ewhat increased and the year has
been a good one.
Never has the work of _Christian_ education, in which the A.M.A. is
engaged, seemed so absolutely necessary as at this hour in uplifting
the people and purifying the churches.
H.L.H.
* * * * *
THE INDIANS.
We are in the midst of the closing exercises of school for the year
past. Some three or four hundred Indians, chiefly relatives of
pupils, are now encamped about us. These have come some as far as
ninety miles, and some few a hundred and twenty-five miles, to attend
the exercises and take their children home.
T.L. RIGGS, OAHE, DAK.
* * * * *
SEWING WOMEN AT FORT BERTHOLD.
To one coming in sight of the Berthold Mission, curiosity would be
aroused by the sight of blanketed forms, two or three together, not
walking side by side, but gliding along, one after another, with
rapid steps toward the mission-house.
It is the afternoon of the Women's Sewing Meeting, and, although it
does not begin until two o'clock, by one the room is generally
full--yes, crowded, so that, in passing around among them, one has
to stumble quite often over feet which have no place of retreat. We
do not pretend to offer chairs to all. The floor holds as many
without chairs as with, even tables and wood-box do not remain empty,
but perched on each are the blanketed forms, from many of which the
blankets have not fallen, at least not more than to show the face
or head. Here the women sit patiently.
After sewing about two hours, the thimbles and needles are gathered
up, the names taken, or something to designate each one, and each
one's desires discovered: tea, sugar, or coffee, for this is a strong
point where these women show their heathenism.
Some portion of God's truth and some help to a better life is then
given to them in Gros Ventres and Ree; prayer offered, and they
receive their little bag or package of tea, coffee or sugar. It has
been a busy afternoon, and we are all tired, but it pays, O, how it
pays, a thousand times over!
AN INDIAN CHURCH SOCIABLE.
Do Indians have sociables? Indians like to visit, and they do enjoy a
good supper. With these two qualifications, what else is necessary
for a sociable? Some women to do the work. The women of the Women's
Native Missionary Society, of Yankton Agency, are not lazy, nor are
they slow in devising ways and means of making money; therefore, on
the ev
|