSIONARY IN DESOLATE LANDS

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13341, 1 April 1911, Page 6

MISSIONARY IN DESOLATE LANDS

WORK AMONG THE ESKIMOS OF LABRADOR. - The Queen’s Hall, London, was recently packed with an audience who listened: with rapt attention to the narration by Dr. Grenfell of his adventures among the deep-sea fishermen and Eskimos of Labrador. . Dr.- Grenfell is superintendent of the Labrador Medical Mission of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, and has come to England with the ob-, ject. of making more widely known the work for its extension. He told his hearers there was no life more enjoyable than that of the- missionary. He .might have stayed in Harley-etreet and made big-, fees, but he- preferred to go to Labrador because he -had -heard- there were lots of deep-sea fishermen there, and of all men the deep-sea fishermen was the: most loveable. • • ■ ! ‘And‘these men needed a doctor and ; many other things- besides, -In Labrador; when I had set a leg or an arm there was no one to tell me that round 7 thecorner was someone who wquld have done the .job lialf-a-crowh'cheaper.” Another""orf r the missionary-doctor’s manifold duties in Labrador, he said, was; that of the magistrate. This was. however, comparatively simple. “You see,” he said, “we had no lawyers in Labrador. I don’t Gay that that fact materially hinders equity.” The difficulties- under which surgery'is sometimes practised were fruitful of many anecdotes. “I remember once operating,” said Dr. Grenfell, “with an Eskimo holding the lamp which gave me my only light, and an engineer endeavouring to administer the anaesthetic. Unfortunate*; ly the Eskimo became frightened and ran away just at the most interesting moment.” The commercial future of Labrador depended largely,-’he said, upon the development of the pulp industry. Large forests of valuable timber, peculiarly adapted for this industry ; lie waiting to be exploit- : ed. The- coast of Labrador is closer to tho United Kingdom than any other part of the American Continent, separated, indeed, only by 1600 miles from England’s shores, and with a proper system of cold storage, Labrador, would soon be one of • the most important fish exporters to England. ' Dr. Grenfell thinks that if Labrador and Newfoundland , were federated - with, Canada, be believed both countries would' inake great strides. The people have the sea genius, and- there, is no telling what the mineral- wealth of Labrador might prove to bo if the country were exploited. • ,- 1 -. ’ ■ ■ One of the principal things Dr. Grenfell is anxious to undertake is the erection of a large , institute for the North Atlantic fishermen in St-. John’s,. Newfoundland. At present the men have nowhere to go, except to the saloons, and his belief is; that it ie not much use telling , people to be good judges Unless you. give them some place to be good in. He also wants to improve the hospital work. “We ; have -built four hospitals in Labrador, and we want to bring them ’ more up-to-date'. Each year we arrange to send out-one of bur staff, so that our knowledge should keep pace with the advance of science, hut we lack the money to install modern equipments in our hospitals." ‘ ; , ’ "4 '