VOL. 11
OCTOBER 2, 1908.
MO. 15
Indian Conference
Of the Southwest
The second- annual meeting of the
Southwest Indian conference adjourned
at' Flagstaff , Arizona, on July 16, after
a week of profitable discussion.
More than sixty men and women who
have given their lives to. the promotion
of the spiritual and temporal welfare of
the Indians, were present. The well
planned program was carried out almost
in its- entirety, though some of the
friends found it necessary to send their
papers to be read.
Devotional exercises for the mornings
were conducted by Mr. John Butler of
Tuba, Arizona, who gave helpful studies
on the Shepherd. Psalm. The Rev. J. B.
Kpp f Oraibi had charge of the evening
devotions and invited various members
of the conference to lead on different
evenings. Rev. F. G Mitchell spoke
daily or. the Epistle of the Hebrews.
At the conference in 1907 a committee
had been appointed -to explore the un
evaiigeliz'd portion? of this section of
tie country, and Mr John Butler of
Tuba, Arizona; Rev. L. P. Brink of
Tohatch.i, New Mexico; Mr. W. R
Johnston of Tolchaco, Arizona, and Rev.
Charles Brodhead of Laguna, New
Mexico, brought in reports showing the
need of additional workers among the
inhabitants. Among the Navajo alone
there is an urgent call for the opening
of at least eight new stations. It is
difficult for :the. mind to really
comprehend the needs of the vast terri
tory to be covered and the rapidly in
creasing number of people who are -yet
untouched by any civilizing or evange
lizing influence.
The question of language study cre
ated considerable discussion, arid the
unanimous opinion of experienced mis
sionaries was that the necesssity of
speaking to the Indian in the varnacular
is very urgent. Competent interpreters
are not easily procured, and it is fre
quently very unsatisfactory to attempt
the con veyance, through an interpreter, of
ideas that. are often entirely alien, not
only -'to his personal religous conceptions,
but even to his mental processes. It
was found that the alphabet adopted for
the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni needed no
change fo; the Pima and the Papago
fitted into that of the Language
(Continued on page 4.)