The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-10-07
Martin of Brunswick, and the meeting ad
Evening Session,

EVENING SeSStOns
There was a public meeting held in the
Chestnut street church in the evening, at
7.30 O'Clock. The services began with sing
ing she hymn, my country, tits of Thee"
Rev. DR.. Whitaker, the pastor, read the 44th
Psalm. Rev. DR.. Whitman, pastor of the
Free street Baptist church, offered prayer.
The hymn. "Our eountry's voice is plead
ing" was then sung, after which DR.. Whita-
ker introduced Mrs. Emeline Tuttle of Do
yer, N. H., as the first speaker. Twelve
years work among the Indians as mission
airy has qualified Mrs. futile to speak of the
wrongs of the Indians and advocate their
cause Twenty years ago, when the Indian
question was vexng the government, Gener-
al Grant decided to call in the aid of the
churches, and to each he gave a share. The
Quakers, or Friends, as they are more gener-
ally called. sent Mrs. futile and her husband
as missionaries. She reviewed their history
as far back as it is known, believing herself
in the theory of lost continent and that
the origin of the Indian can be traced to the
Asiatic shores. The whites were the first
oppressors, witness the crueltes inflicted by
the Spaniards upon the Indians of Peru
Skipping over. perhaps 200 years, she spoke
of the Cherokees in Georgia, living peacea-
bly,. All at once they were informed by the
government that their lands were wanted,
and they were driven to the Indian Territory
Out of $4,000 one-quarter of that number
| died from exposure and hardships forced
upon them. Finding minerals In their new
home they did not dare develop their min
eral resources lest that land should be taken
n mn M
in the Indian territory. They have schools
and churches. Nearly all their day schools
are taught by the Cherokee young men and
women, who have been educated in their
own seminaries, They were slave owners
when they left Georgia and took their slave 8
with them. When Lincoln's proclamation
| set their slaves free they adopted them into
| their families, only reservlng that they
| should have separate schools and should not
marry among the Indians.
Mrs. futile gave an interesting account of
the first blow struck for freedom by the
| young Seminole chief, OSceola, which began
| the Seminole war which lasted for seven
years. Notwithstanding the efforts of the
government to exterminate this band there
are now 1000 living in the Indian territory
nearly all of them Christians. So much for
theiciVlized tribes.
Mrs. Tuttle's work was mostly with the
wild tribes, chiefly among the Modocs, a
tribe which she says is not so revengeful as
.loy nave peen ueScrlDeu am glad,
said she, that they resist their injuries. l
wouldn't have so much confidence in them,
II they dldn,t;, The Indian side has never
been told. The white man has had his side
presented in every phase. but that of the
Indian was suppressed because it would be
too big big blot upon our boaSted civil
lzatlon. The Modoc war was an outcome of
the failure Of government to keep the spirit
and letter of its treaty. They fought In
defence of their homes"
| A pathetic picture was that of the first or
nearly the first Christian funeral ever held
among them, that of little child, daughter
| of Steamboat Jack. Before that they had
burned their dead. The funeral services
were held one moonlight night and were the
beginning of the Modoc conversion. Steam
| Woodfords.
Two years ago Mrs. futile and Mrs. Frye
| visited the MOdocs, and every man who has
family has little home. There is great
work for the churches to do among the In
dians, and if the Protestants do not take
hold the Catholics will. There
are 65 tribes without any missionary
among them. Fifteen thousand
children are in schools, but So 900 are out of
school, not including the Alaskan Indians.
MRS: futile made an earnest appeal in con-
clusion not to neglect this great work, which
was quite as important as any foreign fields
A collection was taken.
| DR.. Merrill, of the Second Parish church,
maze a snort addtess, emphasizing the need
of workers in this special field. Against the
demons who stand in the way-despair,
greed, and worst of all, the demon of indif-
ference, he places the angels of common
sense, benevolence and enthusiasm for hui
manity founded on the religion of Jesus
Chrlst-that enthusiasm which puts forth its
most strenuous efforts for those who need it
most, the red men of the forest.
There was an interesting exhibit of some
OF the work done by women of the wild
tribes. garment worn by medicine man,
embroidered with beads, some moccasins, a
blanket made by the Indians of New Mexico
and bag made also for medicine man.
DR.. Merrill pronounced the benedictiou.