The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-06

agency, with quite village around them.
They had dwelling houses and a COM
modious school house, where they took
Indian children at very early age, with
view of civilizing and Outstanding
them. They had also a very pretty
church, with a steepIe on it and bell in
the steeple, and all the other buildings
necessary for the complete and efficient
operation of their laudable undertaking.
They were full of zeal and enthusiasm in
the cause, and had progressed to a point
when it looked to an outsider as if sue
cess was only question of a short time,
If it was not already an accomplished
fact. The Bible had been translated into
the Sioux language, and they had hymn
books and catechisms in the same Ian
guage. They had learned to speak Sioux
thoroughly and could preach and sing in
that language. Many is the time I have
attended church at the little meeting
house and heard the simple old Presby-
terrain hymns sung to the tunes that have
resounded for generations through the
meeting houses of New England 1t was
a most solemn and impressive spectacle
in the heart of the Indian country to see
a Christian church filled with devout
wOrshipers, all in the costume of saw
agery, and to listen to the oft told story
of the Savior who died that man might
live. Such scene carries with it q much
more convincing proof Of the universally
of the Christian religion than a church
full of fashionably dressed people in a
great city. It suggests it's limitless ap-
plication to all the human race, even if
dwelling in the remotest part of the
earth.
The experience of these good mission
aries had taught them that civilization
was the most potent auxiliary to reIi-
gion, and for the success of either the
other was necessary aid and adjunct
when dealing with these primitive people
So they set themselves to work to devise
plans to instill into the Indians the eIe-
mental principles Of government based
on law. They organized a little state or
community among them, through which
they endeavored to prove to them the adj
Vantages of civilized rule through the
agency of officers of their own choice and
laws Of their own making They called
their state The Hazelwood Republic.
which embraced all the missionary estab
llshment and all the Indians they could
induce to unite in the ENTERPRISE Tba1,
drew a written constitution, the provisions
! OF which were to govern and direct the
conduct Of the members and the work
fngs of the community. OF course the
fundamental principles upon which the
whole fabric rested were similar TO tbosA
taught by the ten commandments. The
| Indians, with the advice Of the mission
aries, elected a president for the Young
republic, and the choice fell upon a wise
and upright man, about so years of age
whose name was Ma-za-cu-ta-ma-ni or
| The Man Who Shoots Metal as He
Walks, and to give the matter a mora
pronounced ecclesiastical aspect thew
added Scriptural name by way of a pre-
fix to the names of all the officers. for
instance they called the president Paul
Ma-za-cu-ta-ma-nt and one of the dea
cons simon Ana-wang-ma-ni which
means the man who can keep up with
any moving object, or. as things tprned
| out in the end, 1t could well have been
translated into the East Man.
me flrst act necessary for initiation "a
citizen OF the republic was cutting Off
! the long hair universally worn bv the
| Sioux, and If any act could be taken as
ihoicatlVe or sincerity this one seemed
! to be conclusive. 1t was cutie as much
! OF sacrifice for an Indian to emf off
his hair as it would be for a young ladv
| IN society, possessed of a splendid suit cf
! halr to cut 1t off short and appear at a
| grand ball with her head thus denuded
Inc next step was to wear a hat and
! exchange the breech-clout for pantaloona
| and the blanket for shirt or coat MOI
/ wtthstanding this terrible ordeal Of nat
uralization, the population Of the republic
! increased and the church was well at
tended The praying and singing were
i participated in quite generally by the
members. and the future republic looked
| quite as promising as did the United