CORRESPONDENCE 323
are no serious embarrassments to our moving forward and completing so much of the house as will be imperiously called for the coming winter and painting the outside. But money is daily becoming more scarce with us and we see no reason to suppose it will become more plenty. Those who went to the mines last year and found gold so plentiful have spent their surplus funds and little improvements in agri- culture or buildings have been made. Lumber has been in little demand in California, the markets there having been filled with eastern lumber. Collections must, therefore, go on slowly, yet labor and lumber and all kinds of building materials are higher here than they are even in California. We, however, hope to be able to enclose the house and fin- ish two school rooms before the first of January. The super- intending of the work must necessarily make some drafts upon both Br. Johnson's and my time. He has the superin- tending of the building and I have secured about three- fourths of the subscription. But a failure in this work would prove ruinous to the Baptist cause in the public estimation, so far as present appearances indicate. When we have pro- ceeded so far as to have finished two school rooms, our en- treaties for a teacher qualified to sustain the reputation of the first literary school in Oregon will know no denial. To me it seems that we shall be brought to a Thermopylae. We have taken strong encouragement from your letters and re- ports that we shall not be disappointed and we have given publicity to our sanguine expectations. Our school also is increasing in numbers and improvements and will very soon call for the labors of two men in the higher department and a teacher in the primary department. This would be the case at this time, if we had a boarding-house connected with the school where students could board for four or five dol- lars per week; but at present board is from $10 to $12 per week, washings not included. We need to build a boarding- house and find some good eastern family to come and take charge of it, who would be satisfied with a steady increase
