The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1894-04

              The Word Carrier
VOLUME   XXIII.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT.   EXPOSING   THE   WKONG.
NUMBER 1.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
APRIL, 1894.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The results of whieh is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is ihe Power of God for
their Salvation!
A kind word for the Word Carrier
by Rev. T. G. Langdale, of Clark So.
Dak., presents a point that is worth
thinking of. He says: "I very much
enjoy the Word Carrier and think I
have more interest in the cause of
Indian education by having it come
to me at regular intervals than I
could possibly" have otherwise. Library volumes and annual reports
are helpful, but to keep in touch
with the living work one must have
the journal of current events and
themes. And for the specific field of
Indian education there is no journal
taking a wider range, as to principles or practical experience, than
The Word Carries.
School pictures are a history in
themselves. We do not mean such
"before and after taking" pictures
as a certain noted Indian school in
the East sends out when the transformation is made by shears, soap,
and a new suit, in a single hour, but
genuine pictures of progress. In regard to the record they give of Santee's pupils, Mrs. Bessie Wilson, of
Cleveland, Ohio, one of our former
teachers, writes: "I was very much
pleased with all the pictures, which
add much to my collection; and,
with those of pupils taken two, three,
and four years ago, show to friends
here what a marked improvement
Santee has made upon them from
year to year."
The Navajo Evangel comes and
goes like a comet. The third number has just gone forth following
the second number at an interval
of eighteen months. But according to its prospectus it is not planned to publish it regularly nor are
subscriptions solicited. Yet contributions towards its publication
are welcomed. And let us say,
they will be worthily bestowed.
The Evangel has the right ring to
it. It should be enabled to ring
out more frequently. Its editor
and publisher, Howard R. Antes is
of good Moravian descent of Huge-
not and German ancestry, from
Bethlehem, Pa. Though now he is
serving in the ranks of the Methodist ministry. We pray that he
may live to see the fruits of his
Evangel.
It would be a. great- misfortune
to Indian schools if Congress should
cut off the salary of the superintendent and abolish the office. The
new superintendent, Prof. W. N.
Hailman is one who can inspire the
the schools as well as organize
them. What they need above every
thing else is inspiration. They
are already overly organized—on
paper. Without some one with
authority, to make their dry bones
live, the work they do will be more
and more perfunctory and deadening. There are some of the teachers who have "the enthusiasm of
humanity" and who teach to teach.
Their number will grow fewer until
the blight of death will rest upon
the whole system of Government
schools. Let us keep the superintendent and save the schools.
From time immemorial we have
had "Teacher's Meeting" every Friday P. M. after school. The only
purpose of the meeting heretofore
has been school business: arrangement of programs; organization for
the preparation of rhetoricals or
public entertainments; commonly
the discussion of school grading
and discipline with considerable
miscellaneous talk. This year the
teachers have made their business
meetings few at;d short and have
devoted the Friday afternoon now
to the study of scientific pedagogy.
In this study they have been enthusiastically led by Assistant Principal F. B. Riggs, and have completed
a course of reading in educational
history, principles, methods and
civics with most earnest discussions
of these and other branches of
pedagogical studies. For the remainder of the year the teachers will
take experimental study of electricity in place of their Friday afternoon pedagogical study.
NEEDS ANI> DIFFICULTIES.
Let us take a glimpse of the missionary starting his school at the
beginning of the year. Now this is
an established school, not a new
one; it has been running for about
twenty-two years. In the summer
he has to have means provided to
start out and gather up the pupils.
In order to get them, he has to pay
their fare and all their expenses.
He has to go to the different Indian
Agencies and get some here and
some there. It is not as some would
think, that a missionary has only
to say, come, and he cometh, or go,
and he goeth; but it is sand, perseverance and strength, meeting worry and discouragement of every sort
and kind that accomplishes this
portion of the work.
Let us take a trip to Fort Berthold.
It is only up in the western part
of North Dakota. We leave Santee
on Monday night, cross the raging
Missouri to Springfield and stay
all night. Tuesday leave on the
train for Aberdeen. Arrive at night
and cannot get out till next morning. Then we take the train for
Bismarck via Jamestown, popularly called Jimtown, when we have to
wait for another train one and
one-half to four hours. We get to
Bismarck at 8:30 next morning,
hungry and tired, but this is only
bodily tiredness. Now we stage it
to Washburn where we arrive at
night and leave the next morning
for Fort Berthold and arrive there
in time for supper.
This is only one of the many
journeys that have to be taken and
one of the easiest of them. Now
this little trip costs 75 to 80 dollars;
and by the time you gather eight or
ten pupils from here and eight or
ten from some other remote corner,
it costs quite a little. This expense
is not considered by a great many,
for they do not dream of it. If this
necessary money is not at hand the
work has to suffer seriously, for it
costs just as much to light and
beat a dining hall to let one hundred eat as it would for two hundred.    Then again if you have-a
consecrated corps of select teachers
and have not pupils, you must let
some go and that breaks the chain.
When a chain is broken it has to
be mended. Some one may say,
cut out the extra link; the rest of
the chain will hold just as well.
This may be, but I fail to see it in
that light; for we find that each
teacher has a certain line of work
to do, for which he or she is especially fitted. You put a new teacher in and it is some time, perhaps
a whole term, before they get accustomed to all things, and this is a
blow to God's work.
When the pupils first come to the
mission they seem to have an idea
that all we do for them is for our
benefit and not for theirs. This
idea causes them to act as independent as they can, and shows the real
Indian out and out. How can we
overcome such a spirit ? Only by
being filled with the spirit of Jesus
and trusting him. You cannot
blame them when you think how
they have lived, and the example
that has been set before them to
pattern after. This is something
we can not picture here; it would
be impossible to do it and do it
justice. All we can do is to be
faithful in what has been committed unto us and work while the
day lasts, and pray that the dear
Lord will bless the work as the
Precious Book says, "Casting all
your care upon him for he careth
for you."
Another difficulty to overcome is
that   when  they   are   brought   to
school they do not at first have a desire to acquire an education for they
do not realize the benefit of it as white
children do.   But when their ideas
have been touched and really caused
to spring forth as verdure in the
beautiful   sunlight,   then   we   are
made to see the real hand that has
brought to life that which was once
dead to the human eye.    It is right
here where you can see a complete
change.    There   are   some   whom
you cannot seem to change.    They
j seem chained to their idols.    It is
j this that makes the teacher often
j wear a perplexed and tired  look,
I studying what can awaken thought,
or how this one or that one can be
j handled so as to be really saved as
I well as taught.
Could you see these things dear
friends you would not wonder that
we implore you all to pray for us
and that more means might be sent
to sustain this work. God help
you all to see that each, do their
■ part; we cannot all be Pauls nor
Moodys nor Vanderbilts nor Roth-
childs. But we can do as did the
widowr, put in our mite. God bless
you all, and may his Spirit keep
you in mind of the need of the
work among the Red men at Santee. R. Gray.
MARRIED.
Barten-Cordier, At Pine Ridge
Agency;. So. Dak., March 81, 1894,
by Rev. A. F. Johnson, Mr. W. H.
Barten,of New York state, and Miss
Angelique Cordier, of Greenwood,
So. Dak. Mr. Barten was appointed teacher of the Government Day
School at Corn Creek, Pine Ridge
Agency, where .Miss Cordier was
already the assistant, and there
met his fate.
FUN OR PHYSIC.
Believing in the axiom that "Fun
is better than physic," the teachers,
matrons and instructors of Santee
Normal Training School resolved
themselves into a social and literary society. Meetings are held
every two weeks, and alternately a
social and literary program is provided.
The literary programs have been
elevating and uniformly good. They
have consisted of essays, book reviews, humorous readings, music,
news of the day, and debates. Mention might be made of the humorous selections, from "Coffee and
Repartee," by Miss S. Lizzie Voorhees and Mr. H. L. Stone which
were greatly enjoyed and illicited
much laughter; while an essay by
Miss Edith Leonard, entitled "Our
Missouri River," called forth praise
because of the subject written upon, as well as its literary merit.
But among the book reviews interest was especially shown in the
Memories of Dr. James Powell, as
presented by Miss H. B. llsley.
And those of us who were fortunate
enough to have met and known him
in life felt that the evening had
been spent in his delightful company. Discussions were had on the
merits and demerits of the tactics
pursued by our national legislators,
also the Geary law; Another one
that amused us and tangled our
tongues much was, "Resolved that
natural naturalness is not natural,"
at the conclusion of which our judgments as to the merits of the debate
were much confused.
Not a bit less animated and inviting have been the social gatherings; for invariably they have furnished that pleasure which makes
glad the heart, and gives rest to the
mind so much needed to relieve the
monotony and daily round of life.
The black board art contest was
novel. Drawing World's Fair re-
parteeislips was new, and the "Too
loose" and "Too long" geographical charade was merry making to
the extent that sides ached. While
the "bubbing good time" that monopolized another evening, was followed by "grocery corner," and
"spinning top"—though many of us
failing to realize, in the latter game
the affinity of the painted top to
j the chalk lines marked on the table,
often drawing our tops to blanks
when we labored to score twenty,
until we laid by our laughter and
put on our thinking cap, over a dish
of home-made ice cream and cake,
while we passed the adrniration
alphabet from one to another.
And so, while we are gathered together to assist in bringing these
Indian children captive to Christ
we seek also to put into practice for
our own good that condition of
pleasure and enjoyment which we
study to promote by the pupil's
play time, and as expressed by a
worthy physician in these words,
that "fun is worth more than physic and whoever invents or discovers a new source of supply
deserves the name of a public benefactor ; and whoever can write an
article .the most laughter-promoting, and at the same time harmless is worthy our gratitude and
respect.' c. r. lawson.