The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1902-09 - 1902-10

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME    XXXI.
HELPING    THK    RIGHT.    EXPOSING    THI   WRONG.
SUM ItKU   II.
SANTEE, NEBRASKA.
SETPEMBER-OCTOBER
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAH.
OUR PLATFORM.
K-For Indians we want American Ed- j
ucation! We want American Homes! !
We want American Rights! The re- \
suit of which is American Citizenship ! i
And'the gospel, is the Power of God for
their Salvation!	
"MISSION MEETING."
^Representatives from all the
Presbyterian and Congregational
churches among the Dakota Indiaus
have met in a large conference
meeting every fall for twenty eight
years- These are camp meetings,
and are invited from place to place
by the local churches. The Indians
call the meeting the Ptaya Owohda
ke, that is, the talking together.
These meetings have frequently
had a very large attendance,—as
high as three thousand.
This year's meeting was at Santee. The attendance was about a
thousand. Tbe program was interesting and well carried out. The
meeting was opened at 9:00 a. m.,
September 11, by a hand shaking
meeting, enrollment and organization. That afternoon there was a
special prayer meeting, and a sermon, then the presentation of additional subjects for discussion.
Every evening the Y. M. C. A.
held sway.
^September 12 and 13 the forenoons were given to discussions,
and the afternoons to separate
meetings of tbe Presbyterians and
Congregationalists intheir Presbyteries and Association meetings respectively. In the general meetings some of the topics for discussion vvere as follows: "Has the time
come for Dakota churches to support their pastors without outside
aid?" "Will the sale of land that
belonged to the deceased be a benefit or hurt to the people ?" "When
is saving money good and when
bad?" "What corrupts the people?" "Dances," "The growth of
God's Kingdom."
I- Besides the discussions, there
were in the general meetings some
lectures and addresses given by
distinguished visitors. Some of the
visitors present this year were Mr.
J. W. Davis of Boston, Dr. F. P.
Woodbury, A. M. A. Secretary,
from New York, and Mr. Brosius
representative of the Indian Rights
Association, from Washington, D.O.
I During the whole time of the
meeting, September 11-14, inclusive, branch meetings of all kinds
were held—as many as could be
packed into the time. The Santee
Normal Training School Alumni
Associaton held a meeting for general greeting and election of officers
on the evening of September 11, before the Y. M. C. A. The Y. P. S.
C. E. held meetings Saturday night
and Sunday morning. Besides
the Presbytery and Congregational
Association meetings there were
meetings of the Congregational
Native Missionary Society and women's meetings of each denomination and of both together. Most of
these meetings are given a separate
account in this paper. The openings of the general meetings were
much enriched by a choir of Santee pupils under the lead of Mrs.
Harriet Cooper Biggs,
f Saturday noon, as usual, there
came the election of the next place
of meeting. There were invitations
from   many   places.     The   place
chosen was Cannon Ball, on the
Standing Rock Reservation, North
Dakota. The Sabbath was the
great day as usual again. The
communion service in the morning
was very solemn. The general missionary meeting in the afterno'on,
when those who have worked under
the Native Missionary societies,both
Presbyterian and Congregational,
made their reports, was an exceptionally good meeting. The speakers were all interesting, and all different. There was a packed house at
the English meeting Sunday evening. The sermon was by Rev. G.
W. Reed, missionary at Standing
Rock. The Indians took part as interestedly and actively in the English service as in their own. Then
followed the late meeting of the Y.
M. C. A., closing with their hand
gra^p circle as usual. During the
Conference the white missionaries
held evening meetings in the laboratory for the discussion of their
work. The school rooms and exhibit
rooms were open many hours during the Conference and received
many visitors. There was a fuller
representation of the academic and
industrial work of the school than
usual. The agricultural department, was extensively represented
for the first time. The Santee Pilgrim church was much praised for
its bountiful entertainment of the
grea.t meeting. All the great throng
had plenty to eat. And the great artesian fountain furnished the drink.
The weather was beautiful. The
meetings were spiritual. All departed glad  that they had come.
F. B. a.
THE  INDIAN   CAMP.
No one could help admiring the
picturesqueness of the scenes
around Santee during the meeting.
The different tribes were in different groups, and some of the tents
were ornamented with porcupine
work. Inside there was all the
comfort imaginable, beautiful skins
for rugs, gay blankets for beds,
trunks for the best clothes and
occasionally a stove, but generally
just a little fire in the center or a big
fire outside.
The women sat around visiting
and sewing with no more discomfort
than if at home.
All around outside the tent were
signs of camp life. Squash and
pumpkins in slices hung on the
wagons to dry, plenty of corn, and
in one place a duck and i.wo chickens, aud in another three ducks
picketed under the wagons, having
been brought and kept alive until
wanted some day for dinner.
Fresh meat spoils and canned meat
is tiresome. This plan was all that
could be desired.
The delegates and their horses
were entertained by the Santee
church, but in a primitive style.
The horses were turned into the
mission pasture where they covered
the hills and looked very pretty.
The delegates themselves received
meat, potatoes, flour, baking powder, coffee, sugar and apples, all
uncooked to be prepared as they
chose in their own camps.
In the evenings, when the camp
fires blazed up, the tents looked
larger and whiter than ever. When
all was quiet the scene was doubly
attractive.
But the best part of the day was
when, morning and evening, the
members of each camp gathered in
a circle for family prayers. Those
of one camp around a larger banner of the stars and stripes which
they had brought with them and
raised in the center of their camp.
The hymns in their own language,
as we listened from the mission,
came to us from one camp after
another through the quietness of
the morniug and evening and made
us realize as never before what a
change the knowledge of a Saviour's
love had wrought in the hearts and
lives of this people.
Our visitors had to work harder
to come to the Meeting than do the
delegates tn most church meetings.
Those who came overland had their
horses to care for, water, wood, and
feed to naul for camps, and all the
cooking to do.
Those who came by train found
that the railroad would provide no
coaches for them either coming or
going, although even the white men
had telegraphed, asked and insisted.
The best that could be gotten were
empty cattle and freight cars. All
had to crowd inside or on top the
best they could and pile their tent
and other baggage wherever there
was room.
It is impossible to have such a
large gathering and have no one
sick. This time Mrs. Spottedbear
was ill but was cared for and recovered. But there was one small boy
who had hurt his foot badly before
coming. Two of tho Santee teachers
were much worried fearing blood-
poisoning and tried to get the parents
to take the boy to the doctor. They
said they wanted to but that the meetings were so close together there was
no time!   The boy also recovered.
Trie Dakota Women's Missionary
Society gave a supper to the officers
and delegates of tbe visiting societies It was partly what might be
called a picnic supper and yet more
elaborate, for a fire was built by the
side of the creek and an immense
kettle of stew put on to boil. Then
there were coffee, sandwiches, pie,
cake, and all other things necessary
for such an occassion.
The women sat iu a big circle on
the grass under the trees. The President of the Santee society, Mrs.
John Walker, welcomed the visitors, telling them how glad the
Santee women were to have them
here, and that they had invited
them in order that they, as representatives of the Dakota women's
Societies, might become acquainted
and know more of each other and
their work. This was followed by
prayer and then the feast began.
Everyone had a good time and
there was enough to eat so that
each woman could take some home
to the children. e. m. d.
ORDINATION SERVICE.
The mission meeting proper began on Thursday, hut Wednesday
evening was given to an ordination
and installation service. Two In-
ians who had been employed as missionary preachers for a few years
without ordination, were ordained
as ministers. Their names wereBen-
jamin Zimmerman, and Wakute-
mani. Many of these native teachers are never ordained, but these by
their character and efficiency seemed to show that they were worthy
of it.
The order of the ordination was
as follows:—
Charge by Rev. J. F. Cross; right
hand of fellowship, by Rev. F. P.
Woodbury, a secretary of the A. M.
A, and ordaining prayer, by Rev. T.
L. Riggs. Following this came the
installation of Rev. Francis Frazier
as pastor of the Pilgrim church at
Santee. Mr. Frazier is the son of
Rev. Artemas Khnamani, who has
been a faithful and honored pastorof
the church for thirty-two years.
Mr. Frazier himself has beeu in
charge of a mission church on the
Rosebud Agency for several years,
and there is no one who can better
take his father's place.
The installation began with the
charge to the pastor by Rev. T. L.
Riggs. Then came the right hand
of fellowship, given by Rev. B. G.
Matson, of Yankton, and then the
prayer offered by President Warren
of Yankton College. The charge to
the church was given by Rev. W. H.
Thrall, Superintendent of home missionary work in So. Dakota.
During the installation, allusion
was made to the blessing the church
had enjoged so long, in the former
pastor, and the hearts of the people
responded in recognition of tbis
blessing. But then the church were
told they were to receive this new
pastor without comparison, and let
him work cut his life and service in
his own way. The possible strength
and joy that may be in the bond
between pastor and people was
spoken of. The meeting was a solemn and tender one.
Events of this kind are not very
common. One may easily be a
church member and attend church
for many years, without seeing either an ordination or an installation,
but those who can be present on
such an occasion, find that it is
good for them to be there. It was
a privilege to have with us so many
of these ministers to assist in this
interesting service. e. l.
MOTHERS' MEETING.
On Saturday afternoon at two
o'clock the cbapel was nearly filled
with women who came together for
what was to many of them their
first mothers' meeting. The society
at Santee had prepared a program
with questions answered and every
thing was done as it is at our usual
monthly meetings. After the program several spoke of the good
such meetings would do at other
places. s. l. v.
CHRISTIAN  ENDEAVOR MEETINGS.
The Sunday School hour during
the mission conference was given to
the Christian Endeavor Society.
The meeting was led by the president, Miss Pond, subject, "Joy in
God's house." The service was
entirely devotional. Owing to the
early hour and a gethering of the
Presbyterians at the same time the
attendance was not as large as had
been hoped for. However it was a
helpful hour. A business meeting was held the evening before.
Reports from the 'Afferent societies
were interestingly given. The following officers were elected for the
coming year: Mr. H. R. Stone,
president; Miss Pond, vice-president ; Miss Leonard, secretary.
h. c. R.