Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-23

AR, SATURDAY, JUNE
#
themselves. how to tin the ground and build
houses instead Of wigwams. They put up
building for church and school. and built
q foot bridge across the stream that sep
arated their settlement. In doing such work
and putting aside their natural laxiness
they proved thattheir religion meant an en-
tire change in their whole manner of living
and thinking and acting. They began to
keep the Sabbath and to hold regular serv-
ices.
Little by little he put the work into the
hands OF native teachers whom he trained
He wrote primer and grammar in the In
dian languaRe and then BET about his great
work of putting the Holy Scriptures into the
indiana own tongue. No one can quite
realize what this tremendous task must
have been. There Was absolutely no writ
ten language whatever. and he had no help
save from Cod He spent much time in
prayer. for he said. When we would ac-
complish any great things the best policy is
to work by an engine that the world knows
nothing Of" The New Testament was pub
lished In 1881. and the old Testament fol-
lowed in 1663-the first Bible ever printed in
America.
But his work was not all easy, nor with
out opposition. When he began there was
not a missionary society in the world, and
many even of his own kind felt that his was
a useless. thankless task. The sachems and
pow-wows were strong opposition, feeling
at once the influence against them in the
new religion. They even prosecuted some of
the converts to death. And toward the end
of his life John Eliot had to bear the sorrow
of seeing the white people. frenzied with
fear because of the atrocities of unchristian-
lied Indians. rise up against even the pray
ing Indians" killing and driving them
away, breaking UP their settlements and
selling some of them into horrible slavery.
But though the tribe of Indians to whom
John Eliot preached is now sextinct, and
there Is only one man living who can read
his Indian translation of the Bible, yet
around the throne of God in heaven many
Indians stand today. praising God for send
Ing John Eliot to bring them the knowledge
of salvation.
Eliot states that the following were some
from their own hearts, for he had never
used the expressions: Take away, Lord,
my stony heart Wash, Lord, my SOUL"
Lord lead me when l die to heaven" And
Cotton Matner thus writes of a visit he
and some others made to the villages of
the praying Indians:
ITO see and hear Indians opening their
mouths and lifting up their hands and eyes
in prayer to the living God.~ calling on
Him by His name Jehovah In the media
ton of Jesus Christ, and this for good
while together; to see and hear them ex-
hortfng one another from the word of God,
to see and hear them confessing the name
of Christ Jesus and thei rown sinfulness-
sure this is more than usual! And though
they spoke in a language of which many or
US understood but little, yet We that were
present that day saw and heard them per-
form the duties mentioned with such grave
and SOBER countenances, with such comedy
reverence in their gesture and their whole
carriage, and with such plenty of tears
trickling down the cheeks of some of them,
as did argue to US that they spake with the
holy fear of God, and it much affected our
hearts,
How to Help the Leader.
Tell the following story: when David
Bra: lerd halted at one place among the
Indians and tried to instruct them, they re-
fused, saying: Why should you desire the
Indians to become Christians, seeing the
Christians are so much worse than the In
dams? The Christians lie, steal and drink
worse than the Indians. They first taught
the Indians to be drunk. They steal to that
degree that their rulers are obliged to hang
them for it; and that is not enough to deter
others from the practice. But none of the
Indians were ever hanged for stealing, and
yet they do not steal half SO much. We
will not consent therefore to become Chris
tians, lest we should be as bad as they.
We will live as our fathers lived, and go
where our fathers are when we die" Tell
how difficult Mr. Brainard found 1t to ex-
plain that such Christians were not really
Christians at all, and bring out the thought
that we who give money for missions may
in some other ways be helping to destroy
the good influence we wish to send to those
we would Christianize.
Parallel pa.5sa ges--Isaiah, 45:22, %; Isaiah,
1915; Isaiah, 59:19; Isaiah, 60:1S.21; Isaiah,
1923; Micah 40 Habakkuk, PA; Psalms,
23:27; Acts. 26:16-1s
Hints to the leader-The Endeayor Hymn
nal, 142. IA, l45, 166, 1863
Divide your subject, giving different mem
| bers of the missionary committee each
some special head, and let each take three
minutes. sketch of John Elot's life-that
| is, his BIRTH early education and CONVEX
| sion; a word about his church; three min
utes talk on his literary work for the In
| dams. finally five minutes given to two
members. if possible, concerning his work
among the Indians. If you have time also
give out other Incidents concerning mis-
sion work among Indians today.
I'm de dark wood. no Indian nigh.
Den me look heaven, me send UP cry,
Upon my knees low.
Dat God on high, in shiny place.
See In night wild teary face,
De Spirit tell so!
"God now, He know here.
He say: Poor Indian never fear!
Ne wild you till yOn dieP
Den take me W to shiny place.
See white man, black man. red mans face,
All happy like on high"
Indian Hymn.