Pleasant Hill, Tenn., has now a school building worthy the growing importance of that interesting field on the Cumberland plateau. The teaching force has been enlarged and the influence of the school is constantly widening. Another building to be used for boarding pupils is in process of erection, and is greatly needed. Maine has joined hands with Tennessee in this most important work, several of the churches having given to this field.
A new church has just been organized at Crossville, Tenn. Many northern families have come into this region within the past few months, and they will greatly assist us in gathering the native mountain people.
Grand View Academy, occupying a most commanding site on the top of a mountain overlooking the magnificent valley of the Cumberland River, has also increased its school accommodations. There will be here, in the not very distant future, a large college, reaching in its influence the mountain people back on the plateau and in the coves, and those who are rapidly filling the fertile valley along the foot of Cumberland Mountain and Walden's Ridge. If we, as Congregational Churches, hold this grand work, we must generously support it now.
A specimen, a hybrid of civilization and paganism, I saw on the streets of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He seemed to illustrate the result of our governmental efforts to citizenize the Indian without Christianizing him. A tall Indian, of fine, commanding figure, walked down the street dressed in the following fashion: His feet were cased in moccasins, his legs in buckskin breeches. Both of these garments were highly ornamented with quills and beads. He was purely Indian so far. His tall lithe body was closely buttoned in a faded black Prince Albert coat. On his head he wore a Derby hat. So much for civilization. The hat had a hole in the crown, and in this hole the Brave had stuck a large tuft of eagle feathers that stood several inches above his head and nodded and danced above him as he walked with the royal dignity of a Mogg Megone. Here was civilization and savagery in dress at least. This is about what our Government is doing for this people; urging them to put on the faded coat of imperfect citizenship, and at the same time forbidding that they be instructed in the truths of religion in their own language. We can never civilize the body while we leave the heart savage. A visit to Fort Smith would convince anyone of the absolute failure of this method. In the miserable prison pen, one hundred and forty-four were crowded like cattle. Among this multitude of criminals were young boys, just entering upon a life of crime, imprisoned for some paltry offence, and herded with them were grey-headed murderers. All these prisoners were from the Indian Territory, or the "Nation" as they call it. One man had just been convicted of murder. Two beautiful daughters of an Indian mother stood weeping beside him. A gallows stands constantly on the edge of the "Nation," and is used with appalling frequency. A lawyer who courteously introduced me into the esoteric mysteries of the law as executed in this United States Court, pointed out the peculiar construction of the gallows which increased its capacity. "Eight men can stand on that plank and the drop will swing them all off at once," he said with evident pride, then added apologetically, "I never saw but six hung at one time, but they do hang eight."
"Hanging day," I was informed, was one of the great festival occasions. Thousands of Indians, of more or less purity of blood, gathered from the "Nation" to enjoy this treat. There is an excuse for a fence around this perpetual gallows, but there are wide openings in it and the awful scene enacted within its enclosure can be witnessed from surrounding elevations.
No doubt an attempt at justice is made in the United States Court. I attended the trial of a case and it seemed to me the accused had a fair hearing, but what a comment on our Christian civilization: A court overrun with cases; a prison pen with young boys and grey-headed criminals herded together in it; a gallows standing ready the year round; saloons and brothels permitted at every turn; bad men and worse women appealing to the lowest passions of ignorant and degraded men—all these the legalized representatives of a Christian civilization. Is it strange that these Indians do not accept more readily our Christian theories, when they come into constant contact with our most unchristian practice? The Indian language is used in saloons and gambling hells and brothels to lead these poor, heathen people to physical and moral perdition, but is forbidden by Government to be used in mission schools to lead them to the Lord Jesus Christ! We ought to plant a mission for the Indians and the colored people at Fort Smith this year. The work is painfully urgent.