The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17
A Pretty Custom of Presbyter-
ian School Children.
GIFTS OF BOOKS AND TOYS
The Money Raised Is Used to Best Ad-
vantaee-Some Amusing Incl
dents of Life Among the
Indian Children,

a band of little Indians very happy On
ceive a lot of presents from their little
pale-faced brothers and sisters. Indians
like pretty things as we'll as whites do,
and especially when the Indians are
approaching civilization and note the
Improvements of the whites over the
primitive methods of making one an
other happy, they appreciate anything
which will give them the distinction of
being recognized as worthy of consid-
Grafton at the hands of their white
teachers. If the little Indians at Fort
Peck Indian agency do not toss up
their hands and give thanks on Christ
mas day the children of the First Pres
byterian church of Butte must not be
held blamable for the infraction of the
rules Of religion.
For three weeks the Sunday school
pupils of this church have been buying
presents for the Fort Peck Indian boys
and girls, and tomorrow Rev. Mr.
Groeneveld, the pastor of the church,
will ship the boxes containing the hun
dreds of pretty things which are 20
gladden. the hearts of the Indians on
Christmas morning. There will be quite
a large collection of presents to be
SiiippSb. Iltle VIII DC lbyS, uOllS,
skates, books, neckties, handkerchiefs,
mittens, candies and many other things
which go to make up the regula ton
Christmas package.
This is a plan which has been fol-
lowed by the Presby terians of the state
for several years. 1t is customary for
one large congregation in the state to
send presents to the Indians at the Fort
Peck school. This school is under che
and rbaroa Of tho h,-t of
Montana. This year it falls to the cen
sregation of this city to send the pres
ents, and it must be said that the chill
dren have responded very generously.
The First Presbyterian Sunday school
has an enrolment of about 375, and an
average attendance of about 2S5. Every
pupil is going to be represented by a
gift to the Indian children.
Rev. #. J. Lindsay is pastor of the
Presbyterian church of Poplar, the
postoffice of the agency and the princi-
pal place of business. 1t Is near the
agency and the children of the reser-
walton attend the Sunday school. There
is an attendance of 40 and it is said
that they are taking kindly to their
white teachers and learning to be good
little Indian boys and girls. They are
what the government calls Dakotahs,
but generally known as Sioux. 1t is
distasteful to them to be called Sioux,
and they cling to the name and some
of the traditions of the Dakotahs with
a tenacity characteristic of the red man.
They are distinctively the children Of
North Dakota, but they have made
their home in the Montana reservation
and there they will stay. In Dakota the
synod is composed almost wholly of
Indian preachers and elders, and there
are many Presbyterian schools and
churches there.
There is lady in this city who used
to live at Poplar. her husband at the
time being in the employ of the gov
eminent. She tells some amusing
stories in which the Indians figured
prominently. While there is an almost
universal sentiment among the agency
Indians favorable to education and in
sympathy with the doctrines of religion
as taught by the whites, still there are
exceptions, and it is these exceptions
that furnish some of the humor found
among the Indians.
One winter three or four years ago
young Indian girl returned from the
East, where she had been attending
school, to spend the holidays with her
parents, FLOODED Sioux. She was
well along in her books and had uc-
quired a good share of the manners
taught in the school. She would eat
with her fork and take the spoon out of
the tea cup before drinking from it.
Besides these requisites she gracefully
used her napkin. But there was void,
Her mother had prepared feast for
her and she affected to relish it. She
told her mother that she would rather
live with her in the good old way than
attend the finest school in the United
States. But her father was determined
that his daughter should be a lady and
wear lady's clothes and act like a
x, Ir,f 70 ! al 1o-lt ae>s
man. it would appear.
The young collegian called on the
lady referred to and together they talk
ed about things most interesting to
them. Finally, after the girl had told
all about her experiences at school, she
poured forth her tale of woe.
"Oh, it is all right enough to learn
and to acquire a knowledge OF all
things, but Mrs. --, ! would like to
have a good dinner of boiled dog once
more"
Another incident which illustrates the
dominant instinct of the Indian is also
related by the same lady. Years ago
lady who used to live at the agency be-
friended an old squaw. To show her
of the favor, the Indian
woman gave the white lady her infant
child. a girl. Shortly afterwards the
lady left for the East and took the In
dian baby with her. She cared for the
child and gave it the attendance due a
white baby and educated it and sent it
to Sunday school. 1t turned out to be
a very bright child. But in time she
realized that she was dark and that the
white girls as a rule didn't associate
with her. She grew to womanhood and
seemed to love her foster mother One
day band of Indians was exhibited in
the city, and some of the bucks rode
bucking bronchos and lassoed a steer.
That settled it with the educated In
dian girl That night she did not go
home. She didn't show up the next day
nor the next. and she did not return
home at all The lady mourned her loss
and gave her up for dead.
Several months later the lady received
a letter from the Fort Peck agency. in
which the writer told all about the
missing girl. 1t appears that the In
dams were Sioux travelling over the
country making tobacco money by Civ
ing exhibitions of Workmanship and
the like; that the girl saw her ideal
husband and eloped then and there. She
settled down among her own people and
lived happily with the ugliest and