The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1901-01

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XXX.
HELPING    THE    RIGHT.    EXPOSING    THE    AVRONG.
NUMBER  1.
SANTEE, NEBKASKA.
JANUARY, 1901.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR PLATFORM.
For Indians ive want American Education! We ivant American Homes!
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation!
OAHE   INDUSTRIAL   SCHOOL.
Oahe, Hughes Co., S. D.
Rev. T. L. Riggs, Superintendent.
Mrs. T. L. Riggs, Principal.
Miss Helen Hurlburt, Matron.
Miss Myrtle   Randall, Academic
Teacher.
Miss Alice C. Conger, )     Assist-
Miss Martha A. Bain, j" ants.
The Oahe Industrial School, established in 1884-85, is a direct
outgrowth of the mission Avork
among the Titons of the Cheyenne
River Reservation. For thirteen
years the missonaries had labored
among the people in their various
local settlements preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and teaching
the "gospel of soap, and of work"
as well, establishing day-schools,
and working somewhat through a
native agency.
Then the land on the eastern side
of tbe mission in the vicinity of
Peoria Bottom,—as Oahe was then
familiarly known, was thrown open
to settlement. Comparatively few
of the Indians took homesteads,
and the rest moved on to the reservation west of the Missouri. This
made it necessary to establish more
out-stations: these were under the
care of native teachers, who besides
preaching, held day schools where
the vernacular only was taught,
the main object being to Christianize
the people,— the older ones as well
as the children being taught to
read in the Dakota Bible.
The character of the work done
in these schools was necessarily
limited, and it was thought best to
establish a boarding school at the
central station, Oahe,—into which
pupils from the various out stations
could be gathered and where they
could be taught house-keeping and
sewing as Avell as English. This
was done in the winter of 1884-85.
The first pupils, twelve in number,
all girls, were taicen into the Mission Home and adjacent buildings,
and under the immediate care of
Mrs. Elizabeth Winyan, were carried through the school year. The
following summer, 1885, a substantial frame building was erected,—
one which Avould accommodate fifty
pupils. This building was erected by
individual gifts entirely, and for five
years the school was carried without cost to the treasury of any
missionary society, though reporting to the American Missionary
Association. The school prospered—the full number being cared for
several years in succession: then
the building was enlarged to provide
more accommodations for teachers,
and for one or two years the number
of pupils was considerably over fifty.
About this time, 1890, many Indian
parents asked us to take the little
boys also,and this was done, with the
understanding that there should not
be more than fifteen boys, and that
these would not be kept after they
were twelve years old. Then came
the "retrenchment" in our school
and mission work on the part of the
American Missionary Association;
the number of pupils Avas cut down
to twenty-live and the teaching force
was reduced correspondingly, so that
of late years there have never been
more than three teachers in the1
building, with the missionary's wife
to supplement in various ways.
The school from the very first has
been blessed and prospered: it has
grown in favor with the Indians
themselves, and is often spoken of
as "the school where the children
are taught Bible and Christian liv-1
ing, and where the little ones have
careful oversight and training."
Some of the pupils who have been
in the school, have continued their
studies at Santee and elsewhere.
Others have married. Wherever
we find them on the reservation we
see something that they have gained
from their school life. Some have
disappointed us, but on the whole
the work is done very creditably.
The boys share the Avork with the
girls, learning to sew and to help
with all the indoor Avork, as well as
to do the outside chores.
Oahe is not a rival of Santee or of
any other school: it has its legitimate place as a Christian school
for the children of this Cheyenne
River Reservation. The most of
the pupils are children of our own
church members—of those Avho have
become Christians under the influences of the evangelistic and school
work which began in this field tAven-
ty-eight years ago. Some of the
present pupils are children of the
first pupils who Avere in the School.
Since the need for "retrenchment,"
the parents have been encouraged
to provide clothing for their children, music lessons have been paid
for, and in various ways the home
peopie   are   being   taught   to   ap-
Oahe has fine facilities for Nature
Study. The hills, the valley, the
Missouri Avith its constantly changing channel, the Avoods with numerous birds and flowers, all within
easy walking distance giA'e never-
ending material for such work.
The equipment of Oahe School has
been added to during the last year,
in various ways. The number of
books for general reading as Avell
as for reference, was largely added
to by a personal gift from Miss
Dodge, and through her solicitation,
by a collection from her friends in
Brooklyn. These, with some purchases, increase our library to about
300 volumes. Also through Miss
Dodge's friends came a large collection of pictures cut from magazines and papers, for mounting and
use in the school-room.
Several large framed pictures,
the gift of Miss Dodge and Miss Lind
adorn the walls of chapel and home,
and are a source of gratification to
all. Mrs. Morris left a number of
articles which are duly appreciated.
The gift of a fine two manual organ from Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Davis
of Boston, and the purchase of a
practice clavier and of music charts
aud books, further equips our musical department.
To all our benefactors we say a
hearty "Lila pilaunyakiyapi"—you
make us very thankful.     M.L. R.
@alt ladtastrlal &®h.Qmh
we feel that our la.bor has not been
in vain in  the Lord.
Three years ago, when, because
of financial embarrassment the
American Missionary Association
decided to close Oahe School, we on
the field felt that we m ust continue it,
in faith that the Lord would provide.
He did, and that abundantly, before
the New Year. That year, owing
to the uncertainty in opening, many
of the pupils were diverted to other
schools, and we had but fifteen pupils; since then the number has increased, but the appropriation has
not been enough to provide for more
than thirty. Again this year, the
Association decided to close the
school, and again the missionaries
opened it "in faith." Teachers were
engaged,and pupils came in immediately until nowthenumberhas reached twenty-nine. About the middle
of October a telegram from New
York announced, "The grant, to Oahe School is restored," thus relieving us somewhat, though there
never was a question on our part,
but that if the work is of God, He
will make his approbation plain, and
will provide the necessary support.
The work done at Oahe in the
school room is Primary and Intermediate. The Bible is studied daily, both in the vernacular and in
English. By constant use in the
home.conversationa) English is rapidly acquired by the pupils.
in the home, all ihe pupils share
in the house-keeping and home-making. They learn to cook, to sew, to
do their own laundry work, and
though the most of them are young.
predate and  to  help the   school.
And what is the out-look for the
future ? We can easily and without
solicitation on our part procure the
full number of pupils that we can accommodate in the present building.
We are constantly asked to keep our
boys longer than the present age
limit, and to take in others from
twelve to fifteen years of age, and
since Santee has closed its house
for boys of that age it really seems
as though Oahe ought to do something for them. Our new teachers
have come with earnest preparation
for the work, and with deep consecration. There seems to be no reason why Ave should not be able to
accomplish very much for the Indian people through the Agency
of this school. God grant that it
may be so!
We believe that the Christian
school has its place in the scheme
of work for the Indian along with
evangelistic Avork, church AA'ork, hospital work and the work, of natives
and whites in the field at large. We
believe that one part of the work cannot say to another, "1 have no need
of thee," but that "God hath set
the members, each one of them in
the body, even as it pleased him."
And we believe that "Whether one
member suffereth, all the members
suffer with it, or one member is
honoured all the members rejoice
with it." Shallwenot then have
the "larger vision," and seek to
support all these agencies, and
work together ? Remembering that
we are all "Co Avorkers with God."
Oahe, So. Dak. JJ.   L    J£
BRIGHT  SAYINGS.
The new teacher had taken the
pupils for a walk to the river,—"the
muddy Missouri"; the children were
thirsty and wanted to "drink water." "Oh no," the teacher said,
"don't drink that water, it is too
dirty," to which one of the older
maidens replied with a touch of
scorn, "We are not white ladies!"
This fall the stage from Pierre to
Oahe has been driven frequently by
the wife of the regular driver. This
occasioned the remark from one of
thelittlegirls, "Some times the stage
is a man, and sometimes it is a
woman!"
One morning two persons were described in the stage, and one of the
girls said, "I guess it the stage and
his wife."
One of the teachers was reproving
some of the older girls for slapping
and hitting the younger ones; she
said "You ought not to do that at all,
it is not nice." One of the girls looked up and said gravely, "And if the
teachers hit us,What?"
OAHE'S FORMER TEACHERS.
Mrs. W. K. Morris is now in her
own home at Sissiton, So. Dak.
Miss J. M. Lind returned to her
home in Yankton, So. Dak.
Miss Dora'B. Dodge is at the
Northfield Training School, North-
field, Mass.,taking the Special Bible
course under Rev. Mr. Gray.
THE PICTURE.
The building on the right is readily recognized as the Chapel. - It is
also used as the school room. The
large building in the center is the
Oahe School. The smaller building
which is really in the rear of the
chapel is used as a music room.
On the left of the picture is the
missionary's residence which was
burnt since the picture was taken.