The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1891-09

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XX.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG,
MTJMBER !».
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
SEPTEMBER, r8g
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 the Power of God for
their Salvation.
Mr. Francis Frazier and James
Garvie will probably be ordained to
the Gospel ministry in the near
future. Pilgrim church will call the
council in about a month.
Miss Cora M. Folsom, one of the
editors of the Southern Workman,
Hampton, Va., favored us with a
visit recently. She is at work on. a
biographical catalogue of the Indian pupils of Hampton Institute.
Miss Anna R. Dawson made a
very interesting address at the Congregational General Association
meeting recently held atWatertown,
S. D. Her subject Avas what Christian missions-have done for Indian
women. This address was much
commented upon by the Northwestern Congregationalist.
At the Congregational Association meeting held in connection
with mission meeting, Mr. James
Garvie, Edwin Phelps, and Francis Frazier were recommended to
the churches for ordination to the
Gospel ministry. Others were also
examined and arrangements made
for further study by all classes of
candidates for this service.
The law's delay is newly illustrated in the difficulty of establishing
the fact of jurisdiction over Indian
culprits. In Knox County, Nebraska this question of jurisdiction is
still unsettled, and consequently
crime is increasing. The plea is
set up that they are receiving annuities from government and therefore
are still in tribal relations and are
not subject to,state laws.
The sudden death of Rev. William Hamilton, the venerable missionary, Avill be a shock to very
many. He has served in the Indian mission field, among the lowas,
Sacs and Omahas, for over half a
century. He died at his home in
Decatur, Neb., September 17, eighty
years old. In 1848 he published
an Iowa grammar, and later a
hymn book in Omaha. He left unpublished a number of translations
of parts of the Scriptures in the
Omaha language.
THE MOHAWK INDIANS.
One hundred and twenty miles
east of Toronto, among the inlets
and bays of Lake Ontario, lies the
Mohawk Indian or Six Nation Reservation. The history of this tribe
is long and interesting. Formerly
their home was in New York State,
in the River Valley Avhich bears
tlieir name. During the Revolutionary War they joined the British.
At the close of the war they remained faithful to their friends, and
rather than remain under the stars
and stripes emigrated to Canada.
They Avere given this reservation—
and here for more than a century
they have remained undisturbed,
making gradual progress until to day
they are the most advanced of any
Indian tribe. Although they have
had a good deal to contend with in
coming in contact with uncivilized
white men, yet the natural advantages of their situation have aided
their progress.
Their reservation, as a farming
country, is unsurpassed for beauty
and fertility of soil. Each man
owns his farm. Many of them have
become Avealthy and live in large
houses. There are on the reservation, 949 dwelling houses, each
costing from $250 to $10,000. They
have sold some of tlieir land and
the city of Deseronto has been built.
Many of the Indians live in the
town and hold responsible positions
in all the places of business. Many
are working in the shops and mills.
Blackfoot Street is almost entirely an
Indian Street, and compares very
favorably with the other streets.
All the Mohawks, even the oldest,
speak English well. In dress and
manner they are like white people.
The women wear hats and bonnets,
dress and do up their hair in the
prevailing style. For the most part,
their homes are kept neatly. In
many of them there may be found
rich carpets, pictures, a piano,
china and silverware, everything
as comfortable as in white peoples'
homes.
The wealthiest man among them
is the noted Dr. Oronhyatekha.
He was educated by the Prince of
Wales, who became interested in
him Avhile on a visit in this country.
After graduating from Oxford University, England, he Avas for many
years a successful physician. He
has retired from medical practice
and is noAv the president of the Independent Order of Foresters, also
the Chief Templar of the world.
His Avife is a granddaughter of
General Brant, and a lovely woman.
Their beautiful home is six miles
from Deseronto, overlooking Quinte
Bay and commanding a grand view
of the surrounding country. Every
appointment of the house and farm
buildings seems to be complete; and
there are imported horses, cattle,
and sheep of the best breeding.
The grounds about the house are
tastefully laid out and well kept.
A deer park and cages of birds and
many kinds of animals are among
the interesting features of the estate.
Very near this beautiful home is
an Episcopal church. Missionary
work has been done by the New
England Society and The Church
Missionary Society. The Mohawks
came early under the influence of
Christianity. The first Protestant
church in Canada was built by them.
They still have in their possession
part of a silver communion set presented to the Mohawk Indians by
Queen Anne in 1712. During the
Revolutionary War it was buried in
New York State. In 1842 the Prayer Book Avas published in the Mohawk language. It is now out of
use because services are entirely
in English.
The first Indian day school Avas
established by the Government in
1827. Now there are 216 day schools
in Canada with 5649 registered
pupils. There are also 19 industrial schools. The largest, at Grand
Fork, has 620 pupils.
A. A. Rideout.
MISSIONARY  COMPENSATIONS.
A person engaged in mission work
on an Indian reservation often iinds
himself looked upon by his eastern
friends with pity. Though be may
be associated Avith adozen or twenty
others his equals, in the midst of a
hundred or a hundred and fifty pupils, yet people cannot understand
how his mind can keep from stagnation. "Away off there!" they
say, "How dreadfully lonely you
must be!" And if he asserts, "I
am very happy; Iprefertolivehere,"
they smile incredulously, as though
they would say, "Oh, yes! It sounds
A'ery beautiful and affecting that
you should be so devoted to doing
good, but you need not expect me
to believe it. Or, if you do like
it, your mind must be nearly as
vacant as that of the poor Indian
himself dozing or smoking on the
ground."
Is it then, that Ave fail to appreciate the benefits of civilization, who manage to be happy
on an Indian reservation? Or are
there compensations real enough
and large enough to make up for
Avhat we lose,—advantages to ourselves, independent of the results
to others?
We should not deny that there are
intellectual deprivations, and those
not small. Let us frankly admit
that Ave lose a powerful stimulus to
mental activity by our separation
from the constant sight of the new
products of the world's work; from
its music and art, its lectures and
libraries; from the constant touch
Avith different classes of men. We
may own that at times Ave hunger
exceedingly for some of these things,
and feel that we must be satisfied
before we can be ready for our best
work again. And at those times
Ave need it. I believe we should do
better work, if we had more vacations, or longer ones occasionally,
for that very purpose.
Still, Ave are by no means Avithout
mental resources. The great currents of the world's thought—the
significant events, are almost as
readily Avithin one's knowledge on
an Indian reservation as in the heart
of the great cities. It is rather the
relishes that are lacking than the
nourishing food for thought. It is
true that one may neglect to take
time to learn of what the world is
doing, but that may be done as effectually in NeAv York or Chicago as
in the Avilderness, and the range of
thought may he equally narrow.
The fault is in the person,or his circumstances, and is not a necessary
consequence of his location.
But there is a positive side to this
question—a profit as Avell as a loss.
The joy of life is not in learning
alone, but in loving and doing
as well; and the learning does not
seem to me the highest, but rather the subordinate one of the
three—a means unto an end. I
love, therefore I live; in living I
learn, and by learning I love and live
better. Is not this the true relation of the three ?
Now the joy of loving one may
have everywhere, provided he has
his oavii, or those who need his love.
But the joy of action is often greatly increased by separation from a
settled order of society. For the
first   condition  of joyful   activity
is liberty, and the second is a motive: and both of these are present
in a high degree where all is yet
to be done. There everything invites the mind to phut and execute,
to try its powers in fashioning anew
.community according to its oavii
ideas.
And is there no intellectual training in this ? Are not the powers of
judgment and reason trained in just
such schools of practical life? In
missionary work the difficulties are
likely to be numerous and varied
enough to offer excellent training
in practical wisdom. In this respect the less intimate relations
of society life are far more superficial.
It is often said, " There is plenty of
missionary work to he done in the
cities. Why not do it there'?" But
until within a short time there has
been so little system about such work
in cities, that to attempt it there at
all has been almost a hopeless task.
There is great gain in working in an
organization that gives to tlie worker
a definite, limited responsibility;
and Avhen he knows where he is
not responsible, he can much more
hopefully labor for that in which
he is.
Besides this, it is worth much to
feel that we have the sympathy of
those about us. In many places, a
person attempting missionary work
is so fettered or depressed by the
necessity of combating the prejudices of his companions that his
own endeavors are worth much less
than they might be. Nearly every
church has in it, side by side with
its Avorkers, many who are living at
ease, and seeming to think so little
of service for the Lord that one can
hardly tell whether they are friends
or enemies. And the workers themselves are often influenced by their
example, and kept from much they
would otherAvise do. Happy is he
who belongs to a company, however
small, Avho are every one enlisted
among the Lord's people for work
and not merely for rest and comfort.
That should be the case upon a
mission station. While opinions as
to methods of working may differ
sharply, there should be complete
harmony in the aim.
Then, has not missionary life on
the frontier some real attractions to
one whose desires and conscience
lead him to seek such Avork ? Here is
freedom from rigid rules of custom,
and from excessive demands of society upon purse and time. Here
is opportunity for original endeavor
to Avork out one's ideal of a community. Here is fellowship between those Avhose aim is the same.
Noav, friends who pity us, we are
grateful for your sympathy as far
as the circumstances warrant it,but
do not think Ave undervalue civilized society, or are feigning,when
we say we enjoy life here. And,
fellow-workers, who sometimes get
hungry, as I do, for some fresh
thought, let us appreciate what we
have, and remember to pass along
what we can to others much less
happily situated than Ave, who are
working almost alone.
Edith Leonard.
Canadian Indian schools are preparing to be represented at the Columbian Exposition.