1892.]

manifested an irrepressible determination to honor the renowned martyr, whose influence lighted up a dark century of the the past.

An important step forward has been taken toward the intellectual and moral advancement of the Indians of New York State by the recent action of the Department of the Interior, admitting the youth of both sexes from the Cattaraugus, Tonawanda, Tuscarora and Allegheny Reservations to equal privileges with those of western tribes at Hampton and Carlisle. For several years the problem of higher education for the New York Indians, has been before the State Superintendent of Education, as well as the friends and supporters of the Seneca Missions. Several years ago a building was erected for a high school on the Tonawanda Reservation, but it was never utilized. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, primary schools, at first of an indifferent character, have been for years maintained by the State. Under the supervision of Superintentent Draper these schools were greatly improved, and not the least of their improvements was in the moral character and general elevation of the teachers employed. During the last year Capt. Pratt of Carlisle was led to admit about twenty youth from Western New York as an experiment, the general question not having been decided by the Government. The plan of admitting the New York Indians has long been upon the mind and heart of our estimable Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and his influence has been exerted with the Department of the Interior to bring about the desired result. But perhaps no one has labored harder or more successfully than Rev. W. S. Hubbell, D. D., pastor of the North Presbyterian Church of Buffalo. The noble hearted Gen. Armstrong of Hampton, and his associate, Rev. Mr. Frissell, have also been earnest in their efforts; and we

31

are sure that all friends of the Indians in the State of New York will rejoice that the way is open for the Indian boys and girls from the Empire State to the number of one hundred, if need be, to be accommodated in the schools which are under the direction and receiving the support of the Department of the Interior. There is new motive now for adding those spiritual influences which it is the aim of the Seneca Mission to supply.

Some people wonder what a missionary finds to do. Here is a pen and ink sketch of a day's duties from real life in Shantung: "I might just give you a list of to-day's experiences:

1. Consulting about and writing three important letters.

2. Deciding upon and making out three written contracts, one of which was the shipment of Mr. 's goods. 3. A long talk with an old helper just leaving to go to work with Mr.

4. Dismissing, admonishing, and praying with a boy whom I sent home to day after five years in school.

5. Hearing men who wanted to borrow money.

6. Discussing and arranging for two helpers to look after persecuted Christians. 7. Going to see a sick woman in a hospital.

8. Arranging for some new benches in a school-room.

9. Buying a clock and a gong for a country school.

10. Having a talk with some girls on their way to the High School.

11. Hiring my conveyance and getting everything ready for a twenty-days' trip; paying out money to various persons, etc.

12. Attending to the wants of my wife, who is sick in bed.

This is by way of excuse for such an unsatisfactory letter. The busy people are not all in the United States of America.

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At its meeting held May 16, the Board of Foreign Mission took the following action in regard to the valuable services of Honorable Solomon Hirsch, U. S. Minister at Constantinople:

"Letters from Rev. D. Stuart Dodge, of May 6, and Rev. Henry O. Dwight, of Constantinople, April 20, having been presented, calling special attention to the valuable services rendered to the cause of missions in the Turkish Empire by Hon. Solomon Hirsch, U. S. Minister at Constantinople, it was resolved, That, in view of the large interests of its work in Syria, the Board express its high appreciation of the promptness, sagacity and perseverance with which Mr. Hirsch has maintained the rights of American missionaries against the restrictive measures of the Sublime Porte, relating especially to mission schools. The intricate and somewhat enigmatical procedure of the Turkish Government has demanded vigilance and unflinching firmness, coupled with courtesy and diplomatic skill; and these demands have been met in an eminent degree by our U. S. Minister; and the Board is happy to express its appreciation of this valuable service rendered to the missionaries placed under his protection as citizens of the United States. Resolved, That a copy of this action be forwarded to the Department of State at Washington."

In response to this action a letter has been received from the Department of State, signed by the Assistant Secretary, which says: "It has given the Department pleasure to enclose to our Minister in Turkey a copy of your letter of the 18th inst., commending his action on behalf of mission schools in that Empire."

Two things are suggested by this correspondence. First, that there is a better understanding than formerly between Christian missions and the diplomatic representatives of our Government on the

[July,

mission fields. Twenty years ago there was not infrequently a degree of antagonism on the part of ministerial and consular officials in some of the missions, and sometimes a complaint from the missionaries to the State Department became necessary. American missionaries now have many occasions to rejoice in the justice and fidelity of our diplomatic officials. Only recently a very cordial letter was received from U. S. Minister Denby, at Peking, expressing his appreciation of a vote of thanks sent by the Board, through the State Department, for his efficient services in aiding our missionaries in the Shantung Province. A second consideration in this particular case, is that Mr. Hirsch is the second U. S. Minister of the Hebrew race whom we have had at Constantinople, and both have proved eminently satisfactory from the standpoint of our missions.

The Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society held a very successful Jubilee Commemoration by several meetings from the 12th to the 18th of March. The speech of the meeting, however, was that of Mrs. Bishop (Miss Isabella L. Bird.) She recalled the fact that of 149 missionaries with British diplomas in the Mission-field, over 100 have been connected with the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society as students. She mentioned that in two years of travel in Central Asia, from which she lately returned, she had seen 41 medical missions, and she gave her unqualified testimony to the value and power of every one of them as an evangelizing agency. She felt more than ever, on her return from lands where the missionary had scarcely set foot, the disproportion between the high living to which Christian people in these lands have become accustomed, and the slender contributions they make to the spread of the Gospel; and she urged with great earnestness the need of greater self-sacrifice-of gifts that actually were sacrifices of comfort for Christ's sake.-Home and Foreign Mission Record (Scotland.)

YANKTON AGENCY, South Dakota: on the Missouri River, 60 miles above Yankton, station occupied in 1869: Miss Abbie L. Miller; Rev. Henry T. Selwyn; native helpers, 3; organized churches, 3; communicants, 324.

FLANDREAU, SOUTH DAKOTA: on the Big Sioux River, 40 miles north of Sioux Falls; station occupied in 1869; Rev. John Eastman; churches, 1; communicants, 105.

LOWER BRULE AGENCY, South Dakota; on the Missouri River, 80 miles above Yankton Agency; station occupied in 1885; churches, 2; communicants, 131.

PINE RIDGE AGENCY, South Dakota: 300 miles west of Yankton Agency; station occupied in 1886; Rev. John P. Williamson and wife; Miss Jennie B. Dickson, Miss Charlotte C. McCreight; outstations, 3; native helpers, 3; no organized church; communi

cants, 17.

MISSIONS TO THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE IN THE UNITED STATES.

SAN FRANCISCO: mission begun 1852; missionary laborers-Rev. A. J. Kerr and wife; Miss Maggie Culbertson and Miss M. M. Baskin; three teachers in English; two native helpers.

Among the Japanese: E. A. Sturge, M. D., and wife; one native superintendent and one native helper.

OAKLAND: mission begun 1877; Rev. I. M. Condit and wife; two teachers.

PORTLAND, Oregon: Rev. W. S. Holt and wife.
NEW YORK: one native superintendent.

AMONG THE DAKOTAS.

Our work among the Dakota Indians has been one of steady growth. The church at the Yankton Agency was organized in March 1871 with eighteen members, since then two churches have been formed within a radius of fifteen miles, and all three churches have at the present time a total membership of three hundred and twenty-four. Rev. John P. Williamson has had charge of this station since it was permanently occupied in 1869. Twenty-eight were added to these churches during the past year, and the total contributions were $675, or about $2.00 per member. Mr. Williamson has removed temporarily, during the past year to the Pine Ridge Agency, some three hundred miles to the west of Yankton, in order that his experience aud ability might be available in giving an impulse to missionary interests at Pine Ridge. In his absence from Yankton, Rev. Henry T. Selwyn, one of the first converts in that Agency, who studied theology with Mr. Williamson and was ordained in 1879, has had charge of the church and its varied activiteis. When this station was first occupied there was no school there of any kind! Among 2,000 Indians there was not one who could read English, and only two were found who could spell out slowly their own language. The school was started

and now the majority of the younger members of the tribe can read their own language and many also understand English. A government Boarding School has been established there recently and also an Episcopal Boarding School for boys. At present the only missionary there is Miss Abbie L. Miller who has charge of the school and the general care of the station.

Flandrau and the Lower Brule Agencies are distant 90 and 150 miles respectively from Yankton. They are under the charge of native pastors. Rev. John Eastman is stationed at Flandrau, he is himself a Flandrau Indian and has been their pastor for sixteen years. His work is accomplishing much in the line of Christian instruction and elevation among the members of his parish. They have a house of worship which is secured to them by deed, the only instance of the kind among the Dakota Indians. It is already too small and they have commenced a fund for a new church building. There are 105 communicants upon their roll, and with the entire community church-going is popular. Their contributions for the past year were $429, a little over $4.00 per member. In the Lower Brule Agency a Presbyterian Church was organized in 1887 with 25 members and it has since sent out a colony known as the Red Hills church, fifteen miles distant, with 31 members, and in both churches there is at present a church membership of 131. A native Indian preacher, Rev. Joseph Rogers, is their pastor.

[July,

sion, brutality, and superstition, and mission work among them has been greatly hindered. Mr. Williamson writes that he " hopes to reach the heart-springs of this people after a while; the Gospel of Peace, and the Sword of the Spirit, must be our dependence. There are 5,000 souls here for whom Christ came to earth and we must not give them over to delusion. There are a few among them who greatly encourage us by their steadfast course, among them is Fast Horse at Wounded Knee, and Thomas Good Elk at Porcupine." The Gospel has to contend not only with ignorance and superstition and the fanatical delusions which periodically take possession of the Indian mind, but the allurements of Wild-West Shows have now begun to attract the cupidity and exert a generally demoralizing influence oyer all who participate in them. The outstation at Porcupine has, however, a more hopeful outlook. Miss Dickson and Miss McCreight are located there and remained bravely at their post through all the dangerous excitement of the recent Indian turmoils. They have a congregation of 20 or 30 regular churchgoers and it is expected that a regular organization will be formed here in the near future. At Poplar Creek, Montana, Rev. Edwin J. Lindsey and wife are stationed, where the community numbers, all told, about 2,000 souls. The motto of these faithful missionaries is a model one; it is, "These 2,000 Indians for Christ. " Mrs. Lindsey is a granddaughter of Dr. Thomas Williamson who labored so faithfully and long among the Dakotas. Their plan is to keep the house of God open and accessible so that those who desire may worship at any time, and as often as possible the church is warmed and a meeting is organized.

At Deer Tail, one of the outstations, is an Indian evangelist named Moses Merrow, who is a grandson of the first full-blooded

1892.]

Indian women who united with the church in the early days of the Mission. His parents also were Christians and his training was Christian. His work seems to be growing and soon a church will be organized. Mr. Lindsey writes in a sad but not disheartened strain of the many difficulties of work in this special community. He says: "The devil is the popular fellow here and he seems to have his own way." The particular phase of worldly folly which seems to have taken possession of the Indians in this vicinity is dancing. They give themeslves up to this disgusting amusement, painted from head to foot, and with feathers and bells and bracelets they dance and sing until exhausted. Yet with all the discouragements which attend mission work among the Indians, there is substantial progress as will be found by the following summary taken from the Annual Report of the Board for 1892:

"The origin of the Dakota Mission dates back to 1835, when Rev. Thomas S. Williamson, M. D., Rev. J. D. Stevens, Elder A. G. Huggins, with their wives and two other ladies, all under appointment of the A. B. C. F. M., entered Minnesota, and commenced laboring for the Dakotas then living in that State. In the 57 years since past, there have always been from two to six ordained missionaries carrying on the work then begun; seventeen ministers have spent one or more years in this field, unitedly making about 250 years' labor, of which 90 years were expended by Rev. Thomas S. Williamson and Dr. Dr. Stephen R. Riggs. In their work they have been supported by a large number of assistant missionaries, and latterly by a still larger force of native preachers and helpers.

"As the direct outgrowth of the Dakota Mission planted in Minnesota in 1835, we now have three Dakota Missions, with their work

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A UNIQUE MISSION.

The mission of the Board among the Nez Perce Indians is conducted by two sistersthe Misses McBeth. Miss Sue L. McBeth conducts a theological class and trains a native ministry for the Nez Perces. She has at present seven students under instructions. Three licentiates and five ordained ministers are in active service among the native churches of the reservation. She gives her instruction entirely in the vernacular. sisted by Mrs. C. Shearer, a resident of Mt. Idaho, she also gives religious instruction to a class of women. Miss Kate C. McBeth gives her attention to a Sabbath-school of 377 pupils at Lapwai, and to missionary visiting among the families of the Indians. She has organized a Christian Endeavor Society, and

As