Part 3

Throughout the year special attention has been given to our Mission Sunday school, out of which has grown a little church. During the precious revival of January, some of our pupils gave their hearts to Christ. In all our successes and discouragements the Heavenly Father has been very near us. Hon. J. H. Van Hoose, a correspondent of the _Arkansas Democrat_, the leading journal of the State, which is published at the Capital, a citizen of high standing in the State for forty years, and thirty years in this place, asked to give an impromptu speech, in which he expressed his surprise at the progress made. The following, clipped from the above-named journal, written by this gentleman, will explain the sentiments of the citizens here toward our work:

“Prof. Foster (colored) and his wife, formerly of Little Rock, have just closed a nine months’ school at the brick school-house in the northeast part of Fayetteville. They were at first employed by our school directors to teach a three months’ school for the colored portion of our district, but they continued to teach six months longer for a very small consideration paid them by the patrons of the school and the American Missionary Association. The examination exercises closed Thursday night with a public exhibition. The school room was neat and clean and gorgeously decorated with festoons and wreaths of evergreens and flowers, and the house filled with an appreciative audience, the best of order prevailed, and your correspondent was delighted with the evidences of improvement in the manner and conduct of all who had been so fortunate as to be under the influence and training of Prof. Foster and his accomplished assistant, Mrs. Foster.”

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THE INDIANS.

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TESTIMONY OF AN INDIAN AGENT.

[Major Gassman, who was formerly engaged in the ministry at Omaha, Nebraska, but who now is serving as Indian agent in Dakota, recently paid a visit to Hampton, where he gave to the students an interesting account of his experience in Indian work, which was published in the _Southern Workman_, and from which we make the following extracts.—ED.]

I went to my post with fear and trembling. I had had no experience, no business experience, or any but in the ministry; but I was sure of one thing, that good, honest, persistent effort would bring good results. I had heard about many of the iniquities and shortcomings of agents. My friends warned me against the position. I knew that the name of Indian agent had become almost a synonym of rascal or cheat. I felt, however, that it was a position a man could fill with honesty and integrity and good results. So I went to work.

I was horrified at the state of things I found. For many years an agency had been established; thousands of dollars had been expended; a great many men had been employed. But I saw that the Indians were discouraged, doing nothing, sulky and averse to effort. I arrived at the agency early in April, and found that the fields had been left for a year untilled and in a filthy condition. I had had early experience as a farmer. I called the Indians together, and told them they must clean their fields. They said they had no teams or ploughs. I asked if they couldn’t at least clean them up? They said yes. I told them to begin and I’d see what I could do for them, but there was no time to lose. They said they would start to-morrow. The next morning I was waked by loud talking. I looked out and saw at least fifty women with hoes, axes and shovels on their shoulders—not a man among them. I took an interpreter and went out to them. They said they had come to clean the fields. I said that was good, but I hadn’t sent for them, but for the men. They laughed at that idea—it was a novelty. I told them the men must come, gave them some good advice on household work for women—on which I am well posted—and sent them home. They went their way, and that was the end of the work. I couldn’t get an Indian man out that time. I was puzzled what to do next. I went out to the fields with the interpreter, and we did find one old man who had gone to work. I told him to go on, and I’d plow what he would clean up, which I did. This encouraged one and another by degrees, with the gift of extra rations, and so at last we got the fields cleaned and planted.

The first year, though, was very trying, owing to my ignorance of the Indian character. I spoke to them as I would to any one else about truth and duty, etc., but met constant, persistent opposition. I was wearied to death with their councils. Fifty to a hundred great stalwart Indians would walk into my office, sit down on the floor, and begin to smoke. Then I would wait with patience till one of them would rise and make their wants known, and I would answer them. But everything I proposed they would oppose, for some reason I did not understand. They would tell me my words were sweet, but that like all other white men, I was a liar. So it went on for a year. It was rather hard to take their plain talk, especially as I am somewhat of a muscular Christian. I gave them, however, as good, plain talk as they sent, and let them understand what I thought of them.

But at the end of a year I thought I might as well give it up. I wrote to my friends that I thought of resigning. Then I called the Indians to a last council. I told them what I felt, why I came, what I had endeavored to do. I spoke feelingly. When I had finished, an old chief, “Struck by the Ree,” got up and said: “We have listened to your words for a year. We have now come to the conclusion that we will both listen and obey. We had been told that you were not a good man. Many of us believed what we heard, but you have convinced us that you are good, and we will obey you.”

Well I stayed, and I had no more trouble, except such as was unavoidable. The councils were more and more pleasant. I never had a rude or disagreeable word from them again. They would sometimes disagree with me, but generally took my advice, and were always courteous.

I laid before them first this plan. I told them that rations and aid from government are only temporary. They will come to an end. They are given to aid them to be self-supporting. I told them I had come to help them to become so. They were not much interested in that idea at first, but as continued dropping wears away the rock, my words from day to day had some effect, and here and there I saw some improvement.

I found all the work at the agency done by whites—only two Indians employed out of 2,000 Sioux at the station. I employed the Indians as fast as possible to give them work. I put one boy in the blacksmith shop, another with the carpenter, another in the mill, two or three with the agency farmer, two in the butcher house, and to help issue rations. When I came there I found the cattle were slaughtered in a brutal manner, shot in a filthy yard, where the Indians dressed the meat in a careless, unclean way. I applied for a slaughter-house, cattle-pens and a proper butcher, and got them. I put my Indian boys with him, as I said, and at the end of a month they could take hold and do the work properly themselves, and did it so six years. The beef was issued clean.

The system of employing Indians and encouraging industry was pleasing. They were glad to see their young men employed; they were willing to go to work when there was any encouragement to do so.

I had several thousand bushels of wheat to harvest. I succeeded in getting the ground broken, the crop cultivated, the wheat ground and eaten up, too. While they were threshing one hot day, some of the Indians gave out. They sent me word from the field that two more men were needed. I went out on my horse and looked about, but couldn’t see an Indian anywhere but in the field. I rode to the trader’s store, and there I found a young Indian _gentleman_, gotten up in fine style, with red blanket, embroidered leggings and moccasins, looking glass and fan; face painted, hair braided and ornamented with feathers—“a fancy buck,” so they say out on the frontier. I went up to him, laid my hand on his shoulder, and said, “Friend, I want you.” He looked up with an independent air, and said, “How!” I told him to get on his horse and follow me, which he did. I took him into the field and up to the threshing machine, and told the interpreter to tell him I wanted him to work and would pay him so much. The Indian boys around laughed. I told them to be quiet. He said “How,” and went at it. The only vacant place at the machine was where the chaff and dust comes pouring out—not an agreeable place for him—pouring out on his paint and oil. He never had a pitchfork in his hands before, but he went to work manfully. Pretty soon off came his red blanket; then off came the paint itself in streaks. Piece by piece came off the rest of his toggery, till the Indian was an Indian but not much besides. But he stuck to that pitchfork. I watched him; if he had given out I would have taken his place; but there was no give out to him; he worked right on for three days; at the end of the time his delicate hands were all bleeding.

That shows the pluck of the Indian. I have had other employés, who had never done a thing before in the way of labor, work till the blood ran down their hands. This one was, of course, a remarkable case. But I have had Indians who labored for me industriously for eight years without ever losing one day.

It was difficult to get them to save their wages. I finally adopted a system of banking for them. They let me lay aside their wages till the end of the quarter. Then we talked over the question what they had better buy, and under my advice they generally spent their money in useful articles, wagons, harness, stoves, furniture, etc.

I received satisfactory evidence that the Indian can be made a laboring man, but in order to do it we must pay him good wages to start with.

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THE CHINESE.

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MISSION WORK IN MAY.

REV. W. C. POND, SUPERINTENDENT.

The dry figures are as follows: Eighteen schools, forty-one teachers, the number of pupils enrolled, 1,043; the average attendance (lessened doubtless in San Francisco by the fact that just now our street lamps are not lighted, and our dark streets are not viewed by Chinese as conducive to their personal safety), 435. Total number enrolled during the nine months now past, of the present fiscal year, 2,470. Word came of at least five among the pupils who, during May, professed to have turned from the worship of idols, and to have become the followers of Christ. It seems to me that in several of the schools the interest in spiritual things is deepening, and that the prospect brightens for a continuous and large harvest.

“ALL QUIET UPON THE POTOMAC.” This proverb, dating back to the troublous times of 1862, has often risen to my lips, as, week by week, or day by day, I have asked tidings from our North School in this city. In April it was established in permanent quarters, where we believe it will grow to a size, and will cheer us with a fruitfulness, second only to our central school. But in almost every locality where we plant a school we are obliged by passive resistance and patient endurance to “conquer a peace.” The struggle has been longer and harder than usual in our North School, but it seems to be over, and peace to be won. Our hoodlum neighbors tried what virtue there was in outcries and in stones rattling upon the roof and doors and blinds till they could have been picked up by the bushel, and in various tricks which it would be a waste of paper to describe, but have retired at last defeated from the field, and the work moves on undisturbed. We have reason to speak well of the protection extended us by the police, and to remember with hearty admiration the heroic lady teacher who was the principal sufferer and the champion in the fight.

A PROTEST FROM OROVILLE.—As the most strenuous efforts seem unlikely to secure the funds needed in order to continue our full work, we look about to see where the knife can be applied. I thought that a vacation would do as little harm at Oroville as anywhere, and I sent word to close the school from June till September. The following protest came back signed by sixteen of the pupils: “Dear pastor.—We heard from you that you told Miss M. Deuel to close this school at present. We are very sorry, because this school is doing very well. We would like to understand the words of truth, but we cannot do it without the teacher’s help. So we hope you will consent to open this school continually. Some of the boys just became Christians. If school to be closed seems we like the sheep without a shepherd; perhaps we going other ways and fall in the river of death. Or, this Oroville have many precious souls; if this school to be continue may be other people come to school and hear who are speak the gospel of Christ and come to him, that their souls may be save.” They go on to say that they know that the school cannot but be smaller in summer than in winter, and that they will try to sustain it without a Chinese helper, but they cannot bear to have it closed.

How could I be deaf to such an appeal? I wrote them to do their utmost to help me by their offerings and their prayers, and the school should be continued. I confess that I do not know how I am to maintain so large a work as ours now is, on resources so scanty; but when souls are asking after God I cannot shut away the only light that shines upon their path. I must trust God and trust God’s people, and move on.

LETTERS FROM HONG SING.—Hong Sing has been a helper for four or five years. At present he is stationed at Santa Cruz, where special interest has existed for some time, and five of the pupils have been led to Christ. Two recent letters from this helper giving accounts of his discussions with the heathen about him have greatly interested me. They are too long to be inserted here, and I scarcely know how to condense them without spoiling the charm which comes from his queer attempts to get the English idioms. But I must make the endeavor to give one.

It describes in a pleasant way some of the petty annoyances to which the Christian brethren are subjected by their heathen countrymen; annoyances which, he says, make him think of Paul and the other apostles; “though our trials it is a very trifle thing, compared with theirs, _nothing_; yet I am dismayed because I get impatient with them. I pray that God may open the blind of their mind that they may see the Salvation of Christ.”

He then goes on to say: “They argue with me several times, but every time they get angry, then I stop. * * * They say: ‘You tell the people must not gamble, not smoke opium, not swear. These things are very suitable for us. But tell us not worship gods and our parents when they die, this hurt our heart. You just think your mother: how much pain when she bear you, and now you grow to be a man, so you forget and ungrateful. It seem to me you are not come from your mother but from the mountain bank, so that you will not honor father and mother. If you were my brother, I would kill you instantly.’”

To all this Hong Sing replied: “Question is now, friends, _which way_ we ought to honor father and mother, in life time or in death time, with a kind word or with wrath answer your mother. Mind your mother is honor or disobey is honor. Suppose when you come to California your father and mother give you good advice—must not gamble, not smoke opium, not go among the bad men, not be indolent but industrious. You just see how many has been gambling, how many smoke opium and do such evil things. Is this obey parent, honor, admire? I think not at all. This is disobey, dishonor, ingratitude. When I was in China I often see and hear of many men has beat mother with a stick and not like to support her living, but permit her starve and not let her have good food. But when she die then you put ten pound pork and chicken and many things set on the table, ask her to eat. In life time when she can eat and drink, never buy five cents worth meat. When die, no eat, no drink. So you will kill a calf, set on a table to ask her to eat and drink. It is vanity. Our Confucius has said, ‘If any man were good conduct and endeavor to walk on the wisdom way and good virtue that show to obey and honor father and mother. Therefore, every man know he is a good man and understand that he must have had good parents, and he never said to honor our parents by worshipping them when they die.’” Other points were made which cannot be reproduced. Under ordinary circumstances I discourage all debating with the heathen. I advise our helpers to keep close to their own work, which is to preach the gospel.

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BUREAU OF WOMAN’S WORK.

MISS D. E. EMERSON, SECRETARY.

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NOTES ON MEETINGS OF STATE SOCIETIES.

The Woman’s Home Missionary Society, connected with the State Association of Michigan, held its session during the meetings of that body. The ladies present were addressed by Mrs. Norton, of Dakota, and Miss Rose M. Kinney, of Georgia. Brief remarks were made by Messrs Clark, Cobb, Gilbert and Pike. Mrs. Leroy Warren was re-elected president, and measures were adopted providing for co-operation with the benevolent societies of the Congregational churches working in this country. It is probable that efforts will be made by the ladies to bring the claims of these societies before the people of Michigan in the early autumn.

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The ladies of Iowa will continue to support their missionary, Miss A. D. Gerrish, at New Orleans, La., and as they too have organized for better co-operation, it is confidently hoped that the response from the ladies will enable them to assume the support of a second missionary, at some other point. They have selected as a State Committee Mrs. S. H. Smith, of Davenport, and Mrs. J. H. Ellsworth, of McGregor.

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At the recent State Conference of Vermont, a special meeting of the ladies was called to hear the claims of the A. M. A. missions presented by Miss D. E. Emerson, and a good degree of interest was manifested, resulting in the appointment of a committee of three, Mrs. A. W. Wilde, of Charlotte, Mrs. Henry Fairbanks, of St. Johnsbury, and Mrs. Bowman, of Newport, to secure co-operation among the ladies of the Congregational churches of Vermont in support of a missionary in the South.

At the meeting of the Woman’s Aid to the A. M. A., in connection with the Maine State Conference, there was a large and appreciative audience to listen to the reports of their two missionaries, Misses Lunt and Farrington.

It was evident that the frequent correspondence with these missionaries, and the knowledge thus gained of the field, had quickened the sympathies of those contributing to their support, and there is every reason to believe that the collections will increase so that a third missionary will in good time be adopted, either in the South or in the Indian Mission. Miss D. E. Emerson addressed the ladies on the general work of the A. M. A. in the South. In order to vary the means of raising funds and to awaken more interest in the churches, a system of rotation of committees is followed, and a new State Committee was therefore appointed: Mrs. Hubbard, of Hiram; Miss L. C. Vose, of Dennysville, and Miss S. Waldron, of Augusta. It was gratifying to learn that the Committee of the past year, of which Miss Smith was chairman, laid aside with regret the duties which, though involving considerable care, had proved more a pleasure than a burden.

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The ladies of Illinois have adopted the same plan of aid to the A. M. A. as the ladies of Maine, and have appointed as a State Committee Mrs. E. F. Williams, of Chicago; Mrs. H. L. Boltwood, of Ottawa, and Mrs. Charles Perry, of Geneva. Already the conferences have been districted to the State Committee, and the sub-collectors appointed. They will continue the support of a missionary at Mobile, Ala., and have adopted also Miss Rose M. Kinney to represent them at Little Rock, Ark.

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One of the ladies appointed at the Illinois Meeting has written an encouraging letter which indicates the heartiness with which the work is entered upon in that State. She says: “Last month we heard the sound of the new departure from Maine. When we are sure it is the Master calling, the sound flies quickly, and we are thankful it has so soon reached Illinois. We already, from the new consecration it arouses in us, are buckling on the armor. I assure you that from the ladies of this State will come no uncertain sound. We must do the work.”

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[That our friends may know the spirit that pervades our missionary teachers, enabling them to rise above the discouragements and trials of the field in the joy of Christian service, we give a few gleanings from recent correspondence not written for publication.—D. E. E.]

—I never enjoyed my work so much as during the past year, although it was never so hard before.

—The year’s work has been such a pleasant one that I am reluctant to bring it to a close, although I feel the need of the coming rest.

—I hope my return another year may be favorably considered by you, as I must see _my boys_ through. I have but just begun the work. I like it and feel that another year I could accomplish much more than I have this.

—My health has failed and it is thought to be a risk for me to remain through the year. It is a great disappointment to me, I believe the greatest I ever had, for I love the work and so strongly hoped I should be able to continue. But God knows best. Perhaps in years to come He may grant me such measure of strength as will enable me again to enter this field.

—Our scholars have done good, faithful work for some time past and the results will show, I am sure. I _do_ enjoy the work thoroughly. Of course there are times of discouragement, days when we wonder if some one else could not do more or better for those who are under our instruction, when it seems as if it were spending our strength for naught; but I suppose every person knows what it is to feel so, and I certainly am glad to do what I can while I can.

—We are very busy now, this last half of the year. My room is very full—sixty-eight. They sit thickly together, close up to my platform, and three with me by my desk. I enjoy my school very much, even more than I anticipated, especially now that I really know my scholars individually. I have many who are eighteen or twenty years old and I feel anxious for them to learn all they can, for fear they may not come another year. I really trust I may be led in just the right way in this work, for I came here with that one desire.

—On reaching here I found Miss —— busy in her preparation to leave in answer to your call. The young people look as sad as though parting with a mother, and several, both old and young, said to me: “Do tell them in New York they must send her back—she understands us so well and we her, and it would take a long time for a stranger, to know us.” One old man said, “I tell you she is smart.” Oh, how I do wish she could go before the ladies of our Northern churches and tell of this work. I know that they are very ignorant in regard to the needs of these fields. I know, too, there is a willingness to do if they could only be shown the needs and be once awakened.

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WORK AT THE DAKOTA MISSION.