CHAPTER XIX
A DAY AT BISHOP’S COURT
The bishop was now contemplating a visit to England. He had not seen his wife or children for six years, and looked forward to meeting them in the fatherland once more. He hoped to leave Moose in June 1888, to be in time for the Lambeth Conference in July. He intended the summer following to visit York and Churchill, in North Moosonee, which could be more conveniently done in starting from England. ‘To visit them from Moose,’ he said, ‘would involve a very, very long and expensive journey, and a winter’s stay, which is now quite unnecessary, seeing that both stations are well occupied, and I can do much more for the missions in England than I could there.’
In February ‘the packet’ came, and friends from all the surrounding stations gathered together to bring and receive letters, and to wish him God speed on his proposed journey.
May-day came, and a depth of snow lay upon the ground. The river was still ice-bound. All Nature was hushed, not even the ‘goose call’ was heard, for the weather was so severe that the geese kept close. One of the mission party went off early, and sat for many hours in his goose-stand with his decoy geese professionally arranged, but he returned unsuccessful.
The bishop too was up early. ‘I always am,’ he wrote, ‘wishing to have an hour of perfect quiet before the duties of the day begin. I generally read a chapter of the Hebrew Bible every morning. I was never taught to read it. I never heard a word of it read, except what is contained in the English Bible; yet I have read the Hebrew Bible right through, carefully and grammatically. Hebrew is a very difficult language, but it is not insurmountable, and the word impossible must never find its way into the vocabulary of one who intends to devote himself to mission work. A man who is daunted by difficulties, who thinks there is a possibility of his not acquiring the language of the people to whom he may be sent, had far better never put his foot on ship-board for foreign work. He will in the end prove a bitter disappointment, both to himself and those who are associated with him. “I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me,” must be the watchword of every one who enters the diocese of Moosonee. And now look at the 84th Psalm in the Revised Version; observe the beauty of the sixth verse. It is superlatively sweet and consolatory: “Passing through the valley of weeping, they make it a place of springs; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.” Then I read the third chapter of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, in Greek; what beauty, too, there is in this chapter, especially in verses fourteen to nineteen.
‘Before I had completed the second chapter my three young grandsons, Fred, Arthur, and Sydney Broughton, had come into my sitting-room to wish me good-morning, when the two elder ones remained to receive a lesson from me, which they do every day. Family prayers were held at eight o’clock punctually, for I am a very punctual man, never keeping anyone waiting, and we then discussed our frugal breakfast. There was myself and my daughter Chrissie—her husband having some time before gone to the Hudson’s Bay Company’s establishment to preside at breakfast there; my two grandsons, and the Rev. E. Richards, my much beloved native helper; Arthur and his beautiful little mischievous sister, Gertrude, taking their breakfast with their nurse in another room. We had one rabbit, the last, I am afraid, for the season, a little imported bacon, and some good bread to eat, while to drink we had excellent coffee.
‘A little after ten o’clock I should have had the first class of our school in my room, but thinking the shooting of a goose or duck as necessary an accomplishment in Moosonee as writing a letter, I had given the bigger boys a week’s holiday to go goose-hunting, and had moreover promised a prize to the most successful hunter. Then our doctor came in, and we discussed the various cases under his care. I take a deep interest in his work, and always assist him when he requires help. I am extremely sorry to find that the condition of a good young man, married, with one child, is very critical. Consumption will, I fear, at no distant day make him its victim. For dinner we had a little cold beef, a part of the store laid by last autumn, when the whole beef of the year was killed; it was still quite fresh and good; some mashed potatoes, and afterwards a nice raspberry tart. We drink spruce beer at dinner, a most wholesome non-intoxicating drink, refreshing and an excellent digestive. After dinner much of my time was spent with two of my sick folk, who delight in hearing the Word of God read to them.’
The rest of the bishop’s day was filled up with study with his divinity students, the ever continuing work of translation, and lessons to an evening class of young men of the Hudson’s Bay Company. He never permitted himself an idle moment. ‘He had,’ he said, ‘no desire to rust out.’ And there seemed little danger of it.
On May 31, 1888, the bishop left Moose Fort for England. It was his fourth visit in the course of thirty-seven years of missionary life in the Great Lone Land.