The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1887-04 - 1887-05

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL. IV.   N0S.  IV-V.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE DAKOTA   MISSION
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
APRIL-MAY, 1887.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Onr Platform.
For Indians ave avant American
Education! We want American
Homes! We want American Rights!
The result of which is American
Citizenship.
W§\& Hii*l Cairtnto
IS  PUBLISHED  FOB
THE DAKOTA MISSION,
in the interest of schools and mis-ions among
the Indians, with special reference
to the work of the
Santee Normal Training School
A. L_. RIGGS,
EDITOR A.1STD  PUBLISHER
Santee Agency, Nen,
Terms—One copy $    .50
Five copies      2.00
Ten copies     3.00
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postoffice
as second class matter.]
On the fifteenth of March they
held an inspiring celebration of Indian emancipation Avhich has come
through the DaAves' Severalty Bill.
But how is it that at the time of its
passage telegraphic despatches and
neAvspapers all over the country announce that President Cleveland
signed it on the fourth of February,
and iioav we are told that he signed it
on the eighth ?
James Brown, the Missionary of
the Native Missionary Society reports
as a token of progress that the young
men who come to his night school
furnish the lights and fuel for the
school.
Territory Poncas shoAv up in a rose-
colored light. But judging from
those avIio have come back north on
visits from time to time, we belieAre
they are in a much more unfavorable
condition for advance than Avhen
they were first placed there. And
one cause for this Ave need not go
far to find when we consider Avho
have been some of their government
instructors. Here is this Osborne
avIio has recently shot one of his employes dead and flippantly hopes he
may be excused for it. His justification is that it was in self-defense.
But the wretch (according to his
own description) he had to kill
was a man of his own choice, and he
is responsible for putting such a desperado in charge. No Avonder these
Indians are not civilized faster.
Edwin Phelps writes from Hampton, Va., that every day the roads are
full of people coming to visit the
black and red scholars there. But
there are tAvo classes of visitors, one
class likes the Indians, the other
class does not. But the friends of
the Indians are the most. Most of
the men avIio come to see them are
white haired. Young m6n are scarce
among the visitors.
The Santee Indian band of fourteen pieces was invited to attend a
G. A. R. Camp fire at Springfield,
Dakota, on the 9th inst. Concerning it the Springfield Times says:—
"The Santee band Avhich furnished
the music for the grand rally on
Saturday, acquitted itself most creditably, rendering many difficult pieces
in a skillful manner."
"Are they going backAvard" is the
question many will ask as they read
the last annual report of the U. S.
Indiau agent for the Poncas, E. C.
Osborne, Avhich we print elseAvhere.
Surely they are not going foi-Avard
very much. And Avhy is this? Part
of a true answer is this, that their so-
called progress was largely ficticious.
It was a political necessity to make
everything pertaining to these Indian
Another Way.
Recently those interested in the
administration of Indian schools have
noted the discussions groAving out of
a case of discipline at Carlisle, Pa.,
when the offender was found guilty
of theft and Avas punished by being
Avhipped before all the boys and put
to hard labor, Avith the label "thief,"
for one month. To some this seems
a severe and degrading punishment.
But Ave have nothing to say as to that.
When military discipline prevails,
military punishments are appropriate.
We haAre, hoAvever, the wish to call
attention to another way that we have
tried in such cases; though the number of such cases have not been
many at Santee. When by careful
private investigation, it is found that
the accused is certainly guilty, he is
brought face to face with the facts
and Avitnesses. The nature of the
sin he has committed is opened up to
him, as a sin against God as well as
against man. He is asked to make a
clean breast of it, and to repent and
seek forgiveness of God and of his
fellow students. If his pride holds
him back from this, he is given time
for reflection and study of the Bible
in his OA\ru room, it may be for a day
or for a week. And when he is ready
to confess before the school family
to which he belongs, he is given the
opportunity. At the same time it is
impressed upon his associates that
they have a Christian duty to perform. That the object is the restoration of the offender, by the putting
aAvay of his sin through confession
and reparation, and by lifting the
brother up again by their sympathy
and their prayers.
Such occasions have been most impressive and helpful to all. They
have lifted all to a higher plane of
thinking and to have a more tender
feeling for each other. And the result as regards the offender has been
for moral recovery and spiritual
quickening.
W"e believe this is better than the
military way.
Y. W. C. A. of Santee.
In the list of societies in Santee
Normal Training School, given in
the March number, the Young Woman's Christian Association Avas unintentionally omitted.
The society Avas organized last November. The officers are elected every three months, in order that more
can learn to preside at and conduct a
meeting. The primary object is to
give the young Avomen information
about Christian missions. This, of
course, admits of a variety of topics,
as they also desire to learn something concerning the particular
country selected for the evening's
study. The habits, religion and costumes of these peoples so far away
are very interesting to the Dakota
girl Avhose knowledge of the Avorld is
quite limited.
Being present at a recent meeting
I Avas pleased to see Avith what quiet
dignity the two older young women,
acting as president and secretary,
conducted the meeting. They are
always held in the large sitting room
of the "Home," the chairs being arranged in straight i-oavs and those
Avho take part in the program seated
in the front row. The program is
ahvays interspersed with music, instrumental and vocal. E. W.
Santee Agency, Neb.
Our Easter Service.
After a three days' wind storm
that had surrounded us with such a
cloud of sand and dust as to entirely
shut off our view, even if we had
dared to open our eyes, and after
every loose thing—also many articles
heretofore considered on substantial
foundations—had been on a three
days' frolic, vying with the wind for
leadership in the wild chorus, Easter
morning dawned. Not "clear and
cloudless," but calm and still. And
added to the joy that Easter always
brings, came the thankfulness for the
words "Peace, be still" which seemed
to be repeated for us.
The exercises appropriate to the
day were in place of the English service at half past two. The decorations in the chapel Avere in charge of
Miss Pratt, which leaves little more
to be said, as she has a special gift
in the art of arranging floAvers. A
high bank of flowers and foliage on
the platform was surmounted by the
motto, "Christ, our life. He is risen,"
in green and silver on a black background. The space on the wall
around the motto was filled with
pressed ferns. Suspended from the
ceiling oArer the bank Avas a very
pretty fern in a hanging basket.
The folloAviug is the program:
PROGRAM.
Chorus "Come  Ye Faithful."
Reading of Scripture (English).
Prayer (Dakota).
Responsive Reading.
Apostles' Creed—Repeated iu concert.
Gloria Fatri.
Recitation—"Angels of Easter."	
 Mary Philbrick,  Agnes Huntsman.
Chorus.. "Let the Merry Church Bells ring."
Reading of Scripture (Dakota).
Recitation English Primary Class.
Song, "Jesus Ever Lives".. .Primary Class.
Recitations:
"Christ the Conqueror of Death,"
 Jimmie Cox.
"The Ascended Christ," Angelique Cordier.
Semi-Chorus and Chorus.
Responsive Reading.
Recitation—"There is No Death."..
 Mable Riggs, Fannie Frazier
Heading of Scripture (Dakota).
Chorus "He is Risen.'
Responsive Reading.
Recitation—"That City."	
 Kmma Wold, Eunice Kitto.
Reading—"Heaven's Joys,".. .Miss Haynes.
Chorus "The Day of Resurrection."
Benediction.
We desired to do away with the exhibition idea, and endeavor to have
the pupils think of the deep meaning
of the Resurrection. And the quiet
way in which they took their places
and the earnest expression of the
faces proved that the exercises impressed them.
The music was unexceptionably
good. Miss llsley has reason to be
encouraged. The semi-chorus of
girls is deserving of special mention.
The entire program Avas Avell rendered, those taking part speaking clearly and distinctly. W.
DEATHS.
Died:—March 17, 1887, at Santee
Agency, Neb., Abbie Graham of Poplar Creek, Montana. A tribute to her
character will be found elseAvhere in
this paper.
Also, March 18, 1887, Joseph Simon, of Sisseton Agency, D. T., of
quick consumption.
And news has just reached us of
the death of Joseph PoAvell, April 12,
1887, at his home at Devil's Lake
Agency, D. T. He Avas a much loved
pupil of our school. But he ruined
his health and brought on consumption by Avorking too hard during summer vacations in the harvest field
and with the threshing machine.
Items from Berthold.
There have been three Christian
burials among our people this winter.
Frank Pattineaud, whom many will
be interested to hear of, has been
working steadily all winter. He took
an agency contract to draw logs from
the Point, a distance of ten miles;
has had to be up these bitter cold
mornings between four and five
o'clock and make the trip there and
back daily.
Since his return from Santee he
has had a hard battle to fight and at
times has seemed to lose the victory.
We have now great hopes and strong
evidences that the good seed soavu,
will, through God's grace, yet conquer. He should have our prayers
and sympathy more than our censure.
We often hear of him now gathering
a little company of his people together evenings to tell them Bible stories.
One of our Indians desires a black
coat to wear on Sundays. The same
one being partially disabled in one
arm by a shot, Avonders if he cannot
get a "job at minister."
Gophers are a great nuisance here.
This spring our little boys have been
offered two cents apiece for every
gopher they kill. They are diligently at Avork improving eyrery spare
moment.
Our first collection Avas taken a feAv
Sabbaths ago and the gopher money
will give the little, boys an opportunity to take part in giving.
The river here has broken up two
weeks earlier than usual and in a
most quiet, yvell-behaved manner,
none of the terrors attending it that
have been anticipated all Avinter by
the Indians.
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