The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1885-08 - 1885-09

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL.  II.   NOS.   VI-VII.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE DAKOTA   MISSION.
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1885.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Our Platform.
For Indians we want American
Education! We want American
Homes ! We want American Rights !
The result of which is American
Citizenship.
The Word Cabkier is published in the interest of schools and missions among the Indians. It is published for The Dakota Mission,
originally planted by the American Board in the
year 1835, in Minnesota, but now extended
over Dakota, and into Nebraska, Montana, and
the British Possessions, and carried on under
these several branches:
The American Missionary Association, (Congregational) at Santee Agency, Nebraska, and
at Oahe, Cheyenne River, Grand River, and
Fort Berthold, Dakota.
The Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions,
at Yankton Agency and Flandrau, Dakota,,
and at Poplar Creek, Montana.
The Presbyterian Board of Home Missions
at Sisseton Agency and Brown Earth, Dakota.
The Dakota Native Missionary Society, at
Cheyenne River and Devil's Lake, Dakota.
Santee Normal Training School, at Santee
Agency, Nebraska, is our principal school for
all this field, for higher education and normal
training. Therefore, while presenting the
progress of our missionary and educational
work in the whols field, the interests and
work of our Normal Training School will be
made prominent.
We shall also endeavor.to give a view of the
state of the work under other missionary
societies, and under the Government. And we
cordially invite the co-operation of those who
have been our friends in the past and of all new
workers in the field.
Published monthly at 50 cents a year. Send
for it to Alfred L. Riggs, Editor and Publisher,
Santee Agency, Neb.
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postofficeas
second class matter.]
Santee Notes.
Miss Emma M. Whitney, of Winona, Minn., who has had charge of the
summer school, has returned to her
home. In addition to her usual classes
she conducted two Kindergarten classes
that were much enjoyed by her pupils.
Her work is of lasting benefit, and she
will long De remembered by her Santee
friends.
Mr. Fred and Miss Cora Riggs have
returned to Yankton College, Yankton, Dak.
Mr. B. A. Weston, of Georgetown,
Mass., our new assistant principal, arrived August 30th, and commenced
teaching the following morning.
Miss Helen Haynes, of Townsend
Harbor, Mass., is the new teacher of
drawing.
Mrs. M. E. Wood has returned from
Spirit Lake, Iowa, with renewed
strength for her work.
Miss Nettie Calhoun, assistant matron, has returned from her home at
Kenton, Ohio. She visited her sisters
in Minneapolis as she came back.
Miss S3. A. Paddock, club matron,
returned August 23d, from her vacation
spent at Crystal Lake, 111.
Ellen Kitto, of Santee Agency, assistant matron at the Dakota Home, is
again at her post.
Miss H. B. Illsley, music teacher,
came back the 6th inst., having spent
her vacation   very  pleasantly  at  St.
Louis, Mo.
Miss Jean Kennedy, matron, Young
Men's Hall, has again assumed her
duties.
Mr. Joseph H. Steer, industrial superintendent and treasurer, who has
been visiting friends and relatives in
Washington, D. C. and Virginia, returned Saturday, the 5th of September,
his family followed a week later.
Miss Winnie Williamson, of Greenwood, Dakota., when on her way to
attend the Western Female Seminary,
at Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio; Miss
Jessie and Mr. Dudley Wilcox, of
Yankton, and Mr. D. W. Laird, of
Herrick, Dak., were the guests of Fred
and Cora Riggs for a few days, before
their departure for Yankton.
The Annual Conference of the
Dakota Mission meets this year at
Ascension, Sisseton Agency, D. T.,
with the church of which Rev. John
B. Renville is pastor, September 24-27.
The following topics are on the programme for discussion:
Duties of Young Mens' Christian
Associations.
How much land can a Dakota retain
permanently.
What should parents be willing to
deny themselves for the education of
their children.
How to secure the spiritual growth
of a church.
Methods employed for raising money
for church and missionary purposes.
This is preceded by a Theological Institute of the native pastors aud teachers, holding two days. The number
in attendance at the Institute is about
forty, and the attendance upon the
Conference about two hundred.
By the generosity of Deacon Burrell,
of Oberlin, Ohio, -a building has just
been erected for school house and
teacher's residence at Swift Bear's
colony on the Niobrara River, below
the mouth of the Keya Paha River.
This colony is an offshoot from Rosebud Agency, and the prospect is good
for a fine Indian farming community
there. Sixteen families are located
and many others have their selections
made.
Tahliquah Teacher's Institute.
The programme of the Teachers'
Institute, held June 30 and July 1st
and 2d, at Tahlicpuah, Cherokee Nation,
Indian Territory, was one of considerable interest. Though lasting several
days, each day's programme presented
a pleasing variety with a liberal interspersing of music.
Papers and essays and methods of
teaching; what to teach; also on many
studies considered separately, were followed by general discussion on the
subject in hand, giving everyone ample
time and opportunity to express his
sentiments.
Besides the regular programme
every teacher was expected to produce
an essay, the subject of which was his
own choosing.
The Institute closed with a banquet,
which, perhaps, was as much enjoyed as
the preceding exercises.
God is Here.
When I stand beneath a tree,
Dressed wiih bark and decked with leaves;
Tall and stately, grand to see,
Then I know that God is here.
When upon a river's bank I stand,
And watch it as it onward flows,
While powerless to stop it is man's hand,
Then I know that God is here.
When I see the pretty birds,
And hear them sweetly sing,
Their joyous notes tell plainer than words
Ever cau, that God is here,
When I look on flowers so gay.
Nodding gently in the summer wind,
Then to my heart they seem to say:
The All-wise God is here.
Many things say God is here—
None but fools say there is no God;
But it we look into our hearts I fear
We cannot all say that God is here.
Annie West,
Santee Agency, Neb.
My Sewing Class.
I only wish it were possible for some
of my friends East, who are interested
in my work and the Indians, to open
the door some morning and look iuto
my sewing room at the "Bird's Nest,"
and see my busy little girls. They
would be surprised and pleased, I am
sure, to see twenty-five little Indian
girls sewing together. Miss Brown,
their matron and mother, is a lovely
lady, kind and gentle with them, and
they all love and obey her. She cuts
and bastes the work, then on a large
table in one end of the room it is
placed, ready^to be given out. There
are chairs of two sizes for the children,
standing in a neat row all around the
room. As soon as they come in from
chapel and their drawing class, they
file into the room and take their places;
then I give them each a needle and
some thread, to be threading while I
get the work sorted. Then I give
them each a thimble and piece of work;
a sun-bonnet, apron, or handkerchief,
or patch-work for the very little girls.
Then I have to show them howto begin, how to make a knot, or to
begin without a knot, keep their
needles threaded, how to hem, fell,
run, over-cast, and in fact all the first
stitches. But the older ones have
learned how so well, that they require
but little showing or help. You will
be surprised, I know, when I tell you
that within the past two months, they
have made twenty-five sun-bonnets,
as many aprons and undergarments,
besides handkerchiefs and a good deal
of patch work. They seem to like to
sew, and are quite happy over their
work, singing or talking. It is pleasant to hear them singing English or
Dakota, for they have good voices,
though somewhat nasal tones, but that
is owing to their language. Often I
tell them a story, but should the story
become too interesting, I find they
will drop their sewing and look at
me, but with a little reminder of
"children sew," they will go on again.
Very often I have to laugh at their
queer speeches. One day I was having them sew some patchwork, and
some did not like to sew it, and
said, "It's bad, isn't it," when one
little girl, Lizzie Spotted Bear spoke
up and said, "No it's good, we  make it
for the good people east." She had
been told that the "good people east,"
had sent some things to them, and
she had an idea she was making the
quilt for them. They ask me if they
can "finish when they stop." or "it's
go to be stop now," and many as funny
twisted questions.
I gave all the children a little flower
garden this summer and they are so
happy, but the dogs, cats, and chickens are not as fond of flowers, and often get on them much to the children's annoyance. One day a little
girl, Maggie Brown, came running in
and said, "Miss Fellows, the flower, 'it's
go to be die.'' I went out, put some
water on them, and a few sticks around
them and she was happy again, saying,
"Miss Fellows 'it's go to be liye.'"
They are very funny and cute, but I
am sorry to say they are sometime!
very naughty and pout, throwing their
work and thimbles down, aud saying,
"sica, sica," (bad, bad.) I have to
talk to them, and show them their
work, asking "where has my good little girl gone." But, on the whole,
they are good little girls, and the better they know me, the more willing
they seem to obey, and though they
do lose their needles, spoil their work
and get cross sometimes, I love them
and try to have a good deal of patience with them; for I know how
hard it is for children to sit still and
be quiet for an hour and a half, especially these little, free, untutored ones.
But often the promise of a pretty card
for those who try, or may be a play
on the green with them, will be
enough to brighten their eyes and
drive away the pouts and tears.
Corahelle Fellows.
The new Catalogue of Santee Normal Training School, for the year ending
June 30, 1885, reports a force of twenty-five teachers engaged in the ac-
cademic and Industrial departments,
and one hundred and seventy-seven
pupils. Of these pupils one hundred
and sixty are boarding scholars, and
seventeen day scholars. The Normal
Class has numbered five, and the Theological Class ten.
Words of Advice.
An easter paper, the Academy News,
having asked a number of distinguished persons to write for its columns a
few words of advice to boys, received,
among other answers, the following:
Dr. Lyman Abbott, "Whatsoever thy
hand finds to do, do it with thy
might." E. P. Roe: "Do one thing
honorably and thoroughly, and set
about it at once." Ex-President
Hayes: "Commit to memory and recite Brown's letter to a young friend."
General Lyon: "No one will ever become a great scholar without constant
study, close application, and without
thoroughly understanding that which
he may attempt before passing it by
to take up something else." General
Winfield S. Hancock, among other
things: "Be truthful, never try to appear what you are not; honor your
father and your mother." Rev. E. E.
Hale: "Tell the truth. Keep the commandments. Do not drink. If you
have anything to say, say it; but if
not, certainly not."