THE
CHEMAWA
AM ERICAN
15
him , “ Go, cow ards, and kill yo u r best friends, I will take no p art in i t . ”
Pe-tin M ox-M ox, who had l>een given th e C hristian nam e of P hilip
M inthorn, was then tw o years old, and soon afterw ards he m oved w ith
his father from W aiilatpu to th e U m atilla reservation. H is first rem em
brance w as of listening to his father and m other sing th e songs w hich
W hitm an had ta u g h t them .
H e joined the church at T u tu illa in 1883, and was an elder in it for
26 years, when he was forced to resign by failing eyesight and health.
H e was frequently a delegate to the ch urch courts and in 1899 w ent to
S t. Louis as a com m issioner to th e general assem bly. T h ere he created
a sensation by a rin g in g speech, for it was to th at city in 1836 th a t some
of his people, th e Nez Perces, w ent in th eir search for the w hite m a n ’s
book.
It was Philip M inthorn who kept th e church of T u tu illa alive th ro u gh
the years from 1882 to 1908, w hen th e first w hite m issionary was sent
to assist him . U ntil th a t tim e the church was presided over by native
m inisters who came and w ent. T hese constant changes necessitated
long and expensive trip s to th e m eeting of the state synod, and it was
alw ays M inthorn who m ade them . It was M inthorn, too, w ho p eti
tioned th e synod for a you n g m issionary to come to T u tu illa “ to
learn th e language and th e people and to help advise in every w a y ,”
and he presented th e petition w ith such good effect that Rev. J. M.
Corneilson, then a y o u n g m an ju s t out of college, was sent back w ith
him .
T h ro u g h all the long fight th a t th e y o u n g m issionary had before he
had established him self in the h earts of th e people and overcom e the
opposition w hich grew up to his influence, it was M inthorn who was
ever back of him .
W hen the old m an saw the fru its w hich were bearing from his long
efforts, he said to the ch u rch , “ My w ork is done. T h e men m ust now
take up my w o rk .”
H e was undoubtedly one of the most respected and best loved In d ians
on the reservation.