The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1891-06

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XX.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   AVHOM;.
MMIU-.'.i <i.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
JUNE, i8qi.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education ! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is tlie Power of God for
their Salvation.
Rev. Frank P. Woodbury, D. D.,
Secretary of the A. M. A. has been
making the grand tour of the Dakota Mission, visiting the stations of
the Association, gathering information, making needed adjustments,
and leaving much good cheer.
A letter was recently received
from Rev. A. J. McLeod, principal
of the new Industrial school at Regina, N. W. T. This school has
been erected by the Dominion Government and placed under partial
control of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. McLeod requested an account
of our experience on various questions of school management.- We
have received many requests of this
kind and are always glad to try
and help any one with the conclusions we have reached. Success in
all forms of education depends
largely upon close observation and
ready adaptability.
Dr. Dorchester has materialized.
He has come and gone, leaving a
benediction in the memory of his
pleasant face. The visits of Dr.
and Mrs. Dorchester cannot fail
to be a great help to the schools
in the Indian country. But the
country is so large and the schools
so undeA'eloped that Dr. Dorchester
should have at least four assistant
superintendents or inspectors of
schools to enable him to cover the
field and carry forward the plans of
Commissioner Morgan to some results. Inspection and change Avithout the right kind of growth is of
no use. Half the time of each administration is taken up in pulling
down the bad work of its predecessors. But unfortunately it leaves
no better work behind it Avhen the
next change comes; so there is no
progress but only Avaste of money and
more precious opportunities. Would
that it might be different noAv.
Theory is good but experience
shows its limitations and also brings
to light wider relations which demand different theories. To many,
boarding schools seem the only
kind that are of use in educating
Indians. But boarding schools
cannot meet the necessities of the
case in two points: they leave the
mass of the people untouched by
education, and consequently make
no provision for the protection of
their pupils Avhen they return them
to their homes. Hence there is a \
large place for day schools. We are
glad that Dr. Dorchester sees this
and is doing what he can to build
them up and make them efficient.
The central boarding scliool is the
complement of a Avell organized
system of reservation clay schools.
But the larger and more enduring
work is by the day school teacher,
training, it may be, only a dozen or
twenty, but with them lifting the
whole community. And the best
Avork of the boarding school is done
Avith the material gathered from
these day schools. The unthinking
mind is affected by seeing numbers
massed and this exalts the boarding
schools. The discerning eve sees
however that these are too often
merely mobs and not schools of
anything except disorder and vice.
MODERN GIFT OF TONGUES.
Mr. Ben Zimmerman, an Indian man, and deacon in the Bazile
church, recently addressed the pupils at Santee Normal Training
School on the subject of what the
Indians owe to the missionaries.
He spoke as follows: "From the
time when white men first landed
on this side of the great ocean they
have made many treaties with the
Indians. They gave us guns to
hunt with, bright colored clothes,
and every sort of wearing apparel
with which Ave gaily decked ourselves. And with the addition of
paint to our faces, Ave thought ourselves very beautiful, and proudly
strutted about as does the gaudily
phi maged wild turkey or the peacock.
These gifts from the United States
government Avere soon soiled or worn
out. The joy of them was but brief.
They have done us no lasting good.
But noAv let us again consider the
first coming of the white man.
There Avere from the very first
those among them who saw not
only a beautiful land that seemed
goodly to have; but some who, when
they saAV the people of the land like
wild wolves, bethought themselves
more especially hoAv to-tame those
people, rather than how to use the
land. They began to patiently teach
us. But we did not understand
Avhat they taught; neither did we
trust their motive in attempting it.
Why should those strange men seek
to teach us ? We were neither their
relatives nor their friends ! This was
all very strange.
But noAv we have learned the great
secret. Noav Ave knoAV that tbe Son
of God came to earth as a Saviour
to all men. And Avhen he returned
to heaven he told his disciples to
first Avait till the Holy Spirit should
come upon them and then to carry
the good neAVs into all the world to
every creature. So the disciples
Avaited fifteen days till they received that great blessing; then
they began to speak with different
tongues and went out among all
nations. Thus, men whose hearts
were filled with the Holy Spirit
came to America. And they at
once began to speak with different
tongues. We heard the wonderful
story of a heavenly father and his
Son our Saviour, in our OAvn language. Many of us-belieA'edand have
ever since lived happy lives. For
these strangers not only spoke to us
our OAvn language but they created
for us a written language, and placed
the word of God before our eyes
Avhere it has become a guide book to
our daily life.
The Gospel is a treasure that can
not be taken aAvay from ns. You
boys know that if one of you is to
leave school the teachers may say to
you, 'Take off your uniform clothes.
Leave them here. If you come
back then you may have them
again.' But what you have learned
and stored in your head,—that a
teacher can never compel you to
leave behind. That is yours so truly
that it never can belong to any one
else. And so it is Avith the tAvo
classes of gifts that have come from
the Avhite men. The annuities that
Ave have received from the United
States government amount to very
little in this world, and to nothing
for the life to come. But the missionaries have brought us treasure
that is inexhaustible and everlasting and no one can rob us of it.
F. B. R.
PATHOS OF INDIAN CHILI) LIFE.
A True Slory.
By the last of December the Oahe
boarding school was full to overflowing. But one day just before
Christmas a fine looking Indian
brought his little boy and asked if
Ave would not take him in. The
child Avas so tiny that Mr.Jacobsen
hesitated at first. "He is little but
he is Avise," said the father entreat-
ingly, and Mr. Jacobsen yielded.
Never Avas a boy more supremely
happy, and in twenty-four hours,
Arthur, (for that Avas the English
name we gave him) was the favorite
of the whole school. His merry
laugh rang everyAvhere and he jabbered a constant stream of Dakota.
He Avas so small that as he sat on
the stool at meal time his feet
SAVung clear of the floor below and
above it seemed as if he could
not properly reach his plate. He
was the very picture of fat, healthy
childhood. The first Saturday he
was with us there was a good crust
over the snow and the older boys
asked one of the teachers to take a
sled ride Avith them. As they came
up for her they seemed to be holding a grave consultation. When
she came out one boy began eagerly:
"Arthur, we Avant him to go. But
little. He can not Avalk. You will
let him sit behind you ?" Of course
she would, and with Arthur's arms
tight around her neck as he kneeled
behind her, off they started merry
as so many snow birds, Arthur
happiest of them all.
In the school room there was no
class in which he could be put. So
Ave gave him a slate and pencil and
kindergarten blocks and left him
to amuse himself. In the intervals between other classes we
would give him lessons from the
chart primer, or sketch a wonderful horse for him to copy. It was
his greatest pleasure to go to and
from the school house Avith one of
the teachers, and at such times
his tongue went faster than his feet.
He picked up English rapidly, and
made an odd mixture that was as
pretty as it was untranslatable.
But a change began to creep over
him. He lost his appetite, dark
circles came under his eyes, he
was fretful at times. It Avas pitiful
to have him slip his hot little hand
into yours, and with a sigh lean Ins
head against your arm. The doctor
said it was brain trouble and
Ave had better send him home, for
the excitements of school life were
too great for him. He did not
want to go home, and Avhen his
father came for him he clung to the
matron, begging her with sobs not
to send him away. So we let him
stay. We wondered greatly that he
did not want to go home, for the other children always cried to go, if they
Avere tired or sick. At last one of
the boys told us the story, alas! too
common in Dakota home life. His
mother had deserted his father
when  Arthur was a baby and his
step-mother beat and scolded the
poor little felloAV till home was the
last place where he Avished to be.
There Avas nothing for us to do but
to keep him. He grew worse daily.
He was very patient, and took the
medicine like a man, though he
hated it. He declared with sobs
and torrents of Dakota that he Avas
not sick at all, when anyone asked
him where he felt badly, and gradually we ceased to question him. We
did all Ave could to stive him. The
larger boys of their own accord
carried him up and down stairs, the
girls petted him tenderly, and the
matron saved choice bits from the
teachers' table to tempt his appetite. With the first bright warm
days of spring he seemed to rally,
but he had too little strength to
stand fresh air. Again Mr. Jacobsen
wrote to his father and Ave sent
Arthur to Pierre for a feAv days
hoping that a little change might
rouse him. But there was no hope.
It was only a matter of days the doctor said. Then Arthur's grandmother came, an old woman, but through
the wrinkled, painted, dirty face
shone a world of love as she drew
the little fellow to her and rocked him
back and forth, crooning an India n
lullaby. She started home with him
on her back, but the journey Avas
too hard and the next day he
died. There was a hush over all
the school when we heard of his
death. We had all loved him, and
his influence had been stronger
than Ave kneAv. The boys, rough
as a rule, had always guarded him
chivalrously, and the older girls
had cared for him Avith a Avomanli-
ness that was touching. Truly he
had not lived in vara.      A. M. W.
CURIOSITINS OF LITERATURE.
The Sioux language is going to
be the death of the amateur philologists. Here is an item that equals
Ex-Senator Moody's:
The Sioux language has its numerals, one, two, three, but nothing
corresponding to our first, second,
third, etc. so what should be second
strike in the Indian tongue becomes
Two Strike, the old warrior's name.
He is famous for the number of
times he has given the "tAvo strike."
—St. Paul Pioneer Press.
iikaki) in an indian school.
Young Teacher from the East :
So strange that the Indians don't
like milk! One would suppose that
they Avould have ahvays been accustomed to it!
Old-timer,  snappishly:
Where Avould they get it ? They
never raised cattle.
Young Teacher from the East:
No-o: but then - - - there Avere
the buffalo, you know!
(Later after having given Old-
timer time to recover.—
Young Teacher from the EAst:
Where do the dear prairie chickens go in the winter time? They
burrow in the ground I suppose.
Old timer (Avith some sarcasm):
Burrow! 0 yes, certainly! Burrow!
Young Teacher from the East,
(rather hurt):
0, of course not just exactly burrow, but I meant they go to places
near the roots of the trees and flop
the earth about Avith their wings
and claws and stay there!