Preface

IN the autumn of 1894, some of the members of the House of Bishops, who have given me a love unclouded by a doubt,--among them my beloved friend, the Rt. Rev. John Williams, late presiding bishop,--urged me to write an autobiography. I refused, saying: "The history of one's life, its temptations and trials, its sorrows and shortcomings, can be known only to one's self and to God. The danger of self-praise and self-deception is so great that I dare not do it." But when they said: "One's individuality is a gift from God; the history of your life, the success which God has given you in missionary work and in founding schools, will be helpful to others;" the words of holy Herbert, spoken when dying, came to me: "Take these papers; they are the record of the conflicts of my life. If they can help any poor soul, print them; if not, burn them, for they and I are the least of the mercies of God."

Were it not for the many letters which come to me unceasingly from both sides of the Atlantic, asking for sketches of my diocesan and Indian work, I should hesitate to publish what must necessarily be a most unconventional and incomplete record of my work, owing to the brief time which I have been able to snatch from a crowded life. While, there-fore, it has been impossible to give a detailed account of my connection with the Indians of the Northwest, I have given enough to enlighten those who are ignorant of the true state of Indian affairs, and to cause those more or less familiar with the facts to thank God for the light which is dawning.

HENRY BENJAMIN WHIPPLE,
Bishop of Minnesota.

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