The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1895-11 - 1895-12

              the Word Carrier
VOLUME   XXIV.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
NUMBER II -13.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1805.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
our platform.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The re
suits of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation'
The plan of the Secretary of the
Interior for the reorganization of the
Indian Department will certainly
attract attention. Whether it will
receive approval is another matter.
He is in favor of a nonpartisan bureau. All friends of the Indian will
heartily agree to that. He would
secure this by a triple beaded Commission consisting of two politicians
and one army officer. Those who
are acquainted with Indian Affairs
will put little confidence in such a
Commission, either for nonpartisan-
ship or for executive force. A good
Indian administration requires conscience, intelligence and persistence.
The chances for this are only one-
third as good in a three-headed commission as in one with a single responsible head. In tbe first the majority will always be a combination
of its worst or weakest elements.
The action of the government in
regard to the Omaha and Winnebago land leases, while meant to secure those Indians their rights, has
been practically a nullification of
their citizenship. The government
reinstated the reservation by the appointment of an Agency police, who
were armed by the War Department
with government rifles, putting the
Reservation under the old military
rule. This was done without proclamation or any public notice that
military authority was resumed. It
may have been necessary, under the
unfortunate condition of affairs at
that Agency, for which the government is largely responsible. But it
raises some curious constitutional
questions which may not be easily
answered.
Self helpful independence is something to be dilligently labored for in
the developement of the regenerated
Indian. One direction in which this
has grown.is in the Y. M. C. A. work
among the Dakota Indians. In the
initiation and in the cultivation of
this work it has been entirely in the
hands of Indians. Over thirty Indian associations have been organized and at work in this field. For
the reason suggested above, if for
no other, it should receive the favor
and encouragement of every one
who is a true friend of Indian advancement. It is significant of the
baleful effects of a hobby that the
distinguished superintendent of Carlisle stamps it with his disapproval.
EDUCATION IN PLAY
This covers two points, the teaching how to play and teaching by
means of play. Teaching through
play is a fundamental idea of the
kindergarten. But it is of use for
children of a larger growth as well
as the little ones. Interest is so
vital a thing that it must be secured
even through play. The success
of that admirable geographical
game, Across tbe Continent, is one
illustration of what may be done
for the instruction of our pupils
through play.
It may seem a simple thing to be
teaching children games and plays.
Relaxation from labor and the refreshment of play is a natural necessity, yet dangers accompany it.
These are the most susceptible
hours. Plays are instinct with the
power of an evil past and find unresisting subjects. So plays need regenerating. Or new plays need to
be invented and good ones brought
into use. Here is a wide field for
missionary enterprise.
It is a hard thing for many to
recognize that there is any such
thing as education in play. Some
feel that when play time comes
brakes should be off and there
should be no restraint. School
matrons often forget that in out-of-
school hours is their opportunity;
an opportunity for real missionary
effort and influence, in teaching the
children under their charge the
ethics of play and the use of play
time.
Two of the fundamental principles of play or recreation should be
purity and unselfishness. Play and
games of various sorts also furnish
the finest opportunity for the display of honesty and good temper.
Every parent and teacher should
impress upon those under their care
the necessity of being perfectly honest; and of being perfectly good
tempered even when defeated.
Some of the various games which
have been made use of and found
successful at our Indian schools
are Magic Music, Going to Jerusalem, Spoon, Blind Man's Buff, Blowing Out the Candle, Pinning on the
Donkey's Tail, Game of Twenty
Questions, Boston, Jacob and Rachel, Eureka, and Geographical
and Biographical games.
The question of dancing as an
amusement in our Indian schools
is one that is emphatically settled
in the negative without regard to
the usual considerations pro and
con. On the frontier its tendency
is to impurity and for tbat reason
should be discountenanced in all
our schools.
A POTTAWATOMIE TALKS.
In traveling through the Indian
Territory, a short time since, I was
deeply mortified to find nearly all
the common people of both races
living in such ignorance and poverty. I visited many families of the
lower classes, and learned from
them that they had no opportunities
whatever to secure homes, as all
the best lands had been gobbled up
by a few hundred "squaw white
men" and "half-breed Indians" who
were swimming in plenty and luxury
while they themselves were drowned
in want and poverty. I next visited
one of the "squaw white men," a
land king, who owned thousands of
cattle and over one hundred thousand acres of good land, besides a
squaw wife attired like a queen. I inquired of him how long he expected
to hold his vast estate. His answer
was, "I 'suppose always, as my nation has been guaranteed by the
United States to be perpetual. If
white men trouble us here, the United States has promised by solemn
treaty to drive them out."
I next called on a high headed
half-breed owning 60000 acres of
land beside many horses and cat
tie. After he had shown me his
little farm and stock I carefully referred to the laws which the "squaw
man" had told me of and asked if
he considered they had a legal right
to make such enormous land grants
to a favored few, while the common
people were deprived of all good
land and the necessaries of life. I
then said, "Do you know that the
United States gav6 you this land
in trust with an express proviso
that it should be held in common
for all the Indians; that is, each
member of your tribes should share
alike?" His answer was, "We are
guaranteed by the United States
that we may run our nation as we
please and they will not interfere
with us." I replied that it was very
strange they should desire such
unjust legislation. He then said,
"You common Indians cannot understand the spirit of national matters." I asked him several other
questions, to which he gave very
evasive answers, finally telling me
my foolish questions made him
tired.—Simon Pokagon, in Review of
Reviews.
THE THERMOMETER A LECTURE.
A letter to a distant friend giving
sketch of a lecture as given by the
Assistant Principal of Santee Normal Training Sehool,October 4,1895,
explaining construction and use of
thermometer.
Dear Friend :—I must tell you
for your edification about one of the
most interesting, lively, wide-awake
presentations of the subject under
consideration that I ever listened
to. Don't imagine for one moment
that because Nebraska has a grating sound when pronounced or
because it means "The Land of
Flat Water" that there was anything
flat or stale in the way in which
this lesson was given.
Oh, no! except that one felt rather
flat at its close through loss of conceit (the majority of teachers from
the east you know think their
individual methods in school-work
quite correct.) You also know that
when anything of this sort was given
by an Ann Arbor A. B. it was usually as dry as an old walnut that
one has to chew and chew to find
any juice in it and—often you don't
find it. And at such a lecture one
is expected, as a matter of course,
to wear that intensely oppressive
air of intellectuality (which is easier
to assume if one wears goggles as,
they hide the bored expression in
the eyes) and talk about it in a
learned way "forever afterward." No,
this was worthy of the illustrious
Col. Parker or Jackman.
Well, now for more solid matter.
The pupils, about twenty-four in
number, my.-elf meekly bringing up
the rear, assembled in the laboratory at 3 :45 p. m., and from then on
until 4:30 we listened and laughed,
and laughed and listened.
First, meaning of term thermometer. Thermo from the Latin, and
means heat or cold; meter, to measure; combined and shortened in
pronunciation, thermometer. Illustration 1. How heat expands and
cold contracts metals. A brass ball,
which when cold passed easily
through a ring of the same material,
was heated over an alcohol lamp, expanded, and wouldn't pass through
the ring. 111. 2. When cold we (not
a metal this time) contract (emphasized by appropriate caricatures)and
when warm expand (emphasized in
the same way). And of course we
laughed.
111.3. One boy, who is to become
a second Jay Gould in business operations, was taught how to lay the
rails in building a railroad, with the
use of 1-foot rulers,these being more
convenient to handle then the real
rails. They, that is the rails, must
not come in contact at the ends lest
in the summer owing to expansion
the railroads would have the appearance of the Rocky Mountains
in miniature.
111. 4. A piece of brass 30 inches
by 1, was supported horizontally at
each end by a small block of wood.
On one block was a piece of cardboard in the form of a semi-circle
graduated to show degree of heat in
rod. At the centre and top of this
card-board was a wooden needle
which moved on a pivot, one end of
the needle projecting above the block
and in contact with the end of rod.
Beneath the rod were four alcohol
lamps that supplied heat for the
rod which expanded and moved the
needle. Experiment voted a success.
111. 5. Similar experiment; a sewing needle instead of rod with the
required changes in manner of support. Simple enough after some
one has shown us who knows how
to use his Eyes, Ears, and Common
Sense (Chas. Kingsley).
111. 6. Then after just time enough
to store this knowledge away to be
digested later as a cow does its food,
a bottle of mercury was handed
about with many injunctions from
the philosopher to be careful, given
in varied tones of voice, lest the bottle be dropped and broken. (Object
of experiment to notice weight).
Then some mercury was poured into a beaker and this passed along
the line accompanied by a warning
not to burn ourselves when touching
it. As expected, each stuck his or
her finger in shrinkingly and drew
it back with a jerk—disappointed at
not raising a blister as big as a
cherry. We were then shown the
use of mercury in thermometer, bow
it contracts or expands according
to temperature.
Funny remarks were interspersed
through the talk. We were not allowed to receive all this wisdom
with faces 1£ feet long.
The gradations upon the Fahrenheit and Centigrade thermometers
were then explained, the Fahrenheit condemned, and the pupils
taught to read thermometers.
I must close as I hear the welcome
sound of the dinner bell. But all
left the room wiser, happier, and 1
trust witb greater reverence and
love for God's blessings in the ways
which he gives us to improve spiritually and mentally.
An Interesteh Listener.
Miss Anna R. Dawson who went
out last August to Fort Berthold
as government village matron has
been waiting'until this time to have
her house built. At last she is able
to move into it. She is thoroughly
fitted for a very good work among
her people. Her desire for many
years is now being fulfilled.