The Sweet Songster is the name of a little hymn book published in Catlettsburg, Ky. It contains verses composed, compiled, altered or amended, according to the sweet pleasure of one Edward W. Billups, D.D. There are some old familiar hymns scattered through the book, but often sadly marred by omission, alteration or addition. Some of the original effusions are ludicrous in the extreme. The poet shows his estimate of education as he describes the Christians of old:
Calvinism has to take it hot and heavy. The sweet singer lets sweetness take a vacation, while he pours forth his wrath in song:
A vision of the judgment day swept the poet’s high-strung sensibilities and the fires of Parnassus caused him to warble:
We were pleased in the perusal of these hymns to notice that the poet’s theology took in apparently all men in its broad sweep. We said here is a man who does not recognize the color line in his thought of God’s redeeming love. It takes poetry to expand the soul above prejudice and caste—when lo, we stumbled across the following:
We were mistaken. The colored brother has no recognition. White men and Indians are to have a monopoly in the vast hallelujah! How the wings of our poet drooped as he essayed this loftiest of flights. We are thankful, however, that he did let the Indian come in for a part in the hallelujah. The war-whoop would not at all be out of harmony in his kind of a hallelujah chorus! That this “sweet singer in Israel” D.D. should make some of his songs take on the form of Scripture exposition is what we might expect, as witness:
The above are samples of versification that we have selected from this Sweet Songster, that our readers may see for themselves the kind of Christian instruction some white people in certain portions of our country receive. These selections are certainly ludicrous, yet they have also a serious aspect—they point to duty. It would be useless to denounce such incompetent leadership as is here revealed. It would be folly to argue either with the leaders or the people whom they lead. We must plant schools and educate the children. Preach the Gospel in its simplicity, and let the people hear the truth. The light will destroy the darkness. It will reveal the deformity and ugliness of error. It will rebuke the assumptions of ignorance. It will lead the people in their soul-hunger to turn away from husks and to demand that in song and sermon their poets and preachers shall give them the bread of life or else keep silent. There is a wide field here to be cultivated. It lies open before us. We have entered it. Rich has been our harvesting so far as we have gone. Earnest and numerous are the invitations that come to us for more workers and enlarged efforts. These invitations are an appeal to the churches more liberally to supply us with means, that we may be able to respond and go in to possess the land.
The Second Volume of Ben. Perley Poore’s Reminiscences, published by Hubbard Bros., Philadelphia, is out. The Reminiscences are brought down to the Cleveland administration. The colloquial style in Mr. Poore’s writing makes the volume like its predecessor, interesting reading. With the men of prominence at Washington, Ben. Perley Poore has been brought in contact, and concerning them all he has something to say. A carefully prepared index is contained in the second volume, which adds to the value of the work for reference.
BY FIELD SUPERINTENDENT C. J. RYDER.
The following word reached me recently from a part of the field that I have not yet been able to visit since mounting into the saddle of the A. M. A. Superintendency. It comes from Romona Indian School in Santa Fé, N. M. The writer has been a teacher in New England for many years. He writes: “Perhaps I shall not be believed if I state the case too strongly, but it is a fact that the Indian girls of the Apache tribes are very bright and are more docile and make more rapid progress than any equal number of white children I have ever seen in the course of more than twenty years’ experience in teaching.”
There are 447 of these Apache Indians held as prisoners of war in the old Spanish fort at St. Augustine, Florida. They are idle, and cannot be otherwise. They spend their time foolishly, or worse, as idle people always do. As I looked upon these men, women and children, crowded together like cattle in a pen, and remembered the stirring words of Prof. Whipple, prophetic of such grand possibilities for this people, I wondered if our Government were making the wisest use of these Apaches in holding them in this confinement, that must result in increased viciousness. A Christian lady, after looking at these Indians, said: “Why, the very sight makes me blush for my country!”
An extended trip through Florida brought to me most encouraging evidences of the prosperity of the work already entered upon by the A. M. A. in that State, and impressed the imperative need of more work. Doors are opening in many directions. Schools are crowded to their utmost capacity. At St. Augustine, in a school-room seating fifty pupils, ninety-six were packed together.
The flourishing little church at Orange Park is pushing energetically towards the completion of its building. It now ranks in its membership the fourth Congregational church in Florida.
Are the colored people accumulating property? This is a question often asked by the interested friends of the A. M. A. work. Let two facts emphasize the affirmative to this question. In Oaks, N. C., the colored people have purchased more than five hundred acres of land and built their comfortable cottages around the A. M. A. school and church. When we remember that the average wages of a working man in that region is not above ten dollars a month, and that the average colored family is not fashionably small, the purchase of this real estate proves that they have carefully economized their scanty earnings. Take another fact: In Thomasville, Ga., the colored people paid taxes on three thousand one hundred dollars worth of property in 1880. In 1885, this same people paid taxes on ninety-five thousand six hundred and six dollars worth of property. In five years they had multiplied their taxable property more than thirty times. This represents no unhealthy “boom” in real estate, but an actual increase in the accumulations of the colored citizens of this flourishing and beautiful Southern city. The colored people have been given a fair chance in Thomasville, and this is the use they have made of it. The readers of this magazine will remember the generous gift of Judge H. W. Hopkins, Mayor of Thomasville, of a beautiful site for buildings of the Conn. Industrial School. A fine building has been erected upon this site and in a few weeks it will be ready for occupancy. There is intense interest in the community and surrounding neighborhood in this new school. It will doubtless be crowded as soon as opened. It is to be an industrial school for girls.
A trustworthy friend overheard the following remark, made by a lawyer in the office of a Southern hotel: “I have seen a miracle to-day,” said this lawyer. “I have actually seen a white man convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged for killing a nigger. I never expected to witness such a thing in this State.” What a fearful comment on the injustice of these courts of justice in the past! What horrible suggestiveness of unpunished crimes! But there is in it, too, hopefulness for the future.
At Lewis Normal Institute, Macon, and at Storrs School, in Atlanta, the number of pupils is limited only by the capacity of the school-rooms to hold them. In Macon, Bro. Wharton, whom I left in Savannah, when I pushed southward into Florida, was holding special services under the direction of the pastor. God’s spirit was blessing his efforts and many were daily seeking the way of life. It has been a year of great religious awakening throughout our entire field.
A beautiful gold locket was put into my hands by an earnest Christian woman, a very saint of God, as her gift to the work of the A. M. A. Blindness had come upon her slowly, month after month, and she could no longer see the picture-faces in the locket, so she had them removed, and gives the locket into our treasury. Who will redeem it, that this touching sacrifice may accomplish for God’s poor that which she who made it prayed it might?
Not since 1881 have we enjoyed in this institution so thorough and satisfactory a work of grace as during the last few weeks. Indeed, on only one or two occasions in its history have so many been reached and been led to enter upon the better life. The special interest began during the week of prayer which was observed by holding a meeting each evening, and a spirit of inquiry was early manifested and a goodly number promptly confessed Christ as their Saviour.
Much personal work was done by teachers and older pupils and many who had been negligent and careless, made confession and renewed their covenant. Short meetings were continued for a few days longer, and the seed-sowing and the harvest went on together, and every day some gain was made, and one after another came to a decision, until nearly all the students in the family and many of the day pupils were deeply interested, while some who had withstood many good influences for a long time yielded to the claims of Christ and took up his service. There was a quiet and gentle influence manifested in all our meetings so that without noise and confusion and without protracted services, the work was done and the blessing came as the dew or the rain from Heaven. No strangers were called in to help, and no unusual means were employed, and only ten extra meetings of a general character, most of them of less than an hour’s duration, were held.
Thus far the new converts, over thirty in number, and representing about twenty-five different towns, have stood the test well, and most of them are proving by fidelity in daily duties the reality of their religious experience. Absent pupils have been reached by the same good influence, as well as some former students, and the scholars have been encouraged to write to parents and friends, and thus it will be easily seen how far a light kindled here may shine and how valuable and precious a reviving at this center may become. We hope that a few who resist may be softened, that the timid and halting may be brought in and the great company of day pupils may be affected and the neighborhood toward which we are reaching out more than we have, will be blessed. We are very grateful for these blessings, to the giver of all good, and very humble in view of our unworthiness, and very hopeful for larger and continued gifts.
C. W. FRANCIS.
TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY, MISS.
On Saturday, the 19th of February, President Pope set out to fill his regular monthly appointment to preach at Mt. Hermon Seminary for Young Ladies, whose head and founder, Miss Sarah A. Dickey, was a pioneer in this Mississippi work, and has passed through such trials and hardships as those who enter at this stage of the work will rarely, if ever, have to encounter, and who is now reaping a measure of the respect and honor she so richly deserves.
Clinton is twelve miles or so distant, and the windows of heaven were just being opened after a remarkably dry winter, so that when Mr. Pope said to one of the teachers who had not been at Mt. Hermon for four years and had only heard of the enlargement of the work there, “Will you go along?” she cried out, “What—in this rain?” but finally decided to venture.
Had not Mr. P. been belated an hour in starting, all would have been well, for they were within four miles of their destination when darkness and tempest settled round them so densely and drenchingly that the last third of the way consumed three hours of time, since it was frequently necessary to stop a few minutes and wait for a flash of lightning to reveal the road.
The faithful horse was bewildered, and persisted in veering to the right, as if to get nearer the driver. This finally led to the complete overthrow of the buggy, the right wheels running up a bank and striking a projecting root. Mr. Pope was out in an instant and at the horse’s head, his companion disentangling herself and scrambling out more slowly, stepping into several inches of soft clay and leaving an overshoe, which must be pawed for in the darkness, and, upon securing it, taking her place at the horse’s head. It was found necessary to take poor Rob out of the shafts, when he gave one or two scrambling leaps up the slippery bank and stood with his head close against Miss K.; all the time Mr. P. labored to right the buggy. And how it rained! ’Twas “sic a night” as “Tam O’Shanter” took the ride in.
While Mr. P. was tugging at the prostrate vehicle, with its two wheels in the air two men on mules were seen by a broad glare of light hurrying along the opposite high bank. In response to Mr. P.’s halloo for help, they called out, “Who are you?” and hastened on. The priest and the Levite having passed by on the other side, it was hoped that the good Samaritan would appear next, but he had not done so, when Mr. P. succeeded, unaided, in getting the buggy up and the wet, muddy cushions, blankets and passengers into it and setting forward.
After a time the darkness seemed to thin a little and the rest of the way was passed without accident, though the water was deep in all the low places. How cheering were the light and warmth of the deep fireplace and the cordial welcome of the Christian teachers to these muddy, wet and supperless travelers when at last they reached Mt. Hermon!
The next morning, after Miss Dickey had conducted Sunday-school, as usual, Mr. Pope preached, making use of the preceding evening’s experience to help inquirers in the way; urging them to move forward, taking advanced ground with every flash or even glimmer of the light of truth in their minds and hearts, not waiting to see all the way mapped out before them, and pointing to the safe arrival at the heavenly home—the light, the welcome, the rest.
At their request, Mr. P. has organized a branch, or class, of the Tougaloo church in this school, and at the communion service in the afternoon two additional members were received. Then they turned homeward, and in retracing their course and observing where they had driven, in the unconsciousness of utter darkness, on narrow and washed-out ridges between ditches deep enough to make an upset dangerous, they could but be grateful that in their little experience of itinerating they had fared so well.
⁂
The Lincoln Memorial Congregational Church of Washington, D. C., was dedicated Sunday, January 2, with appropriate services. Secretary Beard preached an able and practical dedicatory sermon on “The Struggles of Life,” from the text, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things.” The dedicatory prayer was offered by the pastor.
In the afternoon another large audience gathered at the Young People’s Service, which was addressed by Rev. S. M. Newman, pastor of the First Congregational Church, and others. In the evening Rev. T. G. Steward, D. D., pastor of the Metropolitan A. M. E. Church, preached an able sermon on “The Strongholds of Faith.”
The church was organized a few years ago with only eleven members, including the first pastor, Rev. S. P. Smith. It now has an enrollment of over eighty and a flourishing Sunday-school. This was the second Congregational church organized at the National Capital in the midst of a large, needy and growing population; four other churches have been since organized, so that our polity is now represented by six churches.
The building, which is large and commodious and centrally located, has been altered and renovated, and now presents a very attractive appearance. The repairs which were begun ten weeks ago have cost to date $1,300. Over eleven hundred dollars of this amount have been raised and expended. The lower floor consists of the audience room, which serves as chapel, with a seating capacity of six hundred and fifty, with spacious Sunday-school rooms adjoining, which will seat three hundred and fifty. The upper floor has been neatly fitted up for a parsonage and school-rooms.
In addition to the religious services, a sewing-school for girls, a night school and a kindergarten are carried on in the building.
The Women’s Missionary Society, music and the industrial work, are under the direction of Mrs. G. W. Moore. The dedicatory services were reported in all the Washington daily papers and several weeklies. The church has a large field of usefulness and a bright outlook.
GEORGE W. MOORE.
The A. M. A. workers in the South have many discouragements. Our work is generally ignored by the whites, and often unappreciated by the blacks, but such letters as the following show that many fully appreciate the efforts that are made to purify and elevate the race. We have recently organized a “Social Purity Society,” and have already the names of over sixty women and girls on our “White Shield” pledge. After one of our meetings, at which earnest words of warning and advice were given by several of the teachers, the following letters were received from two of the mothers:
Miss ——: I will say sumthing a bout the subjeck it is to great for me to hold my peace I will call upon all the teachers poticler I belive they are chosen that the blessed lord has call to show the slave race the true way for me myself cannot say much but my deser are great I belive I can see your butful light and understand all your blessed words I will praye to the blessed lord to help all the blind race to see your white shell (shield) work and understand your butif words Mothers and fathers are cring about the disgrace the young race are bringing upon them I will beg you once more please don’t get werry weary I belive the blessed lord will help you.
Miss ——: I will take great plesure to write you a fee lines a boutt subject consern the miss acshon in riten them colar boys and the white men It was very great you cannot speak too much about that subjet that princlbum are a bout to cover the citty in that low degree with our colar girls please to study the stronges subjet that your brains can hold and tounge can utter I umbel beg for jeus sake I belive the lord will help you and bless the many words you speak this is my heart desirer I umbel beg all the teachrs to help this is a great subjet very much needen with the scool girls I will do all I can in the name of the blessed lord.
“Young men, never despair of the hardest case,” were the words which were spoken to some of us, while in Hartford Theological Seminary, more than fifteen years ago, by a missionary from Africa, and he gave us some illustrations to prove his point. I was forcibly reminded of this a few weeks ago as we elected two Indians to serve as deacons, the first Indians ever chosen to fill that place in the history of this church, for during the first eleven years of its existence there have been white men connected with it who have filled that office acceptably. Some time ago, however, the last one left us, and after waiting a while in vain to see if some other men would not come, who would serve in this capacity, we decided that it was best to choose Indians for the place.
One of these has had a remarkable history. About thirty years ago or more he was baptized a Catholic, but when, after a short stay, the Catholic priest left these Indians, not to return again, he, with the rest of these Indians, relapsed to their heathenish ways.
Twelve years ago he was noted for drinking and for the sly ways in which he could procure his liquor. In 1876 he had great trouble with his wife and wished to leave her, but the Agent would not allow it. A long trouble followed, in which the Agent and prominent Indians tried every way they could think of to make them live peaceably together. One day the Agent with two friendly Indians went to arrest him, but, with the help of his uncle, he knocked down the Agent, broke out a window and got away. He was pursued all day, but was not taken, and at night was helped off by his relations, and he ran a long way off. For this his relations were locked up in jail, which brought them to terms, and they induced him to return so that they could be let out, and he served six months in jail.
After that he secretly left his wife, took another, and went to another reservation, sixty miles distant, but in time, with the help of another Agent and two soldiers, he was again taken and conveyed to Fort Townsend, where he worked six months more, with a soldier and bayonet to compel him to do so.
A year or two afterwards he returned to Skokomish. He said that he had reformed, but was still a Catholic, and he held some Catholic services at his own house. For a year or two, however, they did not amount to much, as hardly anybody attended them. In 1881 affairs changed, and through the death of a prominent Indian, the Catholics became quite strong, mingling with their teachings spiritualistic revelations from the dying man, and he was their priest.
The next year another Indian professed to die, receive revelations, and come to life again, and he originated a religion which was composed of Protestantism, Catholicism, spiritualism, the old Indian religion, and a nervous twitching, similar to the jerks prevalent in the Southern and Western States fifty years ago, and which gained for them the name of Shakers. For a few months they carried things with a high hand, and he was an acknowledged leader. The Catholic religion, however, grew to be a very small part of their services, while the shaking grew to be very large, so that their heads and hands were sometimes shaking night after night, six hours at a time. To save them from becoming crazy, with the advice of the physician, the Agent put a stop to this, but told them they might continue their Catholic services, if they wished, as he had no right to interfere with their religion as a religion. But they gave up everything, and asked me to teach them. I gladly did so, and a year afterwards, in the fall of 1884, he united with our church. Thus he has been by far the most troublesome Indian of any here, both to Church and Government. For more than two years he has done well in the church, and now, with my approval and with the unanimous consent of the members of the church, he has been chosen their deacon.
As I write, an Indian sits before me dressed in leggins with two blankets around him, and a comforter tied over his head. He has come to get his horses shod, and as the blacksmith is away, he has to wait. He has sat stolidly most of the day, his horses out in the cold—the thermometer is about 12 or 14 degrees below zero. As he has sat here without an expression of a single emotion passing over his face, he has occasionally drawn a deep sigh. He knows his life is wretched, and yet it would take almost a miracle to arouse him to activity enough to render his life comfortable. As I contrast him with my own boys and girls, with the emotions aroused by mental activity chasing each other over their faces, I feel that their lives will be happier and, I hope, better than his.
TEACHER AMONG THE PONCAS.
Several articles savagely anti-Chinese having appeared in a Knights of Labor paper published in Marlboro, Mass., Rev. A. F. Newton sent to the editor the following vigorous reply:
“We understand the purpose of the laboring classes in their organizations and publications is to promote the best interests of our suffering fellow men. And this we do wherever we find a man who has fallen among thieves on the Jericho road. The fact that he has on the wooden shoes of Holland, or the queue of China, or the corduroy pants of Ireland, does not prevent our performing our duty to him as a fellow man. And any one who abuses any man because of the land of his birth deserves severe censure from every right-minded man who labors with hand or head.
“Your inconsistency, Mr. Editor, appears when in one place you say of the Chinese, ‘This town is afflicted with but few of them, thank God, and the sooner they disappear the better.’ And in another column you say, ‘We are willing to do anything possible to aid in promoting charity, but if creed or nationality is to be considered in bestowing it, just count us out.’ What is your creed? The one in which you thank God this town is afflicted with only a few of one nationality, or the one in which you propose to be counted out unless charity shall be bestowed regardless of creed or nationality? The man who tries to ride two horses is apt to fall. Inconsistency always appears ridiculous. We hope the prayer in your ‘Thank God’ does not put you under the condemnation of Proverbs 28:9.
“In behalf of every nation in America, we protest against the abuse of any people, whether they come from the banks of the Shannon, or of the Rhine or the Po, the Danube or the Hoang Ho.
“It is urged against the Chinese in one of your columns that their great sin is in the fact ‘that California has been drained of over $200,000,000 during the last twenty-five years.’ This is an average of $800,000 per year. But surely this is not a great offence, for Mr. Michael Davitt, at Madison Square Garden, New York city, recently urged ‘that millions of dollars had been sent from this country to gladden the poor Irish peasants.’ Every true man will rejoice that the peasantry of Ireland and China and Germany can be gladdened with money honestly earned by their friends in America. The heart of one peasant is as precious in the sight of the Lord as the heart of any other peasant so far as we know.
“We have always held that it was mean for a great strong man to strike a small one. When we see this done we feel like saying, ‘Take a man of your size.’ On this principle we shall never admire the 17,000,000 laboring men attacking the 125,000 now in our country. We do not believe any one has correctly sensed the heart of true workmen when he tries to win their favor by abusing the few harmless industrious celestials.
“What are the charges you have to make against these Chinese? Are they disturbers of the peace, are they thieves, are they licentious, are they riotous or drunkards or paupers? Are they the burden of our courts? If there be anything I denounce it is national prejudice. Will you denounce an Irishman because he came from Ireland, or a Chinese because he came from China? I will not. My condemnation shall fall on him who violates law and is an unworthy citizen. And then my condemnation rests, not upon his nationality, but upon his guilt. So long as any man is a quiet, law-abiding citizen, he can count me his friend. When he sins, I shall preach to him repentance and reformation.
“I am aware that the problem of foreign immigration is gigantic. But what kind of a sieve shall be used to strain the stream that is flowing into America from the Old World? The men who weave the meshes of the strainer have a Herculean task. Your readers will find it very profitable to study the ‘evils incident to immigration’ in the North American Review for January, 1884.”
MISS D. E. EMERSON, SECRETARY.
The Home Land Circle, Park St. Church, Boston, was organized a little more than two years ago. Three public meetings are held during the year. Funds are divided among the Am. Miss. Asso’n, the A. H. M. S. and the N. W. E. C., in such proportions as the ladies decide at one of these meetings. The names of the ladies in the church and society are taken, a band of collectors is appointed, and each lady is called upon, and offered the privilege of contributing. By mentioning the wish to the collector, any contributor can have the whole of her gift go to the specified society. Membership is constituted by an annual contribution, no amount specified. The meetings, we are informed, have been made very interesting by means of letters from the workers of the societies aided.
Referring to the value of these letters in mission circles, one lady writes: “While once we felt ourselves to be working blindly, with little idea of the work that was being done or of the manner in which we could best help, we seem now to have a personal and friendly interest, as well as an increased sense of our own responsibility.”
The Colored People are crazily fond of organization. Women and men alike are caught in the whirl. Offices with high-sounding names, processions, regalia and show, have a wonderful charm before which go down their better judgment. The evils of the Lodge, our missionaries meet on every hand. In the home and in the church, this insidious foe to piety and thrift is encountered. The love of organization may be utilized and turned to good account. Our teachers endeavor to impress upon their pupils the value of co-operation in doing good. The outcome of such instruction appears in one of our schools where the girls of their own accord, and without aid from their teachers, organized themselves into the Helping Hand Society, in which the members pledge, (1) Not to tell lies, (2) Not to steal, (3) Not to be selfish, (4) Not to quarrel, (5) Not to talk about the boys when together, and (6) To try and help every one they can.
On the other hand, the vice of “Secret Orders” may be seen in the following, written by one of our teachers:
A colored man with the title of Elder, recently visited this place and organized a secret society called the Universal Brotherhood. He had left one church with stains upon his moral character, but, as is too often the case, another fold had an open door for sheep, goat, or wolf, and, as he could operate better inside a church than out, he went in. The initiation fee to the society is one dollar, and the monthly dues are twenty cents. Small as this amount is, it is much to those who have families to provide for upon very small wages. If all the promises made by the organizer could be believed, membership in the society of Universal Brotherhood would be better than forty acres and a mule. All who are sick are to receive aid. When a member dies, his family will receive a thousand dollars. If any one of the family dies before the member insured does, twenty-five dollars will be furnished for funeral expenses. Heavy fines are imposed for absence from the meetings, which are held weekly. The name might lead one to suppose that this lodge is for men only, but it is composed of men and women. They have oaths and pass-words and secrecy, but one who is too wise to join such an organization says the great secret which they will never find out is where the money goes.
The idea of some one to help in time of sickness, and of property left to one’s children, is enough to draw the final dime from a colored person’s pocket, and stimulates parents who are not able to patronize a school to invest in a lodge. A colored woman who does well to send one of her six children to school said to me last week, “I am just as much opposed to the lodge as I can be. A good many women have to work hard to support their families, for it takes all their husbands can make to keep up the lodges. They pay four dollars a month for the rent of a hall to meet in, and they can’t pay the rent for a shelter for their families, so their wives have to attend to that.” The poor woman had the eloquence of truth and earnestness. She had had enough experience to know what she was talking about.
They have the lodges, chapters, commanderies, and consistories of the Masonic order for colored men as well as for white. In Oddfellowship there are lodges for the men, and the Household of Ruth lodges for the women. There are the Knights of the Wise Men and the Sons and Daughters of Relief. The following are some of the lodges for men and women: Diamond Square, Beulah Temple, Blazing Star Temple, Daughters of Shiloh, Sisters of Charity, Sons and Daughters of Ham, and Willing Workers. There are Queen Esther’s Courts, and the United Sons and Daughters of Abraham, the Good Samaritans, the United Daughters of Zion, the Star Tabernacles, the Daughters of Union, the Tabernacle of Love and Charity, the Sons and Daughters of Moses, the Sons and Daughters of Honor, the Mothers and Daughters of Israel, the Eastern Star, the United Brothers of Friendship, the Sons of the Mysterious Ten, and the Immaculates.
In our little town there are but two surviving secret societies amongst the colored people, but in my opinion there are too many by two. They rob the home, the church and the school, and are obstacles in the way of all who seek to promote the best interests of the people. Yours for the right and the light.
J. B. N.
REV. C. L. HALL, FORT BERTHOLD, DAKOTA.
We have a Badger in our house. He begins with a capital B, and he is a capital little chap. He can throw his bean-bags into the hole every time, and he does well in school, too. A year ago his relatives wanted him to come to our school, but as he could not live in the ground and grow his own coat as other badgers do, we had to wait till this fall. I said he could not live in the ground. He did live on it though last winter, for there was no floor in his house and the sides and roof were made of logs and mud, and he had a tin cup, and sometimes a tin plate, perhaps, and that was all there was to supplement his fingers. Some forked sticks in the ground, on which a board or two were supported, and a dirty quilt and an old blanket made his bed. The bed made itself, without any neat housekeeper’s help.
Corn, pounded up in a wooden mortar and boiled in water, and dried venison and berries, were the principal diet of our Badger.
Now, he is just like a boy—a white boy—and he is learning to talk English fast, and he tries to sing Sunday-school hymns and gets the tune quite well. Pretty good for a Badger just out of his native hole, isn’t it?
Well, he has woolen shirts, knee-pants, stockings, mittens, and shoes and cap, etc.; everything suitable for a boy seven years old. You would not know him from a boy if he did not sometimes get down on all fours and rub his stockings through at the knees; but we hope he will grow out of this badgerly habit in time.
Now, there are some boys and girls called the “Torrington Valley Gleaners,” who like pets so well that they are taking care of this little Badger. They call him Edward.
They send him clothes and send money to buy his food. They held a fair, and the boys brought in pumpkins, turnips, celery, pop-corn, etc., not for the Badger to eat, but to sell, so that they might have money to help him. The girls made fancy articles for the same purpose.
Now they have enjoyed doing this so much, and they think it will be so nice when they and their Badger are grown up, to feel that they had helped him to be a man, that they have asked me to recommend their plan to other boys and girls and to their parents, in Connecticut and other States also.
We can say that we have a variety of pets for them—ducks, bears, weasels, cows and other animals, to whom we give Christian names and Christian training, so far as Christian friends help us to do so.
Nine of these Indian boys have just gone off in the twilight with their lady teacher, in a big sled, to get the mail, and a dozen little girls are making rag dolls, etc., for they all like a little play after school is out and their work is done. So they have both work and play and are not dull.
May there be many to pray for them and help them that they may become good servants of Jesus Christ.