The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1890-04

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XIX.
HELPING    THE   RIGHT,   KXl'ilsiNC    THE   WRONG.
X I'M BER 4.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
APRIL, 1890.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR,
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education ! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! Tlw result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is tlw Power of God for
their Salvation.
Rev. C. W. Hiatt, District Secretary of the A. M. A., at Cleveland
Ohio,with Rev. Charles W. Shelton,
our Indian Financial Secretary,
stopped one day at Santee on their
way to Rosebud Agency. While
we appreciate the favor of the visit,
we must say that such touch-and-go
acquaintance is not satisfactory.
At Rosebud the Secretaries remained four hours.
The success of our Printing Establishment at Santee is very gratifying. In two years and a half it
has clearly demonstrated tbe wisdom of starting it. Its help to our
missionary work is already great,
and it has only begun to do what it
may do. The lajn Oaye, our monthly paper in the Dakota language,
could not have been continued at
all if this office had not been established.
As an educational aid the printing office is a splendid help, both
as a school of language and as a
branch of industrial training.
The excellent character of its
printing is so approved that the
American Missionary Association
now has voted to have all of the
printing for its department of Indian missions done here.
We have now an outfit that has cost
us about $1700 cash and well worth
$2500; as we have been very fortunate in our purchasing. We have
also in hand $415 towards building
a cottage home for the Superintendent of our Printing Department.
This is something indispensible to
the future success of the enterprise.
We have begun to build the cottage,
and hope that our friends will send
in $600 more to complete it. While
the American Missionary Association cordially endorses our printing'enterprise, as yet.it is run entirely independent of the Association.
And the gifts we call for are not to
entrench upon any of the regular
gifts to the Association.
One plan of the present Indian
Administration will, if carried out,
revolutionize the whole system of
affairs on the Indian Agencies.
It is to establish everywhere there
is a farming settlement of sufficient
size a depot of supply, with an instructor in farming in charge. These
will practically be sub-agencies.
The village day school will be located there. And there also will be
the proper place to locate the missionary out-station. The advantages of this plan are so plain it will
astonish many that it has not been
tried before. It will locate the Indians on their farms instead of on
the road between their farms and
the central agency, where they have
drawn tlieir supplies. It will give
them some instruction in farming,
if the right kind of superintendents
of farming are appointed. Heretofore the Indian Farm Superintendent has been of little use to the Indians.   In most cases he has been
merely head hostler to the Agency.
The day school will also be advantaged by having a permanent population around it, and by having a
home and company for its teacher.
This plan is not a new one. As
long ago as 1878 the Sioux Commission that located Red Cloud's and
Spotted Tail's people, consisting of
General Stanley, J. H. Haworth, and
the editor of this paper, urged the
seggregation of the Indians into
these small agricultural communities. It has taken a long time to
bring the idea to realization. The
Government has been making a
great show of civilizing the Indians
without employing the simple common sense methods that would have
ensured success.
DAKOTA PRESBYTERY.
The spring meeting of the Dakota Presbytery was held April 24
-26, at Buffalo Lakes, Sisseton
Agency, S. D. This Presbytery is
the oldest ecclesiastical body west
of the Mississippi, having been
formed by the first missionaries of
the American Board among the
Dakotas, in what is now the State
of Minnesota. The first churches
among the Dakotas were all organized on a somewhat free Presbyterian
basis. Churches formed according
to the Congregational way came in
comparatively recently. Hence
the meetings of the Dakota Presbytery have always been strong in
their Indian membership.
At this meeting there was also a
full attendance of the Presbyterian
missionaries working among the
Dakotas. Revs. J. P.Williamson and
C. G. Sterling of the Presbyterian
Board of Foreign Missions, and
Rev. M. N. Adams and W. K.
Morris of the Presbyterian Board of
Home Missions.
Buffalo Lakes is a country church,
some twenty-two miles from the
railroad, but they met the delegates
coming by rail at Webster, carried
them to the place of meeting and
entertained the Presbytery heartily.
The membership of this church
is altogether Indian.
The opening sermon was by Rev.
Daniel Renville of Crow Creek, S.
D. After which Rev. Joseph Rogers,
of Lower Brule Agency, was chosen
Moderator, and Rev. John Flute of
Tewaukon, N. D., Scribe.
The statistics of the Presbytery
report 15 ministers, 15 churches,41
elders, 1080 members. During the
the past year 123 have been received
on profession, and 65 adults and 125
infants have been baptized. The
number in Sabbath school is 605.
Contributions for missions $811;
and for other purposes $1489.
The Dakota Presbytery votes for
revision.
Memorial resolutions were passed
concerning Rev.. David Greycloud
deceased.
Disregard of marriage vows was a
topic for consideration, and a letter
was written to the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs about it.
Rev. Solomon Tunkansaiciye was
installed pastor of the church at
Buffalo Lakes.
Couldst thou, in vision, see
Thyself, the man God meant,
Thou never more wouldst be
The man thou art—content.
THE CHURCH DIXXE1! AT SANTEE.
April 5, 1890, was a day set apart
and made different from other days
at Santee. At noon the members
of Pilgrim Church met for the preparatory service for the Communion.
There was something peculiarly
sacred in shutting out the busy Saturday, and meeting at this noontide
hour to draw near to God and to
consider the impressive words,
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism."
At the close of the service the
members of Pilgrim Church who
were present accepted the previously
extended invitation to take dinner
together at the Dining Hall. To
members of the mission and congregation belonging to churches
elsewhere was accorded the same
privilege, so that it was a goodly
number that presently gathered
in the Dining Room—our Dining
Room, that we are always grateful
for and proud of.
The Dakota ladies modestly arranged themselves as near the door
and as far from the lords of creation
as circumstances would permit, and
| wore, the most of them, that same
I "Speak to me if you dare" expres-
; sion that makes it so hard to approach them.    In this  case, as in
| some others, however, it pays  to
dare.    After  being rewarded with
a pleased smile and a cordial hand
grasp two or three times, one feels
encouraged to try again.
Soon all were seated at the well-
filled tables, with appetites not in
the least impaired. But as some
one remarked, "It was a good place
for a hungry man to come to." The
white - aproned waiters from the
Dakota Home, flitting about under
Miss Calhoun's direction, left no
wants unsupplied. After the more
serious part of the dinner had been
disposed of, conversation became
more general, both in English and
Dakota, and by the time the dessert of pie, cake and oranges was
served, even the ladies' tongues became unloosed, while sitting at the
same table as the men. Think of
that!
After dinner came the roll-call.
As the names of the absent members were read, many tender memories arose, and if wishes were
wings they would certainly all have
been with us.
The   after-dinner   hour   at   the
I chapel was a pleasant one.    With
[ tables, books, pictures, and photo-
I graphs it presented a festive  appearance.    Mr. Chadbourne had a
class   in   gymnastics.     This   was
quite  a novelty to  a good many.
With singing and social chat and
looking at pictures, time passed all
too   quickly.     Soon   our   Dakota
friends reminded  themselves that
the sun was getting low, and ere
long the last wagon load had disappeared, and our Church Dinner
was a thing of the past.
Perhaps to some it would have
been a strange sight to see Dakotas
and white people dining together at
the same tables, and afterward sitting sociably side by side in the
chapel enjoying the same things.
But is it not in such ways as this
that some step is made toward hastening that glad time when all shall
be one in Christ Jesus.
A  CH.Vl'KL TALK.
Rev. Joseph C. Taylor, native
Episcopal Missionary at Rosebud
Agency, made us a visit April 28.
In the evening he spoke to the
school assembled in the Chapel.
We give his speech as remembered
by one of our more advanced pupils.
I am glad to see you all and to
have the chance to say a few words
to you. I will tell you about what
our forefathers used to do. One
thing they most enjoyed was going
out to war against another tribe.
When one went to war he wore his
nice clothes and said "Good bye"
to his relatives and friends. He
had a hard time trying to kill an
enemy. If he did not see an enemy,
or if his clothing was getting bad,
or he got hungry and thirsty he
would think: "What is the use of
my trying to kill an enemy? I
might just as well stay at home and
have good clothing. I am weary,
hungry, and thirsty; why did [
come ?" But if he meets an enemy,
and if he is brave he will meet his
foe; but if he is a coward he will
turn back and run. He will think
again: "No matter about clothing
and food ! I want to kill an enemy."
And when he kills the enemy he
takes his scalp and goes back to his
home. The people will say, "Such
a person's son, or grandson, or uncle, or consin, or any other relative
has killed an enemy." His parents
and friends will make a feast, and
dance and rejoice over him, for he
overcame his enemy, and his name
is great. He has a feather to wear
in his hair.
So it is just like going to school.
None of us here thinks of going to
war as our forefathers did. Those
things are all past. But now what
we are after is wisdom. When I
was going away to school it seemed
as if I could not go. But I bade
my parents and friends "Good
bye." Some of them pulled me
back. I cried to think of leaving
the ones I loved, for it seemed as if
I never would see them again.
When I was at school, I cared only
for three things: food, clothing and.
play. When the food did not suit
me, and clothing was bad, I
thought to myself: "Why didn't I
stay at home ? I had better food
and clothing there, and I could
play all of the time." But new
ideas came : "I will put everything
else out of my mind, and think only
j of my studies. I will name all my
j studies after my relatives, and love
them. I came for wisdom. Solomon
says, 'For wisdom is better than
riches.' " When I got through with
my studies my relatives and friends
were glad to see me. So it will be
with you. Try to do your best.
You have enemies to fight; your
bad habits are your enemies. Do
not turn back, but be brave and
meet the enemy. You will win,
and your parents and friends will
be glad to see that you overcame
your enemy.
Santee Normal Training School.
We are each a bundle of extracts
or clippings, gathered largely from
the associations of the past, and
held together by the centripetal
force of our individuality.— Thomas
Kelly, D. D.