The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1892-03

              The Word Carrier.
volume  XXI.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE
WRONG.
NUMBERS.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
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.
MARCH, i8q2.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
"We defy home school educators to
show one Indian with the courage,
desire, and capacity to become a
citizen of the United States who
did not acquire these equipments
out side the reservation, in actual
contact, experience and association
with citizens. Why then cling to
and enlarge that which fails and
hinders, and decry and throttle that
which succeeds."—The Red Man.
We accept the challenge. We
can show right here at Santee Agency, and at Flandrau colony, which
is an off-shoot of Santee, not one,
but hundreds of Indian citizens who
gained "the courage, desire, and capacity to become citizens of the
United States" upon a reservation.
Latterly they have had considerable
association with white people, but
when they started in quest of citizenship, Avhite settlers were as scarce as
hens teeth, from the Missouri river
to where Flandrau now is.
We have supposed that the Malays had the copyright on that peculiar performance known as running
amuck, in which the would-be-suicide rushes into a crowd, striking
right and Jleft, wounding Avhomever
he can to insure their killing him
off in self defence. But we see that
Carlisle school has gone into the
business in the last number of
the Red Man. Some might have
thought that this was a time for
conciliation, and for calling for the
help of all its friends. But no!
Carlisle rushes forth, stabbing right
and left, from Boston to San Francisco, and back again to Washington, Indian rights associations, Indian commissioners, senators, missionaries, congressmen, men, women, everybody. What will be the
result for Carlisle ?
WANTS AND EARNINGS.
The Trustees of the "John F.
Slater Fund" which is used for
assisting educational work in the
South, particularly normal schools,
have it as a part of their fixed policy to encourage manual training.
And this for the reasons given in
Dr. Curry's Report which we quote
below. The same emergency exists
in the problem of Indian eduction.
Without manual training the wants
of these pupils grow faster than their
capacity for earning wages. This
exposes them to all sorts of temptations and make their education
a curse rather than a blessing.
"Industrial training, will be very
helpful, it seems indispensable in lifting the race out of darkness into light,
out of improvidence into thrift, out of
poverty into holding of property, out
of ignorant labor into the partnership
of skill and thought with labor—'an
alliance of mutual dependence and elevation,'—out of profligacy and vagrancy into self-respect. Capability of
self-support, -;he consciousness of inventive and constructive faculty, the cultivation of the perceptive power, the
appreciation ofthe dignity and value
of intelligent work,  the  widening of
wants, will lift the Negro out of degrading environments into the responsibilities and aspirations of manhood
In his educational development, the
JNegro is just now at the danger line—
of which he, most of all, is unconscious,
bo far his education has developed
wants faster than his ability to earn
means to satisfy them. In the most of
them the result is discontent; with
many, unhappiness; in some, a sort, of
desperation; in a few, dishonesty. On
these points I have not the shadow of a
doubt; this particular matter I have
studied widely and minutely. A plow-
boy earning from $100 to $150 a year—
hoard and lodging ' thrown in '—has
enough to supply his normal wants; this
boy, after six years at school, not only
desires but needs from $300 to $500 a
year to satisfy the wants that have been
bred in him while his earning capacity
has not grown in proportion,"
WHAT SHALL THE CHRISTIAN
INDIANS PLAV?
When a school house is first built in
a village there are always a few Avho
are ready to attend church services
and to send their children to school.
But the majority are a little shy of
the school and of the teacher. Soon
they learn that the missionaries are
ready to help them in all times of
trouble; that a poor and friendless Indian of the lower class is as
much an object of interest and care
as the wealthiest chief. This is a
neAV custom to them. To be kind to
those Avho can return the kindness
is natural; but only the Christian
is kind to the poor and helpless of
whom they expect nothing in return. That in their visits these
poor are ahvays counted with the
great, makes an impression. The
poorer ones come to church. They
come to school, and soon the difference in their appearance and intelligence and in then- homes is noticable. The other people have seen
their sick cared for and raised up
without the aid of a medicine man
and "without money and without
price." Others are led to follow in the
new Avay. There is at first no great
efforts to antagonize these endeavors of the missionaries to change
the old life, but after a time, as one
and another of the young men drop
out of the dance, and one family af-
er another ceases to make feasts and
to give away their property, then
the old savage nature of the worst
element is aroused and everything
that can be done is done to draw
away even the very elect. I think
all mission churches pass through
this stage, but enough stand firm
though all trial and temptation to
make the second and permanent
groAvth of the church able to stand
and to spread its influence far and
near. It is very true in the Indian
work that "A little leaven leaven-
eth the Avhole." Our schools and
churchs are scattered, our teachers
few,but I believe we cannot go into
a village on the whole reservation
and not find at least one Bible and
one who can read it.
The question which troubles us
now is Avhat shall we give to those •
people for entertainment and for
amusements. The only book that ■
the majority of them can read with (
understanding is the Dakota Bible. ■
A great many of the school boys <
and girls can read a little English ■
and understand such stories as a I
white child of eight or ten would
enjoy, but this is all. The wild
Indian dance is laid aside when the
hair is cut. Not until tbe men cut
their hair can we really count upon
their honesty of purpose to live a
civilized life. They had in the old
time games with plum stones but
never played these games except to
gamble. It seems now, in the change
to the neAv life, almost impossible
for them to play this game, or they
find it very tame without the 'prizes'
or 'stakes.' So with the old ball
game. That was a beautiful game,
but if a boy played Avith another and
if he had only one coat he must give
it to the Avinner, and if one village
played against another the victors
Avould carry off half the clothing or
provisions or ponies in the defeated
village. We find it hard,therefore,to
know hoAv to deal with this side of
the Indian character. We are at a
loss to knoAV how they shall amuse
themselves and Avhat they shall
play. They are naturally a very
social people and must have some
way of entertaining themselves and
each other besides going to church
and reading the Bible. Hoav would
it do to send out missionary boys
and girls to teach the Indians to
play ? If the King's sons and daughters Avill put their heads together
perhaps they can plan some way to
overcome this very great difficulty
which Ave meet at every new field of
labor. Who will help the Indians
to play and rest as a Christian
should ? M. C. Collins.
Ft. Yates, N. D., February 19, 1892.
PEMOtCAN.
A new study of the character of
people is to be found in the shape
in which they leave their rubbers in
the vestibule.
Good manners require one to
show a kind obliviousness to his
neighbor's mistakes, but does not
require him to copy them.
Truth is like the everlasting hills;
nevertheless, outside of Boston, a
man's theology is not measured by
the age of his grand-mother.
The true idea of dress is the expression of one's self-respect, as
well as of regard for society. To go
carelessly dressed because out of
sight of polite society, is to prove
one not self-respecting.
As to clothes it is not a question
of more or less. Some can wear a
rag in a regal way. It all depends upon the spirit that rules the clothes,
and that shows itself through them.
Nevertheless some of us would find
it convenient to have a few more.
KILL, OR EDUCATE.
Responses are coming in to our appeals to prevent the removal of the
Utes from their lands in Colorado. The
Newark, N. J., Daily Advertiser in a
bright article entitled "Why Not Kill
off the Indians," shows the absurdity
of the pretence on the part of Colorado
that this proposed removal is for Indian benefit, and the article pleads for
doing one thing or the other. "Either protect them where they are now,
or else send out an army and shoot
them down. Let us not be equivocating cowards, destitute of the courage
of our convictions. Let us either do
as we have promised, namely, befriend
and educate the Utes, or else let us do
the other thing."—Thelndian's Friend.
DEEDS   MORE  THAN AVORDS.
Deeds more than words—life
more than preaching—will tell. Let
us hear the Avords of a veteran missionary 011 this point—"I haA'e
found," he says, "that human
kindness is a key which unlocks
every door, Iioav ever firmly it may
seem to be closed against us. In
the early days of a mission, very
little dependence can be placed on
oral teaching. I believe strongly,
more strongly now than ever, in
the power of a consistent Christian
life." Yes, this is a feature of mission work that cannot be too strongly emphasized. The missionary
must live Christ as well as preach
Him. There is nothing so disastrous to the Indian, Avho, remember
is a close observer, as preaching
one thing to him and living another
—teaching him the necessity of a
holy life and then refuting this
teaching by unguarded words and
actions. When a missionary does
this, the Indian at once loses all
respect for him, because he sees
that he is only like himself after
all. Now I do not wish to be egotistical or to blow my oavii horn, but
I want simply to give you an incident bearing 011 the point in question, which struck me very forcibly.
Not very long ago in one of our
Monday evening bible class meetings in St. Peter's, the subject of
"drinking" came up in this way.
One of the members was addressing the young men present. He
had reason to know that some of
them were in the habit of using
strong drink, and wished to excuse
themselves by saying that they
found it too hard to give up. He
told them that they all kneAv that
he had been a hard drinker. He
thought at one time as they thought
now. But he thanked God that his
heart had been opened to see and
received the truth. He has given
this up. He had a hard struggle.
But he overcame the thirst for
drink. After doing this, he felt he
must give up smoking too. And do
you know, he said, that I had a
hard, hard fight to master the "insignificant little pipe." But I said
to myself, it is not the pipe that
gives me life, it is Jesus Christ, and
I will give it up for His sake. After
he had finished, another member,
who had also given up smoking
lately, turned round and asked me
my opinion on smoking. I told
him I did not think it was sinful.
At any rate," he answerd, "it is a
dirty habit" and inferred that it
was not becoming a folloAver of
Christ. Noav I had never said a
word for or against smoking to any
of them. But I do not smoke. And
I believe it was my example in this
respect that influenced them. At
least, they would never have said
what they did say, had I been a
smoker. Let us all then, especially
we who are clergymen and missionaries, be sure that our lives correspond to our teaching. This is after
all the sharp wedge that will divide
asunder and scatter to the right and
left the difficulties to be met with in
missionary work, and leave the Avay
open to the heart ofthe Indian. This
will gain his confidence and respect
and when you haA'e secured these,
you have not much to do.—J. G.
Anderson in Rupiert's Land Gleaner.