The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1894-09 - 1894-10

              The Word Carrier
VOLUMK   XXIII.
HKLI'IXIi    Tin:    HIGIIT.   EXPOSING
THE   WHOXG.
XUMBKltS 9,10.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, i8Qzt.
FIFTY CENTS PEB YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The re
sidti of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is die Power of God for
their Salvation.'
Dr. Chas. Eastman is pushing his
work as Indian Field Secretary.
He has just returned from a trip
into Canada. He finds much that
can be done among the Crees of St.
Peter's Reserve. The Church of
England has done much good work
for them. _,	
The International Committee of
the Y. M. C. A. have taken up the
expense of a Y. M. C. A. department in the Iapi Oaye. It receives
the news ofthe Indian associations
and is the official organ of communication with them. Rev. James
Garvie is editor of this new department of the paper.
CHUBCH  AND   STATE   UNITED !
A certain religious denomination
establishes a mission among the
Indians. The missionaries wish to
increase their religious work by educational work. I They desire to have
a school. But the missionary society that sends them out has no funds
for schools. In the mean time the
United States Government has appropriated money for Indian education but has built no school and
found no teacher. The said missionary society then steps in and
offers to furnish a man who is just
exactly fitted for teacher at the
place referred to—their missionary
at that place. The missionary
society is to build and maintain a
school of a stated number of pupils
and the Government is to furnish
part of the expenses. A contract is
therefore made between the said
missionary society and the Government, and the sehool thus established and conducted is called a
contract school. It is sometimes
large and sometimes small. Some
times the contract requires the Government to furnish a small portion
and some times a large portion of
the means.
There have been strange confusions of ideas in the minds of intelligent people as to what a "contract
school" is. There is nothing mysterious about it. A religious society, a single missionary, or any individual or company contracts with
the Government to maintain an Indian school at such or such place.
That's all. But this contract business has been greatly abused by
some individuals and religious societies, abused in such a way as to
use the Government money for the
propagation of religious sectarianism than for education. Therefore
the contract system has come into
great disrepute. The Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, and Methodists have of their
own accord withdrawn from the contract system, have refused to accept
any more Government money, and
are supporting their own educational work. On the other hand the Roman Catholics are taking all they
can get and grasping for more.
A  MISSIONARY PILGRIMAGE.
The winds were quiet, and clcuds
protected us from the heat and
glare of the sun, on that September
day when we started from Oahe to
attend the Conference at Cherry
Creek. To the Missouri River we
were conveyed in a hay wagon,
which is a much larger vehicle than
you are accustomed to using and
always drawn by two horses. The
river was crossed in a row boat, the
first load being carried down stream
by the swiftness of the current
pulled back up the river after a
while to the proper landing.
On this side we found carriages
and wagons awaiting us in which
we took our assigned places, and began ascending the hill a rise of four
hundred feet from the river. In
making the ascent the road is very
steep, winding and sideling. I concluded that after a little travel on
such highways New England roads
would sesm very mild. Every turn
gave us a changed view of the Missouri valley which seemed very
beautiful and picturesque with its
curving river and wooded banks.
At the top were the friends who
were to travel with us, so we commenced the drive of seventy-five
miles over the open prairie, but
halted after a few hours at Willow
Creek to refresh ourselves and
horses with something to eat and
drink. We ate in a style similar to
that fol'owed in picnicking in the
East, only our table-cloth was a tent
cloth, but we were promised nice
white table-cloths when we reached Cherry Creek, and we had them.
Around this on the ground we gathered after the cook had prepared
the bacon, coffee and so forth.
Supper was eaten at Frozen Man's
Creek and then we drove on by
moonlight seven or eight miles,
where, as soon as our tipis or tents
were pitched, we retired for the
night.
The next morning was very bright
and clear. On account of the sun
most of the ladies were obliged to
adopt heavy veils, and even the
gentlemen unused to this atmosphere, sought to protect themselves
from the blistering sun by other
means. We journeyed on in much
the same way as the day before.
Those provided with guns had an
opportunity to fire at tne prairie
dogs and chickens and coyotes
which were frequently seen along
the way, the hunters sometimes taking aim from their places in the
carriages. At other times they walked on over the hills in search of the
game.
After crossing the Cheyenne River, and just before fording Cherry
Creek we came to a lovely wooded
tract of land so much like the east-
I ern country that I could not refrain
from exclaiming, "Three cheers for
New England," which met with an
enthusiastic response. In riding
along that afternoon the deep cuts
and changing views of the hills and
mirage seen across the plain, were
all very strange and fascinating to
me; and when we drove into the
settlement at Cherry Creek, composed of the missionaries, Indians
and visitors who had gathered there
from miles away, numbering two
thousand persons and four hundred
tents, the sight was wonderfully impressive.
Meetings were held from nine
o'clock in the morning until ten
o'clock, or later at night, and most
of the talking was in the Dakota
language. The church and a large
out of door temple, formed of tne
boughs of trees making a square flat
roofed room, were used to assemble
in. Representatives from the Y. M.
C. A. at Chicago and Omaha conducted services in the church each
evening, and beside the regular assemblies there were special meetings for the women led by an Indian woman. To look around upon the earnest, interested faces of
this people, and note the glad way
in which they responded to an opportunity to speak for the master,
whom they are all learning to love
and serve, one could but wonder
how so much had been accomplished in these few years that they have
been taught.
Our accommodations here were
very comfortable and pleasant.
There were fifteen in our tent and
room for several more. On cool
mornings a fire was built on the
ground inside the tipi. Our slumbers were disturbed only two nights:
the first was when one of our number aroused her sleeping companions with the startling announcement that she thought a rattlesnake
had invaded her side of the tent,
but on producing a light this was
found to be only a product of her
imagination. Another night this
same unfortunate being was awakened by the rain failing upon her
from the opening in the top of the
tent, making necessary a change of
quarters, but as this was an initiation for her into camp life perhaps it was well that these things
occurred in her special vicinity.
We climbed the gumbo hills several times and on one found petrified wood, specimens of which we
were glad to collect to carry home.
When they broke up camp Monday morning we said, "we shall
probably never all meet here again,"
but cordial invitations were extended to all to attend the Dakota Mission Conference to be held next
year at "Mountain Head," N. D.
On our way home the Cheyenne
river was forded eleven times, and
we called at a buffalo ranch to see
these animals but they had gotten
out and were away on the hills
grazing so we had not a glimpse of
them.
All of the first day could be seen
horsemen galloping over the prairie fording the rivers and ascending and descending the hills, bringing to mind the descriptions of similar scenes in Scott's novels, of the
knights riding on the plains. The
creeks had nearly all dried up since
we came that way; but twice muddy ponds were found where, by digging down into the mud, enough
of such unpalatable water could be
dipped out to satisfy our thirst until the Missouri River was reached,
of which we drank freely. Here our
party separated as we had met, part
driving on to Pierre and from there
going by train to their various
destinations, the rest of us crossing
the river and returning to our home
and work at Oahe.
E. F. Dixon.
HELPS IN CLASS.
Here I am again harping about
our work and our ways and means
for advancing the work among our
pupils. How true is the old saying,
if you want to know me, come and
live with me a summer and a winter. But you would have to live a
great deal longer with this people to
become acquainted with them. All
know, or have read about how hard
it is to get on intimate terms with
an Indian. In fact there are some
you never can get acquainted with,
no matter how hard you try. Often
they do not understand what you are
getting at when you talk to them.
Then again they are suspicious of
white men, and this causes them to
act very curiously.
Here is a boy who has grown up
without any training to the age of
seventeen or eighteen years. He
has never worked any, just simply
grown up like nature itself. Now
we put him to work, say for three
hours in the blacksmith shop.- He
seems to like it. Asa rule they do.
But not being used to work, his fingers and hands will cramp and he
tires quickly. Then we are apt to
talk sharp. Sometimes the boy will
turn away sullen and then your
instruction is done for that day.
They think that no matter how
much they may have done to provoke you, you should always keep
the same. If they see a teacher
getting angry they will say "No
good!" And I begin to think so too.
They are no good until Jesus gets
right in and lives and works through
them.
Here is another thing. In doing
work before them, we have to be
very careful to make it just right,
especially if they do not understand
English. For they will make it according to the pattern. And should
you make it a little short or not
quite wide enough, or make it on
another scale, they will not consider your scale but make it just like
your pattern. If they do not succeed at first, thay must try it over
again, which at first they do not
like to do. But by patience this
too is overcome. Praise the Lord !
He alone is able to make all things.
I have some boys who are trying
to do just as I tell them. They
take hold well. I had some boys
last month who semind was not on
their work but on their school exercises. You might have seen one of
them turning about face and his
lips going. He is one of those
"dear bad boys" as my sister in
Chicago used to call some boys
at the Mission. She would exclaim, "God bless those dear bad
boys". This is my prayer day by
day. And that I may be so fitted
as to be able to point them to the
Lamb of God. The gospel of Jesus
Christ is the power of God unto salvation unto all them that believe;
to the copper colored as well as to
the white man.
Dear friends: Pray for us; for
our school and for me. Pray for
the American Missionary Association and while you are praying remember that it takes money to do
this work.
Yours in His name,
Robert Gray.