//.di.'ol. ^ tut ®Uc«logJa/ ^ ^V* PRINCETON, N. J. '^ Purchased by the Hamill Missionary Fund. BV 2766 .P6 D7 Doyle, Sherman H. b. 1865. Presbyterian home missions Hy per. ..f Woni.in's Heard of Home Missions rXK INDIANS PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS An Account of the Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. SHERMAN H.' DOYLE, D. D., Ph. D. PHILADELPHIA PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK 1902 Copyright, 1902, by the Trustees of The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath- School Work. DEDICATION To my boys Cullen Parrish and Sherman Ernest Doyle this book is affectionately dedicated FOKEWORD The work of home missions in this country has been, in large measure, identical with the work of the Church and, accordingly, the history of home missions is, in large part, the history of the Church. If it is true that the organized work of home missions, as now represented by our Board, is only a hundred years old, it is be- cause up to the beginning of the nineteenth cen- tury, all church work was literally home mis- sionary work. To live was to be aggressive. The older East was then a frontier region and settled pastors were forced to be missionaries or they failed. Moreover, the truth that foreign missions and home missions are one, and not two, has its proof in the primitive stages of American Christianity. The Indians were aliens though they were the aborigines, and EdAvards and Brainerd and Whit- man were as truly foreign missionaries, as were Speer and Loomis among the Chinese of San Francisco. We shall not be far wrong if we say that, in the days before 1802, the absence of organized VI FOREWORD committee or board for home missionary work was not because of a lack of the spirit of mis- sions, but because all work was missionary work and all growth was aggressive gain. When one comes to think of it, it is strange that no history has ever been written embracing the whole scope of Presbyterian home missions until now. Certainly it is late enough for such a record to be given out when our Church is about to celebrate the first century mark of her organ- ized home missionary endeavor. It is no figure of speech that patriotism and home missions are inseparably united. ]^either can stand, in the mind of the Christian citizen, without the other. No man can measure the blessings which the modern home missionary has brought to the making of this country. The direct results are mighty and permanent and of primary impor- tance ; but, in addition to these, the indirect blessings, upon the social life, the intellectual spirit, the moral tone, and the public policy, of our western communities are beyond measure. There is an element of romance in our com- mon conception of the life of a foreign mission- ary. We think of him, too, as preeminently the apostle of hardship and self-sacrifice. I would be the last to remove this impression in so far as it is true. The spiritual aristocracy of the elect of God are largely represented among these FOREWORD Vll brave and godly and devoted men and women, Avho have left the home-land behind and given their lives to the work of laying the foundation of the kingdom of God and of Christian civi- lization in pagan soil. Theirs to labor and to wait ; they often see little outcome from their toil ; others will see it, for some day it is sure to be seen. They build their short lives into a future which is seen by faith alone and yet, with un- daunted patience and perseverance, they labor on. I have seen these devoted brethren in many foreign fields, and I know full well how great is their faith and devotion. But the home mis- sionaries can often match them in hardship and loneliness and difficulty of task. They go off to Montana or to Arizona and their friends think little of their venture. They are "at home." " Old Glory " still waves over them in the des- erts of Nevada or in the green valleys " where rolls the Oregon." They need no meed of praise, no word of cheer — and too often they get none. The foreign missionary gets his " year off " now and then, but our solitary home missionary, plodding on year after year, never. I have seen something of the life and work of our home missionaries in the West, and I believe that for hard work and poor pay and small stint of appre- ciation and all else which the world and the flesh eschew and fain would avoid the home mission- Vlll FOREWORD ary in our western states and territories is the peer of many of those who are carrying the gospel to the far-away heathen. There is a ro- mance in the work in either case. They are all empire-builders alike. They bring to their work a richer tribute than even Cecil Khodes could command. They build themselves into their work ; and this is just as true of the missionaries of Iowa and Dakota and California, as it is of those of Japan and China and the islands of the sea. It is the romance of faith and heroism and trial and self-sacrifice, but it is also the romance of promise and patriotism and service and of the crown at last. Dr. Doyle has rendered a most valuable service in preparing this admirable manual of history of Presbyterian home missions. I regret that I have not been able to read the proof sheets of the entire book, but what I have read confirms the favorable judgment which competent critics have unqualifiedly pronounced. It will bring some very gratifying surprises to those who will read it. Few realize the magnitude of our home missionary work. The church west of the Mississippi, however strong it may be, is a rare exception if it was not originally founded or some time aided by our Board of Home Missions. Dr. Doyle tells us that this Board has planted 5,600 churches, issued 72,721 commissions, and FOREWORD IX expended $23,000,000. If this has been the record of the nineteenth century, who can fore- cast the twentieth ? Emerson's often-quoted remark, "America is another name for opportunity," was never truer than it is to-day ; and the " opportunity " has been almost immeasurably expanded in these last years. San Francisco is east of the center of our possessions and the Stars and Stripes now float over non-Christian millions to whom the home missionary must be sent. Only the beginning has been made ; the work lies ahead. The broad work of true patriotism is loyalty to Jesus Christ, and the Father of his country left us a great truth when he said that public morality and private morality must be based upon re- ligion. If we are to meet and to discharge our world-responsibility, of which we are now hearing so much, it will be by a vigorous and faithful, and, by the blessing of God, a fruitful prosecu- tion of the grand work, of the first century of which this book brings us the inspiring record. Henry Collin Minton. Philadelphia, April 2Uh, 1902. CONTENTS THE HOME BOARD Presbyterian Church and Missions — OflScial Steps Toward Organized "Work — Home Missions in the General As- sembly from 1789 to 1816 — Standing Committee Changed to Home Board — Division and Eeunion, Statistics from 1879 to 1900— The Woman's Board 3-35 II THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT Origin — Form of Government — Character — Religious Views and Practices — Is the Indian Dying Out ? — Present Dis- tribution — The United States Government and the In- dians 37-60 III THE INDIANS — MISSIONS First Missionary Efforts — The Mayhews — John Eliot — First Bible Printed in America — Quaker Missions — The Moravians — Jonathan Edwards, First Presbyterian Mis- xi Xll CONTENTS sionary — David Brainerd — Marcus Whitman — Missions, East of the Jlississippi, Northwest, Southwest — The Woman's Board and Indian Schools 61-96 IV THE ALASKANS Name and Area — Climate — Natural Characteristics — Native Life — Eeligiou— Eussia in Alaska— United States Pur- chase—First Missionaries— Southeastern Missions— In- terior Missions— The Woman's Board and Alaska— Dr. Jackson— Dr. Young— Governor Brady 97-136 V THE MOKMONS Joseph Smith — True Story of the Book of Mormon — His- tory of Mormonism — Mormonism Ecclesiastically, Theo- logically, Socially and Politically Considered — Missions — Presbyterian Missions — Schools in Utah — The Young People and the Future of Mormonism 137-165 VI THE MOUNTAINEERS Names — Manner of Life — Characteristics — Ancestry — Mis- sions—Schools—Bible Readers 167-199 VII THE MEXICANS History of New Mexico— Characteristics of the Mexicans CONTENTS Xlll in the United States— First Presbyterian Missionary — Mexican Missions — Schools Under the Woman's Board — Claims of the Mexicans 201-220 VIII THE FOREIGNEES Foreigners in the United States — Present Immigration — Classes of Immigrants — Places of Segregation — Results — Presbyterian Missions Among Foreigners, 1850 to 1860 — 1860 to 1870—1870 to 1880—1880 to 1890—1890 to 1900 —1902 221-241 IX THE ISLANDERS Porto Eico— Its History and Characteristics — Presbyterian Missions in Porto Rico — Missions in Cuba 243-259 THE GREAT WEST Greatness of the West — Religious Needs — Political Im- portance — Relation to Evangelization of the World — Influence of Home Missions in the Political, Commercial and Educational Development of the West — Spiritual Influences — Presbyterian Missions in the West . . . 261-282 XI THE SYNODS Origin of Synodical Missions — Plans of the Self-supporting XIV CONTENTS Synods — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Baltimore, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Michigan . . 283-306 XII SUMMARY Arguments for Home Missions — Christianism, Presbyter- ianisra, Patriotism — World-wide Evangelism — Commer- cialism — Conclusion 307-318 I INTEODUCTION CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Our Church has been a home mission Church from the beginning. Long before there was any organized presbytery the pioneer ministers were pioneer missionaries to the Indian tribes and to the scattered settlers. But from the organization of the General Assembly in 1789 it is possible to trace a continuous history of missionary activity. It makes a most interesting and hitherto largely unwritten chapter of the religious development of our country. At the time the first Assembly convened in Philadelphia the population of the country was about only five millions — almost the entire number living east of the Alleghany Mountains and nearly all of them within a hun- dred miles of the Atlantic coast. But the coun- try was beginning to be settled ; immigrants were coming in increasing numbers from Europe ; the line of occupation was pushing slowly into the woods of ISTew York, Pennsylvania, "Virginia, and the Carolinas. The problem before the infant Church was to reach those scattered peo- ples with the message of the gospel. 3 4 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS It is interesting to trace the official steps taken by the Assembly in this direction for, as is known, until 18U2 there was not even a perma- nent committee on home missions. All the mis- sionary work was done in Assembly by special committees or by direct action. Let us briefly follow this development. The first report of the committee on bills and overtures, to the first General Assembly, recom- mends " to the respective synods that they take order that the presbyteries under their care be punctual, in appointing and sending their due number of delegates to the General Assembly," and the second report of this committee said, " that the state of the frontier settlements should be taken into consideration and missionaries should be sent to them" {Miimtes, 1789, p. 10). A committee of two ^vas appointed to " devise such measures as might be calculated to carry the mission into execution." The committee reported that same afternoon, asking that each of the synods be requested to recommend to the General Assembly at their next meeting two members well qualified to be employed in mis- sions on our frontier. They also recommended that the several presbyteries be strictly enjoined to have special collections made during the pres- ent year " for defraying the necessary expenses of the missions" {Minutes^ 1789, pp. 10, 11). INTRODUCTION 5 This then marks the beginning of systematic home mission work. From that year on to the appointment of the Permanent Committee on Home Missions in 1802 {If-mtctes, pp. 257, 258), there was not a meeting of the General Assem- bly at which prominent attention was not given to the cause of home missions. At the next Assembly (1790), in accordance with the order of the previous one, " the Synod of New York and New Jersey recommended the Revs. Nathan Her and Joseph Hart as mission- aries to preach on the frontiers of our country " {Minutes, p. 23). The Rev. Dr. George Duffield was appointed by the Synod of Philadelphia for the same purpose but was removed by death almost immediately after his appointment {Min- xites, p. 23). The Synod of Virginia reported that it did not have an account of the proceed- ings of the Assembly of 1789 and so "did not recommend missionaries according to the order of the Assembly, but substantially complied with the design of that mission with an arrangement of their own at their last meeting" {Minutes^ pp. 23, 25). At this meeting of the Assembly a committee was appointed " to prepare certain directions necessary for the missionaries of the Assembly in fulfilling the design of their mission and to specify the compensation that it would be proper to make for their services " {Minutes^ 6 PRESBYTERIAN HOilE MISSIONS p. 23). The stringency with which the Assembly insisted on this missionary work being done is illustrated by action taken at the same meeting in which the Assembly says that as the injunc- tion had not been complied with by some of the presbyteries they thought it proper to " enjoin it upon, all presbyteries to give particular atten- tion that their congregations raise the specified contribution" {Minutes, p. 2-i). The records of subsequent Assemblies indicate that the matter of collections was followed up in the most per- sistent way from meeting to meeting. They were not advised to take collections for home missions, they were required to take them, and when such collections were not taken, a reason was expected. At the Assembly of 1Y91 Mr. Her and Mr. Hart, who the previous year had been appointed missionaries, made their report {Minutes, p. 45). They had each spent three months in the busi- ness assigned to them by the Assembly. In New York, beginning at Middletown they had gone as far as the Oneida nation of Indians and the Cayugas round Lake Otsego. In Pennsylvania they had visited in the Lackawanna valley, and such places as Pittston, Wilkesbarre, and Lacka- wanna, are mentioned. In the course of their report they declared that in the northern and western parts of the State of New York there INTRODUCTION 7 are " great numbers of people and that number increasing witll amazing rapidity." They there- fore suggested that it will be proper to send out " one ordained minister as a missionary this year in order that the hopes of the pioneers may be raised, the ignorant may be instructed, and that the foundation of gospel principles may be laid in this extensive and growing country in such a manner that discipline may be exercised regu- larly therein " {Minutes, p. 45). In the next year it was recorded that, the Synods of Virginia and the Carolinas having failed to make report of the measures adopted for supplying the frontiers with the ordinances of the gospel, a committee was appointed to bring in a written account of what had been done in these two synods " and the Assembly do, moreover, repeat their injunction to those synods to send up an annual account of their proceed- ings in the premises and of their success to the General Assembly " {Minutes, p. 50). At the same meeting of the Assembly special action was taken requiring that the moneys col- lected for the purpose of supporting missionaries to the frontiers and which had not yet been brought in should, as soon as convenient, be transmitted to the treasurer. At this meeting there was recognition of the fact that the Synods of Virginia and the Carolinas were supporting 8 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS their own missionaries. Synodical self-support is thus more than a hundred years old and was first begun because of the remoteness of the synods from the meeting place of the Assembly and the difficulty hence of getting into direct communication with the Church {Minutes, p. 59). This Assembly also adopted a form of com- mission for the missionaries to the frontier. It certified the ecclesiastical standing of the mis- sionary, directed him when to begin his work and in what regions to carry it on, and required of him " to keep a distinct journal of his prog- ress and to make report to the next General Assembly " {Minutes, p. 61). At every session of the Assembly a good deal of time was given to the consideration of the missionary work, to the hearing of the reports of those who had served as missionaries, to the commissioning of brethren for missionary tours, and to various instructions to presbyteries and synods and communities regarding the need and purposes of home mission work. The Assembly of 1794 adopted a circular ad- dressed to the inhabitants visited by the mis- sionaries. In this address the first action look- ing to friendly and cooperative relations with other denominations was taken. It is in these words : " As our aim has not been to proselyte from other communities to our denomination, INTRODUCTION 9 we have charged our missionaries to avoid all doubtful disputations, to abstain from unfriendly- censures or reflections on other religious persua- sions, and, adhering strictly to the great doctrines of our holy religion which influence the heart and life in the ways of godliness, to follow after the things that make for peace and general edifl- cation" {Minutes, p. 91). The Presbyterian Church is thus on record at a very early date, as she has been on record ever since, in favor of friendly and brotherly relations with all other denominations. How careful the " Fathers " were that the missionary activities of the Church should be given to the places of greatest need and not always or only to points that offered some strategic advantage is evident from the action of the Assembly in 1Y95 where one of the mission- aries is charged " to confine his labors to such settlements and people as may not yet have been formed into regular societies and appear unable in their present state to make compensation for supplies " {Minutes, p. 99). And another is re- quired " to be particularly attentive to such settlements as are most out of the reach of other supplies and to inquire after and visit any such as are newly formed if they should appear of sufficient consequence " {Minutes, p. 99). How strictly the General Assembly dealt with 10 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS its missionaries has an interesting illustration in the Assembly of 1Y96 when it was "Eesolved that Mr. Sample has not fulfilled his commission according to the directions of the General As- sembly, as it appears from his own account that he has not pursued the route pointed out to him and has preached part of his time in congrega- tions which do not come under the description of those to which he was limited in his commis- sion and that the pay for one month which he has already received is a sufficient compensation for his services " {Minutes^ pp. 113, 114). The Assembly of 1798 took particular action regarding the character of the men to be com- missioned and the tenor of their preaching and other services. It was declared that the mission- aries should be "men of ability, piety, zeal, prudence, and popular talents." They were also to preach the important doctrines of grace, to organize churches where opportunity offered and administer ordinances and instruct the people from house to house and " with the self-denial of their Master be wholly devoted to their ministry " {Minutes, p. 150). The Assembly of 1799 called attention to the religious state of the frontiers, the extensive tract of country into which thousands of people were pouring and the fact that communities were calling for a regularly settled minister, for INTRODUCTION 11 which the Assembly should make provision, and the congregations were again urged to liberal contributions "once or oftener in the year to assist it carrying on this benevolent and chari- table work • ' {Minutes, p. 176). This Assembly took an advance step in declar- ing "that one or more persons of suitable character take up their residence in towns the most convenient for the objects of their appoint- ment, whose business it should be, beside the ordinary duties of missionaries, to receive appli- cations from the different settlements in those parts of our frontiers ; to attend to the particular rising exigencies amongst them ; to be a common medium of information ; and for aiding and directing such missionaries as may be annually sent out by the General Assembly " {Minutes, p. 184). This seems to be the first movement to- ward missionary superintendence. Fort Schuy- ler on the Mohawk River and Geneva on Seneca Lake were suggested as centers for such superin- tendence {Minutes, p. 184). The close relation even thus early between our General Assembly and the General Association of Connecticut is interestingly indicated in one paragraph of that Assembly's action in which the Eev. Methuselah Baldwin is directed to spend three months or more in the vicinity of Onondaga " in connection with Mr. Williston, a 12 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS missionary from the General Association of Connecticut " {Minutes, p. 185). At the Assembly in 1800 the Rev. Drs. Rodgers and McWhorter, who had been ap- pointed a committee by the previous Assembly to secure resident missionaries, reported, recom- mending " the Rev. Jedediah Chapman of the Presbytery of New York, as a person well qualified to answer the design of the General Assembly " {Minutes, pp. 193, 194). He is thus the first missionary appointed to have general charge of the missionary interests in the district round the place of his residence. The same Assembly considered a communica- tion of the " Corporation " for managing their funds and agreed that the following objects de- served consideration : " The gospelizing of the Indians on the frontiers of our country ; the in- struction of negroes, the poor, and those who are destitute of the means of grace in various parts of this extensive country " ; and that an order of men under the character of catechists be instituted, from among men of piety and good sense but without a liberal education, who might "instruct the Indians, the black people, and other persons unacquainted with the principles of our holy religion." These catechists were not to be clothed with clerical functions but were to begin preliminary work with a view to preparing INTRODUCTION 13 the way for the ordained minister. It was, how- ever, decided that no catechists be sent out till further order of the Assembly {Minutes, pp. 195, 196, 197). The same Assembly however later took action allowing the Synod of Virginia " to appoint one or more catechists to labor among the Indians if it is thought expedient " {Minutes, p. 207). The Assembly also took specific action with reference to the commissioning of " a stated missionary on the northwestern frontiers," giving the scope and character of his service and making him the medium of " communicating to the settlements and the Indian tribes such information as the Assembly may wish to communicate." Kev. Jedediah Chapman accepted this commission {Minutes, pp. 208, 209). The first specific action with reference to the missionary relation of our Church and the Con- gregational Church was taken in the Assembly of 1801 when regulations were adopted to pro- mote union and harmony between the mission- aries of these two bodies. They are enjoined " to promote a spirit of accommodation between those inhabitants of the new settlements who hold the Presbyterian, and those who hold the Congregational, form of church government" {Minutes, p. 224). This action was the first draft of the " Plan of Union " to provide that 14 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS Congregational churches might settle Presby- terian ministers and the reverse, and that if the congregation consisted partly of Congregation- alists and partly of Presbyterians this fact should be no obstruction to their uniting in one church and settling a minister, and that in such case a standing committee of the communicants should be the spiritual leaders of the congregation. There is also a record in the Minutes of the same Assembly of action which was taken con- cerning a communication sent from the Church of Scotland regarding certain moneys that had been collected there for the education of the In- dians in America. The action of the Assembly "was as follows : " That although the fervent zeal for the conversion of the heathen which dic- tated such communication is highly laudable, yet from all the information which can be obtained on the subject, they cannot think that any at- tempt at present, by this Assembly, to obtain said moneys, would be consistent with propriety and decency " {Minutes, pp. 226, 227). This ac- tion of the Assembly means, that the Church not having the men necessary wisely to avail them- selves of the fund, it would not be proper for them to receive it. The Synod of Virginia at the same meeting, still conducting its own work on the western side of the Alleghany Mountains, reported {Minutes^ INTRODUCTION 15 p. 224), that they had sent out during the year six missionaries. Their report contains the inter- esting information that a young Indian whom they had brought with them on their return from their mission to Detroit " now appears seri- ously exercised about the great concerns of his immortal soul." The commission of the Synod of Virginia also reported having opened a subscrip- tion and " having a prospect of obtaining some- thing considerable toward preaching the gospel on the frontier settlements and among the In- dians " {Minutes, p. 224). At this meeting of the Assembly in 1801 we have the first record of a permanent fund for missionary work. The Trustees of the Assembly reported recommending that the moneys obtained as the result of soliciting contributions for the support of missionaries should be regarded as capital stock to be invested in secure and perma- nent funds for missionary purposes; that the proceeds of it should be employed in " propagat- ing the gospel among the Indians, in instructing the black people, and purchasing pious books to be distributed among the poor, or in maintain- ing, when the Assembly shall think themselves competent to the object, theological schools, and for such other pious and benevolent purposes as may hereafter be deemed expedient." They also determined to appoint agents to solicit donations 16 PRESBYTEKIAN HOME MISSIONS and ask the presbyteries to do the same. The first use of these funds, however, was to be for increasing the number of missionaries and ex- tending the blessing of the gospel by their labors through a greater scope of country {Minutes, pp. 228, 229, 230). The Assembly suggested the propriety of en- joining upon missionaries the importance of set- tling the gospel ministry among the settlements where they were to labor and also urged upon all the frontier people the necessity of contribut- ing to the support of their missionaries. The missionaries were instructed to inquire particu- larly about the small settlements, which, on ac- count of their obscurity or infancy, might have been hitherto overlooked and neglected by former missionaries {Minutes, p. 231). It is thus evident that the Assembly was determined not only upon developing self-supporting power in the more settled communities where the missionaries were laboring, but also seeking those which could make no return and which perhaps had but little prospect of large results but which ap- pealed to them because of their "obscurity or infancy." We come now to the Assembly of 1802 and to the steps there taken for organizing a Permanent Committee on Home Missions. It was resolved that there should be a Standing Committee on INTRODUCTION 17 Missions consisting of seven members — four clergymen and three laymen, whose duty it should be to collect information relative to mis- sions and missionaries, to designate the places where missionaries should be employed, corre- spond with them and with other persons on mis- sionary business, to nominate missionaries to the Assembly, to hear the reports of missionaries, and generally to transact under the direction of the Assembly the missionary business {Mimites, pp. 257, 258, 259). It will be seen that this Perma- nent Committee during the recess of the Assem- bly had practically the powers of a missionary Board. This was then the beginning of the or-^ ganized home mission work of the Presbyterian I Church. Heretofore it had been conducted di- - rectly by action of the Assembly, each appoint- ment being a particular item of Assembly busi- ness. Henceforth the work would be conducted by a Permanent Committee which would report to the Assembly at each of its sessions {Minutes, 1802, pp. 250, 257, 258). At the next meeting of the Assembly, in 1803, when the Assembly called on presbyteries to re- port on missionary matters, the presbyteries re- plied that they supposed the whole missionary business had been given to the Standing Com- mittee and that they had given to that body the information in their possession. The Assembly 18 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS approved the conduct of the presbyteries in mak- ing communications directly to the Standing Committee and ordered " that the presbyteries in future report on this subject to the Committee of Missions only / and make their reports so early as to enable the said committee to avail them- selves of the information and present the result to the General Assembly from year to year" {Minutes, p. 269). This is precisely the course that is taken now with reference to the Board of Home Missions. The presbyteries report directly to the Board and the Board makes its report to the General Assembly. Further action taken at the same meeting indicated that whatever instructions "were given to missionaries should be given in the name of the Committee of Missions, stating, however, that they had the approval of the As- sembly and that the committee should have power on any emergency to issue new instruc- tions to the missionaries suited to the occasion {Minutes, p. 273). The Assembly arranged for keeping out of debt by resolving that there ought to be no an- ticipation of the funds in the future. In other words that " appropriations ought not to be made in any year beyond the amount Avhich the funds arising in that year will be sufficient to satisfy." There is also record that year of the appointment INTRODUCTION 19 of the Eev. Gideon Blackburn as missionary to the Cherokee Indians in Tennessee — the beginning of a most useful and remarkable missionary career. How close to the border was the mis- sionary ground of our Church in 1803 is illus- trated by the fact that the Standing Committee of Home Missions that year was vested with dis- cretionary power to send missionaries the ensuing year to Norfolk, in Virginia, to the city of Wash- ington, to the Genesee and Sparta, in Ontario County, State of New York, " if it can be done without embarrassing the funds " {Minutes^ pp. 280, 281). At that time they were also beginning to hope that they might be able to avail themselves of the fund in Scotland for converting the Indians of North America, for they instructed their com- mittee to " procure the whole, or such part thereof as may comport with the views of the society." It is to be noticed that the missionaries sent out at this time to the western regions, some of them as far as " Mississippi Territory " were those who had pastoral charges, and that they might prose- cute their labors without anxiety, their places in their pulpits were regularly and fully sup- plied by the direction of the General Assembly {Minutes, p. 281). From 1803 a considerable part of the record of each General Assembly is occupied with home 20 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS missionary appointments and resolutions relating to missionary subjects. In 180-i the presbyteries are recognized in the direction of home mission labors, as for example : Kev. Dr. James Hall was appointed a missionary j for six months, three of which were to be spent in \ the Presbytery of Washington under the direction of that presbytery or their standing committee. The missionaries at this time were receiving $33.33 per month for their service. The increase of attention to the Indian work is illustrated in that year by the fact that $200 was appropriated to the schoolmaster employed by Mr. Blackburn in teaching the Indian youth {Minutes, p. 313). The Assembly in 1805 makes the interesting statement " that Mr. James Hoge, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Lexington, serve as a mission- ary for six months in the State of Ohio and the Katchez district." A pretty large commission for one young man, but it was the beginning of a service that was to tell mightily on the regen- eration of the State of Ohio {Minutes, p. 344), The westward movement of population had now become so decided that in 1806 missionaries were sent not only to Yirginia and Maryland but to Connecticut, and to the " Indiana Territory." Mr, Hoge is again employed as a missionary at this time " for three months in the State of Ohio and parts adjacent." This year also there is INTRODUCTION ' 21 progress in the work among the Cherokee Indi- ans. Rev. Gideon Blackburn, a home missionary hero of that Southwest, was employed for two months in missionary service and $500 was ap- propriated for the support of the Indian school instituted by him. In this year also the authority of the Eev. Jedediah Chapman was somewhat increased. He was given a commission without designating the time of service and was at the end of the year to report to the Committee of Missions as to the time actually spent, and he was also authorized, " with the concurrence of the Presbytery of Geneva, to employ two mission- aries for two months each to perform missionary service under his direction" {Minutes, pp. 367, 368, 369). The year 1807 marks the appointment of a missionary in the county of St. Lawrence and up to the Canadian line and the stationing of mis- sionaries at various points from New Jersey to Yincennes, Ind. There is also the record of the appropriation of $500 for the use of the Hy wassee school in the Cherokee country. This is the school which the Rev. Gideon Blackburn had started. There was also an appropriation of $200, should the funds permit, for the support of Indian mis- sions under the care of the Synod of Pittsburg {Minutes, pp. 390, 391). The next year, 1808, the appropriation to the Hy wassee school was 22 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS continued at $500, and the amount appropriated to the Synod of Pittsburg for the support of Indian missions was increased to $400, if the funds should warrant when other missionary ap- propriations had been honored {Minutes, p. 406). The Assembly of 1809 enjoined all presby- teries and synods on no account to interfere with the instructions given by the Committee of Mis- sions to missionaries and recommended that the interests of the missionary cause would be pro- moted by publishing more extensively the report of the Committee of Missions {Minutes, p. 427). The work was now steadily pushing westward and the reports in the Assembly showed an in- creasing number of commissions through the State of Ohio to Indiana and one to upper Louisiana. The year 1809 marks an advance also in mis- sionary administration by giving authority to presbyteries to employ missionaries within their own bounds at such places as seemed to them to have the greatest need of missionary labors. The need of an increasing number of missionaries pressed itself upon this Assembly and the pres- byteries were called upon " to inquire for poor and pious young men who may promise useful- ness in the gospel ministry and are willing to de- vote themselves to it and raising a fund for their education." The first missionary periodical was INTRODUCTION 23 authorized by the Assembly in 1810 when the Committee of Missions was directed " annually to prepare and publish for the information of the churches a pamphlet or pamphlets entitled ' Mis- sionary Intelligence'" {Minutes^ pp. 418, 428, 451). During these years there was not a meeting of the Assembly without special mention of the needs of the Indian and a strengthening purpose to do the best that was possible with the funds on hand for their evangelization. The missionary life of the Eev. John Doak had so much to do with the development of Ten- nessee that it is interesting to record his com- mission issued in 1812: " A missionary for six weeks, commencing his route at Fincastle, and proceeding thence on missionary ground to Greeneville in East Tennessee." In that same year it was reported that " the ' Missionary Intelli- gence ' ordered to be published by the preceding Assembly had not been able to sell many copies and recommended the gratuitous distribution of the remaining copies among the presbyteries." In that same year the Synod of the Carolinas re- quested the General Assembly to take up the direction of missionary business within their bounds. This was agreed to and the Assembly was urged to make all exertions to increase the permanent and contingent funds of the Assembly 24 PEESBYTEEIAN HOME MISSIONS for the support of missions {Mi7iutes, pp. 506, 507, 508, 509). At the same Assembly there was also consid- ered a communication from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in which the Board had suggested the expedienc}^ of co- operation between the two missionary agencies. To this our Assembly replied that " as the busi- ness of foreign missions may probably be best managed under the direction of a single Board, so the numerous and extensive engagements of the Assembly in regard to domestic missions, renders it extremely inconvenient at this time to take a part in foreign missions." They go on to say that they may the rather decline these mis- sions, "inasmuch as the committee are informed that missionary societies have lately been insti- tuted in several places within the bounds of the Presbyterian Church " {Minutes, pp. 514, 515). The Assembly of 1813 makes the interesting statement that the salaries of the missionaries shall be $40 per month {Minutes, p. 535). In 1814 a committee was appointed to petition Congress for a tract of land to assist in conduct- ing a mission to the Indians. Should the Gov- ernment decline the request the committee was empowered to purchase a section of land {Min- utes, p. 565). In 1815, the year before the organization of INTRODUCTION 25 the Board of Missions, the appointment of mis- sionaries covered the distance extending from Lake Champlain and the Canadian line on the north and from Long Island and the Delaware River on the east to the Indiana Territory on the west and Kentucky and Tennessee on the south {Minutes, pp. 586, 587, 588). In 1816 the report of the committee to con- sider whether the question of changing the Standing Committee of Missions to a Missionary Board represented the great increase of popula- tion in the "West, the demand for missionary labors far exceeding the ability of supply, and that it was necessary to make larger plans for the carrying on of the work. Therefore, it was recommended that the Committee of Missions be erected into a Board " with full power to transact all the business of the missionary cause, only re- quiring the Board to report annually to the Gen- eral Assembly." The full title was " The Board of Missions acting under authority of the Gen- eral Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States." They were authorized to ap- point missionaries whenever they may deem it proper ; to make such advances to missionaries as may be judged necessary ; to take measures for establishing throughout our churches auxiliary missionary societies and generally to conduct the work of home missions in all its phases. As the 26 PRESBYTERIAlSr HOME MISSIONS expediency of the Home Board also doing foreign missionary work had been brought to the atten- tion of the committee they reported that " they are inclined to believe that the union of foreign with domestic missions, would produce too great complexity in the affairs of the Board, and ren- der the pressure of business too severe and bur- densome " ; and they suggest instead the forming of a foreign missionary society composed of mem- bers belonging to our own Church and to the Reformed Dutch Church, the Associate Reformed Church, and other churches which have adopted the same creed {Minutes, pp. 632, 633). The Board of Missions as thus organized con- sisted of Rev. Drs. Ashbel Green, Archibalcl Alexander, J. P. Wilson, J. Janeway, T. H. Skinner, G. C. Potts, D. Higgins, James Coe, James Richards, R. Cathcart, E. McCurdy, J. H. Rice, James Blythe, R. G. "Wilson, James Hall, Andrew Flinn, J. R. Romeyn, and Samuel Miller, with elders Boudinot, Hazard, Conelly, Haslet, Smith, Bayard, Ralston, Lenox, Rodgers, Cald- well, Bethune, and Lewis {Minutes, pp. 607, 633). We have followed thus somewhat in detail the development of our missionary work from the organization of the General Assembly onward to 1816, because that period has not hitherto been so connectedly presented and it seemed desirable in a book giving the development and extension INTKODUCTION 27 of the home mission work of our Church that these early records should be thus compiled. After the organization of the Board in 1816 the work grew rapidly in every direction. The stream of population began to flow into the central and western parts of the country ; Ohio was rapidly opening up; it had already many strong settlements ; Tennessee and Kentucky which had received the sturdy pioneers from the Carolinas and Virginia in the end of the eight- eenth century were receiving the impress of our missionaries and our teachers. In 1825 the Erie Canal was completed and the tide of population flowed into the States of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These settlers were an earnest and, as a rule, godly class of pioneers. They longed for the preaching of the gospel. In 1826, to meet the increasing demand, the American Home Missionary Society was formed. Its board of directors was composed of Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Dutch Eeformed, ministers and laymen. The field of its operations was first in New England and in New York State and the Presbyterian churches and ministers in that field gave their adhesion largely to this society, soliciting funds from its treasury. At the division of the Church in 1839 the New School branch of the Church continued its adhe- 28 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS sion to the Home Missionary Society. The Board of Missions remained in connection with the Old School branch and has been the channel for the missionary work of that Church to the present time. In 1857 the name of the Board was changed to " The Trustees of the Board of Domestic Missions of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America." Differences of opinion arising be- tAveen certain presbyteries and the American Home Missionary Society the matter was brought before the General Assembly and in 1855 the Assembly appointed the Church Exten- sion Committee which w^as recommended to the confidence and cooperation of the churches under the care of the ]^ew School General As- sembly. The disagreements, however, between the missionary societies continued and in 1861 the New School General Assembly assumed the whole responsibility of conducting the work of home missions within its bounds and constituted the Presbyterian Committee of Home Missions. The reports of the American Home Missionary Society not distinguishing between Presbyterian and Congregational missionaries, there is no way of determining how much of the good work of that society was the work of Presbyterian ministers. The reunion of the two organizations in 1870 INTRODUCTION 29 after a separation of a whole generation was the occasion of uniting the Board of Home Missions and the Committee of Missions under the legal name of " The Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America." It was incorporated by act of the Legislature of the State of New York, April 19, 1872. The General Assembly appointed the following members of the Board : — dfinisters. Laymen. George L, Prentiss, D. D. Edward A. Lambert. John Hall, D. D. Jacob Vermilye. Thomas S. Hastings, D. D. George W. Lane. Jonathan F. Stearns, D. D. Thomas C. M. Paton. William C. Roberts, D. D. Joseph F. Joy. Henry J. Van Dyke, D. D. Aaron B. Belknap. William H. Hornblower, D. D. John Taylor Johnston. George R. Lock wood. They designated New York city as the center of operations of the new Board. Since the re- union the growth and success of home missions have been such as to call forth constant gratitude to God. The Board has now nearly fourteen hundred missionaries. They are scattered from the top of Alaska to Porto Rico. The following figures give an idea of the progress of the Church during the century we have reviewed. 30 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS At the organization of the Assembly the Presbyterian element of our country was repre- sented by 177 ministers, 111 licentiates, 419 con- gregations, 20,000 communicants. In 1810 there were 434 ministers, 772 churches, 28,901 communicants. In 1820 there were 741 ministers, 1,299 churches, 72,096 communicants. In 1837, before division, there were in the United States 23 synods, 135 presbyteries, 2,140 ministers, 2,865 churches, 222,557 communicants. In 1870, after reunion, there were 51 synods, 173 presbyteries, 4,238 ministers, 4,526 churches, 446,561 communicants. In 1900 our own General Assembly reported 32 synods, 232 presbyteries, 7,467 ministers, 7,750 churches, 1,007,689 communicants. In 1900 the whole Presbyterian element of the country was represented approximately by 12,000 ministers, 15,157 churches, 1,600,000 com- municants. In 1800 there was one member of the Presby- terian Church to every 260 of our population. In 1900 there was one communicant of the Presbyterian Church to every 48 of our popula- tion. The Board of Home Missions has had a con- spicuous share in this development. It is esti- mated that there have been 5,600 churches INTRODUCTION 31 planted and aided to self-support. In all 72,721 commissions have been issued. The first annual collection reported to the Assembly amounted to about $400. The amount raised during the ecclesiastical year which has just closed is $804,400. In all about $23,000,000 have been expended in the work from the beginning. "Woman's Work for Home Missions. The first conference having reference to the organization of a Woman's Board of Home Mis- sions was held in Chicago in 1870, Three or four years before this a Woman's Missionary Society was formed in Auburn, New York, to fur- nish the ignorant Romanists of I^ew Mexico with religious teachers and raise funds for their sup- port. It was called the " Santa Fe Association " and was made auxiliary to the Union Missionary Society, of which Mrs. Doremus was president. After some time it was discovered that a de- nominational organization was desirable. The Presbyterians therefore formed the " IS'ew Mex- ico, Arizona and Colorado Missionary Associa- tion." Meantime to the missionaries sent by the Home Board to the Indians, Spanish-speaking people of Colorado and N^ew Mexico, as well as to the Mormons, it soon became evident that if these people were reached at all it must be through their children. These facts were pre- 32 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS sented by the Board to the Assemblies of 1872, '73, '74 with the request that something be done to enable it to carry the gospel to these excep- tional populations. In 1875 the Board appointed a committee to prepare a plan for the cooperation of the women with the Board. On January 26, 1876, a plan Avas adopted by the Board recommending that the sessions and presbyteries supervise and pro- mote the organization of woman's societies, and send their funds direct to the Board's treasury. In December, 1877, the school work among the exceptional populations was formally undertaken by the Board. The first teachers were com- missioned by the Board December 24, 1877, — sixteen of them with salaries amounting to $5,400, which amount it was hoped the w^omen of the Church would contribute. The necessity of a "Woman's Home Missionary Society soon became evident and a convention of women interested in home missions was called during the sessions of the Assembly in Pittsburg in 1878. At this convention a committee of twelve women was appointed, representing vari- ous parts of the country. This committee after failing to secure the cooperation of the Ladies' Board*of Missions of New York appealed to the Board of Home Missions to suggest at its meet- ing, October 7, 1878, various objects for which INTRODUCTION 33 the women should work and also suggested that the various couimittees of the synods, as soon as possible after their appointment, bring them- selves into sympathy and cooperation by the ap- pointment of a general executive committee, who should be their organ of communication with the Board. On December 12, 1878, the synodical com- mittees met in the Bible House and organized the "Woman's Executive Committee of Home Missions" and adopted plans and regulations for work. The work was inaugurated December 17, 1878. The duties undertaken by them were : To diffuse information regarding mission work ; to unify, as far as possible, woman's work for home missions ; to raise money for teachers' sal- aries and for general home mission purposes ; to superintend the preparation and distribution of home missionary boxes and to secure aid and comfort for home missionaries and missionary teachers in special cases of affliction or destitu- tion. In 1897 its title was changed from the " Woman's Executive Committee of Home Mis- sions" to the "Woman's Board of Home Mis- sions." During the last few years this Board has undertaken the support of missionaries who are laboring in connection with the schools which arc supported by the Woman's Board among the 34 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS exceptional populations. The growth of the work may be indicated by the following statistics : Amount reported for first year $3,138 Amount reported for 1901 $289,800 Whole amount raised from beginning . . $3,500,000 Number of schools in 1901 138 Number of teachers in 1901 425 Number of scholars in 1901 9,337 The history of the home mission work of our Church here outlined is thus seen to be coexten- sive with the country. It extends now from Point Barrow, the northernmost point in Alaska, to Cuba and Porto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea. The scope of it is an endeavor to reach all classes of the heterogeneous population of our country. To that end there are missions among the for- eigners who have come to us from abroad ; to the Indians who held first title to our wide domain ; to the mountaineers who had been passed by in the march of civilization ; to the new states and territories of the rapidly developing West ; to the Mexicans in the Southwest and the Mormons in the valleys between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas ; and latterly to the inhabitants of the new islands that have been brought either under our flag or in close relations with our country. It is the purpose of this book to give a brief account of the work in each of these departments INTRODUCTION" 35 and it is commended to the thoughtful attention of all who are interested in the development of our Church and the extension of the kingdom of Christ in our country. INDIAN BABY IN BUCKSKIN CRADLE II THE INDIANS— PAST AND PRESENT CHAPTER II THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT " There is no good Indian hut a dead Indian,''^ has almost become a proverb. But a study of this historic race from the standpoint of Presb}'- terian Missions will prove the injustice of this estimate of the Indian character and will show conclusively that it is possible for an Indian to be both good and alive. This study, however, must begin with his be- ginning, and be placed in its proper setting in his entire life — past, present, and future. The American Indian of the past forms an intensely interesting subject of study. His re- mote past is shrouded in deep mystery. He is the "original inhabitant" of America. That said, all is said about his origin. Whence, when, or how, he came to American shores, no one can answer. Some believe that he came from Europe, others that he dwelt originally in eastern Asia, and still others that in him we have the ten lost tribes of Israel ! The theory that he came from northeastern Asia is the most plausible and the most popular; buo the entire subject is one of 39 40 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS speculation. When Columbus came to America he was here, with every appearance of having been here from remote antiquity. Thus far our certain knowledge goes and no farther. Nor is it ever likely now to go beyond this. The form of government of the American In- dian races was tribal. The number of tribes was very great and many of them were widely sepa- rated in distance and distinct in language and customs. The Indian languages have been esti- mated at not less than two hundred. These languages " were alike in general structure, the difference arising from the lack of a written lan- guage ; and from the wandering of the tribes, it became impossible for one tribe to understand another." The tribes were governed by their own laws, and by their own chief or chiefs, who were called " sachems." They spent their time in wandering about from place to place and were usually engaged in hunting or fighting. They lived in tents made of skins of animals and the bark of trees. Their tents were called " wig- wams," the meaning of which is "his house." Tlie men or " braves " were usually occupied as huntsmen or warriors. The women, who were called "squaws," performed the manual labor of the camps. This arrangement, however, consid- ering their manner of life, was not such an un- natural one. The Indian woman was not a slave THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 41 or a chattel ; and in some civilized countries, the women have performed as difficult physical la- bors as did the Indian women. The character of the American Indian has been variously estimated. James Fenimore / Cooper, in his matchless Indian stories, has idealized him and has described him as capable of being inspired by lofty motives and of per- forming heroic and self-sacrificing deeds. On' the other hand, there have been those who have scarcely found language in which to express their opinion of the cruelty and treachery of the Indian character. The golden mean is perhaps j the better estimate. Like all other races, the Indian was a mixture of both good and evil, and Avas capable of performing both heroic and dia- bolical deeds. One of his strongest propensities was a passion for war, and his false and bar- barous principles of warfare account for most that is unlovely and condemnable in his character. The religious life of the Indian was most marked. His " untutored mind saw God in the cloud and heard him in the wind." He called his ; deity the " Great Spirit." But in addition to the Great Spirit, he saw " indwelling spirits in every- thing, and this gave vitality to his descriptions, and made his nature stories very poetical, both in idea and language." The Dakotas called meteors " spirits flying through the air," and described 42 PRESBYTERIAl^ HOME MISSIONS the Milky Way as " the track along which the celestial huntsman finds his prey." The Indian also believed in a future life, his " happy hunting grounds " beyond the grave. His forms of wor- ship were fanciful and crude, yet contained the germs of truth. Prayer was a common thing among them. Fasting as a religious duty was observed by many tribes. Some also had special times of consecration. The eighth year of a Dakota boy was marked by such a service. At break of day he went alone to some hilltop where he spent the day with the Great Spirit. He ate no food, and had no companionship, but spent the day in meditation, and at intervals would pray, " O "Wakondab, have pity on me, and make me a great man." At the age of sixteen years this period of meditation and fast- ing lasted over two days, and at eighteen years it lasted for four days. The primitive Indian had also his days of thanksgiving and of special sacrifice to the Great Spirit. A beautiful story, illustrative of this fact, is told of Tecaughre- tanego, an old Delaware chief, who lived in what is now the State of Ohio. Having recovered from a serious sickness of many weeks, he went outside his lodge, built a fire before the door of his wig- wam, and laid thereon his single leaf of tobacco. Then he bowed bis head and offered this prayer : " O Great Spirit, this is my last leaf of tobacco, THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 43 and I know not Avliere I shall get another. Thou knowest how fond I am of tobacco, but I freely give this last leaf to thee and I thank thee for restoring me to health once more." A peculiar phase of the religious life of the Indians was their dances. These undoubtedly partook of a religious character. The principal ones were the Fire Dance, Snake Dance, Sun Dance, and Ghost Dance. The Fire Dance was in honor of the god of fire. It was begun with great ceremonies by the medicine man, and was practiced by the Apaches and Navajoes. The Snake Dance Avas peculiar to the Moquis of Arizona and was characterized by the handling and worship of snakes. The Sun Dance was a custom of the Sioux, and at the time of its cele- bration they feasted on prepared poppy. The Ghost Dance, common to many tribes, was cele- brated before entering upon the warpath. The prophet and priest of the Indian religion was the medicine man. He Avas all powerful among them. Any young brave who had the " gift " could aspire to this influential position. The presence of the " gift " was proven by the endurance of severe physical tests, fasts, vigils, surviving poisonous snake bites, and the dread- ful sweat bath. The medicine man, when in official regalia, ceased to be a mere man and be- came the embodiment and personification of all 44 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS the powers which he represented. This regalia consisted of a medicine shirt, a medicine hat, a sacred belt, and a mask, which inspired great dread. The medicine shirt was made of buck- skin covered with symbolical figures. No one was allowed to see the medicine belt or cord be- cause of its sacredness. It is sometimes found on the braves after death. The medicine hat was likewise very sacredly esteemed. "When a white man among the Apaches had the presump- tion to touch one or to take a picture of it, the In- dian men were greatly excited, and purified both it and themselves with sacred powder. Of an artist who said that the belt would be improved if cleansed of the grease and dirt upon it, they demanded damages to the extent of thirty dollars. In this pontifical outfit, the medicine man practiced his necromancy and magical rites with great noise and grotesque action. He alone could perform the incantations and furnish the anointed amulets that were supposed to pro- tect the warrior when on the warpath. In most cases, when the white man came to American shores, the Indian treated him kindly and considerately. Columbus and his men were looked upon as a superior class of beings and treated accordingly. Their fidelity to Penn's treaty is historic. In the old Indian cemetery at Stockbridge, Mass., is a shaft bearing this THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 45 inscription, " Tlie friends of our fathers." But in other cases and sometimes when it was least deserved, they were treacherous, cruel, and blood- thirsty. But it can scarcely be said that they were worse than the white man. "With the coming of the white man, it was inevitable that Indian civilization should perish, but it need not have gone down in shame and disgrace to its destroyer. Yet every student of history knows that it has. The Indian's land was taken from him by force, or purchased for a paltry sum, insignificant in comparison to its real value. Treaties were recklessly broken. Sacred promi- ses were never kept. Cruel wars of extermina- tion were waged upon the slightest pretext, or without any, if necessary for looting the Indians of their lands. " The Indians began by meeting kindness with kindness, and good faith with good faith. But the after records ! Their story can be written in two words : * Driven out ! ' and ours in three : ' Fair promises broken.' " The pathway of the downfall of Indian civiliza- tion is marked by perfidy, by injustice, and by cruelty. What a debt we owe to the American Indian! For hunting grounds taken what less can we do than show him the way to the true hunting grounds of the future ? For covenants broken and promises unkept, what less can we do than point him to the covenant-keeping God, 46 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS whose promises are " yea and amen in Christ Jesus " ? The American Indian of the present is in a vastly different situation than the American In- dian of the past. Then he roamed at will over the boundless American prairies ; to-day he is confined in the government reservations or dwells in a particular locality. Then he inhab- ited a continent alone ; to-day he shares it with eighty millions of people, different in race, color, religion, and civilization. Whether the Indian is dying out as a result of his new surroundings and his contact with a dif- ferent civilization is both an interesting and im- portant question to the supporters of Christian missions among them. It is claimed and is com- monly believed that such is the case. The popu- lar belief is that as a result of contact with the white man, the taking on of his civilization, and particularly his vices, the ruthless wars that have been waged, the introduction of the worst forms of disease, especially consumption, the policy of the Government of treating the Indians as tribes and not as individuals, make it only a matter of time until the Indian question shall be solved by his extinction. This belief however is undoubt- edly false, and arises principally from a misun- derstanding of the original number of American natives. Past estimates of the Indian population THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 47 of our country have been very high and without doubt, too high. The estimates of the early ex- plorers were fanciful and false, characterized by their usual tendency to exaggerate everything in connection with the new world to which they had come. Because of the numerous bands of war- riors, it was said " the woods are full of them," and that the country "swarmed with the sav- ages." Estimates based upon such language were naturally very high. In 1816 Elias Boudi- not, then considered the best authority on Indian statistics, published the names of three hundred tribes, and estimated their population in North America to be from two to five millions. But this estimate is only a guess and probably not a very good guess. Yet such exaggerated esti- mates account for the prevalent belief that the Indian is becoming extinct. If they were true, such would certainly be the case, for there are no such numbers in existence to-day. But that they are not true is the testimony of those who have carefully investigated the subject. Hon. AV. A. Jones, United States Commissioner to the In- dians, strenuously opposes the theory that the Indian is dying out. He believes that the early estimates were greatly exaggerated, and de- clares that " taking the concurrent facts of his- tory into consideration, it can with a great deo;ree of confidence be stated that the Indian 48 PRESBYTERIAI!^ H03IE MISSIONS population of the United States has been little diminished from the daj'^s of Columbus, Corlando, Raleigh, Captain John Smith, and other early explorers." This opinion seems to be the correct one. While early settlers fancied that the woods were full of Indians, it is now known that there were vast territories unoccupied by them, and never visited except on hunting or warlike expe- ditions. It is probable that the Indian population east of the Mississippi River from 1620 to 1750 never exceeded 200,000 ; and that the entire population of the United States at the time of the discovery of America, did not exceed 300,000. About two hundred years ago the best estimates placed the Indian population of the United States east of the Mississippi at 149,000. There is no reason to doubt the correctness of these conserv- ative estimates. The result of their acceptance leads to the conclusion that the Indian is not dying out, and this conclusion is undoubtedly correct. Some tribes have entirely disappeared, but the race is not becoming extinct. While some tribes decrease, others increase. One tribe is said to have doubled its population in fifteen years. The report of the Commissioner to the Indians shows that the birth rate of the Indians is increasing. This being the situation, mission- ary work among the Indians is more imperative and encouraging. The work is not the temper- THE INDIANS— PAST AND PRESENT 49 ary ministration of the gospel to a cl3ang people, which would be worthy of all our efforts, but it is a permanent work, descending to children's children, among those who yet may be some- thing more than " wards " in their own land. The present distribution of the Indians may be best understood by dividing them into eight classes, as has been done by the Board of Home Missions, as follows : — 1. The Six Nations of New York. — These number about 5,500, and are but little removed from the simpler life of the poor whites of the State. 2. The Five Civilized Tribes. — These are the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles. They live in Indian Territory, and number nearly 67,000. The gospel has been preached and schools maintained among these tribes for generations, so that few traces of their native Indian life are seen among them to-day. 3. The Eastern Cherokees of North Carolina. — These refused to go westward with the great body of their sixty tribes years ago, but remained among the mountain homes of their forefathers. Their population is about 35,000. 4. Indians on Reservations. — These reserva- tions are under the control of the national Gov- ernment, are not taxed or taxable, and are to be found in almost every one of the "Western 50 PRESRYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS States. The population of the reservations is over 125,000. 6. The Pueblos of New Mexico. — The ances- tors of the Pueblos were a remarkable and an- cient people. They were neither warlike nor migratory, but dwelt in houses, built of bricks, after a style of architecture peculiarly their own. The Pueblos number nearly 10,000. 7. The Apaches. — They consist of about 400 prisoners of war, under the War Department. 8. Imprisoned Indians. — These are in na- tional, state or territorial prisons. Their number is about 200. The relation of the United States Government to the Indian has been divided into three periods, the colonial^ the national, and the modern., the last beginning with the presidency of General Grant. The colonial period was characterized by con- stant wars, bloodshed, and rapine. The trouble arose mainly from the fact that two races and civilizations, differing vastly in character, had been brought together on our shores with the coming of the white man. Yet the fact can- not be disguised that the most bloody Indian wars and massacres of colonial days were in- spired by the whites themselves. The English and the French struggled for a century for su- premacy in America ; and in these struggles, both THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 51 nations and even the American colonists did not scruple to use the Indians as allies when sorely pressed. " French tomahawks and scalping knives struck down and mutilated English women and children, in the exposed settlements of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. French officers were in command at Deerfield, at Fort "William Henry, and at Braddock's defeat. Nor does history record that they put forth any effort to prevent the horrors perpetrated by the Indians. Nor was England in her hour of need more scrupulous. The savage Iroquois were called to her aid to subdue the colonists struggling for independence. English tomahawks and scalping knives were red with our fathers' blood at "Wyoming, at Oriskany, and at the Minnisink. Nor does history record that the British or Tory officers in command sought to restrain their mur- derous use. The colonists themselves in some instances employed Indian allies in the struggle with England." Yet with all this, the blame was placed upon the Indian. The whites sowed the wind and expected in vain to escape the whirlwind. For disasters which he himself in- spired, the white man demanded vengeance and would rob the Indian of his land. The Indian had to fight or die, and being human he decided to fight. The only court to which he could ap- peal was that of force and when all is taken into 62 PKESBYTEKIAN HOME MISSIONS consideration, we could not expect him to have done otherwise. The national period of the Government's rela- tion to the Indian has been called " a century of dishonor." Peace with the Indians was impos- sible because of the insatiate greed of the settler for the Indian's land. To prevent settlement upon the lands allotted to the Indians was impos- sible. Washington tried it, but failed. He rec- ommended to Congress that "no settlements should be made west of a clearly marked bound- ary line, and that no purchase of land from the Indians except by the Government should be per- mitted. This recommendation however was dis- regarded, and another Indian war was the result. In the earliest treaties made by the Government with the Indians, where boundary lines were dis- tinctly marked, the lands designated were given to the Indians fo7'ever, and white settlers were left to the mercy of the Indians for punishment. On January 21, 1Y85, such a treaty was made with the Ottawas, Chippewas, and Delawares. But these treaties were utterly disregarded by the whites, and the wars followed which resulted in the defeat of General St. Clair and the massa- cre of his troops, and in the victory of Gen. Anthony Wayne over the Miamis. These wars are illustrative of every war that has occurred with the Indians from that time to this. Treat- THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 53 ies were made, promising lands to the Indians, ' while water ran and grass grew.' The ink in which the treaty was written was scarcely dry before our unrestrained and unrestrainable set- tlers would proceed to violate their terms. This invariably led to irritation, and to individual acts of revenge on the part of the Indians, — and then followed war. It was this which led to St. Clair's Indian war and his defeat, to Wayne's victory over the Miamis, to the troubles between the United States and Tecumseh, the battle of Tippecanoe, and to the losses which our people suffered from Tecumseh's alliance with the Brit- ish in the War of 1812. Failure to pay annuities due the Sioux Indians by the Government was one of the causes that led to the awful Minnesota massacre in 1862. The Sitting Bull campaign, which culminated in the Custer massacre, was a direct result of violation of treaty agreement, through the invasion of the Black Hills by pro- spectors in search of gold. The removal of the Cherokees from Georgia by United States troops was one of the most unjustifiable outrages that our history records, and one of the few that pro- voked no bloodshed. The Cherokees had made great advance in civilization, and for years had been under the influence of Christianity. The demand for their removal by the United States on the part of Georgia was dictated wholly by 54 PKESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS greed, was contrary to treaty provisions, and was without excuse. The discussion agitated the whole country, but finally Congress yielded, and General Scott was ordered to remove these un- happy people from the land of their fathers, and thus to destroy their civilization just as it was beginning to bear fruit. The march through the wilderness caused the death of at least half the tribe." Thus Mr. Herbert Welch, the Secretary of the Indian Eights Association records our dealings with the Indians ; — and what a black rec- ord it is and how it should inspire us to make every possible reparation to this unfortunate race, especially by giving to it the gospel of Christ ! The modern period of our relations with the Indians began with the first term of General Grant as President. In 1870 he introduced what has been called "The Peace Policy." He an- nounced his intention of dealing \vith the Indian question in a more just and friendly manner. He advocated their civilization, the education of their children, and the fulfillment of treaty obli- gations. He appealed to Christian bodies to as- sist in their amelioration. As a result of his policy the "Indian Eights Association" was formed. It consists of nine members, for whose services no salary is paid. The work of the as- sociation is to "spread correct information, to create intelligent interest, to set in motion public THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 55 and private forces which will bring about legisla- tion, and by public meetings and private labors to prevent wrongs against the Indian and to further good works of many kinds for him." The " Woman's National Indian Association " is a supplementary body, which deals philanthrop- ically with the Indian as an individual. It es- tablishes missions where there are none and turns them over to Christian denominations, who will care for them. The Peace Policy has produced splendid re- sults. Indian outbreaks are less frequent. Mili- tary outposts have been abandoned, and some have even been turned into schools. Savage and barbarous customs are giving way to the forms of civilization. The Department of the Interior at Washing- ton has charge of the government of the Indians. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs is at the head of the Indian office, which is a bureau in this department. The majority of the Indians to-day are on reservations — a term applied to the land set apart or reserved by the Government for the exclusive use of the Indians. On each reservation is a government agent, who has asso- ciated with him, a physician, clerk, farmers, po- licemen, and other employees, all of whom are paid by the Government. The entire establish- ment is called an Indian agency. The agents 56 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS are responsible to the Commissioner of Indians, wlio is appointed by the President, and resides in Washington. One of the worst features of the Eeservation System is the distribution of rations. The res- ervations are not fitted for agriculture. The in- habitants have therefore to be fed by the Gov- ernment, which deals out rations periodically to many of the tribes. This is a vicious system. It breeds laziness and incapacity. It gives the In- dian agent, if he be unscrupulous, a dangerous advantage over those for whom he should care, for he can give or withhold the ration, and thus has the very lives of the " nation's wards " in his hands. The Indian by such a system never can be taught to become a self-respecting and self- supporting citizen. The education of the Indian boys and girls is receiving special attention by the Government. It aims to educate them both industrially and intellectually. For this purpose it has estab- lished non-reservation boarding schools, reserva- tion boarding schools, and reservation and inde- pendent day schools. The Indians also attend state and territorial public schools, contract day and boarding schools, and mission day and board- ing schools. The object of Indian education is not so much to give a " higher education " as it is to fit the boys and girls for the duties of every- THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 57 day life. The course of instruction is patterned after that in our common schools, and to this is added industrial training. In the large non-res- ervation schools, shoemaking, harness-making, tailoring, blacksmithing, plastering, and brick- making and laying, are taught with considerable effectiveness. The harness shop of Hampton schools some time ago completed an order for fine harness for John Wanamaker of Philadel- phia and New York. Fifty trucks have been furnished to a Richmond house, and fifty more to the Sea Board Air Line Company. The Carlisle, Pa., school furnishes the Indian service with a su- perior farm wagon. In Washington and Oregon the Indians do the hop picking. The keeping of bees is a specialty at Grand Junction, Colorado. At Fort Hall, Idaho, which is a cattle-raising district, the herding and care of cattle, the slaughtering of beef cattle, and the dairy busi- ness, are taught. The number of non-reservation schools is twenty-five, with an enrollment of Y,928. The largest and oldest of these schools is at Carlisle, Pa. It Avas opened November 1, 1879, and has an enrollment of over 1,000. There are eighty-eight reservation boarding schools, with an enrollment of 10,782. The day schools number 138 and have an enrollment of 4,622. The contract day and boarding- schools have an enrollment of 130. 58 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS The public schools have on their rolls the names of 257 Indian pupils. The mission boarding schools are attended by 3,531 Indian scholars {Commissioner's Report for 1901^ p. 29). The mission schools among the Indians are thus described by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs : — " Mission schools are a growing class of schools, whose work is a great benefit not only to the children but also to the adult Indians. They are operated by various religious denominations, both Protestant and Catholic, and also by phil- anthropic associations. Teachers, employees, food, clothing, and buildings, are provided by the con- ductors of the schools. The Government only assumes supervisory care over them. Agents and other government officials are directed to lend 'a helping hand and assist the mission- ary efforts of the employees in securing a legitimate attendance.' Connected with many of the schools are small mission churches, which have a wide influence for good on the community. Children in the government schools are advised and urged to attend the church of their choice " {Commissioner'' s Reiyort for 1900). These efforts at education cannot but bear fruit for the future. It may be true that some Avho return from the schools to the reservations lapse into their old lives or even worse, but not all do ; and among what people does education always THE INDIANS — PAST AND PRESENT 59 assure stability of character and a successful career ? As conditions become more thoroughly understood, safeguards can be provided against unusual retrogation, and the beneficent results of education and industrial training will become even more manifest. Our Government owes it as a debt to the descendants of the original owners of our land to make their advancement in life as assured as possible. In no way can this better be accomplished than by educating them, so that they can earn a respectable livelihood. Instead of herding them like cattle on reservations, and feeding them with a government spoon, the American Indians should be treated as individ- uals and placed in positions, where, as self-respect- ing citizens, they must make their own living, or fall behind in their failure to do so. It should be a matter of great satisfaction to all who are interested in the welfare of the In- dian that this policy is at last being inaugurated by the Government. The Indian Commissioner in his report for 1901 says, " Certainly it is time to make a move toward terminating the guar- dianship which has so long been exercised over the Indians and putting them upon equal foot- ing with the white man, so far as their relations with the Government are concerned " ; and again, " whatever the condition of the Indian may be, he should be removed from a state of depend- 60 PRESBYTEEIAN HOME MISSIONS ence to one of independence. And the only way to do this is to take away those things that encourage him to lead an idle life, and after giving him a fair start, leave him to take care of himself. To that it must come in the end and the sooner steps are taken to bring it about the better. That there will be many failures, and much suffering is inevitable in the very na- ture of things, for it is only by sacrifice and suffering that the heights of civilization are reached." In pursuance of this policy, the work of cutting " off rations from all Indians except those who are incapacitated in some way from earning a support," has already been begun, and " the result has been surprising. The office feels that a great stride has been taken toward the advancement, civilization and independence of the race ; a step, that if followed up, will lead to the discontinuance of the ration system as far as it applies to able-bodied Indians, the abolition of the reservation, and ultimately to the absorp- tion of the Indian in our body politic " {Report for 1901, pp. 4, 5, 6). It is to be sincerely hoped that this policy, in spite of the difficulties in the way, can be put into practical effect. If so, then the future of America's native race brightens materially, for dependent wardship will give place to independent citizenship. Ill THE INDIANS— MISSIONS CHAPTER III THE INDIANS— MISSIONS The history of Indian missions dates back as far as 1528. The first missionary efforts among the American Indians were made by Spanish Catholics. In 1526 Pamphilius de Narvaez, a Spanish explorer, started out to conquer Florida. He had with him a number of Franciscan monks. The expedition however was a failure. On their return the boats containing the missionaries were wrecked. They reached land, but only to perish by starvation, sickness, and the cruelty of the natives. What they did is not known, but no regularly organized mission was established. Mis- sionaries also accompanied Ferdinand de Soto on his famous but fatal expedition, but every one of them perished, and we know of no attempt to found a mission. After several other unsuccess- ful attempts, the first successful mission to the American Indians was established at St. Augus- tine, in 1573, by Spanish Franciscan monks. The Protestant Church began its missionary work among the Indians in New England in 1643. The place was the Island of Martha's 63 64 TRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS Vineyard and the first missionaries were the Meyhews. In 16-il Thomas Meyhew, Sr., re- ceived a grant of Martha's Vineyard and the sur- rounding islands. Later on, his son, Thomas Mey- hew, Jr., was called by the settlers of the island to become their pastor. He extended his work to the several thousand Indians about him. He learned their ways and language and established a successful mission. The first convert among the New England Indians was Hiacoomes, who afterwards became a preacher to his own people. Mr. Meyhew's labors were greatly blessed. In 1651, he reported 190 conversions. In January, 1651, the first school for Indian children was established. In October, 1652, the first Indian Church was organized, with a membership of 282. While on his way to England in 1657 to secure aid for his work, Mr. Meyhew was lost at sea. His father, then over seventy years of age, studied the Indian language and carried on the work of his son. " He spared himself no pains in his work, often walking twenty miles through the woods in order to preach or visit these Indians." The gospel was carried by him and his converts to Nantucket. In 1670 the first In- dian Church with a native pastor was organized. Governor Meyhew continued his labors until his death at the advanced age of ninety-two. He was in his last ^''ears assisted by Eev. John Cotton THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 65 and by his grandson, Kev. Experience Meyliew, who translated the Psalms and the Gospel of John into the Indian vernacular. Most conspicuous among the early successful missionaries to the Indians stands John Eliot, " the apostle to the Indians." The field of his labors was among the Pequots and other tribes of eastern Massachusetts. He began his work in 1646 while pastor of the church at Roxbury, Mass. He labored incessantly and his efforts were crowned with success. He gathered his converts into towns and established schools and civilized industries among them. These towns were known as " praying bands " or " Indian praying towns." He framed two catechisms for Indian use and translated the Bible into their language, which was his greatest work. The translation of the entire Bible was completed in December, 1658. Two years later the printing of it was finished. This was the first Bible printed on the American continent. What a providence that it shoidd have been in the In- dian tongue! Eliot's motto, written at the end of his Indian grammar was, " Prayer and Pains^ Through Faith in Jesus Christ Will do Anything.''^ He labored for thirty years among his people 66 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS teaching them to work, to read and to pray. " He gave them a Bible in their own tongue, and from those hunting and fighting savages six Indian churches were gathered, whose more than a thousand 'Praying Indians' once and again stood firm against fearful odds and became a bulwark of safety to their pale-face neighbors." The Quakers began their Indian missionary work in Pennsylvania in 1685. Penn's famous treaty with the Delawares, which was unbroken by either party for seventy years, has been called " the brightest spot in all our dark dealings with the Indian tribes." The Moravians early established successful In- dian missions. They began their work in west- ern Connecticut in 1742, but labored most exten- sively in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Ohio. The leader of Moravian missions among the Delawares was David Zeisberger, It was in connection with Moravian missions that the most tragic incident of early Indian mission work occurred, namely the destruction of Guaddenhlltten, Ohio, by Pennsylvania Volunteers, March 7, 1782. Guad- denhlltten was a Moravian Indian village on the Tuscarawas River in Ohio. Near the close of the Revolutionary War this community was un- justly suspected of disloyalty and was destroyed by Pennsylvania soldiers. The destruction of THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 67 the village was an unjustifiable outrage — a sim- ple massacre. Men, women, and children, were driven into a pen and butchered. Those who escaped this butchery fled with their mission- aries to the British garrisons at Philadelphia for protection. " They were pelted with mud and stones by their persecutors as they stood for hours at the barrack doors waiting for them to open." When asked how they endured such abuse so patiently, they replied, " We thought of the sufferings of Christ ujjon the cross and believed that if he could endure so much for us, we could endure a little for him." The Mora- vian missions in Georgia, which were very suc- cessful, were begun in 1735. Eev. Jonathan Edwards, the great ISTew Eng- land divine, was also a successful missionary among the Indians. Leaving his church at Northampton in 1751, he became pastor of the church and missionary to the Indians at Stock- bridge. He had been born at Old Stockbridge, and as a child had learned the Indian language. " It became," he said, " more familiar to me than my mother tongue ; " and this knowledge was of great use to him in his work as a missionary. In 1758, when Mr. Edwards became president of Princeton College, the Stockbridge Indians were moved to Oneida County, New York, whither they were followed by Eev. John Sargent, the 68 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS son of their first missionary. Mr. Sargent be- came their pastor. The Presbyterian Church has always been in- terested in the conversion of the American Indians. Tiie history of Presbyterian missions among the Indians " is a long and inspiring story from early colonial efforts beginning with the Long Island Indians to this opening of the twentieth century, when at least thirty-five tribes have been reached and one hundred and twenty missions and schools are in successful operation in the great West." The first Presbyterian missionary among the American Indians was Kev. Azariah Ilorton. He began his work on Long Island in 1741. His salary was forty pounds sterling per annum. It was paid by " The Society in Scotland for propagating Christian knowledge." This Society was formed in Edinburgh in 1709. In 1741, it established a Board of Correspondents in New York. Through this Board, Mr. Horton, who was a member of the Presbytery of New York, began his labors. He " was well received by most and cordially welcomed by some of the Indians." In a short time he baptized thirty- five adults and forty-four children. " Some of them, however, gave way to temptation and relapsed into their darling vice of drunken- ness." THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 69 Rev. David Brainerd, the biography of whose consecrated life was written by Rev. Jonathan Edwards, was the second Presbyterian mission- ary to the Indians. He was licensed to preach / by the Congregational Church, but on June 12, /' 1744, w^as ordained a Presbyterian missionary ; by the Presbytery of New York. His support ( was also received from the " Scotch Society for propagating Christian knowledge." He labored in Connecticut, in Pennsylvania, and in New Jersey. His greatest and most successful work was done among the Crossweeks, a tribe near the center of New Jersey. Dr. Ashbel Green says his "success here was perhaps without a parallel in heathen missions since the days of the apostles." He labored single-handed against great odds, yet did a great work. Of his first year's work Brainerd himself says : " What amaz- ing things hath God wrought in this space of time for this people ! What a surprising change appears in their tempers and behavior ! How are morose and savage pagans in this short period transformed into agreeable and humble Christians ! and drunken bowlings turned into devout and fervent praises to God ! " He urged the Indians to give up their w^andering life, to dwell in a settled community and to practice agriculture. He organized a church of forty members, with a settlement of 150. He estab- YO PRESBYTElilAN HOME MISSIONS lislied a school with twenty-five to thirty scholars which increased to fifty. Weakened by con- sumption he was compelled to give up his mis- sion and to remove to Elizabethtown. Gaining a little in strength, he was able to visit his people to bid them farewell February 18, ISiT. He died October 9 of the same year at the early age of thirty years. Before his death he w^as visited by his brother, Kev. John Brainerd, who continued his brother's work among the Indians. John Brainerd was supported by money raised in America, being the first Presbyterian missionary who was thus supported. The Synod of New York was greatly encour- aged by the success of the mission work among the American aborigines, and in 1763 " enjoined all its members to appoint a collection in their several congregations once a year to be applied " to this work. During the next ten years mis- sionary tours were made by ministers appointed for the purpose, even as far west as the Dela- wares in Ohio, -which was then the frontier. Kev. Charles Beatty and Kev. George Duffield visited the Indians on the Muskingum Kiver, Ohio, in 1766. Their report was so favorable that two missionaries were appointed to labor in this region. The Revolutionary War interrupted missionary labors for almost twenty-five years, and there THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 71 are no records of work done until near the close of the century. In 1796, the " New York Missionary Society " was formed. It was independent of presbyterial supervision, yet composed largely of Presby- terians. Funds were collected and missions established among the Chickasaws, the Tusca- roras, and the Senecas. In 1797 the "Northern Missionary Society," another independent organization, composed in part of Presbyterians, was instituted, and carried on mission work among the Indians for several years. The Synod of Virginia in 1801 and 1802 sent three missionaries to spend two or three months each among the " Shawanese and other tribes about Detroit and Sandusky," and also " a young man of Christian character to instruct them in agriculture and to make some instruments of husbandry for them." The Synod of Pittsburgh afterwards accepted the control of this mission. The Synod of the Carolinas in 1803 established a school among the Catawbas. The General Assembly of our Church took up the cause of foreign missions vigorously and systematically in 1800. A " Standing Committee on Missions " was appointed, and missions were gradually established among the Cherokees, 72 PRESBYTEKIAN HOME MISSIONS Wyandots, the Six Nations, and among the In- dians at Lewiston, Ohio. " In 1802 the General Assembly's Standing Committee addressed a circular to all the pres- byteries under its care, urging collections for the cause of missions, and making inquiries for suit- able men." Rev. Gideon Blackburn responded to the call for men. He established a mission among the Cherokees, then in Georgia, which he prosecuted with zeal and success for eight years, when his health failed. " He founded a school in 1806. In five years, in his schools, four or five hundred youths were taught to read the English Bible and several persons were received as hopeful Christians." The Assembly not being able to replace Mr. Blackburn, his field of labor was occupied by the " American Board of Com- missioners for Foreign Missions," soon after his retirement in 1810. "From 1805 to 1818 the General Assembly carried on work among the Indians in various directions, and with some degree of success." In 1818 " The United Foreign Missionary So- ciety " was formed. It was a union of the Pres- byterian, Dutch Reformed and Associate Re- formed Churches, "to spread the gospel among the Indians of North America, the inhabitants of Mexico and South America, and other portions of the heathen and antichristian world." Pres- THE INDIANS— MISSIONS 73 ident Monroe and his Indian Commissioner, Colonel McKenney, were much interested in the work of this society. Colonel McKenney " could scarcely have embarked in its favor with more zeal and activity, if the whole concern had been his own." In 1826 this society, when it had nine missions and sixty missionaries under its care, was merged with the " American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions." All the work of the United Society passed under the control of the American Board, and the society ceased to exist. This ar- rangement lasted for five years, during which time a large portion of the Presbyterian Church carried on its Indian mission work through the American Board. In 1831 the Synod of Pittsburgh organized " The Western Missionary Society," in response to the desire of many Presbyterians to prosecute their mission work through denominational chan- nels. This society was " intended, not for that synod alone, but for all others which might wish to unite with it." Its purpose was "conveying the gospel to whatever parts of the heathen and antichristian world the providence of God might enable it to extend its evangelical exer- tions." The first secretary was Kev. Elisha P. Swift, D. D. The first large gift Avas one of a thousand dollars, and was given by Hon. "Walter Y4 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS Lowrie, Secretary of the United States Senate. " This society was the precursor of the Presby- terian Board of Foreign Missions, and during its brief existence of six years, Rev. Joseph Kerr and Avife, with others, established a mission among the Weas in the Indian Territorj'", twenty miles west of the Missouri line on the Kansas River." The Weas being a small tribe, these laborers were later on transferred to the Iowa tribe. In 1837, at the meeting of the General As- sembly at Baltimore, the present " Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions " was organized. The work of the " Western Missionary Society " was transferred to this Board, which had Presby- terian Indian missions under its care until at various times the missions among the Indians were transferred to the " Presbyterian Board of Home Missions." In 1S38 the Presbyterian Church was divided into the Old and New Schools, the division lasting until 1870. During these years the New School Assembly carried on its Indian mission work by a committee through the American Board, while the Old School Assembly's work among the In- dians was under the care of the Foreign Board. The missionary work of the Foreign Board among the Indians was extensive and successful. East of the Mississippi River the Board estab- THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 75 lisbed missions among tlie Cbippewas and Otta- was of Michigan, the " Six Nations " of New York, and the Lake Superior Chippevvas in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The mis- sion among the remnants of the Chippewas and Ottawas was inaugm-ated in 1838. Rev. Peter Dougherty was the first missionary. He was cordially received, the work prospered, and a church was organized in 1843. The mission among the "Six Nations" was established in 1811 and continues unto this day. "Rev. Asher Wright labored among the Senecas for forty- three years. He is said to have been the only white man who ever acquired a satisfactory knowledge of the Seneca language. He con- structed for them a written language and trans- lated the four Gospels. He died April 13, 1875, in his seventy-second year." His widow carried on his work until her death in 1886. Rev. William Hall, beginning in 1834, labored earnestly for the Indians of the Allegheny reservation for nearly sixty years. In 1893 the Seneca Mission was transferred to the " Board of Home Missions." In 1852 the Lake Superior Chippewa Mission was centralized at Odanah on the Red River reserve. A church was gathered and a boarding school established. In 1873 Rev. Isaac Baird and wife joined this mission. An out-station was organized at Ashland in 1878. In 1884 a school was opened 70 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS at Round Lake on the same reservation and placed in charge of Miss Susie Dougherty and her sister Miss Cornelia Dougherty. In 1890 the Chippewa Missions were transferred to the Home Mission Board, In the Northwest of our country the Foreign Board established missions among the lowas and Sacs of Indian Territory, the Omahas and Otoes of Indian Territory, the Kickapoos of Kansas, the Winnebagos of Indian Territory, the Dako- tas, who lived in Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana, and the Nez Perces of Idaho. The Iowa and Sac Missions were commenced in 1835. They occupy 228,418 acres in Indian Territory. The first missionaries were Messrs. Aurey Ballard and E. M. Shepherd and their wives. Schools were established and personal work done. In 1837, Rev. Messrs. William Hamilton and S. M. Irwin and their wives were sent to this field. In 1843 a printing press was purchased and parts of the Bible and other religious books were pub- lished in the Iowa language. In 1859 a church with fifty-nine members was organized. In 1889 this mission passed under the care of the Home Board. The Sac and Fox Mission was begun in Tama City in 1883. This little band of Indians num- bered 393, on a reservation of 1,258 acres. Miss Anna Shea took charge of the work. She opened THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 77 a school, and with an assistant accomplished good work. Of her work she said, " I cannot tell how my heart yearns over these Indians as I move among them day by day, and I long to be used in a way to hasten their enlightenment." This mission passed into the hands of the Home Board in 1890. The Omahas and Otoes occupied the country in Indian Territory, north of the lowas. Mis- sion work was commenced among them in 1846. The first workers were Eev. Edmund McKenney and wife, and Mr. Paul Bloohm. In 1855, the Omahas moved to a reservation of their own, and work was continued among them by Rev. William Hamilton and later by Rev. Charles Sturges, M. D. and wife. In 1858 Rev. William Guthrie was appointed to the Otoe Mission. Among the Kickapoos of northeastern Kansas, mission work was begun in 1856 by Rev. W. H. Honnell. It Avas discontinued in 1860 because of insurmountable difficulties which were in the way. The Winnebago Mission was begun in 1868. Rev. Joseph M. Wilson commenced the work. The mission was transferred to the Home Board in 1890. The Dakota Mission was commenced in 1835, by Rev. Thos. S. Williamson and wife, Rev. J. D. Stevens and wife and two unmarried women 78 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS under the Aiiierican Board. The Dakotas or Sioux was one of the largest and most warlike of all the Indian tribes. They numbered then 50,000 and were scattered over a vast extent of territory. In 1850 there were three organized churches among them. In 1853 the Dakotas moved to their reservation and new stations were established. The work among them gradually grew until 1862 when occurred the horrible mas- sacre of white settlers in an attempt to over- throw Christianity. The insurrection was speed- ily put down. Two thousand Dakotas were taken prisoners. Thirty-eight were executed. In 1871 a portion of this mission was transferred to the Home Board. Mission work among the Dakotas of Montana was begun at Poplar Creek in 1880. The first missionary was Kev. G. W. Wood. In 1892 the Dakota churches were transferred to the Home Board. The Nez Perce Mission is of special interest, because associated with it is the most dramatic incident in connection with Indian mission work — the saving of the Northwest to the United States by Dr. Marcus "Whitman. This tribe and that of the Flatheads occupied territory in Idaho and in Oregon. From trappers they had heard of the existence of a Supreme Being and of a Book from heaven (the Bible). They earnestly THE INDIANS — MISSIONS Y9 desired this book and sent four messengers to seek it. The messengers, after overcoming many difficulties, reached St. Louis. Here they met General Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northwest. They were kindly treated, but were broken-hearted that they could not se- cure missionaries and " the Book from heaven." Two of them died at St. Louis and one on the way home, the fourth one only ever reaching home. Before leaving St. Louis they called on General Clark, and in an address explained that they had come "over a trail of many moons from the setting sun," " sent to get the white man's Book of heaven." The speaker complained bit- terly that they must return home with their mis- sion unaccomplished, closing his address with these pathetic words : — " My people will die in darkness, and will go on the long path to the other hunting grounds. No white man will go with them and no white man's book to make the way plain. I have no more words." This sad complaint was heard at Pittsburgh and the an- swer to it was Dr. Marcus Whitman, who was sent out by the American Board to explore the country in 1835. In 1836 he established a mission in Oregon. In 1843, Dr. "Whitman, to save the Northwest Territory to the United States, when the British were endeavoring to obtain possession of it, made a hasty trip to Washington. lie 80 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS communicated to the authorities both the value of the Northwest and the danger of its being lost. With great difficulty he impressed his views upon the Governmental officers, and then to him was intrusted the responsibility of saving the territory by making an actual settlement upon it. This he did by a thrilling homeward journey, taking with him over the mountains in the face of the gravest dangers and almost in- surmountable difficulties a thousand settlers. These settlers made a permanent settlement and planted the American flag in the Northwest to stay ; and thus Oregon was saved to the Union by the desire of the Indians for Christian knowl- edge and the heroic efforts and sacrifices of a Christian missionary. And that missionary be- came a Christian martyr ! In 1847, " the Indians through the instigation of Eomish priests, fell upon the station, killed Dr. Whitman and others, and broke up the station." In 1871 the Presby- terian Board sent Eev. H. H. Spaulding and wife, Avho had labored with Dr. Whitman, to the field, and with them Rev. T. H. Cowley and wife. They were gladly received and in the first year 184 converts were reported. This field was also the scene of the successful labors of the Misses McBeth, who for several years were the only white missionaries on the reservation. " Miss Kate McBeth devoted herself to the women and THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 81 children, striving to develop among them a true ideal of family life. Miss Sue McBeth, a woman of remarkable energy and talent, found her spe- cial work in educating young men for the minis- try. Most of the Indian pastors in the mission were educated under her supervision." In 1893 this field was transferred to the Home Board. " The Nez Perces in Idaho are now a settled peo- ple, many of them prizing the fruits of industry and the blessings of Christianity." The martyred Whitman and his associates did not live and die in vain. In them " the blood of martyrs " again became " the seed of the Church." In God's providence, it is always so. In the Southwest the Foreign Board estab- lished missions among the Creeks, Seminoles, Choctaws, and the Chickasaws, of Indian Terri- tory, and the Navajoes and Pueblos of New Mexico. The Creeks in 1837 were removed forcibly from Georgia and Alabama to Indian Territory. They numbered about 20,000. From 1832 to 1837 the American Board had missionaries among them. In that year the missionaries, upon false charges of the disappointed Indians, were expelled without a hearing by the United States Government. For several years the peo- ple were without religious instruction. In 1841 the Presbyterian Board sent Rev. R. M. Lough- 82 PRESBYTERIAT^- HOME MISSIONS ridge among them with letters to the chiefs from the War Department. In 18-i2 he received per- mission to open a mission and a school. Schools were established in due time at Koweta and Tul- lahassee. In 1861 missionary operations were in- terrupted by the Civil War. In 1866 Rev. W. S. Robinson and wife returned to the field. Mr. Robinson labored faithfully until his death in 1881. " His whole heart seemed devoted to the education of the Indian youth and he did a good work which shows itself everywhere throughout the Creek nation." Mrs. Robinson remained at the work and completed the translation of the New Testament. In 1887 the mission was trans- ferred to the Home Board. "The Creeks are now counted among the civilized tribes. They dress and live like white people. They are mak- ing progress in temperance, in industry, in good morals, and in religion." The Seminole Indians were removed from Florida to Indian Territory by the Government in 1832. " Being of the same language and line- age of the Creeks, they were settled within the Creek reservation." The Presbyterian Board sent Mr. Loughridge of the Creek Mission on a visit to them in 1845. " Though welcomed by some he was opposed by others who did not want the ways of white men, such as ' schools, preach- ing, fiddle-dancing, card-playing, and the like' THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 83 brought among them." In 1848 Rev. John Lilley AA'as sent among them and a mission established at Oak Ridge. The work was interrupted by the Civil War, but has since been continued with success. This mission was transferred to the Home Board in 1889. The Choctaw Mission grew out of an offer of the tribe in 1845 to transfer Spencer Academy to the care and direction of the Board. The acad- emy was located at Fort Towson, had an en- dowment of $8,000 and could accommodate 100 pupils. The offer was accepted and Rev. James B. Ramsey, as superintendent, with seven assist- ants, began work. Results were most satisfac- tory. In 1847 a church was organized. Mission work among' this tribe has been greatly blessed. The work was transferred to the Home Board in 1887. The Chickasaws number about 6,000, and oc- cupy the territory west of the Choctaws. Until 1861 the Board had mission schools among them. At that time they were taken under the care of the Southern Presbyterian Church. In New Mexico there are about 30,000 Indians. Presbyterian missions have been established among two tribes — the Kavajoes and the Pueblo or Tillage Indians. " Both these tribes are de- scribed as partially civilized, jtemperate, truthful, friendly and willing to have schools opened for 84 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS their children." In 1877 the Home Board took charge of this JBeld. The Board of Home Missions now has the care and direction of all our mission work among the Indians. Under the Home Board the work has been vigorously prosecuted and has made great progress. The Home Board's work among the Indians is to-day of even greater importance than ever before in the light of the recent change of policy of the Government toward the Indian. The American Indian is now as rapidly as pos- sible to be placed absolutely upon his own re- sponsibility. No longer housed and fed by the Government, his ability to meet the problems of life will be tested as never before, since he has lived amidst his present environments. The im- portance of religion and of the Church at this crisis in his life, is readily understood and ap- preciated. The Church should redouble its energies to do its part in making him morally and spiritually capable of meeting these new con- ditions. That the Presbyterian Church will do its part in this critical moment is not to be doubted. Its past and present attitude toward Indian missions assures its loyalty at this time. The Presbyterian Church to-day has Indian mis- sions in eleven states and three territories and among twenty Indian tribes. The statistical record, which best tells the story, is as follows : — THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 85 en h GO (V o OlIMAi NOT 1-1 iC jiO t^ i3 00 rtCO s gAUBM ^ jrH : :ooo CO io «o : CO -^ : CI OS oj (M :^coo» Ni 1 ««5 6 m p9XII\r - rt •*00r-I.H i c : : 95 CO o b 9 6 e 5 aj to paxjH CO -i« t^ to ^ o» : CO CJ COriCO : 1 GAUBK t» to : c : ci r~ 00 f-H-H ;CO :IM O oo : CI cc o : 'O ^ : j m o paxiK •H rfiftop-ii-i : M 9AIJBN eSN jlOrH jo jo d :co coio rHtO j j s (0 .2 '3 iS aiWAi. ^^ 1 f-H rH CO I-H CO 1-1 r-( iH t- t^ IN rH ' M ' • s OAIl^N :o jco j JM «i - s o c ^■J ; o :j3 : M . '-^ : m .CO . O) :«j : p. •<£> ; e« 5 tn \% : Ma . aj a 4 ; 4 < • CO CO : • c4 . OO 1 •d : ;2a a § c c c i 5 i ' c y • • ■*• : : t : : t ; ;5 : :°< Idi - °i : : > : u - H X- a i i ^ : : ^ a E- c • 4 I i 3 41 c i lei ill 86 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS A hero of Presbyterian mission work since it came under the Home Board is Rev. Charles H. Cook, of Sacaton, Arizona, or " Father " Cook as he is familiarly called, missionary to the Pimas. In 1870 he left mission work in Chicago and consecrated his life to the bringing of the Arizona Indians to Christ. He went at first in the employ of a merchant, and spent his odd hours and Sabbaths in missionary work. Later he became a government teacher of the In- dians and then after years of working with his own hands that he might preach the gospel, he became a missionary of the Presbyterian Church and so continues. His success has been marvelous. " Fourteen hundred Indians baptized is a fine record. Old men and young, mothers and grandmothers, warriors and medicine men, with children claimed in covenant, are written by name in his book of baptism." Five church buildings have been erected under his care and through him thousands have heard the gospel, and hundreds been developed in Christian life and service. To the question of a Moderator of the General Assembly, "Do all your Indians have family worship?" he replied, "I do not know as to that ; but I do know that none of my Indian men will refuse to lead in public prayer in the prayer meeting ! " What a record for one man. " Father " Cook is a great man, a patri- THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 87 arch among thousands of people, welcome in many villages. The most important advanced step in the his- tory of missions among the Indians, since trans- ferred to the Home Board was the organization of "the Woman's Board of Home Missions." This Board was organized in 1878. To it was assigned the school work among our exceptional populations, and among them the Indians. The needs of the children have appealed with peculiar force to the noble-hearted women of our Church, and with remarkable eflBciency and success, they have carried forward this phase of Presbyterian home missions. The success of the school work among the Indians has proven its necessity and importance. " These schools have been the means of elevating entire tribes to a point where the Government has been justified in allotting to them their lands in severalty, and conferring citizenship upon them. On many reservations have grown up churches, composed almost without exception of communicants who have received their education and training in these Christian schools." The school work is a tremendously important factor in the Christian ization of the American Indian and is worthy the consecrated efforts of the Christian women of our Church. The Indian schools under the Woman's Board have interesting histories, and are doing a 88 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS splendid and successful ■work to-day that should encourage all who are interested in their support. In the day and boarding schools the Bible is taught along with the rudiments of a common education. In the training and industrial schools, the arts of industry are added to the other branches, the industries selected being governed by the locality. The boys are usually taught farming, stock-raising, and the rudiments of the simpler trades, and the girls such household in- dustries as cooking, sewing, knitting, and laun- dry work. The object of the industrial schools is to educate the head, the heart, and the hand. This is always essential, but especially so when it comes to the American Indian. The Mary Gregory Memorial School is located near Anadarko, Indian Territory. It was organized in 1891, and is both a boarding and an industrial school. The farm products of the school in 1900 amounted to $3,000 in value. It has eight teachers and seventy-five scholars. Its annual expenses are about $6,000. DwiGHT, located near Marble, Indian Territory, is one of our oldest schools, and is familiarly called "Old Dwight." It is a day and boarding school and was organized in 1820. It was closed during the Civil War and was reopened in 1886, " Shepherd Home," a self-supporting boarding department for boys has been opened at Dwight. THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 89 It has proved a success. The day school is crowded and God is richly blessing the work of those in charge. There are in the school three teachers and 100 scholars. The annual expenses are over $2,000. Nearly $100 is received in tuition. Elm Speing is located near Welling, Indian Territory. It is a day and boarding school, and was opened in 1888. Teachers, 3 ; boarding pu- pils, 25 ; day, 65 ; total, 90. Expenses, $1,000. Receipts from tuition about $75 annually. Henry Kendall College, Muskogee, Indian Territory, was opened in 1882. It was named in honor of Dr. Henry Kendall, "the hero of home missions " who was for thirty years secre- tary of the Board of Home Missions. It was raised to the standard of a college in 1894, and has won for itself a high position among the five civilized tribes of the Territory as well as with the white people whose children enjoy its advan- tages. The graduating class of 1900 consisted of six young women and one young man, "The graduates are Christians and well equipped to take their part in the evangelization of our land. This college will undoubtedly become the lead- ing educational institution of the Territory." Teachers, 17 ; boarding scholars, 110 ; day pupils, 91 ; total, 201. Annual expenses, $16,000. Re- ceipts from tuition about $3,500. 90 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS NuYAKA, near Okmulgee, Indian Territory, was organized in 1883. It is a boarding and in- dustrial school. It " is the only mission training school among the full-blooded Creeks, and has told wonderfully on the manners and morals of the people. Spiritual results are also constantly appearing." The school farm, consists of 320 acres. Under the direction of a competent farmer the boys of the school are taught farming. Grains, grasses, and meats, valued at $2,500, have been produced in one year. Domestic arts of equal value are taught to the girls of the school. Teachers, 1 ; pupils, 102 ; expenses, $10,000 ; re- ceipts from tuition about $7,000. Park Hill, Indian Territory, is an old land- mark. It was first organized in 1830 ; was dis- continued, and was reopened in 1886. It has one teacher and thirty-six scholars, with an annual expense of $650. Tahlequah Institute, Tahlequah, Indian Territory, was opened in 1883. It is a day and boarding school. Its field of labor is the Chero- kee nation and it is highly appreciated. It is said to be the Cherokee's best educational institu- tion. Its graduates occupy prominent places in the Capital City, and also in the surrounding country, some of them being teachers. "No work done among the Indians is more satisfactory and profitable from a spiritual standpoint than THE INDIANS — MISSIONS 91 that done at Tahlequab." Teachers, T; board- ing scholars, 34 ; day, 180 ; total, 214. Total ex- penses, $6,000. Receipts from tuition, $2,000. Phoenix, Arizona, is a mission among the Papagoes. It has one teacher, an ordained mis- sionary, whose salary is $350. Sacaton, Arizona, is a mission to the Pima Indians. The teaching corps consists of one or- dained missionary and three native evangelists, of whose labors. Rev. Charles H. Cook, our mis- sionary to the Pimas, speaks in the highest terms. Tucson, Arizona, is an industrial school for boys and girls. It was opened in 1880. This school reaches several tribes, but its work is largely among the Pimas and Papagoes. The pupils are taught first of all the importance of becoming Christians. The Bible is the main text-book. Industrial arts are also taught. The boys add to the income of the school by excavat- ing cellars in the town, and bailing hay and other work in the country. More buildings are greatly needed to facilitate the work at Tucson. One of the interesting features of the work here is the employment of a native Papago woman, educated in the school, as a visitor and missionary among her own people. Her work is both ac- ceptable and successful. Fall Rivee Mills and Hupa schools, both 92 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS in California, were received in 1900 from the Woman's National Indian Association. In each field there is but a single missionary, a woman. The work is successful and promising. Fall Eiver Mills is both a mission and a school. CoRTEZ, Colorado, is a school among the Ute Indians of southern Colorado. It was opened in 1898. It is accomplishing great good. Teach- ers, one ; pupils, forty. Fort Hall Keservation, near Blackfoot, Idaho, is a mission school among the Shoshone and Bannock tribes. It was organized in 1889 by the "Woman's National Indian Rights Asso- ciation, and by them transferred to our Woman's Board in 1901. The progress since has been gratifying. A church organized in 1899 with eighteen members has grown to a membership of over 100. A house of worship has been erected, with teachers' rooms adjoining. There are two missionaries employed here whose com- bined salaries is less than $700 ! Lapwai, Idaho, is at present a training class for Nez Perce Indians. It was organized in 1836, In recent years, there have gone out from this school more than half a score of ministers who are pastors of churches among their own people, and missionaries to the Umatillas, Crows, and other kindred tribes. Teachers, 2 ; pupils, 15 ; salaries and school expenses, $900. THE INDIANS— MISSIONS 93 "Wolf Point, Montana, is a boarding and an industrial school. It was organized as a mission in 1894, and was changed into a school in 1898. Its work is among the Assiniboin Indians. The experiment of a boarding department was tried in 1900, and has been a great success. The school has been crowded Avith boys and girls, whose parents provide for their support, thus making the boarding department self-supporting. Teachers, 3 ; boarding pupils, 26 ; day, 38 ; total, 6-1. Annual expenses, $2,500. Laguna, Cubero, New Mexico, is our only Indian school in New Mexico. The work has been carried on by a missionary and a teacher, but a minister is to be placed in charge to do the entire work. It is a day school, with an enroll- ment of fifty-six pupils. Good Will, South Dakota, is a training and industrial school for boys and girls. It was opened as a day school in 1871 by Dr. Stephen R. Riggs, but since 1882 has been an industrial school. Good Will is one of our largest and best equipped schools. The industrial departments were enlarged in 1900. The little girls have been given a " home " by themselves, which is in charge of an elRcient matron. The cottage sys- tem is fully realized in this school alone. By this system the pupils dwell in small " homes " instead of being housed together in one large 94 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS building. The boys and girls are thoroughly trained in the Scriptures and are given an indus- trial training that will enable them to make a livelihood in the future. The boys look after the farm, take care of the stock, prepare the fuel, and do ordinary work in the shops. The girls care for the " homes," do the cooking, repair their own clothes, and such other \vork as is necessary in a school of this kind. The farm yields all the meat, vegetables, flour, etc., used by the school. The spiritual fruits of the school are also manifest. The eight churches surrounding Good Will are filled with men and women w^ho have been educated in this school. These Indians are among the most progressive in our country and were among the first to be given citizenship, which is largely the result of mission work. Teachers, 13 ; boarding pupils, 92 ; day, 10 ; total, 102. Total expenses, $12,000. Neah Bay, Washington, is a mission among the Makeh Indians of that State. One mis- sionary, a woman, at a salary of $500 does all the work of the mission. Slowly, but surely, the people are responding to her arduous labors, and " are coming out of the heathenism and be- ginning to understand and respect the Christian religion." Even such a cursory glance at the school work of the Woman's Board among the Indians shows THE INDIANS— MISSIONS 95 its greatness and importance. Advance steps are being constantly taken. The standard of the work done is every year approaching that in our white schools. The newest feature is the self-supporting boarding departments, in which parents pay the expenses of their children, now in operation at Elm Spring, Tahlequah, and Wolf Point. " These self-supporting board- ing departments, in connection with our training schools, are alike a marvel to government Indian School inspectors and friends of the Indian work." Such a splendid work, producing such tremendous and far reaching results, should arouse the interest and cooperation of every Presbyterian woman in our land. The future of the American Indian lies in the hands of the American Government and the Christian Church. The Government should do its part, a part that demands statesmanship of the highest order. The Indian reservations with their accompanying evil of the " ration system " should be done away with and the Indians treated as individuals and not as tribes. Thus only can a self-relying, self-supporting Indian manhood be developed — the supreme essential for the civilization of the Indian. The Church, as well as the Government, should do its part in the elevation of the Indian. Its past success should inspire renewed effort. The 96 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS Indian can be civilized and Christianized. He has been, and what has been can be. The argu- ment of history conclusively answers the charge of the uninformed that the Indian cannot be civilized and Christianized. Entire tribes have been lifted from degradation, superstition, and heathenism, to manhood, citizenship, and Chris- tian faith. And the Indian, once converted and civilized, becomes interested in his unconverted and uncivilized brother and is anxious that he also should have the advantages of Christian- ity and of civilization. These two facts prove the practicability of Indian mission work and should stimulate " Prayer and pains, [which] THROUGH FAITH IN JeSUS ChRIST, WILL DO ANYTHING " — even to the making of a live In- dian, a good Indian. rt " •J) 2 p. f1 ETcn : «> 2.- — f^— < a> s: p -• r- -J 2,: 2.n> ■ »» — ' CD 2. 5" <^ "5 ri '^ Z! — f" ■-! C-S ■^ ~ i^ C^ C S* ■-" CT'C X o ct, g,s w = =; ^ MP 2 ." ° c« p O 0.(2,3 pS:S:3 "^ ST. s; o- 3 C O 2 (^ 3 D • 3 tfl cn O » 3 D 3 J5 OX3 K' O OOO >U COI-'Ol-' ic>- w o — 'i4^oioeDtocorf^ CO en o W3; , ^1 ro Co oo ^I >>-■"« Ohio. Indiana. Illinois. Kentucky. Total. ?oro cna> 00 cnMi-i-i cocjio^to^ih^^i OTi— 'h-*tOtO^^CTiCnH-'Cn»**^^CltO'**--OCOCT»COtOO> Ml 003050000>f>-^OMC;iCO-J-4CDOil-iCOOOCOO XII SUMMARY CHAPTER XII SUMMARY Having had the history of the home mission work of our Church thus pass in review before us it may be profitable before leaving the subject to " hear the conclusion of the whole matter " so far as the arguments for home missions are con- cerned. These arguments could only be briefly touched upon in the previous review and it will not therefore be vain repetition to present them in fuller form. What then, are some of the rea- sons why every Presbyterian should be interested in and earnestly support home missions ? 1. Christianity should make every Presby- terian a home missionary. We cannot as Chris- tians escape this position in view of Christ's com- mands. His general command was, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," and his specific command declared that we were to begin at Jerusalem and Judeea, or in other words, at home. Under both these commands necessity has been laid upon us, as Christians, to be interested in and to support home missions. So long as there is one person 309 310 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS beneath the American flag who is unevangelized this duty rests upon us — and how imperative it is then to-day in view of the fact that there are millions in our Jerusalem partially unevangelized and unsaved. Let them pass in review before us— 7,000,000 negroes, 10,250,000 foreigners, 2,000,000 mountain whites, 300,000 Mexicans, 300,000 Mormons, 250,000 Indians— and while we listen to the stately tread of these passing millions let us hear the voice of Christ saying unto us, " Beginning at Jerusalem " " preach the gospel to every creature." Such an argument is invincible and should arouse us to the greatest missionary enthusiasm. 2. Denominationalism should make every Presbyterian a home missionary. The Presby- terian Church has always been a missionary church and peculiar missionary ties bind us to most of our home mission fields. "Who can read Presbyterian history in its relation to the In- dians and not feel a renewed interest in Indian missions ? Our Church was the pioneer mission Church in Alaska, in Utah, in New Mexico, and in Porto Kico. The first Protestant church building erected in Porto Rico was a Presby- terian church. These facts should specially in- terest us as Presbyterians in the evangelization of these people. And what shall be said of the tie that binds us to the mountain people of the SUMMARY 311 South ? "What human tie, what denominational tie, could be stronger ? They are " Presbyterian true blue." Their ancestors trod the sacred soil of Presbyterian Scotland or the historic part of the Emerald Isle, dear to the hearts of Presby- terians. How could a Presbyterian read the origin and history of these needy millions and not feel a thrill of interest in home missions, as related to them ? and what Presbyterian is not interested in the Great West and its future possibilities ? Thus our denominationalism adds its testimony to that of Christianity in favor of home missions. 3. Patriotism should make every Presbyterian a home missionary. These millions of people are in our land ; they are here to stay ; they are here to affect our country for good or for ill. Their possibilities for one or the other are great. In the future character and activity of these peo- ples the very life of the nation is involved. Grave political problems are presented in many' of these populations. Indian affairs present a vexed political question. The Mormon problem is one that may develop great danger in days to come. No graver political and social problem confronts us than that of the negro question in the South. And what shall be said of the per- plexities of foreign immigration and foreign pop- ulations and the masses of illiterate and un- 312 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS evangelized immigrants ? And the Great West — from a national standpoint how vital is its evan- gelization ! "What will be the outcome of these problems we cannot predict ; but we do know that the sooner these various populations are Christianized, the sooner will it be made plain that they are to be a national blessing and not a national curse, a beneficent influence and not a harmful one. Thus we can see what a close relation missions bear to patriotism ; and Presbyterians have al- ways been patriotic. At every great crisis in our national history the Presbyterian Church has been a loyal supporter of the Government. No other denomination exerted a stronger influence in bringing about our national independence and no other has been more patriotic since. The only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Inde- pendence was John Witherspoon, and as he signed that historic document he said : " Al- though these gray hairs must soon descend into the sepulcher, I would infinitely rather they should descend thither at the hand of the exe- cutioner than desert, at this crisis, the sacred cause of my country." Such to-day should be the sentiment of every Presbyterian. As pa- triots we should be willing to make sacrifices for our land ; and if the sacrifice demanded is that of service and benevolence in the evangeli- SUMMARY 313 zation of our land rather than death on the bat. tlefield or the sacrifice of possessions in time of war, should it be less enthusiastically given? No one should say so. Patriotism, therefore, joins hands with Christianity and denomination- alism in favor of home missions. 4. World-wide evangelism should make every Presbyterian a home missionary. This argu- ment has been fully developed in the chapter on the Great "West and need only be referred to here. If it be true that America is to have an influence on the evangelization of the world, it necessarily follows that the sooner America is evangelized the sooner this will also be true of the world. Therefore every Presbyterian who earnestly desires the salvation of the whole world, in accordance with Christ's command, should be interested in home missions. America must first be won for Christ before Africa, China, Japan, and the Isles of the sea, can be fully won for him, and therefore all who are interested in the Chris- tianization of these races should be primarily in- terested in the winning of our own land for Christ. 5. Commercialism should make every Pres- byterian a home missionary. "We are living in a business age of the history of the world. Our times demand results before everything else. The test of success is involved in the answer to 314 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS the question, Does it pay ? This commercial test has been applied to the cause of missions. The question is frequently asked, Do missions pay ? And it is a matter of satisfaction that even upon such a sorbid basis as commercialism we may argue in favor of missions. The world's indebt- edness to missions cannot be disputed. Missions have made large contributions to the world's science, commerce, and civilization. In most un- developed countries and continents the mission- aries have opened up the way for commerce and civilization. If evangelical and spiritual results be omitted, the money spent for Christian mis- sions has been the best paying investment in the world's history for nineteen centuries. As much can also be said for home missions in our own land. They have paid in the political, educa- tional, social and commercial development of the nation. Patriotism has been developed hand in hand with piety. Great numbers of our univer- sities, colleges, and schools, have had their origin in the frontier log houses of the missionary. Here social life has centered and, following in the missionary's path, commercial life has been ex- tended. Strike out the influence of the home missionary in the development of our land and it becomes a desert waste, — give this influence its place and " the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose." A missionary saved Oregon to our SUMMARY 315 Government. Our missionaries have done more than our armies in developing civilization among the Indians. They have kept pace with the march of population from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Porto Rico, the western island of the Antilles, to Alaska, the land of the midnight sun, — and everywhere have exercised an influence that, in terms of commercialism, is simply incal. culable. But best of all, home missions have paid and are paying to-day as never before in moral and spiritual results — in advancing Christ's kingdom on earth, in winning the souls of men into it and in preparing them for eternal life be- yond the grave. If one soul is of more value than the whole world, as Christ declares, of w^hat infinite value is the work of home missions in that they have led to the saving of thousands of souls. Only by doubting Christ's estimate of the soul's value can we doubt the infinite value of home missions. Presbyterian missions in particular have yielded and are yielding to-day rich spiritual dividends. Presbyterianism in a half century has organized and developed two thousand churches beyond the Mississippi River. In its first century's work it organized or aided 6,500 churches. Place the average year's service in these 6,500 churches at fifty years, — set the average number of souls saved in each one at but ten a year, and the 31 G PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS stupendous result is 3,250,000 saved souls as a re- sult of Presbyterian home missions ! If one soul is worth more than the whole world who can ask if Presbyterian missions pay, in view of 3,250,000 souls saved in a century ! Then add to this the value of missions along other spiritual lines, — the strengthening of the tempted, the comforting of the afflicted, the supporting of the dying, the transformation of homes, the redemp- tion of communities and the uplifting of entire peoples and populations — in the face of such a review who can doubt that commercialism adds its testimony with Christianism, denominational- ism, patriotism, and world-wide evangelism, in favor of home missions ? It is the Judgment Day. We stand beside the throne of God, while patriarchs and prophets, the saints and the redeemed of all the centuries, pass in review before him, and like a mighty army comes our long array of home missionaries, each one bringing his sheaves with him ; — saved souls, redeemed lives, the lost sheep of the House of God and the precious lambs that were kept from straying. They lay them down at the Master's feet. There is great joy 1 For not one but thou- sands of souls have repented and are saved, and this is the crowning act in the missionary's labors and with that picture before us let us as Chris- tians, as Presbyterians, as patriots, reconsecrate SUMMARY 317 ourselves in sympathy, in prayers, in service, in gifts, to the great and glorious cause of home missions. If we will do that then his kingdom shall be hastened and the glorious vision of our beloved secretary of the Home Mission Board shall be nearer realization, a consummation de- voutly to be wished : — " In vision I can see here the temple of the latter days. Across its velvet prairie floors, down all its Gothic forest aisles, from all its mountain galleries — east and west — happy and triumphant millions lift their chants of praise. * Our Father's God to thee Author of liberty, To thee we sing.' A thousand streams down hillsides and valleys ring accordant bells — from Alleghanies to Sierras, Wind — that grand old harper — Smites his thunder-harp of pines ' — while the two ocean organs roll their diapasons down the shores — stately accompaniments of this chant : — ' Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors : And the King of glory shall come in.' And the nations will hear, and over the white lips of the peoples 318 PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSIONS ' Full of the spirit's melancholy And eternity's despair ' will come the antiphonal, * Who is this King of glory? ' And then over the velvet prairie floors, down Gothic forest aisles, from bending mountain gal- leries, a redeemed nation will lift its shout, while rivers ring their silver bells, and harps of pines resound, and ocean organs thunder — ' The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.' " Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries 1 1012 01171 6976 Date Due irle ,v r -* * *.-. FACULTV F/\rMi ^ WfBBBtgijm 1-' - ^iiiimkm0^ m ^