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Show REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 163 MISSIONS OF THE " AMERICAN UOARD." Mr. BRUNOT. Mr. Treat, who is the secretary of the American Board of Commis-sioners for Foreign Missions, is present, and \ ve shall he pleased to hear from him. Mr. TKKAT. We have now hut one agency under our control, and have had that hut a short time. I have nothing to sav in regard to it. Our work among the Choctaws commenced in 18.55 and 18: 56, and we have kept it up until the present time. We fully believe that the Indians can be reached by Christian civilization, and have the most abundant proofs of it in the history of our mission. We have been in this work for fifty- five years among the Choctaws and Cherokees, and tribes farther north, and the evidence is conclusive that the Indians can be reached and made civilized men. I cannot fully agree with the gentleman who has just spoken ( Mr. Janney) in regard to the Indian language. I would not exclude the English, for it has been found to be of advantage in teaching the Indian his own language, but we must reach the adults through their own tongue ; and, above all, it is necessary in reading the scriptures and Christian books. Our experience, extending not only through many tribes of Indians, but in many parts of the world, has induced us to attach very great importance to this vernacular teaching. W,> began our work among the Sail tee- Sioux when they were in Minnesota. We have six native preachers and teachers connected with our commission ; we have four licensed preachers, and these we find to be useful and efficient laborers in the work; we have in our service between five and six thousand laborers, and we have expended about a million and a quarter of dollars in addition to what we have received from the Government, exclusive of what we have expended for boarding- schools. Mr. Chairman, there is one fact I would like briefly to mention. About two years ago an experiment was made by a portion of the Santee Sioux, who separated from their own people and went out to become white men, as they termed it. They gave up all their tribal advantages, their annuities, and everything, and went out to the Big Sioux to plant themselves there as a colony. They were very poor, and found it difficult to get money enough to secure their titles, and yet they have worked on faithfully and diligently. One of the first things they did was to form a church of one hundred members. They have now a native pastor. This shows very clearly what the Indian can do. Mr. BKUNOT. I understand you that they have left their own land and gone elsewhere and purchased and paid for land which they now occupy ? Mr. TKKAT. I do not know how much they have paid for the land. Mr. BKUNOT. They have settled as white settlers f Mr. TKKAT. Yes, sir. Mr. BACIIUS. I understood the gentleman (" Mr. Treat) to say that during fifty years his organization had expended over a million of dollars 1 Mr. TKKAT. Yes, sir. Mr. BACH us. I would be glad to know in what particular direction that amount has been expended. That is at the rate of $ 20,000 per annum, a large sum. Mr. TKKAT. I can answer the gentleman if time is allowed me. Mr. BKUNOT. I presume there will be no objection. Mr. TKKAT. We commenced our work among the Cherokees in January, 1817, who were at that time in Tennessee, in the vicinity of Missionary Ridge. On account of troubles that arose the tribe was transferred across the river, with great loss to them-selves, and also retarding, very materially, our work among them. In 1818 we com-menced among the Choctaws and established a flourishing mission among them. We have been among various other tribes. Those were the large missions, the expenses being at times quite large. We have been among the Senecas a long time. We have been among the Choctaws since 1835-' 36. I took pains to ascertain the amount, and I am not mistaken. It was over a million of dollars. Mr. BKUNOT. It has been suggested to me several times that the Presbyterian Church had been at work for many years among the Indians and had not succeeded in civiliz-ing them. One remark of the secretary ( Mr. Treat) shows why they have not succeeded. Whenever a mission had secured a foothold among the Indians, somebody wanted their land, and they had to go, and the work had to be done over again. And it has always been this way until the present state of affairs. It illustrates one great point, which we ought to make, and which our board ought to make that it is the duty of our Government to protect the Indians on the land which it has given them, and to which they had the prior right, and which right was acknowledged by the Government and confirmed by the treaties. We should insist on the Government maintaining for them this right. The fact that a million of dollars has been expended, and the object for which it \ vas expended has been defeated by the very means which the Government has undertaken for the purpose of civilization, is a very important one. We will uo\ v hear from Dr. Ferris, of the Reformed Church. RKI'OKMKD CHURCH MISSIONS. Mr. FERRIS. I have come, here more to listen than to talk. This is an entirely new work for us. We have two agencies, and as it has only been four or tive mouths |
