Old and New.
On May 26th there was a high wind over the prairie. It hindered the carpenter who was trying to frame the bell-tower of the new chapel. The chapel stands aloft in the center of the Ree Indian settlement. It is a shining mark, seen in the June sunlight, for miles up and down the Missouri bench lands. The prairie around it is dotted with Indian homes. The winds could not stop the building nor overturn it. Other work the wind did finish. That was the overthrow of the old heathen place of worship which stood a little more than a mile away from the new Christian chapel. Neglected for several years, it had been gradually disintegrating till the wind threw down the remains of the ruin.
The Ree Christian Indians are now looking with satisfaction at the chapel which their own work has helped to build. It is the center of a new religious and social order. It illustrates, also, the co-operative work of the Women's Home Missionary Association, Church-Building Society and the American Missionary Association. All of these had a helping hand in the building.
It takes all that all can do together to provide new and better things for the Indian as their hold of and faith in the old pass away.
Citizen Indians.
The Fort Berthold Indians have recently become voters. The coming fall elections are important; consequently the caucuses held this spring were of some moment. In the county convention eleven delegates out of twenty-six were Indians. They might have a deciding vote of considerable consequence.
There was an effort to control the ignorant part of the community for private interests. The better educated young men, however, were alive to their duty and opportunity, and many of the older ones were sensible enough to put forward the younger and better informed to represent them. The consequence was that when the delegates arrived at the county seat they were found to be an intelligent and well-dressed company, who could understand what was going on. Two of them went from the county to the Fargo state convention to nominate delegates to the national presidential convention. One went to the judicial convention, and two are to go to the coming state convention at Grand Forks to nominate state officers. Three of these delegates were from our Santee school, and one from Hampton.
The testimony of political leaders is that the Indian delegates made a good impression, and were not led into the self-indulgences that disgraced some whites.
Several years ago one of the older boys found it rather tiresome to study "civil government" in the mission school. Now he says to his teacher, "Civil government is all right." It always will be in the hand of intelligent people who want to do right—all colors included.