The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1896-08 - 1896-09

              The Word Carrier
VOLUME   XXV.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING    THE   WRONG
NUMBERS 8-9.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBEASKA.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, i8g6.
FIFTY CENTS PEEYEAE.
OUK   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The remit of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation'
THE INDIAN TEACHERS' CONVENTIONS.
Under the wise and inspiring efforts of Superintendent Hailmann,
these yearly conventions have
now come to be an established
institution.
They have grown in value with
every year. And their influence on
the Indian school service is plainly
manifest. Some progress is made in
giving the force a higher ideal. A
good deal is gained by the emulation
excited. Practical methods are receiving more attention than at first.
Buncombe talk is some what exhausted. And the ideas and
ways of doing of those who are really
doing something never fail to
interest the convention. This year
the presentation by Carlisle was exceedingly valuable. Her instructors in sloyd and physical culture
gave daily lessons which were
eagerly attended by a large part of
the convention. It was the best
thing Carlisle has ever done for -
self or for the convention.
So far, the boarding school interest has monopolized attention and
the reservation day schools have
had bare recognition. But as the
higher schools begin to consider the
broader bearings of their work;
when they study the relations of the
school to the community, their
sources of pupil supply and the
graded development of their own
w'ork, then they will discover the
importance of the subordinate day
schools, and their cultivation will be
a matter of general concern. At
first the larger schools exist for themselves. Pupils are valued simply
to fill out the roll and exemplify the
school drill. Later, the idea is
borne in upon the workers that influence upon the Indian community
and the general upbuilding of the
Indian man is the test of the value
of their school and the reason for
their existence. Of course we except Capt. Pratt.
A CAMPING TRIP.
It was an ideal trip. Even the
crossing of the muddy Missouri,
which I dreaded, was delightful,
and I wished that the journey was
longer. The water was smooth as
glass though not as clear. It was
the day after mission council closed.
The gentlemen and the teams went
down and crossed at Pierre the next
morning. There were Dr. Eyder,
Mr. and Mrs. Eeed, Miss Collins,
Mr. Daley, Mr. Thrall, Mr. and
Mrs. Eiggs, the children, Miss Conger and myself, making thirteen in
the party, which of course is a very
unlucky number; notwithstanding that fact we were a very
jolly party.
Not being away from the school
before, it was delightful to ride over
the wide prairie covered with flowers.
We camped the first night near a
creek this side of theCheyenneEiver.
It was lots of fun to help prepare the
meals in such a primitive fashion.
Miss Conger remarked that it seemed queer to have the men do all the
work and the ladies sit still. We sat
around the camp fire in the evening
and told stories. In the morning we
laughed at Dr. Eyder's observations
about the extravagances of the missionaries on their camping trips,
"carrying folding beds," burning
candles all night, and the large
room they occupied (he slept out
with Mr. Eiggs).
Breakfast eaten and all ready to
start on: I with fear and trembling,
for there was the Cheyenne river to
ford, and I had heard awful tales of
that river. What was my surprise
and delight to find the river low and
no danger at all in crossing. On the
other side we visited the Phelps
family, then rode on over the prairie with not even a track to guide
us. But Mr. Eiggs was our leader,
and we knew not but that fairies
guided him. We lost Mr. Daley
several times, he was so interested
in the geological aspect of the country and stopped to gather valuable
specimens.
Mr. Phelps and family and Mr.
Gilbert and his family joined us at
dinner and we made quite a caravan
with nine teams and one or two outriders. We reached Eemington station about five o'clock Saturday
afternoon. Crossing Green Grass
Creek, the mission presented a
charming picture; the new white.
chapel, the mission house and the
many tents all about. We all wanted
the picture and regretted that
there was no camera in the party.
It was there I began to see the home
life of the people. Two new tents
were set up for our use,and Mr. and
Mrs. Bluecloud kindly gave us their
room in the mission house. We
appreciated it and were pleased
with how clean everything was.
That evening we went to the "Long
House" to a women's prayer meeting. I had never seen so many
women in a meeting and was impressed with their appearance and
their manner as they spoke. I had
thought of them as always looking
as they do coming home from rations, after being on the road a
week or more.
The Sunday services were impressive. The chapel, new and bright
and clean was dedicated to the Lord.
The building is the same style as
the Oahe chapel. The ministers
all sat on the platform and spoke
to us, some through interpreters.
Then there was the Communion service. It is the custom of this people
for the deacon himself to pass the
bread and the cup to each one, giving to the service more dignity than
it has in someof our English churches. In the afternoon there was a
large woman's meeting and though
somewhat embarrassed when called
upon to speak they did not forget all
they had to say and then interest
in their subject soon made them
forget themselves. This people
have been my teacher all this year,
and I am sure I have learned more
from them than I have given to
them.
On Monday we started for White
Horse Station to organize a church.
On that trip we forded the Moreau
Eiver seven times. "They say" if
you do a thing seven times you will
learn to like it (eating olives for instance), but I can't say I like to ford
rivers. Miss Conger was disappointed because the rivers were so lo.w,
and there was no excitement in
crossing. The next best thing she
thought would be a runaway.
After taking dinner at Mr. Zimmerman's, the meeting was called
and the church organized. Later
in the day we visited a government
day school and that night, thanks
to Mrs. Diviney's hospitality (the
lady in charge of the school), we
slept on some real spring beds.
Our tent beds were not soft even
though they were "down beds." Dr.
Eyder, Mr. and Mrs. Eeed, and
Miss Collins went on to the Grand
Eiver after the church meeting was
finished. On Tuesday we drove to
Forest City. There I saw the agency
of which I had heard much all the
year. Fortunately it was issue week
and the Indians were all about in
their tents, the women preparing
the meat for drying, some of which
I ate later and enjoyed as well. Mr.
Daley and Mr. Thrall left us that
evening, crossing the river in a skiff.
We visited the government school,
and whiled away the time as best
we could, for we had to wait two
days to cross on the ferry. We had
a delightful camping place and
beautiful weather, and we took no
thought of time.
Thursday noon found us across
the river, and so impatient to keep
on in the direction of home that we
hardly wanted to stop for dinner.
Mr. Abraham and his family were
with us going home. Fairly started
we skimmed overtheroad andcamp-
ed within nine miles of home. I secretly hoped we would go through,
but was not sorry when I found that
we were in the loveliest camping
place of the trip, and all were pretty
places, for Mr. Eiggs knows the
country. "0, the roses, roses, all
were roses!" And the spring of
clear, cool water that Dr. Byder
had longed for all the way. At Eemington Station there were many
water holes and the river, but we
could say with the Ancient Mariner
"not a drop to drink."
We reached home Friday a. m.,
shortly after nine, and such a disheveled looking crowd as we were.
I scarcely knew myself when I looked in a mirror, with the combination
of tan, burn, and dust. I am sure
we all tried hard enough to keep
lean. I sympathize now with the
Indian women who have to live in
camp most of the time. They do
better than we did in appearance.
Thus ended a happy week of camping life. J. E. Desmond.
INDIAN CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR.
The annual meeting of the Dakota Union of the Christian Endeavor
will be held at Pahata, Yankton
Agency, South Dakota, in September
during the general conference of
mission churches. All Christian Endeavor Societies in the Dakota field
are earnestly requested to be represented by as many delegates as
possible. Let all members come
prepared to take some part in the
meeting.
Pray that the Holy Spirit may be
with us to inspire and to direct.
Ella Worden, Secretary.
BY GONES.
One of our young men brought
me a little parcel a few days ago.
In it were carefully tied up, two
feather head dresses, and a bracelet
composed of two eagle claws with
the skin and feathers of the legs attached, and two bird bone whistles.
These were made and used by his
grandfather. That grandfather was
a Eee, who had spent his life somewhere between here and the Platte
river, in Nebraska. He was a contemporary of the little children,
who gaped at Lewis and Clark, the
first white men to explore the upper
Missouri. What Lewis and Clark
describe and Catlin paints, and
what in a large measure existed fifteen years ago, has in the days ofthe
grand-children passed away forever.
Thirty four years ago the Eee
tribe had left their village on the
west bank of the Missouri and joined
the Gros Ventres and Mandans at
the Fort Berthold village.
One of our deacons, now thirty
four years of age was born just after
this time. This takes us back to
1862. His fathers' boyhood was
in the days of Catin's first visits.
Four bears and Joseph Kipp, whom
Catlin visited are talked of by middle-aged men of today.    C. L. H.
Fort Berthold, N. D.
HUT AND  HEAVEN.
Three years ago in our visits to
the Indian homes,we found Netkus-
chiripas (Little Eagle) on his bed
unable to  get out of the  house.
Mary, his wife, washed for white
people, hoed corn and tenderly cared for him.    He told me he believed
in Jesus and would join us as soon
as he could come out.   It did not
seem that he ever would get better
then, but his faith put new life into
his body, and two years and a half
ago he was baptised in church, and
got about to do a little work now
and then.    This  fall  his  working
days came to an end.    He could
only lie in his bed or sit in the sun
at the door.    Mary had to haul the
firewood and nurse him, as well as
work out.    For a while they stayed
at a neighbor's house, but an old
Indian   woman   insisted that   he
should wear his old beads and other
heathen adornments.    He refused
to do so, saying that now he was a
different person.   As this annoyance
was kept up, he and Mary left and
stayed by themselves in a dug-out
on the south side of a bank on the
edge of a willow bottom.    His bed
was a few boards with a straw mattress and a few quilts.    The room
was lighted by a single sash—the
shelter of two of God's children.
When he felt himself sinking  he
said: "I do not know what God's
will for me is, but whatever it is I
am ready.    1 have no fears."   The
day before he died he said : "I have
one heart.    I trust only in Jesus. I
have said this to you often."   We
laid him away just after the morning meeting last Sunday.     This is
not extraordinary—we are glad so
many are like this John and Mary.
Twice the gates have opened this
winter for us, and now part of our
church gather above and part here.
Five more are to confess their faith
at the next communion.    Pray for
these little ones.        C. L. Hall.