The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1894-07 - 1894-08

              the Word Carrier
o
VOLUME   XXIII.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
NUMBERS 7, 8.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
JULY-AUGUST, i8Q4.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights' The results of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is die Power of God for
their Salvation !	
Dr. F. A. Waples, Mrs. Cora Riggs
Waples and little Donald left Santee
for St. Paul, August 17. There they
met a large company of missionaries, and with them made the overland journey by the Candian Pacific.
They sailed for China fromVancou-
er, in the Empress of India, August
27. They will stop but a few days in
Japan and go on to Shanghai and
thence to Tientsin, Peking, and finally to Kalgan, on the Great Wall,
which is to be their missionary
home. Dr. Waples graduated with
distinction a year ago at the Medical School of Michigan University.
For six months he was gathering
experience in northwestern Nebraska. Since the middle of last April
he and his family have been with
us at Santee. It has been a great
privilege to have them with us this
summer and give them their send
off. Little Donald has won the
hearts of all,and carries off the prize
as "the best baby that ever was."
His baptism on the last Sabbath
they spent at their Santee home
was a precious event. Our benediction goes out after Donald Riggs
Waples and his mother and father
on their long journey to an arduous held of labor.
OUR STOCK.
The more closely animals are observed the nearer human beings do
they seem in disposition and intelligence. Darwin found that animals he observed possessed memory, reasoning power, affection, desire for revenge, speech, and a sense
of humor. I believe as Darwin does
about cattle and horses at least.
When I commenced to care for
castle I had some trouble about
telling a few of them apart. As
soon as I got each one fixed in my
mind I commenced to study their
dispositions. In a few months I
knew how far I could trust each of
the milk cows; that some kicked
when they wanted to, while others
were very careful. Some would do
what you wanted them to do while
others would almost invariably do
the opposite.
Last summer, as soon as school
was out boys were detailed to do the
milking that I believed would help
me all summer. Four of the boys
still hold their positions while the
fifth quit only a month ago. With
the aid of these boys I commenced
to name the young cattle and milk
cows, letting them choose the names
of the calves they were feeding.
You would be surprised hoyv appropriate some of the names were.
Tlie boys took an interest in their
work, calling the calves by their
names when feeding them, and being gentle to all the cattle.
When I wish the cattle to go
from one yard to another, or to salt
them, or to make a change of any
kind I have taught them to come at
my call. It is the call that "J. T.
Trowbridge" has used in his,"Tbe
Farmyard Song" which every farm
hoy likes to read before the school
from his reader.
A cow will resent an injury or an
unkindness. Three of my boys are
milking three young cows that had
never been handled. We wished to
milk them without having to tie
them. Two of the cows in a short
time would stand all right, but the
third one was contrary. The boy
must sit down on his stool just so,
or walk up to her just so, or put
down his milk pail, or speak just so,
or she would have nothing to do with
him. One of the cows would have
nothing to do with me at first. But
one chilly morning her young calf
was down in the mud and 1 took it
in my arms and carried it into the
barn; ever sine? then the cow is as
gentle as a lamb.
During the winter months the
cattle were watered about 11 a. m.,
some days drinking a great deal
while at other times only a little.
One day, while I was working in the
barn I was so busy 1 forgot to water
them at the usual time, a large
white cow would bawl out every few
minutes but I didn't pay any attention to her, believing that everything
was all right. Soon after a roan
cow came up to the barn door and
called in that low tone they use to
coax or call attention. I drove her
away several times but back she
would come. Finally it popped into my head that I had not watered
them. I spoke to the roan and she
seemed all animation in a moment.
I started out of the door just as the
white one came up. They followed
me to the watering trough and I
heard no more of their calling after
that. I have got used to the sounds
that are usually around a barn yard
and I have not been fooled yet by
going to the barn when things seemed wrong.
But enough for the cattle, for I
could write a yvhole page about our
little drove, but I must have space
to say a few words about our horses.
We only have five head but they are
just as important in this part of the
missionary field as any other animals. Three of the horses are in the
prime of their lives while the other
two have two feet in the grave if I
may be allowed to used the expression. Those two are over twenty
years old,but they have worked hard
in their day and one of them still
pulls his end of the doubletree.
They have been worn out in the
missionary service, on the buggy or
in the field and I would like to let
them rest the rest of tlieir lives, but
missionaries must be up and doing.
The biggest horses orthe work team
are of a kind disposition. If they
were not I am afraid there would
have been, some doctor bills to settle
as so many different boys work with
and care for them during a year.
When boys are working with them
that do not understand English very
well they often get excited and talk
Dakota to them. The horses will
get mixed up and then the boy will
| say "no good." The horses may understand both languages but I don't
! believe they do, as they depend upon the bit almost entirely.
A word for the boys who have
cared for the cattle and horses during the school year. They have
been kind to the animals, cared for
and fed them regularly. They have
taken an interest in their work beyond my expectation.      w. h. h.
HOW   TO   ENSURE   USEFULNESS   ANI>
PROMOTE EFFICIENCY IN OUR
NATIVE  WORKERS.
Missionary work has always recognized the efficiency of the native
force. The Lord let the Ethiopian
go home and preach. He sent Paul
to Rome and Roman cities. We
need not discuss this, we know it.
Christianity is a self propagating
force. It is leaven hidden in the
lump. We recognize it in the field
of our labor.
The native workers only can
stand the continual wear and worry
of carrying on the work. They know
the standpoint from which their fellow men look at life. They know
the mental powers and spiritual
needs as we do not and cannot.
And in many cases as we lead and
educate them, we lead them away
from their mooring and not to our
anchorage. That is, our best educated man may not be the best man
to send to the hardest field. The
young man who has been brought
up a christian, in a christian home,
educated from childhood in our
schools, may not be the man to send
to a thoroughly heathen village.
We don't send a man from the engineer corps nor a graduate of West
Point to locate or attack the enemy's
picket line. We send an ununiforrn-
ed scout, if in Indian country an
Indian. But all missionary work,
is unto edification, and when the
ground is broken, the foundation
laid, then skilled laborers, finished
| workmen, are needed.
The work divides itself naturally.
1. Preaching, exhortation, teaching.
j 2. Pastoral visitation, home life,
industrial activity.
in the first line the native helpers are preeminently useful and active. Preaching comes naturally;
exhortation is their strong hold.
Usefulness is ensured in this line
just so far as (1) the men are really
converted. Content we may call it.
Once I was blind now I see. This
is the same to the Indian and white
man. He is converted just as we
are, if at all. He sees Jesus his
Lord and Savior. / am the way.
He sees this. This comes direct
from the Holy Spirit. We cannot
produce or modify it. We cannot
explain it. "The wind bloweth."
This alone makes him useful at all.
(2) The new sense of spiritual
sight involves new duty and responsibility. Truth, "I am the truth,"
involves action; men are converted
to something. Here too the Spirit
is helpful but human aid and help
is efficient and required.
That our Native Helpers may be
j useful they must be acquainted with
j christian duty, the wideness and
fulness of the christian life, the
I obligation to grow into it to receive
| its joys and bear its burdens.
Our workers need instruction in
i this line.    Christian ethics, preach-
j ing, the reviews, newspapers,  and
; problems constantly arising, have
\ given us the idea of the extent of
j Christianity.    Methods   of church
work, organizations, missionary effort belong to this.   Here is where
our helpers need instruction.   Here
j is where we are  required to do our
greatest work.
(3) There is such a thing as intent,
a consecration to the work, ministry,
service. We are not always sure of
this. Our churches and men are not
yet up to that point where the call
to the ministry is a fact. We rather
pick them up as we can find them.
Our applicants are not always impelled to the work as we feel often
that we were. But the spirit will
grow with the church growth.
2. Pastoral work is not always
considered a part of the duty of
the native helper. But gradually
the people expect more. They expect visits when sick or in trouble.
But Indian life is not conducive to
pastoral calls, in the sense we use it.
The home life of the Native Helpers
is one of the main elements in his
work. He ought to have a neater
home,clean, neatly clad children and
wife. He ought to get away from
the Indian estimate of the woman
and wife, and rustle for wood and
water himself; and give his wife a
chance to tend to the house within;
and to the children. He ought to
have a better field and garden, and
sufficient hay for his team. He
ought to represent the very best
home possible to him.
We shall ensure his usefulness
and promote his efficiency when
we make him a better Christian
and man. How? We must teach
him more, I mean the force now
on the field. Maton, Lot Frazier,
Clarence Ward, all. They need
just as much as we had to get:
Bible, History, Language, Government, Ethics, Science, and some
other tilings. Our Native Helper
ought to have some travel. But
the money is not at hand to send
him away. How can we do it here ?
We might have a scliool for christian workers and lectures by the missionaries. A Normal attachment,
with an industrial side-show or postgraduate course. Some of this must
be done by the missionary in charge
of the field. It might not be a bad
thing to have the men in a field
meet once each two months to talk
over and to be instructed in work.
In home life he needs some direction and encouragement, no nagging. It is a possibility for him
to have a neat house. It must be
made possible by furnishing him
a suitable house. And to a certain
extent he.must be held up to a high
standard of living.
But a not to  be neglected  element must be his wife.    How can
she  be helped?   Perhaps some of
\ our wives could answer this better
1 than 1.    Certainly our helpers as a
whole have the most unmannerly
i lot of children to be found.   They
| have all the disobedience and un-
ruliness of bad white children, and
a few savage failings thrown in.    A
mother's meeting should be an attachment to the institute ; a cooking school and course  in nursing
also.    The problem is not simple,
nor easy.    The  churches  grow in
j every  line of life and thought  so
fast that we need to be on the alert
i to have men in our churches who
i can still be leaders.
Our own relation to our native
helpers demands most careful
watch. That we see that we are
holding them up to the rapidly
! growing life of the churches is the
most essential feature of our work
as missionaries in charge of the
several fields. J. F. Cross.
..: inj.vt::;-