THE BISHOP OF CALEDONIA 209
why we believe what you came to teach us ? I don t know, I replied. Well, he continued, because your teaching only made sure to us what we thought before of the Spirit.
" You mentioned the existence of Methodists in your diocese. Do you find the Indians much puzzled by the difference in the teaching of the Church and of Methodism ? "
"The Methodists claim about one-third of the Christians of the Diocese. They arrived long after we did. It did at first puzzle the people to see two sets of teachers, but they discovered that what we taught was very much the same. Indeed, it is very difficult for an Indian to dis tinguish between the teaching. We don t accen tuate our differences in the mission field. Hundreds of the Methodists have sent to me for translations of the Scriptures, and I think it is largely on account of the translations that our missions have been stronger than those of the Methodists. The Salvation Army has not had the slightest effect on our people. Indeed, it is no uncommon thing to hear a native Christian ridicule the remarks of some of the Salvation Army teachers, who, in some cases, happen to be very illiterate people. With the Church, you may say the strong point is Education. At Metlakathla, I suppose, we had the strongest group of mission buildings in Canada. With the exception of one, they were, unfortunately, burnt down during the fire in the
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