The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-07

mia.
The work among the Navahoes has
been described more than once in The
Indians Friend 50 I will give only
short account Of it. These people occu-
Ply large but dry and sandy reser-
walton in Arizona and New Mexico, ex-
tending into southern Utah. 1t is
large tribe, numbering nearly 10000.
Like many of the southern Indians,
they have for generations been accus-
toned to farming and heUling, and in
this work the men have taken their full
share, showing oftentimes the greatest
patience in making corn, sQuashes.
melons, ETC., grow in soil which to
white man would appear a mere sand
heap. The household arts belong to
, the women and the well known Navajo
blankets show to what skill they at
tanned. But they are ignorant, dirty
and superstitious, and now success
sion of almost rainless summers has re-
duced them to dire poverty.
For several years Mrs. Eldridge, I'M
der the New York and Massachusetts
associations, has carried on among
lI4Clll q i44OS% AClpLul WI IA kOliC 4lelo
been Reclamation, friend, teacher, link
between them and the government, doc
tor and farmer. Her letters tell of
Christmas celebrations and of dress
making for the most needy, of fighting
smallpox and of plans for extending
bitches. BY her work among themes
pecially in the care she has given their
sick in the Jewett Memorial hospital,
and her efforts to seure irrigation and
farming implements, and by her unset
fish and devoted life she has done much
to win their hearts and to help them to
find the white mans way. In, this work
we have had a share the past year, for
when our mission at Ross Fork was
transferred to the Episcopal Board of
Missions, Connecticut decided to share
with Massa chusetts and New York the
expense of the Navajo work. Now this
mission station with its buildings has
been transferred to the Presbyterian
Board, but Mrs. Eldrhdge is to start
under her old supporters a second work
of the same kind on another part of
the great reservation. A letter recently
received from Commissioner Jones tells
of visit he has made during the sum-
mer to the Navajoes and his determine
ton to start irrigatfng bitches, both to
give the men work and to utilize what
water there is in that region so that
pastures and farms shall not become
entirely useless. The latest letters
from Mrs. Eldridge tell of the present
suffering from drought and hunger.
fNoA Ia, hn
ranges to die of thirst and starvation.
A few of the Indians are taking the
remnants of their herds of sheep to
the mountains, hoping to save them till
the rains come. Crops are ruined ex-
cept along the few bitches and those
have to be carefully fenced and watch
ed to keep them from the starving ami
mails. She writes God help these In
dams if the rains do not come soon."
1t is indeed matter for thankfulness
that the commissioner is to have other
bitches dug. To add to the misery,
smallpox is raging among them. But
she writes with undaunted hope of the
new work she>is planning. She intends
to go forty or fifty miles down the river
to a place where nothing is being done
for the Indians and there have little
house. There she will begin by helping
the men in their farming and by doing
what she can for the sick. Later she
plans to have some educational work
elementary classes which will fit the
girls to enter the fine government
school at Phoenix. We hope that this
new work will equal in Importance her
former one and with that we shall have
good reason to be content.
The other purpose for which the
funds of the Connecticut association
have been used are in helping Miss
Constance Dubois in her industrial
work among the Mission Indians of
Southern California. She presented
their case at the state annual meeting
last fall and doubtless many of you
have read her appeal in the Bulletin,
so l will speak of it very briefly. These
Indians, being on a dry and barren
land and being untitled to compete
with their white neighbors have sunk
into a condition of great poverty. On
the principle of helping people by
teaching them to help themselves, Miss
Dubois has made an effort to stimu-
late the industries which can be car
ried on at home and which have mar
ket value. She first spent some time
among the Indians and then devoted
her attention to raising money in the
east for the purchase of tools and for
fund with which to pay the first cost
of the articles made, and, more i'm
portant, to securing market for them.
These articles are of two kinds: Bas-
kets, their own native industry; 2,
rdawn- work. lace making and cary
ing-survivals of the time when the
Catholic fathers were indeed fathers to
these people. The government teacher
is in full sympathy with this work and
it is hoped that by encouraging the In
dams to work at these half-forgotten
industries and by selling their work at
fair price they may be relieved in
some degree from their crushing pow
erty and may be helped towards a
higher measure of self-support.
The New Haven branch may we'll
feel that in helping these two causes,
home Industries amor q the nnor hut