Lapwai, Feb 27^th 1879
Rev J.C. Lowrie

Dear Sir
Your letter of Dec 31^st was duly received, also its enclosed check for $225.00 i.e. $150.00 on account of my salary, $75.00 for native preachers. I am a little perplexed and a little troubled about said check. Was the $150.00 for salary of the last quarter of last year? Or the first quarter of this? If for the latter, then a check must have been lost on the way. I have now received three checks from the Board. The first dated March 1^st 1878, for salary up to that date (six moths) $300.00. The second check dated July 9^th/78 (three months) $150.00 and this last check for $150.00 (three months. I have recieved from Board up to this date 1 ½ years nearly $600.00. That leaves a wide gap between expenditure & income – the ‘ends’ of which I think ought to ‘meet’. That ‘Reserve Fund’ in the Portland Bank has kept me out of debt, that ‘Fund was for a special purpose. Dr Lowrie will know if the missing check was sent, or what is the matter. The $35.00 to Robert last fall was from my own purse (see my last letter) It was a gift for the Masters work, because absolutely nescessary for the work I wanted him (Robert to do and which he has done I trust, with Gods help). The $75.00 of the last check for native preachers I have expended in part, with Mr Deffenbaughs approval, and will (D.V.) report to Dr Lowrie when I have expended it all.

Robert has been the sole ‘supply’ of the Kamiah church since Archie left save the Sabbath Mr Deffenbaugh preached there last fall, preaching twice or thrice every Sabbath and holding prayer meetings twice during the week. We have taught the Nez Perce to observe national days (as Thanksgiving day &c) and seasons of worship. Besides, they always have a protracted meeting at Kamiah during the holidays. This year Robert conducted the services of the Week of Prayer at Kamiah - and my pupils, here.

Robert was here for a couple of weeks lately. He came partly to rest his throat, which had almost failed him, to get a fresh supply of ‘himtaktsame’ (material for sermon) and some help from his teacher in the studies he is trying as best he can to pursue at home. He reported four conversions from among the heathen and many backsliders reclaimed. Mr D has doubtless reported his work with Robert i.e. marrying the people &c while R. was here. I am so sorry Robert could not be in the school room this winter, but it would not be helped. The Kamiah community is the largest on the reservation, and is surrounded by evil influences. It would not do to leave it without preaching. The church there was organized by Father Spaulding (I had the church book for a time). They have four good working Elders (whom Mr D helped to train). They had five deacons, but my classes took four of them, and the Elders have to do the Deacons work. (Mr D has doubtless reported his visit to Kamiah, the collection taken &c) He also doubtless reported the church here, church save for the work Father Montieth began to do, is in about the same condition it was in when I first came to the Nez Perces.

My present class has made good progress, I think. And they are working as well as studying. Mr D though he could not preach more than once on Sabbath, while acquiring the language. And, besides none of my new class are as yet, able to interpret for him, and he does not like to tax Mr Whitman to much so gives the afternoon and evening meetings back into the hands of the people would be to go back into the ‘irregularities’ it cost Robert and Archie so much trouble to suppress. There was no way for it but that my pupils should be pushed forward as fast as possible to help Mr D. They have ‘preached’ by turns at the second service & evening meetings, on Sabbath, and have conducted the thursday & saturday evening prayer meetings from house to house. Of course, they are still ignorant and they know it, and I must know beforehand what they are going to teach the people - And that meant as it did with my first class the preacher, going over his sermon with Miss McB before hand "Number of sermons prepared" has never entered into her ‘Report" and yet it was no small, or unimportant part of her labor) Once (or twice) Mr D ‘prepared’ a sermon for them, and I interpreted to them. But the preparing caused Mr D labor, and the interpreting tired me as much as the ‘talks’ with them, and they themselves preferred the old way. So we had them (as did my first class, generally) chose their subject from what we had gone over in the school room, study out what they could through the week, then on to me for an hour and a half (or more) on Sabbath morning (or afternoon) then they would take their message fresh to the people and reproduce what we had told them almost word for word. Dr Lowrie will understand the nescessity for a smaller class this winter. If they had been more advanced, or Archie or Mark had been here to help Mr D I could have taken more pupils. Mr D gets along very pleasantly with them and I am glad, and would be glad if he could be at the same station with them. But he prefers remaining here, and we have planned that if the school should (D.V.) be moved to Kamiah this fall that they should (D.V.) take turns in coming to Lapwai to assist him on Sab and they can (D.V.) also assist Robert who needs help much as he is still save for what he recieves from the Board dependant on his own labor the support of his family. He needs to study much more too. Mr D hopes to take him to Presbytery, and have him ordained this Spring. D.V.

Lapwai is the best place for me, personally but Kamiah is the best location for the school. Last year, 8 of my 12 pupils were Kamians. This year 4 of my 7. Two only are Lapwains, and those 2 have little force. One is from North Fork, and could as well go to Kamiah. There is not the material at Lapwai for a good men’s school or women or girls school. The Lap’ns are so ‘limp’ and relapse for some reason. Labor spent on them is so often like labor lost. The Ks are the fruit of the Gospel and are almost like another people.

Then houses and fuel are both very scarce here. And my K pupils have to go home in spring, and put in their crops and leave those crops without watering, or proper attention when they come back, and cattle break in &c &c. Then they have to leave their cattle, horses &c without or with little care. The last winters cold and snow cost one of them all the cattle on which he had depended, chiefly for subsistance. (He had only lately come on the Reservation) and he is now up the river, cutting wood for a raft of firewood, which he must take to Lewiston and sell for food and clothing and he will perhaps be absent from school for a month or more. What my pupils have to endure here is hard to bear, but it is developing them (with Gods help) into energetic, helpful, self-reliant men. They shew no signs of flagging, but are planning and working, preparing for further [illegible] here. Even what they have to endure from the jealously (local) of the Lapwaians is good discipline for them though it is hard.

But there are other reasons why Kamiah is the best place for the school, or schools. Lapwai is disputed and coveted ground and Mr Monteith too thinks it would be unwise for the Board to spend money on buildings here, as all the Nez Perces will probably eventually be gathered into the Kamiah neighborhood, and Mr D himself, eventually have to go there too.

Then the house in which I first had my school at Kamiah was built for ‘the missionary’ by Mr Montieth (when he built the churches, I think) Father Spaulding lived in it before I went there, and Mr Montieth says I can have it again. It is a house for a family – has one large & two small rooms, a kitchen & pantry. It will do for my school until Mr D. wants it which may be at any time (when he brings Mrs D.) But it will do for one school only. I tried a mixed school when I first went to K, but that will not do for this people yet.

In a recent letter from the Philadelphia Ladies, they express their earnest desire that there should be more work done for the Nez P women than I am able to do. And I most earnestly desire that too. They say they think that if I should ask Dr Lowrie that my sister Kate, or someone else should be sent, that the Board would do so, and they would furnish means &c &c.

After my experience of ‘hostiles’ ‘running away’ isolation &c &c I would not ask any one to come, or be sent, but I will be most sincerely glad, if they will come or be sent, voluntarily. Long ago, my sister Kate without a word from me, on the subject wrote to me that she wanted to come and do missionary work among the Nez Perces. I did not say ‘come’ (she knows so little of such a life as this) but I referred her, for advice to Mrs D.A. Cunningham, who knew her, when she (sister) had charge of the Seminary at Beaver Penna. Not long since sister wrote again, expressing her desire to become a missionary and saying that if the Board did not send her here she would go wherever they would send her. (And I do not want her to go any place else – neither do I know anyone whom I think would do better here.) It may be the matter is from the Lord. I will (D.V.) write sister the same time I send this, telling her, if she still wants to come, to send her application at once and then, I will (D.V.) leave the matter, prayerfully, under God with Dr Lowrie.

There is only the one house (at Kamiah) on the Reservation for missionary or mission school, so that, when Mr D wants that house, the school will be without a ‘local habitation’. If that house would do for two schools then, another, could perhaps be built for Mr D when he needed it. But if there is a school (to be) for women & girls another house is needed at once.

Let me tell Dr Lowrie my plan.

In that school, take not only girls but the younger married women (like the wives of my pupils for instance) and teach them besides books, so many things they are ‘hungry’ to know so that these Christians homes and families may be like ‘leaven’. These could board at home, and the girls too probably, or with their friends at Kamiah and so save the Board the expense of providing food, clothing &c &c drawing on the Board only for the first expense of house and the salary of the teacher. (I want our people to depend upon their own exertions only as far as it is possible)

I thought for girls & womens school we would need a school room, and a kitchen for teacher. The kitchen would be for instructing on certain days in bread making (yeast bread) which they wish so much to know how to make, to do up starching clothes, preserve fruits &c &c &c. they finding their own material. The kitchen, or school room could be used for a sewing room certain days where they could be taught to cut out and make garments, the finding their own materials Even those outside of the regular school could meet with them those days & learn.

Mr Montieth thought that the cost of such a building of planned boards and nicely finished would be about $500.00. But the Agency miller, a practical man, who has been on the Reserve a long time says that we can double that house under one roof for two schools instead on one less nicely finished with only front (perhaps) doors, ceiling & floors planned boards for that sum. Timber is plenty at Kamiah, and a saw mill there.) One of my former pupils at Kamiah is a good carpenter and the Kamians are so eager to have the school there (mine of course. They do not know of the others) that they would help all in the power I think. (Of course the Agent can if chooses, save much expense to the Board. You know too the Board could not own property on the Reserve so it would be really working for the Reserve eventually.

Or if the frame work for both schools was set under one roof or near each other as they should be and one school finished, the rest could wait until needed, and the Board can let us have $500.00 for the two schools he thinks we can manage to do with that for the present at least.

March

This morning the Boarding school for Nez Perce children at Lapwai, burned to the ground, and as the treaty expires so shortly, may not be rebuilt. A short time since a freshet carried away the flour mill and saw mill here. Mr D thinks today that the Agency itself may be moved to Kamiah as there is nothing now to keep it here. Mr D thinks this increases the need of action from the Board. Dr Lowrie knows of Mr Montieths illness probably, and the appointment of a new Agent – whom he probably knows.

This letter has been long in writing. It would take too long to tell all the ‘whys’ but I think nothing that has occurred make any change needed in what I have written. If the Board think they can spare us the money for school building I will (D.V.) go more into details of schools. Will Dr Lowrie please tell me soon, what to do? Or expects &c if he approves what I have written about my own class &c &c.
Truly Yours

S.L. McBeth