The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1886-11 - 1886-12

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL. III.   N0S.   IX AND  X.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED   FOR   THE  DAKOTA    MISSION.
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1886.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Our Platform.
For Indians ave want   American
Education!    We    want    American
Homes !   We want American Rights ! |
The result  of avhich is  American
Citizenship.
a consciousness
The Woud Cakiuek is published in the interest of schools and missions among the In-
ilians. 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.
Ths Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions,
nt 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
A gency, Nebraska, is our principal school for
all this field, for higher education and normal
training. Therefore, while presenting the j
progress of our missionary and educational
work in the whole field, the interests and I
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.
OUR EASTERN  CAMPAIGN.
AVe are glad to be on duty again
after atrip of seven weeks through
some of the New England states, Illinois, New York, Ohio and Michigan.
AVe hope the readers of the AVord
Carrier will pardon the delay of this -
number. AVe have been presenting and the result was a complete over-
to some parts of the Christian public jthrow of a11 ammosity. The New-
an object lesson on "The Grace of' Port News of 0ct- 28th glves us a
God able to solve the Indian prob- i kmdly notice. It says of our pupils:
lem."      The result naturally is that I' rhey made a
of the indifference, less it be Mr. Shelton Avith his blue
and almost antagonism, that Ave had eyes, fair skin and tawny beard. He
to contend Avith. The landlord of j Avas looked upon as the Anglo Saxon
the little hotel Avas afraid to invite us who Avas interested in the "troupe."
into the parlor, for fear of running And here a word for Mr. Shelton,
against somebody's prejudices. This! whose uniform Christian kindness,
put us all on our mettle perhaps,' and sanctified common sense made
and the result Avas a
as
some are convinced, and some are
not, but as one of the friends of the
Indian has well said: "It will take
an earthquake to coiiAunce some
people that there is more than one
side to the question."
The five pupils who formed our
choir Avere Jennie Cox, Agnes Huntsman, Fannie Frazier, John Young
and Richard King. The different
Avays in which they impressed different people, is a commentary on the
people, rather than on our pupils.
For instance, of their first appearance in Chicago, at the National
Congregational Council, the Chicago
Inter-Ocean of October 17th says:
"Five Indians of the Dakota tribe,
tAvo males and three females, dressed
in the ugly garments of the 19th ceri
most faA'orable
pression by their modest and becoming behaAaor. Of Ehnamani: "He
is a full-blooded Sioux, 60 years of
age, tall, erect, dignified, eloquent in
speech and gesture;" and of the
meeting as a whole that it was a "decided success." Through the kindness of citizens of Newport, avIio
placed their carriages at our disposal,
the boys and girls saAV the ocean for
the first time; a sight for Avhich they
had often longed.
The Providence Journal and Providence Morning Star of Nov. 1st, give '
some prominence to the ignorance of
the churches on the Indian question, j
and suggested   that now the knowl-
edge had been brought to  them,   all j
would be willing to help.
The    Mansfield  Daily  Herald  of!
common
the campaign   as   little   irksome
possible to all concerned.
Our school has been brought into
prominence, and recognized as a
training school of high grade. Even
the officers of the Association are impressed Avith this as they have never
been before. The specimens of industrial work done by our pupils received high commendation.
AVe feel that God has blessed us
beyond our deserts, and that He has
alloAved us to open the eyes of the
Christian Avorld to this His work in
the Avest.
tury, the men Avith the modern tail, Nov. 27th says: "The manly bear-
and the women with the surplus puffs i mS °f the PuPlls showed a thorough
and band and feathers and ribbons | training, and at the same time that
and waist-squeezers and hair-pins of I our American Indians are capable of
the enlightened female product of I becoming thoroughly civilized :
this present   century,  were at   this
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postoffice as
econd class matter.]
It is a great pleasure to us to have
Miss llsley in the school-room again,
after her eight weeks absence.
An Indian Avowan took the premium in butter at the Spokane, AVyo-
ming Territory fair. She is the
wife of Saltese, chief of the Coeur
d'Alene Indians, and is very proud of
her diploma.
John Young is at AVheaton College, Wheaton, Ills. George Basset
is at Carleton College, Northfield,
Alinn. Richard King has returned
to his home at Ft. Sisseton. These
were among our leading young men,
and we miss them sadly, but hope
for their larger groAvth in this
change.
One of the pretty and suggestive
pictures in our school-room is the
sight of the Avhite sitting side by side
with the Indian, in happy unconsciousness that there is any difference
hetween them. No thought of social
distinction or contrast of color mars
the good-fellowship which exists,
whether the white pupil be six or
sixteen.    This is as it should be.
proper methods are adopted."
Through some misunderstanding it
Avas reported here a troup of wild Indians Avere to appear. Consequently, without doubt, a part of the audience that gathered came out of curiosity, and Avere naturally disappointed.
Nov. 28th was field day at Cleveland, and a glorious day it was, bringing together the extremes of the
American Missionary Association's
Avork in a Christian union. Ehnamani
struck the key-note of this union,
when he said: "In this sacred Avork
Avhich Ave have in common I find we
have one Father, and one Saviour,
and we are all members of one family.
In Jesus Christ we have one common
work, and we should work together
carrying the knowledge of Jesus
Christ to all who are in darkness.
Although I am an Indian from Dakota, I claim you all as my brothers
and sisters." The Cleveland Plain-
Dealer says of our pupils: "The
voices of the singers were exceedingly sweet, and showed evidence of
careful training."
Detroit, Ypsilanti, and Kalamazoo
came in for their share in the Avork,
and the "five Santees sang their
sweet songs" at the New England
church, Chicago, to a full house on
Sunday Dec. 5th.
The next evening at Oak Park concluded the campaign.
Interspersed    with the  many  de-
point conducted to the platform, and
sang in excellent style." This may
be editorial wit, but is hardly a just
description of our modestly dressed,
and shy-appearing girls. The Chicago Tribune of the same date says,
Avithout any attempt at Avit: "The
pupils, three of whom Avere girls,
seemed to be intelligent half-breeds, j
and were modest in behavior, and
neat in dress." This is better, though
eAren this editor has no room for the
fact that five out of the six Indians
present Avere purely Indian. Hoav-
ever our pupils made a good impression, and Ehnamani addressed the
Council acceptably, so it is perhaps
somewhat immaterial Avhat the neAvs-
papers have to say on the subject.
We Avere received kindly, and treated
with the utmost courtesy.
The meeting in New Haven inspired us Avith new courage, and here
the Christian brotherhood of our
party Avas recognized. The Advance
says of Richard King and Jennie
Cox: "They are as refined and cultivated in appearance as the young
people from our best families."
People Avho see Indians for the first
time, and who notice them from mere
curiosity are liable to a mistaken
estimate  of them.
Our pupils are so far in advance
of what is expected by many that
these would not give credence to
their being Indians. Others, Avho
expect all things from a feAV years of; lightful and pleasurable memories of
civilization, took the Avhole party for
Indians, speaking of the "Native Indian Missionary" who interpreted
for Ehnamani, and congratulating
Miss llsley on her proficiency and
advancement.
In NeAvport Ave Avere oppressed by
kindnesses and courtesies received,
are some incidents Avhich naturally
seem to us noAV, at this distance, absurd and unnecessary. The reluctance of many people to believe in
our party as Indians, the insistance
of others that all were  Indians,   un-
Sent>*iiced to a Lingering Death.
New York, Nov. 29.—A Washington special to the World says:     The
fate of the Indians  captured  in  the
Miles campaign is practically settled.
It was not decided  when  they  Avere
first sent east whether  any  of  them
would be tried for their crimes.   The
President has examined the case very
carefully and has come to the conclusion that life confinement in  Florida
for all of these Indians,   where  they
can do no harm,   will   be  the   most
thorough punishment Avhich  can  be
visited upon them.      It  is  the  only
practical way by which they can  be
punished.    If the   criminals  among
them Avere to be singled out no military
commission would have any authority
to try them.     They would have to be
turned over to the civil authorities at
the place where the crimes Avere committed.    It Avould be a  travesty  on
justice to have these Indians tried in
Arizona or New Mexico.     There  is
not a Avhite man in  either  of   these
Territories who could sit on  a case
involving   the   rights   of   au Indian
Avith any kind of fairness.     The conviction of the criminals  would  leave
their   families   untouched.       These
families Avould train  up children  to
revenge the deaths of those who were
punished, and the result Avould   be   a
continuation of  outlawry  which  for
years has made life and property  so
insecure in the tAvo Territories.    The
removal of the  Indians to   Florida
takes aAvay nearly all of the  families
and leaves no stock to breed robbers
and assassins for the  future.     As  a
matter of fact, the 500 Indians transferred to Florida have been sentenced
to a lingering   death.      They   have
been brought up   in   the   mountain
countries, accustomed to freedom  in
the pure, cold air  of  high altitudes.
Their transfer to and confinement in
the warm   climate   of   Florida  Avill
simply result in their dying off  like
so many sheep.     Experienced  army
officers do not think  that  there  Avill
be   one  of them  alive at the end of
the next five years.
A MISSIONARY   MOTTO.
All cau pray.
Most can give.
Many can go.
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