The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1891-02

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XX.
HELPING    THE    RIGHT,   EXPOSING    THE   WRONG.
\1M1SEU  -J.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
FEBRUARY, 1891.
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education ! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! Tlie result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is die Power of God for
tiieir Salvation.
The Woed Carrier congratulates
the State of South Dakota upon the
election of James H. Kyle as her
United States Senator for the coming six years. The cause of Indian
Missions is also to he congratulated
on his election. We remember
with pleasure that he is on the
committee of the South Dakota Congregational General Association on
Indian Missions. As United States
Senator he will work with all his
heart and strength to help the few
who are trying to secure a reformed Indian service. He will
have no political superstitions to
compel him to worship tlie present Indian conglomeration as "the
best possible system."
General Miles'article in the North
American Review on the "Future of
the Indian Problem," is rather a
misnomer. While it states quite
fully the military view of the causes
for the recent Sioux war, it does
not contribute much to the solution
of the Problem. To his mind the
main reason for all this disturbance is in the fact that the Indians have not been left entirely
to the charge of the army, and
that the only future hope lies in
dismissing the civil agents who
have "theories of civilization," and
putting the Indians wholly under
military charge.
The civilization of the Indian is
what the people ofthe United States
are now quite determined upon.
And they have a conviction that to
make a complete success of it they
can use better agents than the army.
This is without inferring any discredit to our army. But its line of
work is different. And whoever
does this work must do it upon
some "theory of civilization." Theories are not to be sniffed at. General Miles himself has his theories.
He has one very good one: that the
Indian must be set to work and work
must be provided for him. This has
been at bottom ofthe success General
Miles has had in civilizing Indians.
But he does not have this theory
because he is the able military man
that he is. We believe in it too,
and advocate it continually as a
fundamental principle. But this is
not the only principle that must be
recognized and adopted before Indian civilization is accomplished.
cheese, and have artesian wells and
irrigating ditches for their gardens. All this as military duty.
And fortius the graduates "of Carlisle, Hampton, and Santee are to
be enlisted as non-commissioned
officers and instructors in all the
trades. The article has some peculiarly good illustrations.
The house of Bishops ofthe Epis-
1 copal church has, perhaps unintentionally, paid quite a compliment
to the field of Indian missions in
j taking Bishop W. H. Hare out of
j his Indian diocese for a while, and
j sending him to Japan to organize
I their work there.   The Indian coun-
| try is a good place in which to raise
bright, ready men.    Rumor has it
that he goes over there to make all
Japanese Christians Episcopalians.
We wish him a safe return.   He will
no doubt enjoy better his work a-
mong the Indians after some experience with those fickle Japanese.   At
present the Japanese seem captivated by Liberal Christianity and Uni-
tarianism.   Will Bishop Hare allow
them to hold to the so-called Liberal
Christianity, provided they accept
the Episcopate?   If so, he can probably capture the Japanese National Church that is to be.
school or a waterworks plant, one or
more of such things is the pressing
need at the mission station and
should be somebody's opportunity.
Missionaries owe it to Christian people who send them out to let these
things be known. The easier way
for meeting the smaller needs is for
the missionaries to take out from
their own lean pocketbooks and
make them still leauer. Missionaries are not to be debarred the gra oe
of giving even to sacrifice ; but they
may do too much of this. They
may in their modesty be robbing
somebody else, not of money but of
what is of higher value, the opportunity to give money for a worthy
object. Nor will this decrease the
streams of general benevolence by
which the treasuries of the Missionary Societies are filled. It will
rather open up a thousand little
springs of charity, which wall afterwards flow to swell the main
current.    Ask and ye shall receive.
Commissioner Morgan delivered
an address, February 5, at Philadelphia at the Universal Peace
Union. It was a favorable place
and time to put in a defense of
his department and to show why
the work of civilizing the Indians
should not be turned over to the
army. He said:
The work of uplifting the Indians isacon-
structive work. The work of the army is
essentially destructive. Indian administration calls for the exercise of rigid economy. Economy is not one of the special
virtues that are developed in the army.
The administration of Indian affairs calls
for the exercise of sympathy, philanthropy and an unconquerable faith in the
manhood of the Indian. I yield to no
man in my regard for the army of the
United States, and I take a personal pride
in the history of its achievements, hut I
cannot refrain from expressing my profound conviction that there could not he
in the present changed relations of the
Indians to the United States a more unwarrantable action taken than to turn
over to the war department the absolute
control of the American Indians.
This is well put, but when he
goes on to say "I believe it is not
possible to improve the present system of the administration of Indian
Affairs," he disputes his own previous assertion when he called it a
"vicious system." No well informed
man can agree that the present administration of Indian Affairs cannot be improved. If this is true, it
should certainly be abolished.
"In Darkest America" is a very
readable article on the Indian Question by Joseph P. Read in the March
Cosmopolitan. In it he takes issue
with General Miles on his statement
that the "Indians are practically a
doomed race." He however falls in
with his plea for turning over the
Indians to the civilizing care of the
army, and outlines the plan for the
training of the new regiments of Indian scouts in the arts of civilization.
They are to go into raising Kentucky
blooded horses, build ice houses and
milk houses for making butter and
The largei-jhealthier view of Christian giving enables the giver to contribute heartily to the general fund
of our missionary societies. But
all persons have not come up to
that plane yet. They need the interest that comes with particular
cases and direct appeal. And missionaries owe them the opportunities to develope their Christian interest and benevolence. There are
i plenty of such opportunities: some
1 maps, or books, or kindergarten material is wanted in the scliool room,
some special tools in the shops, an
overcoat or cloak for a native missionary, or the outfit of a cooking
Til B   IN 1) I A N  M ESS 1 All.
Two years ago it was announced
here and there among the Sioux that
an Indian Messiah would shortly
come. At first no one could tell
from whence came the startling
message; when and from where
this coming leader should appear.
He was to come an Indian in person, for Indians only, and to restore the former customs and life
of the Indian race.
Soon the message grew in distinctness and detail. This leader
would come from the West, and
with him would come vast hosts, all
the dead of the past restored to this
earth, marching in a body. Already had they started upon their
journey, and the story of tlieir
march by day and camp at night
was freely circulated. For had
not messengers come from "beyond," runners who went from here
and had returned having seen with
their eyes and heard with their
ears? It became wonderfully real
and lifelike. A vast multitude, joyous and bringing joy back to earth;
and at tlieir head there marches the
Son of God ! He comes to restore
ancient customs, forgotten practices, and the plenty and libeity of
former days,when game was everywhere abundant and I In- white man
had not come to this land. To the
restored conditions Indians only
would be admitted ; white men and
all that civilization would bring of
advantage and requirement should
be kept out.
By some the tale was laughed at
as absurd. Many doubted, and
others believed. The professed believers increased in numbers, and
doubters were less free in expressing themselves. It was in the air,
a mysterious something that could
not be resisted and overthrown. I
do not need to add that first to accept and loudest in relating the
wonderful results to come were the
least advanced, the Indians who
have opposed all efforts to civilize
and educate them. This was to be
expected. The worst element was
at once enlisted on the side of the
cunning leader. They eagerly accepted the promise of one who
should come from the spirit land
and restore old customs, old habits,
the old  life.   They accepted   not
so much the promised leader as
that which this leader promised,
a shaking off of the restraints and
duties of civilization and the return
to savage life. During the first
year it was expected that the new
Messiah would come in tlie spring
of 1890, last spring; but as the
snows of last winter melted away
and the grass appeared, less was
said of it. The promised leader
did not come and we thought that
the end of it all.
During the month of September
last there came a marvelous awakening.    Prophets of the new gospel
had been keeping  quiet, but  now
came to the front again, with more
wonderful tales than before.    Men
better and more widely known than
at first had been  sent as  special
messengers to meet the coming leader and they brought specific instructions from him to those who would
be ready to meet him at his coming.
Their message spread like wild-fire.
In October the ghost dance was well
started in many places and zealous
teachers   went   rapidly  from  one
Agency to another, giving instruction and the rules to be observed.
This was to enable all to prepare
themselves   and   be   ready.     All
things pertaining  to a white civilization were forbidden, and those
who should dare to doubt would be
terribly punished.    At the  dance
such announcements as these were
often made : "No one who wears the
clothes of the wdiite man can come
within the circle and live." "All wdio
do not believe will be turned into
dogs and snakes."   "Do not smoke
cigarets:  smoke  only the pipe of
our fathers."    They danced in an
elastic circle, large or small according to the number engaged, around a
tree set in the midst and bearing votive offerings, without the beat of the
drum, and clasping hands.    Tbe
dance   was   accompanied   by   the
most violent and frantic posturing
and flinging of arms, with crying
and praying that made the sight and
sound a fearful one.    Those wdio
joined did so to exhaustion,  and
fainting away saw visions, and on
return to conscious life, told won-
deriul tales of experience—having
looked into the spirit land.
The dance absorbed all other interests, and was so violent as to suggest its own remedy. It was ruining the health of those who took
part. Many of our schools were
broken up. The authority of the Indian Agents was openly defied in
many cases, and yet I am ready to
say that with proper handling there
was nothing in all this that in reason was to be regardedas specially
dangerous, or a serious menace.
We have, however, had the war cry
raised; an immense number of
troops have been brought into the
field; we have lost some magnificent officers and brave men; of
Indians, not a few have been
"wiped out," and this Northwest
country has been again unsettled
and devastated by the horrors of
another Indian war.—T. L. Riggs,
in the Advance.
The average stay of missionaries
of the China Inland Mission is three
and a half years. Many die from
trying to live as the natives in dress
and diet and lodging.