Uleekly Clbemawa JHImigfiean
VOL. 11
Progress of Christianity
Amoig the Indians.
Attention is called from time to time
to the spread of the Christian religion
among the Indians through the publica
tion in newspapers of accounts of great
religious gatherings on the reservations.
These acconnts are usually somewhat
sensational, and appear under such
headlines as, "Indians Turning. From
Sun Dance to ( amp Meeting' or "In
dians Chant Glory Song" The facts
reported will he- somewhat as follows,
these (Citations being tasen at random
from several newspapers:
1. "One of the biggest and most unique
religious meetings ever held among the
red men of the Northwest has'recently
been conducted on the Umatilla reser
vation. Thirty converts were made,
while the Indians chanted their glory
song without ever waiting to take
.breath."
2. "A great religious convention of
Indians from all parts of the United
States is to be held at the Devil's Lake
reservation in October. The
meetings will be held under an immense
canvas tent, and there will be a great
NO. 13
feast. It will be exclusively Indian and
the most uniqne affair . ever conducted.
About 1,500 will attend."
3. uTen . thousand Christian Sioux
are camped on the Santee reservation in
attendance upon the annual convocation
of the Nebraska Deanery of the Episco
pal church. It is the 'largest number of
Christian Indians ever gathered to
gether." ' , .. ,. ,J
4. uThe Christian Indian Convoca
tion of the Niobrara Deanery of the
Episcopal church of South Dakota,
which has been held on Antelope Creek
for the last five days, closed Tuesday
evening after one of the most remarka
ble Indian meetings ever held in the
Northwest. Fully 2,500 Indians broke
camp on Wednesday morning and set
off for home, a.,, journey of five or six
days for some of them."
The-e'big camp meetings are signifi
cant as purely indicating a considerable
growth and spread of Christianity
amonii' the Indians. Probably they are
not to taken at quite their face value
as reported In significance, some al
lowance must be made, a -s in the case of
camp meetings everywhere, for the ap-
( Continued on Page i.)
SEPTEMBER 18, 1908.