The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1886-08 - 1886-09

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL. III.   NOS.   VI-VII.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE  DAKOTA   MISSION.
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1886.
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 Cakriek is published in the interest of schools and missions among the Indians. It is published for Tlie 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 whole 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.
me, and eat ye that which is good."
At its ringing many thoughts will
come thronging upon us. The kind
donors will be constantly in mind,
and while Ave shall never cease to miss
Mrs. Hall from our midst,so long as we
cannot have her, Ave are glad to have
the bell, Avith the remembrances it
Avill bring. We all hope to have the
good appetites attendant upon good
health, and the consciousness of Avork
Avell done, so that the exhortation
of the motto may not be lost upon
any. We have no fear that the summons will be ever unwelcome, unless
to some few Avho agree Avith Robert
Burns that "The best way to lengthen
your days is to take a feAv hours from
the night," and are consequently
averse to having their days lengthened at the other end. We trust that
to these the eating "that which is
good" will compensate for the loss of
the "forty morning Avinks," in which
they haA'e hitherto indulged.
yond a doubt the interest which
been aroused.
lias
THE WAY.
George Philbrick, a student at Santee, Avas employed as blacksmith at
Crow Creek agency through the summer vacation at $15 a month. Thus
we see hopes of an industrial future
for some of our boys.
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postoffice as
second class matter.]
We had the pleasure of entertaining for a feAv days in July Mr. J. H.
McDoAvell, of the Hampton Normal
and Agricultural institute, who had
been at Cheyenne river with some
pupils returning from Hampton. His
interest,being in a sense one with ours,
added to our enjoyment of his visit.
In looking over the agency he was
much surprised to find that Indians,
who had not been especially trained
to do so, could run machinery without
the assistance or supervision of Avhite
men. We should be glad to meet
him again at any time, and it would
give us much satisfaction to show him
our school and shops in full working
trim. ,
James BroAvn is to go to Cheyenne
river as missionary in place of Isaac
Renville. We shall miss him here,
but knoAV that he is to find a much
broader field of usefulness there. His
Avif e accompanies him, Avhile the children all remain here at school.
In the belfry of the neAv dining hall
hangs a sweet-toned 240-pound Mc-
Neely bell, for Avhich we are indebted
to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs.
Hall. It bears the inscription, "Presented to Santee Normal Training
School by (in monogram) W. H.,
May 19th, 1886," and around the base
the motto,   "Hearken diligently unto
From the First Congregational
Sunday-school, of Beloit,Wis., comes,
through Mrs. Persis Mears, an offering of $10.25 toward the printing-
office fund, for Avhich we return many
thanks. Will not some other schools,
in search of employment for their
missionary funds, do likeAvise, and
thus enable us to put into execution
this plan for the wider spread of our
work.
A letter received from Mr. McDowell after his visit to us at Santee
contains the pleasing intelligence
that he has succeeded in obtaining
ten boys and ten girls as students,
who will return Avith him to Hampton.
He speakes of them as the finest specimens physically that he has ever
had at one time. We congratulate
him, and trust that their fineness may
prove to be more than "skin deep."
Early in July, Mrs. C. G. Higbee
of St. Paul, Minn., Avrote Miss Collins to the effect that it was not an
extravagant Avish to desire musical
instruments for our Indian boys, and
that they should be had. On the
strength of this, drums and fifes Avere
ordered of Nathan Ford of St. Paul,
Minn.,Avho, after making a very liberal
discount on his bill, donated ten dollars, reducing an original bill of
§52.06 to $24.71 Avhich was generously paid by Mrs. Higbee. We take
this opportunity of expressing to
these kind friends, our hearty thanks
for their liberality, and extend to
them a cordial invitation to step in
some evening, and see
the incipient "drum
its drill. We are
the heartiness and
with which the drums are
beaten, (it is hardly time yet to say
much about the music) Avould do
their eyes and ears good, and the
facility with Avhich tin pans and
Avooden benches are utilized when
the drums are not in use, proves  be-
and
corps'
hear
at
sure     that
enthusiasm
Address Delivered by Eli Abraham to the
Pupils  of  Santee  Normal   Training
School June 20, 1880.
Text, John 11.
When a man starts on a journey
the thing uppermost in his mind is
this: The way and the end of the
journey.
These two things he considers
well.
He makes inquiry of his neighbors
as to the road and is Avarned by them
to keep to a certain track and not to
folloAV after the many by-ways Avhich
would surely lead him astray. He is
told of all of the land marks and he
starts out fully determined to keep
the road pointed out and hoping by
so doing to reach the desired end.
So it is in life. If Ave desire in our
hearts to reach Heaven, we must
ever keep before us these two things,
the way and the end. Jesus has
pointed out to us the way.
He has given us a guide Avhich, if we
follow we can not fail to find the way
to Heaven. He is there preparing
abiding places for us, building for
us homes Avhich are not made with
hands.
He said if this were not true He
Avould have told us. He gave us this
book to be our guide and we must
folloAV its directions if we would be
sure of reaching the end safely.
Sure of not being lost. A long time
ago there was a journey begun by a
great many people. Perhaps in all
the history of the Avorld, never before nor since, have so many people
set out together on a journey. They
had not time to plan the jouney.
They could not inquire the way for
they were fugitives and the country
to which they fled was a strange land
to them. They did not know the
land marks and there Avere no roads.
It Avas a wilderness. Even if some
man had gone before and marked
out the road plainly these wanderers
could have folloAved, but no man had
gone before and all Avere equally ignorant. If they had had, as they do now,
an instrument called a compass it
would have been an easy matter to travel on in the straightforward manner, but the compass which has a needle always pointing north, had not then
been discovered. What were they to
do. They were helpless; but Moses,
a man of God, led them and God talked with him. He kneAv he himself was
weak. He knew that God Avas strong
so he relied Avholly upon His strength
and wisdom to lead them to the promised land. And God was merciful to
these strangers in the Avilderness so
He sent a compass direct from
Heaven that Avould never make a
mistake. It was a standing cloud
Avhich moved before them all day and
a standing light at night. So Avhite
and bright that its dazzling splendor
could not fail to be seen by
all the multitude. This was the
way God led the children of Israel
through the Avilderness. This life is
a wilderness. We are the travelers
and God's Book is the compass given
us direct from Heaven.
If we folloAV its  teaching we  can
not go astray.    If Ave keep  in  mind
the Avay and the  end and meditate
upon these things.    If we  seek  we
shall find all necessary, directions  in
God's Word.    Keep close to  Jesus:
He is the Avay and the truth and the
life.    It is not Avell to say Ave will go
our own way for a time,   Ave  do  not
care  for  directions.     We  want   to
please ourselve Avithout regard to the
termination of our road.    By and by
Ave will  inquire  the  Avay  and  then
start on the road to Heaven.
My friends, this will not do.
These are the thoughts of   a  foolish mind.    I stand before you now.
I see you and you see me, but which
of us knows but what one of us may
be laid aAvay out of sight before  another  Aveek  shall   end.    AVe    know
that death comes to all and Ave do not
know when it will come.    Is it wise
to say Ave Avill Avander without  guidance for a time when Ave do not know
but that Avhile Ave are still lost in the
Avilderness that time may end.   Let us
be wise. Let us keep close to this guide
given us by  God.    Trust  His  Avord
and we shall be  saved.    Two  children were playing by a  little  stream.
They said: "Let us join hands across
the Avater and Avalk down the stream
toward the lake."    They started out.
The little   arms    easily   reached
across.    The  stream greAv wider and
and the  little  hands  grasped  more
firmly until each almost dragged the
other into the stream.    At last they
they  could  no  longer   unite    their
hands across the stream, so they said,
"Let us drop each others hands  and
each folloAV on his own  side  of   the
stream, and when we reach the  lake
we can go around it and meet on the
other  side."    Noav if   they   remain
near the shore they Avill  meet again,
but there  are  many  little  ravines,
many little streams leading off, and if
either  one  starts  out to  trace  the
source of these different streams he
will be lost and the friends will never
meet.
If both follow the shore-line they
will surely meet at the other-
side. The Bible is our shore-line.
Stay close to it, and though death come
to us we shall surely meet on the other side. Only those who wander off
seeking their own pleasure will be
lost. We can not deceive God. He
sees our hearts; He knows Avhat we
think. We may deceive men, but
God knows all things and therefore
our outward actions account for nothing in His sight. Beading the
Bible and going to church, doing
good things in the sight of men will
not satisfy, if in our hearts we do not
truly seek after righteousness.
Men sometimes have an appearance
of being christians, but when you
look at their lives carefully you find
they are far from God. Last year
when christian people all over the
world were rejoicing because Christ
was born, Avere celebrating His birthday and giving presents to each other
to gladden all hearts. When the
whole world were singing praises to
God for the gift of His Son, a Dakota
man thought he would also join iu
the rejoicing. So he had his large
house all decorated Avith cedar and
flowers and made  a  feast and called