The Word Carrier of Santee Normal Training School (Santee, Nebraska), 1909-05 - 1909-06

              e Word Carri
ok Santee Normal Training School.
VOLUME XXXVIII.
HELPING THE  RIGHT, EXPOSING THE WRONG.
NUMBER  3.
SANTEE, NEBRASKA.
MAY-JUNE, 1909-
THIRTY CENTS PER YEAR.
Our   Platform
For Indians we want American Education ! We want Ar
Homes! We want American Rights! The result of whicn is
American Citizenship! And the Gospel is the Power o( God for
their Salvation!
\meri-
hich i
The Indian—A Crisis
James Fenimore Cooper gave the Indian a
high place in romantic fiction. In many ways
this was well deserved, his simple life in the
open air, bravery under torture, fidelity to his
friends, undying hatred to his enemy, endurance
and hardihood, unmatched skill in woodcraft
aiid continual fight against an overwhelming
enernv—a losing fight from the very beginning
 all belonged to the Indian whatever his tribe.
Many school boys of thirty years ago learned
that glowing tribute beginning, "Not many
generations ago where you now sit encircled by
all that exalts and embellishes civilized life the
rank thistle nodded in the wind and the wild
fox dug his hole, unscared here lived and loved
anotherrace . . . ." This was near the close
of the romantic period.
Later Helen Hunt Jackson gave a romantic
view of the Indian under different conditions.
But the outbreak of 1862 in Minnesota, and
the hostilities that followed the Civil War in all
parts of the country broke this romantic spell.
Deprived of his hunting grounds, by the
advance of civilization, driven to the wall, but
fighting his way stubbornly against the army,
he became a terror, and stood for the very embodiment of blood-thirsty cruelty. But General Crook's victory over the Apache, General
0. 0. Howard's pursuit of Chief Joseph, and
the whole standing army after Colonel Custer's
defeat completed his defeat and drove him to
the reservation.
On the reservation he became the helpless
ward of the nation, and the irritating charge of
the Indian Bureau. Their attempts to help him
have been expensive. One administration after
another has tried to make him a farmer, a stock
raiser, a man laboring for wages, a white man.
These attempts have been serious and honest.
Schools and garden seeds, unbroken oxen and
plows, wagons and overalls were issued to him
with a lavish hand. Generally each commissioner tried a new method, and reversed all
former methods until the Indian was utterly
confused. Under the political system a farmpr
from South Carolina might be sent to teach a
South Dakota Indian to farm. And next year,
a Bohemian farmer might be sent to the same
place to teach the Indian how to care for cattle
on the open range. In this mix-up and doomed
to-failure-from the-start system the Indian got
the common reputation of being lazy and no
good.
But the desire of the white man to get his
land resulted in the land in severalty law,
and the sale of the unalloted portion of his
reservation. In the states where the Indian
lived, the public considered it a case of a
no-good Indian on exceptionally good land.
The failure to make him a successful farmer
had wearied the Indian Bureau. Even the Indian halfback, who could plow through the
Harvard line and raise a cheer from the grand
stand, could not raise a crop of cotton in Oklahoma or corn in Dakota any better than most
of the Harvard team, while heredity and environment did not furnish him the world-wide
field of opportunity that is open to his white
opponent.
The whole policy of the Indian Bureau for
the past forty years has been a combination of
Mate prison and kindergarten treatment, and
has taken into consideration very little of the
independent, brave, self-respecting, enduring
spirit of the Indian. Also it has robbed him
of many of his best qualities, and has given him
little in place of what it has taken.
The present commissioner of Indian affairs
snows the Indian as few of his predecessors did.
His policy is a reversal of all that has taken
place in the past forty years. Briefly stated j
this policy is to allot the Indian his land. Those
who are capable are given a clear title to the
land which they can sell at once. Those who
are incapable—the old, disabled and sick, being
allowed to sell, can live on the income.
Tribal funds are to follow the same distribution soon. So this is the Indian crisis. At this
point comes a great opportunity, and duty for
the missionary societies. The three strong
missionary forces among the Indians have been
through the Presbyterian, Episcopal and Congregational missions. Each of these denominations has developed strong Indian churches,
with an able ministry. The native churches
have come to a self-consciousness which will do
much in this crisis.
But it is not the time for the missionary
societies to diminish their efforts or abandon
their work. Reasons for strengthening and
extending the work were never more urgent.
The door is open as it never has been. Requests for the preaching of the Gospel are coming to every missionary in the field.
The training of the native ministry for which
we need our schools, and holding up of the
native church are demands that we must heed
now. Will the churches "strengthen the things
that remain?"
It is not a time to be at ease in Zion and say
the Indian is a dying race. Doubtless he is to
be absorbed into our great nation. Some will
find their way through the United States Senate,
some through the ministry, law and medical
professions. It is for the churches to say whether the many are to be absorbed as criminals and
vagabonds or as Christians.— Rev. James F.
Cross, in the American Missionary.
Santee Normal Training School
39th Anniversary, May 25-27, 1909.
Tuesday, 71 45 p. rrt.,
Wednesday, 7 : 45 p. m.,
Thursday, •( 3, 00 to 4 ■ 00 p. m.,
Thursday, 7 ■ 45 p- m.,
Beginners' Musical.
Musical Recital.
-    School Exhibit.
Games and Lawn Social.
Closing Program.
The exercises of May 25-27 closed one of
the best years of work that the Santee school
has ever had.
Although the week began with steady pouring rains which continued for three days, on
Thursday the sun was shining and the weather
could not have been better for the lawn social,
military drill and ball games.
At the Tuesday evening musical twelve girls
and three boys played. Most of these who
took part were the younger pupils. Their program was unusually good, and gave promise of
better work in the more advanced grades.
On Wednesday evening the following program was given. All who took part had had
more than one year of study, and while some
showed much more musical ability than others,
all were to be commended.
PUPILS RECITAL
1. Polka Militaire, Englemann
Clarice De Coteau
2.
Tripping on the Green,
Reed
Elsie Lear
3.
Robins' Greeting,
Fearis
Florence Robertson
4.
Graduation IV
arch
James Eagle
Dellafield
5.
Nocturne Op.
52,
Harriet Rouillard
Leybach
6.
Landler,
Louis Baker
Heins
7.
Last Hope,
Stella Frazier
Gottschalk
8.
Serenade,
Philip Fraziet
Schneidler
9.
May Bells Ringing,
Seiwert
Luther Williams
,  f "Polonaise
Militaire
Chopin
1U- \ ^Sabbath Memory,
Kulluk
Grace Frazier
11   Larghetto De La Symphonic, Beethoven
Nellie Mitchell,   Harriet Rouillard
Thursday afternoon, the school rooms and
exhibit rooms were open to visitors. The art
classes had a most attractive exhibit iu the
library. It was good to note that several of
the pupils whose class standing had been below the average had here done most creditable work. In the exhibit rooms was shown
the work of all grades in the various departments of the school from the class rooms,
blacksmith and carpenter shops, printing office
and sewing school. These rooms are especially interesting to the pupils' parents, and are
frequently a revelation to them of their chil-
drens' progress.
After the exhibits was the military drill on
the school campus. The boys' band played for
the drill and then gave a concert, every number given being heartily applauded. The girls'
basket ball game followed. The teams had
been well trained and the score was close.
Then came games for the children which all
watched with interest. Towards the close of
the afternoon the Y. M. C. A. of Bazile Creek
sold basket suppers at auction.
Closing Program, Thursday Evening.
Entrance March by school band.
Chorus—"Come Smiling Spring"     -   -    -   -   Fearis.
Recitations of Pupils to receive Seventh Grade Certificates.
General Subject—Making the Most of Ourselves.
Life that is Worth While   -   -   -   Luther H. Gulick.
James Jacob Herman.
The Bath—For Body and Soul    -   Luther H. Gulick.
Laura Madeline Cooper.
Vitality—The Armour of Offence -    Luther H. Gulick.
Stella Martha Frazier.
Cooking School    ------   Mrs. D. A. Lincoln.
Minnie Elizabeth   Bearsghost,
The Blessing of Work   -   -    -   - Francis G. Peabody.
Chauncey De Pew Williams.
Why we Learn to Sing   -   -    -    -    Fredric H. Ripley.
Julia Martha Bear,
Girls' Chorus —The Nightingale    -----    Gaul.
Recitations by Senior High School Pupils, candidates
for graduation certificates.
Unselfish Life Francis  G.  Peabody.
James Holding Eagle.
Farming Frank West Rollins.
Louis William Baker.
Boys'Quartet—"Our Schoof Days"   -   -   Hildebrand.
Home Training versus the School    -    Joseph C. Park.
Harriet Winona Rouillard.
Reasons for Manual Training   -   -   Woldemar Goetze.
Luther Aaron Williams.
Duet and Chorus —Farewell   ------  Hanson.
Announcements of Promotions
Presentation of Certificates
At the graduation exercises the recitations
were given with expression and understanding,
and with an earnestness that surprised many
in the audience.
The graduates were James Eagle of the
Mandan tribe, Louis Baker of the Gros Ventre,
Luther Williams, a Titon, and Harriet Rouillard, a Santee.
Dr. Riggs' address to the graduates at the
presentation of certificates was impressive.
He reminded the class that these certificates
were signs of our trust in them, of our con
fidence that they were able now to go forth
and make use of what they had learned, to be
of service to others, and to have an influence
that would count for right in their community.
The Sham in our government's care for the
Indians is conspicuous in this item of news in
The Oglala Light, of Pine Ridge Agency. As
long as these Wild West Show parties are allowed, the other efforts of the government for
the civilization of the Indians are a farce.
"Mr. Frank W. Gandy, agent for the Wild
West Show at Earl's Court, London, England,
arrived on the 20th and gathered together his
thirty-eight "braves" and left with them on the
28th for England, where they are engaged for a
twenty-five weeks show. To commemorate
their departure they gave a "heap big" dance
at the Agency Square the 27th."