The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1886-10

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL. III.   NO.   VIII.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE  DAKOTA   MISSION.
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
OCTOBER, 1886.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Our Platform.
For Indians we want American
Education! We want American
Homes ! We want A merican Rights !
The result of which is American
Citizenship.
Long Hollow, Brown Earth, Flandrau, Yankton Agency and Grand
River.
The Word Caiuueh is published in the interest of schools and missions among the Indians. 11 is published for 77*g Dakota Mission,
originally planted by the American Board in the
year 1S35, in Minnesota, hut 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.
. Ths 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.
It is often asked by those who do
not favor Indian education. "What
is the use? How long will it take
your educated Indian to go back to
his old way of living? AVhat proportion of them ever amount to anything."
It Avould be difficult to state just
the proportion of those Avho go out
from a school like ours, and are not
lost sight of, but are heard from in
later years.
At the conference at Devil's Lake,
there were at least a dozen young
men, old pupils of Santee, Avho stord
mentally and morally head and shoulders above those about them, and are
making their mark in their world.
Let me ask what proportion of the
college-bred young men of our eastern colleges ever rise to the level to
which their college education Avould
allow them to attain ? Most of them
engage in business in Avhich their
knowledge of Greek, Hebrew and
Calculus goes by the board, and yet,
who shall say it is of no use? Do
they not of necessity think better,
act nobler than if the mind had not
received severe mental drill? Every
college-bred man is better for the
education he may use or not as circumstances dictate. So is every Indian better for a course in a training
school which leads him out of his inactivity of thought and feeling, and
prompts him to more active thought
and an effort to help those about
him, though he may seem to the un-
discerning not to be above their
level.
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postofficeas
second class matter.]
The annual conference of the
Mission workers of Dakota was held
at Wood Lake church, Devil's Lake
reservation, September 23d to 26th
inclusive. The attendance was remarkably good, considering the distance from the center of the field.
Many of the Indians drove over four
hundred miles to be present.
The programme of the Conference
was as follows:
1. What are the great points of
the Gospel message; those necessary
to Salvation?
2. Will the keeping up of Dakota
customs tend to the life of the Dakota
people?
3 How can one fit himself to become a good Sabbath schoolteacher?
4. How can we strengthen the
church?
5. Has not the time come for our
Dakota churches to do something for
missions outside of our own country
and people?
6. What the white churches are
doing in benevolent contributions.
7. Does study injure the health
of the body?
Some of the mission stations represented were Sisseton Agency, Santee Agency, Crow Hill, Buffalo Lake,
When the news agent offered to
Mr. AA'alking Hawk, on his way to
Devil's Lake, the last neAv novel, and
Mr. Causes the Wind asked if "those
yellow things," meaning the California pears, were good to eat, some
feeling within us forced upon us the
conviction that there is still somewhere a "difference."
A conundrum for Mr. Hall. AVhy
is there more romance in gathering
cat-tails at Devil's Lake than plumed
grasses?
Edwin Phelps has gone to Hampton, as Dakota chaplain.
Mr. and Airs. Sterling made us a
short call, on their way to Pine
Ridge Agency, where they are to engage in mission work. Young, devoted, and full of enthusiasm as they
are, we predict for them the success
that crowns earnest work, and the
great gifts that the Master has in
store for the willing workers in his
field. AVe gladly greet them, and
welcome them.
We wish to apologize to our friends
the Meneely Bell Company, who
have now furnished us two of their
Avorld renowned bells, for the mistake
that got into the notice of our New
Dining Hall bell in our last number.
The types brought it out that we had
bought of MacNeely.
Mr. Moody's Summer School.
It is good to learn something;
one's learning changes nature, I
know.
This summer I have been to Mr.
Moody's summer school at Mt.
Hermon, Mass., where two hundred
and fifty students gather for the
gaining of more bible knowledge. I
am sure it has done me more good
to have that one month's study of
the bible than all the bible studies I
have done myself. My desire Avas
to preach the gospel, if God wanted
me to, but I was too coAvardly to let
anyone know it. This school has
taught me how to stand up for
Christ, fight for Christ and die for
Christ. I am no more ashamed to
say: Lord take me and use me if
there is anything in me worth using.
And I shall now be willing to say, if
anyone should ask me, On which
side are you? I am on the Lord's
side.
Now this bible class which has
done so much good was for the
Young Men's Christian Association
of the colleges of the United States
and Canada. There were twenty-
five states represented and eighty-
eight colleges, with instructors from
different quarters. Associated Avith
Mr. Moody, who conducts the
school, Avere some of the most eminent of bible scholars, such as Maj.
D. W. Whittle, Rev. James H.
Brooks, D. D., Rev. W. G. Moorehead, D. D., Rev. W. AV. Clark, D.
D., Rev. Arthur T. Pierson, D. D.,
Rev. A. G. Gordon, D. D., and I
don't Avant to forget Deacon Willard,
of Chicago, whose memory is so
great as to enable him to.remember
all the verses in the new testament.
AVe all feel that we know nothing
about the bible as compared with
him, and how much more shall we
feel our ignorance, as compared with
his knowledge,when we get to heaven
and Christ's teaching.
AVe all learned that we have not
studied our bibles as we ought, and
I do not dare to let a day go by without reading my bible. Some of the
topics were as follows: It would be
impossible here to tell of all of the
things that were said there. Maj.
Whittle made the first address on
"The Everlasting AVell." Dr. Brooks
next spoke on "The Verbal Inspiration of the Bible." He said: "Many
persons do not believe in this. They
might as well throw away their
bibles. If one word is not inspired
the whole section is not. The things
that are generally not believed are
the stories of Sodom, Gomorrah,
Lot's wife and Jonah. But Christ
says, 'as it was with Gomorrah and
Sodom, so shall it be when the Son of
Man is revealed;" and again he says,
"Remember Lot's wife." Jonah Avas
three days in the belly of the whale:
so is the Son of man three days in
the grave. The words of Moses,
David, Jeremiah and all the prophets
are inspired. Why? Because all
sayings are ended with "Thus saith
the Lord." Another proof that
words are inspired is found in the
utterance of Avords without knoAvledge,
as Num., 11:25-29; 22:28; 23:5-12-16;
24:2-5, etc."
Other topics Avere "Study of the
AVord," "Attitude of Mind," by Dr.
Moorehead; "Evidence of Christianity," "The Verification of Prophecy,"
by Dr. Pierson; "The AVord of God,"
by Dr. Clark, "First—Its author,
the Holy Spirit. Second—Outline,
study to learn the scope. Third—
Subject, Christ. Fourth—Purpose,
For us. Fifth—Internal divisions,
Jew, Gentile and the Church. Sixth
—Teacher, the Holy Spirit."
Again, by Dr. Clark, "The Holy
Spirit."
I.—Predictions.
II—The person, "He," "Him,"-
John 14:17; 16:26.
Ill—The Mission. _
1. Convinces of sin.
2. Presents Christ.
3. Regenerates.
4. Teaches.
5. Dwells iu us.
6. Gives power.
IV.—Our dealings with the Holy
Spirit.
1. Grieving.
2. Quenching.
3. Resisting.
So   the    days   of   "Our  Summer
School" Avent by. Every day seemed
to me like Sunday. One day Avas
just important as the day before.
God's Avordwasall made to us greater
than we had ever imagined before.
AVe were all so filled with a knowledge of the true, living Word, that it
does not seem possible that we can
ever be blind again to the truths of
the bible, and we all feel that the
world expects us to do what little we
can do for Christ.       James Garvie.
What
Indians     are
About.
Thinking
It may be of interest to the readers of the AVord Carrier, to know
Avhat Indians think about, as shoAvn
in the questions which came up for
discussion at their last annual conference.
Mr. Iron Heart, of AVood Lake
church, welcomed the conference,
and referred to the seed first planted
by Dr. Williamson in the hearts of
this people. He said: "Some light
has come from his son's efforts, but
it is still pretty foggy here." James
Lynde said he saAV a fine country,
and a larger meeting than he expected.
Mr. Who AValks Shouting said he
came here first some seventeen years
ago as missionary, with others sent
for that purpose, and tried to teach
the people for a few Aveeks. He
found a great change.
Mr. Shining face said: "I voted
to come to Devil's Lake and I am
here. Quite a journey up from Sisseton Agency. Fourteen teams in a
string raised a big dust, and we had
a windy, dirty, hard trip. AVe ate
up all our. rations, and Avere ready to
make signs to the people here for
something to eat We have now
been fed, and are in a good humor,
and all come together with good
hearts in this meeting.
Several others followed, expressing
-