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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1913)
to n Z , “ generatio»- These missionaries may fail to make many converts at the moment, and yet they may unconsciously produce such an effect that the men and women who themselves remain heathen are rather pleased to have their children become Christians I o n T h lT ’ aS i,1UStrating jUS‘ "'"at I mean, one missionary family th e N a' aJ° reservatmn whom it was an inspiration to meet; and, by n r t . " a v ' . ‘ le Christian Navajo interpreter at their mission, with his can do ^ t h e l n d t n ren' * " * fi”e ° f " hat ednCati°" cam 'w h o tli r C atithe S”ake, d3nCe WaS Fa‘l,er Webber' of the Francis’ .ns, " l o l ave done much good work on the Navajo reservation of ldTwmrk 7 r atta" ,Cd grea‘ infll,ence " ith the Navajos because ,i h ,a 7 \ f helrpractlcal betterment. He doesn’t try to convert Fmhe "w d I lV 'aS W°rked " ith m" Ch SUCCeSS a”,OI,g the chiIdre'>- Father Webber, hke every competent judge I met, strongly protested ag"ti"i’- ° pe'" ng ’»cutting down the Navajo reservation. I heartily agree «ith him. Such an act would be a cruel wrong, and would benefit only a few wealthy cattle and sheep men. There has apparently been more missionary success among the adult Hopts than the adult Navajos; at any rate. I came across a Baptist ngregation of some thirty members, and from information given me I en’ brethren r ‘ " T ‘T Z S‘°°d "'aVS ahead of their heath- sense svmmtl "XCep al ‘'"Obbes of courage, hard-headed common is to do iT fi ’ a”,d Understanding are »ceded by the missionary who ties 7a f W°rk; eVCn 'nore exceptional than are the ,„,al- nes ne«led by the head of a white congregation under present c o ,X of Of, n , SUCCeSSeS have bee” bv "’»»• themselves f lofty and broad-minded spirituality, who have respected the advances already made by the Indian towards a higher spiritual life, anti instead of condemning these advances have made use of them in bringing his soul to a loftier level. One very important service rendered bv the rZ “ 'th W3rfare ° ” "'',at iSeVi' am° ng the " hite - ‘”c reservations, they are most potent allies in warring against drink and ^ c m tend’O T r V' t" ° C" rSeS " ith " bich the I,,dia” has 1™ f 1 be missionary is abvays the foe of the white man of oose life, and of the white man who sells ’whisky. Many of the mis sionaries, tncludtng all who do most good are active in potecting e rights of each Indian to his land. Like the rest of us, the misXnarv needs to keep mind the fact that the Indian criminal is on the whole more dangerous to the well meaning Indian than any outsider can at present be; for there are as wide differences of character and conduct among Indians as among whites, and there is the same need in the one case as the other of treating each individual according to his conduct
