The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1918-10 - 1918-12

              the Word Carrier.
of Santee Normal Training School.
VOLUME  XLVI
HELPING- THE  RIGHT, EXPOSING THE WRONG.
NUMBER 5
SANTEE, NEBRASKA,
OCT.-NOV.-DEC, I'll8
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR
Our Platform
For Indians we want American Education! We want
American Homes! We want American Rights! The result
of which is American Citizenship! And the Gospel is the
Pjwer of God   for their Salvation !
What Santee has Stood for these Fifty Years
Now Advocated in Boston
The leading Government Indian schools have
for many years pushed the spectacular transformation of the exterior man. Under the leadership of Dr. A. L. Riggs, Santee Normal.Training School from its very beerining stood for tbe
development of the inner man. Our public
schools have gradually swung around to where
respectful attention is given to that point of
view. And now it is interesting to hear Pres.
Hopkins, of Dartmouth College proclaiming to
the Massachusetts Teachers' Association, at its
Boston meeting, rhe doctrine that Dr. Riggs
originated at Santee forty-eight years ago.
President Hopkins spoke as follows:
Our youth is growing up to conditions which
never before existed. We must have a reappraisal of our educational institutions. Education must have a moral base. Learning or
the pursuits of kowledge, are entirely unmoral.
We can see tbe truth of this today, when a
nation has pulled science up from tbe very
depths of hell and is using that diabolical
science for devil's work. The educator should
not sharpen the wits and train the mind, unless be also supplies the balance wheel and the
motor power to supply a moral control over
that education.
There is no room for the individualist in our
complex life today, except as an aid not alone
to the nation, but the world. We do not even
need individual nations today.
In this world two great forces are at. work and
one of those forces will overcome and destroy the other. We must train our youth
to meet this new world-unit with an education so moral that it will make an educational basis safe for the new democracy.—Tbe Character Builder, Los Angeles.
The Spirit of Patriotism at the Mission Meeting
About thirty years ago I bad a good friend who
loved to speak in the meeting, but he was so
strong a "Prohibitionist" that he could never
make a speech without ending up on prohibition. It became a joke among bis friends but
nevertheless prohibition is coming and we are
glad of it. And now we can see that he did his
bit to help make it come.
So at tbe meeting the spirit of patriotism was
so much in the air that hardly a subject was
taken up but something was said by some one
about the war and our country's part in it. It
was not long also until a committee was appointed to gather up the names of tbe boys that had
already gone to the war or were in our training
camps. A large banner was spread before us
in the tent with over two hundred stars on it in
blue and five stars in gold. The only regret
of the writer was that very few names were represented there of the many that had gone to
the war from the Pine Ridge and Standing Rock
Reservation and other places from which we
knew that the Indians had gone.
The Junior Red Cross sc ciety under the direction of Miss Abbie L. Miller gave a very nice
patriotic program on Sabbath afternoon, but the
special patriotic service was set for Saturday
evening at five o'clock. Led by tbe Yankton
band the Home Guards gave a drill and then entered the large tent. The choir composed of
young Dakotas, and directed by Mrs. F. B.
Riggs, led the audience in patriotic songs.
Supt. Leach of the Yankton and Santee
Agencies, then made a strong and patriotic address, and he was followed by others who spoke
eloquently; until the large audience was stirred up to a high pitch of love for our country.
E. J. Lindsey.
On Rev. T. L. Riggs' recent birthday, he pass-
l'ed tbe way-mark of seventy-one years.    For
! nearly forty-seven years be has been in the mis-
! sionary service among Indians, being the first
missionary to locate among tbe then wild and
! war-like  Titon   Sioux of  the   Mississippi region.     Tbe first   teu years, a beginning was
made; five stations were opened on tbe Chey-
[ enne River Field, one station was established
on   the   Rosebud   and two  on Standing Rock
': reservations.    Since then, the work has been
1 greatly enlarged in each of these fields.    Dr.
! Riggs says, ''I have rejoiced greatly in the part
God has given to me in it all.    He has been
| very good to me. not only in His care and guid-
i ance from year to year, but especially in having
given me a sound body that could endure hardship and exposure.    I am now however, keenly conscious of neariug the limit beyond wuicb
it is not safe nor wise to venture.   Therefore I
have tendered my resignation to the American
Missionary Association.
Rev. T. L. Riggs' successor is Rev. Rudolph
Hertz of Kansas City, Mo., a graduate of Oberlin College and Oberlin Theological Seminary.
Mr. Hertz is now on the field and is beginning
the work with interest and enthusiasm. We
wish for himthe greatest success.
Our Mission Conference
The Annual Indian Coi.fereuce of the Con-
j gregational and Presbyterian churches held at
{ Yankton'Agency, South Dakota, was one of the
I best I have ever att -nded.    Not so many pre-
| sent as we often have, but all seemed to have
'■ a purpose in coming.    The tent, an immense
one about one hundred by fifty feet, was more
than once filled, even to seats around the wall
and in the aisle on Sunday.
Mrs. Williamson, the wife of tbe missionary,
Rev. JohuP. Williamson,presided in theoldfamily home with diguity and hospitality. On the
wall hung a fine portrait of her husband. We
missed his presence and also Dr. Alfred Riggs.
But each had a representative in a son who
very ably assisted in tbe conduct of the meeting. Prof. F. B.' Riggs aud George Firecloud
presided, and there were no wasted moments.
The questions brought before tbe meeting to be
discussed seemed to be presented in a careful and
thoughtful way and earnestly considered. Such
questions as: Pastors to visit parishioners, Church
members paying their debts, How may the Annual Conference be entertained with small expense? Why are not educated Indians able to be
leaders? Why do we cherish the TJ. S. form of
Government and want to teach it to other peo
ple? The Indian men who discussed the questions seemed 10 be thoughtful.and desirous of
knowing the answers to their questions.
The Annual Conference sermon wis preached
by John Eastman on the subject of "A new
heart only makes a new life." He was forceful and strong on the subject of Christian Education for the young. Not simply the learning
of trades, learning English, or dressing like
white people, but learning to know Jesus Christ
aud to follow his example. That parents in
selecting a school for their children should have
in mind the school that teaches the Bible all
the way through the whole course, so that when
they finished school they would be familiar
with Bible truths and be able to go out among
their people as evangelists. He spoke of Santee Normal Training Scliool as the best school
for Indians.
On Sunday afternoon we had a patriotic hour
in which Miss Miller had the Junior Red Cross
children give a pretty exercise with flags and
songs aud marching. No odo could have told
except by the complexion of some of them that
they were not the children of our own race from
our best homes.
These people have progressed wonderfully
and are extremely loyal to their churches and
to our eountry. But few of those driven from
their homes in Minnesota are living. 1 met
only three of the older ones, Isaas Renville, Mrs.
Kitto, and Elias Gilbert.
At this meeting I saw the son of a woman,
who not living now, was one of that group of
refugees who were driven out of Minnesota in
the year 1862. He probably remembers that
awful experience. On his heart be wore a pin
with three stars on it. I said, "Have you three
sons in this war?" He replied with tears in his
voice but with pride, "Yes, two in France and
one, 1 suppose, on tbe water going over." I
asked if he had others. "No", he said, "these
are all 1 have, but I am willing they should go
to fight for our country. We do not want Germany to drive us from our homes." I looked
at him in astonishment. Loving a country and
giving the dearest thing on earth, his sons, to
die for a country that half a century back had
driven them from their homes.
On Saturday we had a great patriotic meeting. The Home Guards marched in with their
band. All were dressed in tbe khaki uniform
and filled the front seats. There were about
fifty of them. The Superintendent of the Agency made a strong patriotic address. A service
flag had beeu hurriedly arranged. We could
only gather names of those who were represented at tbe meeting, but over two hundred names
were read and stars pinned on the flag. Five
names were read and golden stars put on the
flag. They had already made tbe supreme sacrifice. When their names were read the vast
audience stood with bowed beads.
Mr. Robert Hall addressed the meeting for
the Y. M. C. A. It was an enthusiastic meeting. During the Conference we had addresses
from Rev. T. L. Riggs, Rev. Jesse P. Williamson, Prof. F. B. Riggs, Rev. E. J. Lindsey, Rev.
W. B. Pinkerton, Rev. John Eastman, Rev.
Elias Gilbert and many others.
We parted to meet next year at Santee, Neb.
where our great seat of learning is located.
We hope no missionary will be absent and that
those of our Eastern friends who feel that it
is not only our Christian duty to help on this
great work of the American Missionary Association, but also our patriotic duty as loyal
Americans, to try to make up to the present
generation for the many mistakes of our Government in the past by giving them Christian
Education, will also be present at this meeting.
At the final reckoning may our Lord be able
to say to us, "As ye have done it unto the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me." Mary C. Collins.