Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
fin Local Churches.

cent an acre on the white tenants, and thus
maintained seven schools for six months.
Th1S were n attended ten by 9Sspnw
| dams promptly paid their 81 GOO when the
| time came, but the white people got out OF
it and finally never paid it and the schools
| had to be given up on that account. It
| does not look AZ though the Indian was
dealing treacherously with the descendants
! Of those who dealt treacherously with their
| forefathers.
There are strong, noble traits among
them They think much Of bravery. An
old custom among them used to be to
| girls. rubbing in some dark liquid which
/ caused them to smart. This was done until
| the child cried. and then 1t was stopped
The lines made deep scars which lasted
| through life, and the lines on the chins Of
| the old women showed how brave they
had been as little girls But they do not
| do this any more.
| missionary to the Indians in the far
northwest says: when 1 first knew this
| country. in the evening when we made our
| campfire. 1t was with caution, lest the
| smoke betray us to hostile people near. As
| soon as the cooking was done we put out
| the fire and set a watch. But now-oh, the
. contrast! Then there was not a Christian
from tidal water to the river sources in
| the midst of the mountains Now there is
| not tribe or community without it's
J church. and school, and band of Christians.
! Then 1t was perilous to ascend these rivers;
! now we are welcomed Oftentimes at night
after supper when we have prayers, and
my Indian crew lift up their voices in song
and sweet singers they are-we hear from
| the other shore. from some island in the
| river. similar sweet sounds crossing the
| waters.
DO you suppose the people wanted us
| here? Not at ALL We met with persecu-
| ton. / have had brute leave a company
Of 15O men and come and deliberately spit
In my face and then knock me down and
kick me with his foot. That very Indian
| afterward clasped my feet and begged my
pardon, and when he died he died in the
| faith of Christ, triumphant Christian.
| Il shall not forget how the greatest chief
| on that coast told me that he and his fol-
| lowers were overcome by the silent gaze Of
| a small congregation of Christians as once
on Saturday night the heather came in
| and babe them cease praying, tore up their
| Bibles and because they would not promise
to cease praying pulled down the church
| with axes and crowbars, and because it was
| too heavy task to pull down the tower
| they set fire to it. One young fellow, a
| Christian, said Shall we not fight for the
| house of God?' and senior Christian said:
| No; Jesus never fought; He died; we will
| die rather than fight This was the begin
| ming of the conversion of the strongest
/ tribe on that coast; fine men and big fell
| lows, bigger than we are. The chief one
! told me soon after he was baptized From
| that night onward l dreaded the Spirit of
| God. Out on the ocean or where the snow
| peaks looked over the seas there the Spirit
| of God followed me and 1 was afraid, and
| when l hunted among those peaks the
| Spirit of God hunted me and 1 was afraid
| Another man who one day was holding
| the end of tape line to measure out the
best site in town for a new church said
| to me as drew near. Bishop. do you know
| that hand set fire to the church,?
| II said, No
g 1T did, he continued. and until 1 heard
| the native preacher say that the blood of
Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin 1 never
| had peace in my heart. but when 1 heard
that my fear went away"
This missionary testifies to the moral
character and thoroughness of conversion
of these Indians in the strongest terms. He
says they have a Jail there, but as there
has been nobody in it for twelve years
they are going to turn it into a coal house.
He speaks of a community which in twelve
years has developed from savagery to civ
ilization. now owning their own sawmils,
church and schools. When the church was
opened there was choir sweetly singing,
church was full and the offering amounted
to S1,344, the people saying they would
not use Gods house until it was paid for
They go ahead of some of their white
brethren.
when 1 went there twenty years
ago. says the same missionary, mot one
of the nine languages spoken in that vicin-
| ity was reduced to writing. Now five are
sanctifed by the word of God, and three
presses at work in the hands of In
dians. who were savages. making their own
That is progress,'
In the spring of 1884 two brothers who
took their motto John lille, came from
Connecticut TO the place where now stands
the beautiful city of Minneapolis. for the
sake of bringing the gospel to the tribe of
Indians known as the Sioux, the most pow
! erful body Of Indians on the continent
| They were Joined a year after by a DIR.
| Williamson. who came for the same pur-
! pose. They spent nearly a year, unwel-
coined by the Indians, in learning their
| language and reducing it to writing. dis
covering the elusive Dakota verb which
| some OF the government Interpreters had
! claimed was not in existence-the most
! complex verb known to the human race.
! For twenty-five years these devoted mis-
| sonarics labored, with scarce Il score of
| converts, and then just as things seemed to
ne getting better a swarm of painted
bowling savages fell upon the settlement
and butchered over five hundred white men.
women and children. and laid waste their
homes. Dr. Wiiiamsons family, warned
! by Christian Indian, succeeded in es-
Gaping from their home, aided by few
| Christian Inrians. An army was raised, the.
whole band captured. 400 condemned to
death and thirty-e'ght executed. But the
preached to the Indians. and the Indians
| finding them still faithful to them, at once
gave them their confidence. They repented
and We're converted by the hundred. and
| finally the rest were pardoned by President
| Lincoln. DR.. Williamson and his assistant
baptized 2GO of them in Mankato prison.
| four of whom afterward became minister's
/ all of whom lived faithful Christian lives
| One IS SIN living
This terrible massacre seemed to be the
turning point in the history of the Indians
From that time they began to be open to
the teaching of the missionaries. Schools
were demanded, and were given, and men,
women and children Gocked to be taught
1t was hard at first to get the Indians to
work. for work to the braves was dis
grace. and little boys and girls in the
school set to washing dishes or chopping
wood would drop their work and run away
| X they saw one of their ofn people com
| ing. lest they should be dishonored. but
| now everything is changed. The people are
proud of their farms, and proud of their
| children who have learned how to work;