Kitabı oku: «The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 04, April, 1889», sayfa 7

Various

Yazı tipi:

As my husband and Brother Pope had both their special appointments elsewhere to fill, it fell to my lot, much against my predilections, to close the whole series of meetings by my third and last temperance lecture. This appeal on the temperance question was also responded to, at first mostly by young boys and girls, followed by a venerable gentleman and his two sons, and then the full complement of men and women. So all discouragements of the past are forgotten in these glorious results.

FOR THE CHILDREN

CHRISTMAS AT THE S'KOKOMISH RESERVATION

BY REV. MYRON EELLS

Our Christmas passed off very pleasantly, with a tree and appropriate exercises in the evening. The church was full, with the school children, about forty-five in number, the older Indians, government employees, and a number of surrounding whites. Two songs were sung by the whole school, one being an original piece beginning with the words, "We're from Squakson and S'kokomish," (the two reservations from which the children have come,) and containing the names of all the children in school. The other, "Hurrah for the Christmas Tree" was sung just before the gifts were distributed. There were other songs by the older pupils, the youngest children closing with the clapping of their hands. Two Indian girls played the organ. Nine little girls recited a hymn, each one beginning with the successive letters of the word Christmas, and as they did so, those letters were hung up between them and the audience. Ten little boys recited a poem on temperance, in connection with which the Indian policeman, recently appointed, made some earnest remarks on the same subject. It was his first effort in church, and he surprised his friends by his success. An Indian chief spoke about Christmas, and your missionary added remarks on the meaning of the word Christmas—the feast of Christ.

A report of the Sabbath-school showed that there had been an average attendance of forty-five. Prizes having been offered to all those who should be on the roll of honor four-fifths of the time, by learning the Sabbath School lesson—three verses in advance and three in review— perfectly, it was found that five had gained a prize, a good book each, two of them being Indian children, and the others white children.

The gifts from the tree were then distributed. None of the children were omitted; some went home so loaded that they could hardly carry all, and even many of the oldest, decrepit Indians who could not be present, were not forgotten.

A violin and organ solo by the school teacher and his wife called the audience again to order, and an exhibition followed with a small magic lantern and about eighty pictures, Bible, temperance and comic. This I have used in my tours with the Indians, and it is always acceptable. The remark was made more than once, "How well the children performed their parts."