The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1898-11 - 1898-12

              the Word Carrier
VOLUME   XXVII.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
NUMBER 11-13.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, i8q8.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR  PLATFORM.
Fhr Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes.'
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
tlieir Salvation.'
Senator Dawes' breezy review of
the last Mohonk platform probably
does not do exact justice to those
who made it. But he goes to the
root of the matter when he shows
that now the great field of labor is
not so much the United States government as the people of the United
States; not so much certain political relations as the poor unchris-
tianized, uneducated, back country
Indian himself. Of course it is a
sorrow and a shame that we have
such officials in the highest offices,
but we must go about raising better
men. The Commissioner of Indian
Affairs may be a good man. We
know nothing to the contrary. It
is certain that the responsibility
for the worst things in the present
Indian administration rests on higher shoulders. And we cannot agree
with Mr. Dawes that this is the
cleanest, wisest, and best Indian
administration we have known.
The Mohonk Indian Conference
is a power and a personality of such
character that it cannot be ignored.
Criticism proves this. It may seem
but "a voice in the wilderness" but
it is a voice that reaches even to
the offices of Secretaries and Presidents. They may refuse to listen.
Yet, tho. they refuse, the unheeded
message remains by them an indelible part of their histories. Heretofore the Conference has been mainly concerned with the political phases of tbe Indian question. It is time
to consider whether it should not
bring the missionary phases to the
fore. The urgent need that some one
should do this is well emphasized in
Senatir Dawes'letter. But when we
attend the anniversaries of the missionary societies they are simply
singing the little political tune they
learned at the latest Mohonk Conference. So it would seem time for the
Conference to change the tune, a
while at least, to help the societies
generate some true missionary enthusiasm, for the development of
their own part of the work. Possibly they might reach some more of
these nut eating Indians and raise
them to citizenship in the Kingdom
of Heaven, and incidentally make
them better citizens of the United
States.
OUR  THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
At the first our native ministers
and licentiates were brought into
membership with the regular district associations of churches and
ministers among the whites. We
found, however, that while there
was much benefit coming from, this
fellowship, yet the leaders of our
Dakota churches were not getting
the training they needed, nor was
there any way to cultivate those who
were candidates for the ministry.
The next step was to organize a
distinctively Dakota Indian association. And this was a great gain
on the lines spoken of.
Still there remained something to
be supplied, and that was, instruction. The most of those who are
now bearing the burdens of the
ministry in our native churches and
mission fields have not had the benefit of the full training of our present course at Santee. And even
the best of them are slow to carry
on their studies into any new lines
of thought. To meet this need we
have in former years called in such
students and workers for a theological institute at Santee. Their increasing number and the increased
cost of travel, as they had to come
great distances by railroad, made
it impracticable to continue it
and that work was laid by for a
time.
It seemed now necessary to renew
it in some form. So a year ago last
September we organized a week's
institute for instruction just before
our great annual mission conference. The invitation was issued
first to our Congregational workers
only, but the native Presbyterian
workers asked the privilege of coming in and so the second call was
made as broad as our combined
mission field. The first Institute,
at Crow Creek, had an attendance
of forty, and the second, held at
Rosebud this last September, an
attendance of more than fifty.
There are some difficulties in the
way. One is the difficulty that they
have in coming ahead of their companions who are to attend the great
meeting. At this gathering it is
now usual to have from one to two
or three thousand, according to the
locality. A number have to bring
their friends along with them ahead
of their time. Another difficulty is
tbat of subsistance. Those coming to the great meeting are provided for by the generosity of the inviting church and its district, and also by a contribution of ten cents a
member from all the churches. But
the Institute members provide for
themselves, and if they have many
extra mouths along, they are apt
to go on short rations for several
days. The inconvenient conditions
for instruction are another drawback. Frequently these meetings
are held away from any central
station, and, as at Rosebud, away
from any church building. It is
inconvenient, to say the least, to
have one's flexible blackboard assume all the contortions of the
flapping canvas of the assembly
tent, or to lead the song service
with the portable organ standing
on three legs on the prairie hummocks.
Our program has to be quite encyclopedic. While the chief line of
work is Biblical,wc must also range
over science, history, music, politics, etc. At the Roesbud institute
Rev. Thomas L. Riggs gave one
course of lectures and lessons in
Parliamentary Rules, and another
on Church Finances and the duties
of financial officers. Rev. James
F. Cross a course on The Growth
of Liberty in England and Europe.
Prof. Frederick B. Riggs gave a
course in Geology and the Days of
Creation, and other lectures on
Chemistry. Rev. J. P. Williamson,
D. D., gave lectures on The Philosophy of Penology.    Mrs. Louisa
Riggs two valuable lectures and
drills on Musical Utterance. While
the work of A. L. Riggs was along
the line of giving some clearer ideas
concerning the object, form, principles of interpretation, and chief
lessons of the Book of Revelation.
Besides the lectures of the missionary instructors very good lessons
were given by some of the native ministers, in Bible character
sketches, as on Barnabas, Demas,
Eunice, Lydia, The Galatians
To make the best of unfavoring
conditions, to fit the lesson to the
learners, to be content with seemingly meager results, here a little
and there a little, these are some of
the characteristics of such missionary work. But we bear in mind that
those whom we thus labor over are
to be the real teachers of these Indian people.
SENATOR DAWES AND TIIE LAST
MOHONK PLATFORM.
The platform published to the
world denounced the Indian Bureau
and the Indian Commissioner as the
source of all the remaining evils in
the service, and declared that the
one great need is the abolition of
that bureau and putting its work on
others. These general denunciations of the bureau are attempted to
be supported by two specifications
only, for neither of which is the Indian commissioner or the bureau
any more responsible than 1 am.
The first of these is the appointment of a new Superintendent of
Indian Schools in place of Dr. Hailman. But who did this? The
President and not the bureau nor
the commissioner. Nor was it done
because the Indian bureau is in
polities. The appointment was independent of the bureau or its wishes. It would have been done all the
same had our good friend Smiley
himself been Commissioner of Indian affairs. I cannot tell why the
President did it. I only know that
there was presented to him a request
to do it of a character deserving of
the highest consideration. It was
brought here to me to sign, and,
while I did not sign it, I was astonished at the array of names on it.
There were on it the names of well-
nigh all the distinguished men
friendly to the adminstration from
every part of the country in and out
of the public service. I have never
seen a paper of like purpose containing so many names of prominence
and influence in all walks of life,
and not only their names but personal recommendations as well. New
England was more completely represented than I ever knew it before.
Is it strange that he was influenced
by such men ? He may have made
a mistake, but it was his and not
that of the Indian bureau.
The other charge is the outrages
which came so near bringing on an
Indian war. These outrages came
down from former administrations
of the bureau and were in process of revision and correction in
the bureau under its present management at the time the commissioner was being criticised at Mohonk
for the deeds of others and was by
personal endeavor among the Indians averting a war bequeathed to
him. And yet their only suggestion
is that he and his bureau must be
abolished and "experts" take up the
work before anything else can be
done.
This is what the platform pronounced for the year. Now what
did it fail to notice ? It forgot the
every day Indian. It took no note
of his deeds or of what is the matter that he makes such slow progress, and in some cases is actually
going back. Right before their eyes
are the Omahas and Winnebagoes,
alloted nearly twenty years ago and
neglected from that day to this,
worse off today than before the allotment. Their twenty-five years of
walienation of their homes is about
to expire, and the land grabbers are already around them
watching for their prey as intently
as the setter watches his game.
We all know what fate is sure to
befall his game whatever it is, unless apoplexy overtakes the hunter
lying in wait behind, but it is not
more certain to fall than are these
poor neglected homesteaders to be
wiped out when their time arrives.
Much such need is pressing everywhere among allottees. The every
day Indian is not much cared for
in these days. The schools are in
the highest state and can always
command attention. Their rare
scholars are brought to Mohonk and
we are always delighted to see and
hear them. But the poor allottee
cannot come there and no one represents him. The "Higher education" even, is good without doubt
for a few. But, 0 how few, compared with the many out on their
allottment alone, looking into vacancy and wondering why the promised self-support does not come to
them.
What a field for work is just now
opening in the Indian Territory!
And how indifferent is this platform
to the cry for help which is coming
up from that Territory. Of 64,000
Indians just now taking on the citizenship of a United States Territory and attempting to maintain a
government in harmony with those
around it, full one-half are living
in the back-woods and in the mountains on little more than nuts and
pigs, unable to speak or understand
a word of English. What a field
for benevolent and mission work is
here opening! I did so long to
bring this great need to the attention of the conference and it pained
me much that it escaped the good
men and women there assembled.
—In The Congregationalist.
INDIAN CONTRACT SCHOOLS.
Contract schools are receiving this
year $172,462. Out of this Hampton Institute receives $20,040, and
Lincoln Institution $33,400 by direct
appropriation of congress. Only
one other Protestant school receives
anything, the John Roberts school
at Shoshone Agency, Wyo., receiving $2,160. This is an Episcopal
school. Tbe Roman Catholics
therefore receive $116,884.50, that
is, all the rest of the money that
congress allows to be used in this
way. In 1892 they received $394,-
756. For three years past congress
has been allowing them Jess each
year. In addition to the above
they sustain three schools out of
money drawn from Osage and Pottawatomie trust funds.