The Word Carrier of Santee Normal Training School (Santee, Nebraska), 1918-07 - 1918-08

              The Word Carrier.
0F Santee Normal Training School.
VOLUME  XLVI
SANTEE, NEBRASKA.
HELPING THE  RIGHT, EXPOSING THE
WRONG.
NUMBER  4
JULY-AUG.-SEPT., 1918
THIRTY CENTS PER YEAR
""'   JIT'S*
,^y     yf<
:i*V>
The Late Dr. A. I.. Rigg
The Late Dr. I. P. Williamson
OUR     DAKOTA     MISSION     CONFERENCE
Greenwood
The  above   illustration   appeared  ten  years  ago   in   Tbe  Word   Carrier  after  the   meeting  at  Standing  Rock,   North   Dakota.
This  year the meeting was held  at  Greenwood,  So.   Dak., September 4 to 9.     When  the place of meeting was appointed   to
"" '    " that Dr. Williamson would he m.o.-^ <-.. ,.-.i	
Uwu  a>   uueenwoou,  So.   Dak., Sept
it was with this thought that Dr. Williamson would be th
be at
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 tlie
Power of God for their Salvation !
Because of War Work this number of the
Word Carrier has been unavoidably delayed.
Reports of the Mission Conference will appear in next issue.
Working on Solid Foundations
The Indian work in the southwest has been
undertaken under much the same difficulties as
that among tbe Sioux nation.    The results have
come even more slowly and still the long years
of toil can now be seen to have borne great fruit.
A year ago Rev. 0. H. Cook, D. D. passed
away:    He was the senior member of the Phoenix Presbytery, aod had given forty three years
of work to the Pima Indians.    The Charles H.
Cook Bible School at Phoenix, Arizona is his
monument and none could be greater as it is
the only school in the southwest open for the
training of Indian young men of all tribes for
missionary work on tbeir reservations.
When Mr. Cook decided to go to tbe Pima
Indians he offered his service to several churches
but none had money to use for missionary work
among the Indians,, so he left Chicago with only
enough money for u ticket to Santa Pe, N. M.,
and traveled ou foot to tbe Pima reservation.
There he was first commissioned as teacher by
the Government. For three years he worked
among them in this way, then through the
help of Dr. Sheldon Jackson in presenting the
need the Presbyterian Board undertook his support.
His work gave him little encouragement. It
was ten years before be had the satisfaction of
knowing that even one of the Pima Indians had
become a Christian. But at the time of bis
death there were five churches among the Indians, and he had received as mauy as three thousand into tbe Presbyterian Church.
I
., ^.. iucciiHg  was appoiui.ec]   lo oe a
ere to welcome us and be present at the dedication of the new church
A Liberal Indian Policy
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in his
annual   report  recently   made public,   emphasizes the inauguration of a more liberal policy
in Indian affairs.    He delares that the present
period marks the end of the era of restriction
and control, heretofore exercised more or less
rigorously over the Indians, and the beginning
of a more rapid emancipation of the red man.
It is to be remembered that this  report was
written before the bill now in Congress for immediately making all Indians citizens was introduced.    The method to be followed as outlined in the Commissioner's report deals with
the Indians more as an individual and less as
a collective group.    Certificates of competency
are to be more freely granted, and Indians are
to be given unrestricted control of individual
property and pro rata shares of tribal   trust
funds. Tbe practical application of this principle will relieve from the gardiansbip of the
Government, a large number of Indians, including practically all who have one-half or more
white blood.
The time is ripe for a more progressive treatment of the Indians. The war has changed the
j situation with them as it has changed most of
the other relations in life; and new reasons are
now added to old reasons why this kind of justice should be done. One very good reason is
that there are some five thousand Indians serving in our Army, training side by side with
their white brothers, and preparing to bear
their share of the struggle for freedom and
democracy. Surely they should be granted citizenship and equality before the law; and it is
hoped that, if Congress does not enact special
legislation to tiiis end, the Indian Office will
move the nioie rapidly towards it in the manner outlined. '
Tbe Commissioner's report shows progress
in a number of side issues which indicates preparation for the large policy referred to. The
suppression of the liquor traffic among the Indians has been helped by tbe increase of prohibition sentiment throughout the country.
With the spread of education and modern ideas
the baleful influence of the old-time medicine
man lias been circumscribed, and that functionary has now been well nigh eliminated. The increased cultivation for food production has been
particularly gratifying. Reports show that on
73 reservations the Indians have cultivated
472,156 acres of land iu tbe past season as compared w7ith 358,796 acres in the previous season, an increase of thirty-one per cent.
The Indians have shown a remarkable adaptability for stockraising and now realize the
desirability of well-bred stock. The tribal
herds ou practically all of the reservations have
become profitable. TbeNavabos, for example,
have bred np their sheep so that they are now
producing a grade of wool that sells for twenty-
five to thirty cents a pound as compared with
eight or ten cents that they received only a few
years ago.
Apropos of this improvement the story goes
that a large and influential company of oarpet
manufacturers recently wrote to a high Government official protesting against the encouragement given the Indians to raise better wool, because the loss of this source of supply of the
cheaper grades has deprived these manufacturers of their last resource for obtaining the
kind of wool needed for their use.
This little bit of side evidence is only one of
the many signs of increasing industry and prosperity among the Indians, all of which, taken
together, furnish further argument, for the inauguration of a more liberal policy in the Government's treatment of its wards.—The Southern Workman.
The Source of Strength
"The  test  of   thankfulness   is   adversity.
Adversity brings out the secondary value of
material blessings, and the permanence of the
higher gifts."
"The opening spring is a revelation of God,
a new creation. And yet it is not, for it is tbe
putting forth of strength stored last summer.
We honor tbe patient trees and tbe dumb hills
waiting through tbe bleak winter, strong in the
glory of spring bound up within, the stored
tdessing of summer days gone by. This is the
earthly image of tbe heavenly truth.
In tbe spiritual realm we receive the store of
spiritual strength as it is given, drink it in,
treasure it, and live by the strength of it in
brave patience aud long suffering."
Alfred L. Riggs.
Cravings of the Soul
The great need for the present aud future
welfare of the race is systematic co-operation
with the returning students, wbo can read but
are without books or papers. They have spent
from five to six years in Government schools,
surrounded with comforts and all aids to better
living. At the eud of the school life they are
sent back to their homes and people with ideals
that are criticized, and often harshly condemned, advanced ideas which are openly spurned,
in some cases they are ostracised, nearly aliens
to their own people, and often with no place
among white people and no opportunity for
keepiug up to tbe standards they appreciate.
One young man whom I met in one of the
Pueblos  was  with long hair,  and  wearing a
blanket, and to all appearances one of the old-
time Indians,  but morose and uncivil,  never
returning my greeting, but with averted face
passing silently by.    One day I followed him
to his shop, for he was the blacksmith,   and
tried to establish a point of contact, only to be
met with a negative, obstinate   shake   of  the
head. Taking him by surprise with the question,
"Where were you educated?" he said,  "Carlisle."    So I quietly said, "You can talk English; why do you not speak to me when I want
to be your friend?"    Immediately the sluices
were opened, and throwing his hammer on the
ground he poured out the bitterness that was
in his heart.    "Yes, I speak English, but my
people do not.    I love better things, but they
will not have them.    I have no other place to
go and I am forced to wear a blanket and to let
my hair grow long, and I am ashamed of it all.
But what can I do?    I couldn't speak to you
for  the  shame  that was in my heart."    Patiently  I  tried  to  show him  the   way.     He
caught  up  his hammer and it made hopefi 1
merry music as I went over the dusty road.
The American   Red  Cross  numbers  20,000
| American Indians among Its members.