The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1894-05 - 1894-06

              The Word Carrier
ۥ
VOLUME- .XXIII. :
HELl'WiG    THE   RIGHT. 'EXPOSING    THE   WRONG.
NUMBERS 5, «.
Miu
SANTEE; AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
MAY-JUNE, .8q4.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM. '
Indians we want American E'du
cation!     We want   American
We want American l Rights! ,   Tlw results of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Powerb'f God for i 0f
their Salvation!
we realize how hard it is for him
to say we must retrench still fnr-
Homes! \ ther. He speaks of the days when
the Association could say "Go on,"
when it came to new lines of work,
because it knew there was plenty
money consecrated to mission-
THE MISSION COUNCIL.
The readers of The Word Carrier
will have the pleasure of reading
"the various! reports of the Mission
Council held at Oahe, .May 22-24,
and also of reading some of the pa?
uers presented there, all of which
will be of much interest to those
who are following the progress of
Indian christianization.  Only those
however, who came into  personal
contact with   the  heroic men and
women who have devoted  heir lives
to the active solution of this problem, can appreciate the inspiration
of such a gathering.   The members
of the council present were .Secretary Ryder, New York; Dr.' A. L.
Riggs, Mr. and Mrs:- F. B,. ,Riggs,
Miss H. A. Brown;Santee: Rev.G.'
W. Reed. Fort Yates; Rev. 0 W
Hall,  Fort Berthold:  Rev.  J.  F:..
Cross, Rosebud : Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths. Plum Creek: Rev. and Mrs, T.
L. Riggs, Oahe, together with the
teaching force at Oahe.
The topics discussed were of vital
importance. They were presented
in a scholarly way,and talked over in
a spirit which showed how earnestly each was.striving to find out the
best way in which to accomplish
the work in his own particular field."
Dr. Riggs' "'School Discipline," and
his "Essentials of Indian Education" touched the key-note of our
failure where we have failed, and
of our success where we have succeeded. Mr. Fred Riggs made us
gasp a little over-"The Application
of Herbartian Principles in Indian
Education," but it was only the
topic that was overwhelming. The
paper itself was clear, concise, and
very much to the point. The other
topics are equally'worthy of mention, but all- are to be fully presented in other columns. 1 commend to
notice Miss Dodge's "Woman's Work
for Indians."
Since the establishment of the
Council seven yearsugo, every meeting nas been pronounced "the best,"
but-1 think no one can deny that
for-true consecration of spirit and
unity of purpose the meeting of '94
ary purposes, but now7, he says, we
do not know which way to turn.
\ Again  the devoted   heads  of  our
! missions go over their appropria-
1 tion lists, and cut  out  here and
\ there things we should have said
last year we could not do without.
Witli'' grateful hearts that .it does
not a^have to,go, but. that means
will be provided to enable us at
: least to "hold on" until these stringent times "are over, we are ready
'to face another year.   It is the
Lord's work.     He has blessed and
prospered  it.     He   has   given   to
some the beautiful privilege' of laying down their lives in active service, so that the missions stand on
hallowed ground.     Shall we   hot
trust it all to Him for the future ?
•I.E. P.
WOMAN'S WORK IN INDIAN HOMES.
If we consider what the Indian's
idea of a home is and what are the'
existing conditions hi their homes,
we "shall be better able to under-
■ stand where a' Christian woman's
' work should begin and wherein she
i may be able to exert a helpful in-
I fluence in the homes of these Da-
i kota people.
The', Indian in his native state
has no idea of the meaning o'f Home.
1 There is no w;ord for it in their language.   An Indian family with its
seldom
home ii|e, yery practical help may
be given.,   these visits are bright
spots in the Indians'lives.    They
appreciate   and   profit   by  them.
Self-respect is engendered.     Life
begins   to   have   a  -iiew..rneaning
for them.    Thus is the desire enkindled to try to make more  comfortable and attractive tlieir homes,
and to have tlieir children grow up
in a knowledge of that of whicli they
are just  beginning to know—The"'
Christian  and the   civilized   life.
Christ was always ready to befriend
the worst -sinner,and never hesitated
to accept the hospitality-iof the hum
blest.    Nor need we, if we btrive in
the Master's .. spirit to help in the
building up of our Father's kingdom on earth.    It is when we sit
down as friend with friend in their
homes or they in ours, that w.e begin
to understand how they think and
feel and from that can judge what
is for their best good.    By imbuing
them with a desire for purer, better
living, we are able to give them the
truest help.    Then will they seek to
learn of that which we have come
to teach them, and so enable us to
effectually help them.    By interesting ourselves in  everything   that
interests each of these Dakota people,  we bind  them in friendship
very closely to   ourselves.   ■ They
come to us in  all their joys and
sorrows, in their perplexities and
| their.plans.    Then come the rare
opportunities, if we can but grasp
I them, of making such encouraging
' suggestions, as will lead them to
i have confidence in their abilities to
i do well and a desire to persevere in
well doing.    Not the least of the
household possessions, seldom exceeding the capacity of one large J ways in which a woman can help is
wagoft, is packed from place1 to place ; b-y leading the men to respect wo-
as fancy dictates. Ahy'spot where
wood and water can be obtained
and a tent can be pitched, is to.the
Indian—Home!
These conditions are changing
somewhat. Nearly every family
has a log house containing a few articles of furniture. The house is
dirty, little more than a herding
place. • The f amilyeat at discretion.
If they do not wish to prepare a
meal they will call on some hospitable neighbor. They have no conception of a home where the family
can gather in united common inter
! ests, a home from "which they do
! not care to be long absent, and to
which they are glad to return.
Now where will a, woman's work
 ,, _- r __,__._. _ begin, and how will she  influence
stands first, for never before has the the lives of these Indians who are t sakes".
entire mission been bound so close- | t in the infailcv of the knowledge-Uhat is
ly together by  common hardship,     f viyi]ized life and entirelv ;    Q
word tliatmeantretrenohment along
all lines of work. The leaders of each
mission cut out all that could by any
possibility be given up.
■ Santee gave up half its pupils,
-Oahe one-third, Berthold the same.
It seemed disastrous, but the work
of the year has been singularly bless-
«d in many ways. With the cutting
down of the teaching force, apd the
necessity for additional effort on the
part of those who are left, has come
a close contact with the lives of the
pupils, and a new and stronger in
fluence. Now again Secretary Ryder comes, and our hearts go out to
him in  warmest  sympathy  when
Dakota  homes,
! home.-for herself:- The house may
j not be much more pretentiously fur-
| nished than is the Indians; but it
can  be cheerful,  cozy and clean.
This home so different from theirs,
i will be a forcible object lesson. To
j make it an effective one, the Indians
■ must know that she whose home it
; is, is their true and sympathetic
\ friend in all pertaining to their best
I interests. Assured of-'this, they
| will come to her home to gain aU
the help, physical, mental, and mo-
I ral, that a true frieud can give. By
j sharing her home with the people
! and occasionally sharing iu iVw%;'
manhood, and by helping the wo
men to be more womanly. The
courtesy and helpfulness that they
will show toward a woman of another race will influence the treatment; of their own women. They
will learn to be thoughtful for her
and to ease her of the heavier man-
I ual work.
A white woman's presence in an
Indian camp must purify the moral
i atmosphere there:    Her home and
' her life, what she does, says and is,
i is a common subject of conversation. ! They feel checked by her life
I among them.    Even those who do
| not wish to be taught themselves,
will say, "It is good to have your
[ home here,   we want you to stay
i with us for our wives' and children's
And again, "Nothing but
good and pure must come
where you are.    We come to your
trouble.    You
we  feel
That
these sentiments are aroused, show
that some rays of the light  that
shines in the darkness have come
into their hearts and understand-
ts
their
mgs.
A woman's work in the homes
largely teaching from the words of
Him who will guide us into higher,
purer living; but the greater work
is exemplifying by her life that
which she teaches. Her work will
be successful in proportion as she is
able to receive the Master's spirit,
and to merit the encomium, "She
went about doing good for God was
I with her." Dora B. Dodge.
•jn,\iy m:3JO[^ "uoijHlt; uoiSuilus^f
ON MISSION ART SOCIETY.
It has been said that some of our
friends .were surprised to learn that
Santee Mission had a missionary
society among its workers. We are
surprised now, that such a society
was not organized sooner.
I think there had been a common
feeling that there was no time for us
to gather by ourselves for such a purpose. All were too busy looking after
their special.branches of work to
make it practicable. Yet it is wonderful how elastic time becomes,
when the desire to make it so is
fully aroused.
\ So far from hindering any department of our work, we have found it
to be a help and a rest, and also
an inspiration. In studying about
other mission fields, we find incidents very similar to our own. Little, difficulties and trials and joys
coming into other lives, quite on
the other side of the world, and
victories too, gained after much
waiting and many disappointments,
all seem-familiar.
In reviewing our subjects for the
three years, we find foreign fields are
very prominent, especially Northern
China. How natural this is can be
readhy understood when we recall
the fact that Dr. Riggs has a sister
stationed there; and that his neice,
Miss Etta Williams was with us for
three years. ■•,
Last autumn Miss Williams went
home to Kalgan to take up her
future mission work amoug the
Chinese. In recent letters we find
she is carrying quite as much
enthusiasm into the work there as
here; and the Chinese girls and boys
are winning their way into her
thoughts and affections. Although
not quite the same; yet, there is
promise that it will not take many
months to complete her interest.
It is quite right and fitting that it
should be so, and our desires are
that she may find still greater joy i
and success than she experienced •
here.
We have visited Japan, the Pacific Islands,   Turkey;  and   when
India was our lesson, the material .
and interest called for an adjourned i
meeting the next week, which all
were glad to give.    Time has also
been given to the field of the A. M.
A., and to Indians exclusive of the
Dakotas.    Twice only have we giv- >
I en  the hour to   Home  Missions. •
1 Yet while our minds have gleaned
| more facts from foreign field,, our
l contributions have found their way •
! mostly to work in our own country. ;
This present year shows very nearly
equal amounts sent to the Treasurers  of  Home  and Foreign   work.
The meetings are held on the first
Tuesday afternoon of each month
for one hour.
The time spent in prayer together, forms a most precious part.
We also find that the ten or fifteen
cents a month given by each member mounts up into the dollars by
the end of the quarter.
Where are the tens previous to
September 1891 ? Did just as many
find their way to the same funds.
We believe our Society has come
to stay among us for twelve months
in each year. May the Lord increase' our interest and warm our
hearts toward every mission station
on earth. H. B. Ilsley.