Right there inside of that board fence is as good a object lesson as you'll find of the cleansin' and elevatin' power of the Christian religion. There wuz two heathen families, and their cabins wuz dirty and squalid, while the Christianized homes are as clean and pure as hands can make 'em.
First godliness, and then cleanliness.
The way the Esquimos tell their age is to have a bag with stuns in it for years. Every year in the middle of summer they drop a stun in. How handy that would be for them who want to act young—why jest let the summer run by without droppin' the stun in, or let a hole come sort o' axidental in the bag, and let a few drop out. But, then, what good would it do?
Sence Old Time himself is a-storin' up the stunny years in his bag that can't be dickered with, or deceived.
And he will jest hit you over the head with them stuns; they will hit your head and make it gray—hit your eyes, and they will lose their bright light—hit your strong young limbs and make 'em weak and sort o' wobblin'.
What use is there a-tryin' to drop 'em out of your own private collection of stuns?
But to resoom. The Esquimos show forth some traits that are dretful interestin' to a philosopher and a investigator.
They do well with what they have to do with.
Now, no sewin' machine ever made finer stitches than they take on their sleepin' bags and their rain coats, etc.