Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-07-14
10 MOVING UPWARDS
The Red Man Claimed to Be
Rapidly Becoming p Good
Citizen.
The Census just Completed
Shows 9,4OO Males and
10000 Females.

e 10000 Females.
Z The Missionaries Are Extremel,
Happy Over the Prospects
r ---Agency Notes.
Cheyenne Agency, via Gettysburg,
S. d. The great congress II over, anc
where yesterday was a Canvas city
containing thousands Of people, there
| is today but d naked prairie, strewn
with the refuse OF the great camp.
Untutored Lo can give the Arabs
trumps and spades and still do him
in the art of folding tents in the night
time and stealing quietly away.
But Lo doesn't steal, at least his
large representation at the Cheyenne
Agency is not addicted to petty
larceny. The officials rarely lock a
door, and trinkets and light personal
property are left about indiScrimi-
natly without m~olestation. Valises,
coats and umbrellas may be thrown
in the way Of thousands Of these peo-
pie without exciting their curiosity
sufficiently to lay hands upon them.
There is probably no other place on
earth where an umbrella is so safe.
The agency people tell many anec-
dotes of Los trustworthiness. Nh.
Reid, the post trader, conducts stores
on both sides of the river. One day
recently he desired to send 800 from
the Forest City store to his wife at
the agency store. Seeing a strange
Indian about to cross over he handed
him the package and requested the
Indian to convey it to Mrs. Reid. The
boatman brought it over and on
arriving at the store found Mrs. Reid
absent and the store locked, with a
company of Indians lounging on the
porch. He told them the envelope
contained money and throwing it on
the steps went away. Shortly after
wards Mrs. Reid returned and found
the packake all right.
Every Indian loves whiskey better
than he loves "fifth quarter" yet the
police almost daily bring to head
quarters TASKS of the liquor which
they have taken of smugglers and
never even think of drinking it..
And the c~ontraband goods are left
lying about the agency for days, until
condemned by the court and 10
Indian thinks of touching it.
Another striking Characteristic is
their total lack of curiosity, nothing
appears to create any cpecial interest
in them, however novel it may be.
An amateur photographer left his
camera and tripod for hours in the
middle of the camp but they neither
touched it, or even exhibited any
interest in it, although hundreds of
little children were thronging all
about it.
But they do like gaudy display, and
Bishop Marty merely utilized this
characteristic when he devised the
orders of st. Joseph and st. Mary,
with their gorgeous uniforms and
insignia. All this appeals to their
savage tastes and distracts their
attention from the heathenish and
d~emOralizing foolishness to which
they have been addicted. The rites
and ceremonies of the Catholic church
are all attractive TO them, and that
religion is winning many recruits in
consequence.
The army presents many attrac-
tions to the Sioux and the system of
recruiting Indian regiments will not
only be a valuable supplement to the
work of the school, but will be also
one of the most important elements
in solving the Indian problem. Lack
of occupation has always been the
bane of the Indian and but little
progress was made so long as the
young people came out of the schools
to return to the tribes with absolutely
nothing to occupy their time or
prevent them from lapsing into
savagry, The schools prepare the
Indians to make good soldiers and the
army supplies the only place they
need to provide occupation and COM
pei them to adopt other than the
shiftless habits of the tribe.
The Sioux can only carry on agri-
culture after the most primitive
methods, and the natural conditions
surrounding them are such as to
make grain farming practically
impossible. The soil and climate of
the reservation are such that the
chief dependence must always be the
range. All of the more progressive
Indians realize this and are surround
ing themselves with considerable
bands of horses and cattle. The
government isgiving them substantial
encouragement in this, and is
supplying them with excellent
thoroughbred stock for breeding
purposes. They have no taste for
sheep raising, but have a few swine.
The census is practically completed
for the year, showing 9,400 males
and 10, 600 females. There are eight
camp schools and one boarding
school with an aggregate of 400
students. More than 1000 Sioux can
read and write. Col. and Mrs.
Mccormick, the superintendent, and
Miss Cavalier, who has been a
teacher here for twelve years, all
testify that the children are as
intelligent as are the children in
American families and are much
more orderly. Except in mathematics
they make as rapid progress in their
books.
Sixty per cent of all the Indians now
make some religious profession, and
religious sentiment is so strong in
the race that in all reasonable
probability the whole tribe will
within five years acknowledge
Christianity. All honor to the noble
missionaries who have patiently,
through weary years, kept up the
/, good work. They are only now
} beginning to reap the reward fol
which they have labored.
The present congress has been the
most unique gathering in the history
t of these people. For the first time