American Missionary | Page 3

included. The acts of the Conference, like the
utterances of a Congregational Council, have only the authority of the
reason that is in them; yet it is wonderful what an influence this
peculiar body has had on public sentiment. Its utterances have been
discussed and have had their weight in the pulpit, the press, in Congress
and in the White House. The Indian and the Nation owe much to the
Mohonk Conference.
The Sixth Annual Conference, which closed September 28th, sustained
the interest of past years in the importance of the topics discussed, in
the divergency of opinion at first, and in the complete harmony at the
end. The points agreed upon in the platform were arranged under five
heads. The first relates to the establishment of Courts of Justice in the
Reservations and accessible to the Indians; the second to the important
need of education, demanding that the Government shall undertake at
once the entire task of providing primary and secular education for all
Indian children; the third urges that this education shall be compulsory,
under proper limitations; the fourth emphasizes the duty of the

churches to furnish religious instruction to the Indians, and the
immunity of their work from all governmental interference where
sustained wholly by missionary funds; the fifth approves of the
co-operation of the Government with the missionary societies in
contract schools during the present transitional condition of the Indians.
We append the last two items of the report.
4. In view of the great work which the Christian Churches have done in
the past in inaugurating and maintaining schools among the Indians,
and of the essential importance of religious as distinguished from
secular education, for their civil, political and moral well-being, an
element of education which, in the nature of the case, the National
Government cannot afford, the churches should be allowed the largest
liberty, not, indeed, to take away the responsibility from the
Government in its legitimate sphere of educational work, but to
supplement it to the fullest extent in their power, by such schools,
whether primary, normal or theological, as are at the sole cost of the
benevolent or missionary societies. And it is the deliberate judgment of
this Conference that in the crisis of the Indian transitional movement
the churches should arouse themselves to the magnitude and emergency
of the duty thus laid upon them in the providence of God.
5. Nothing should be done to impair or weaken the agencies at present
engaged in the work of Indian education. Every such agency should be
encouraged and promoted, except as other and better agencies are
provided for the work. In particular, owing to the anomalous condition
of the Indians and the fact that the Government is administering trust
funds that belong to them, what is known as the "contract system"--by
which the nation aids by appropriations private and missionary
societies in the work of Indian education--ought to be maintained by a
continuance of such aid, until the Government is prepared, with
adequate buildings and competent teachers, to assume the entire work
of secular education. In no case should the Government establish
schools to compete with private or church schools which are already
doing a good work, so long as there are thousands of Indian children
for whose education no provision is made.

ORDINATION AT NEW ORLEANS.
A council of Congregational Churches was held in New Orleans, Sept.

16th, for the purpose of ordaining Prof. Geo. W. Henderson, A.M.,
B.D., to the Christian ministry. Rev. R.C. Hitchcock, President of
Straight University, was chosen Moderator. Mr. Henderson sustained
an excellent examination, and was installed Pastor of the Central
Congregational Church. The entire service was impressive, and Rev.
Mr. Henderson enters upon a very responsible charge of a large church
with many encouragements and hopes of great success.

OUR SCHOOLS AND THE YELLOW FEVER.
We have been extremely gratified with the manifestations of faith and
courage on the part of our lady teachers in the South during the time of
fear and panic because of the yellow fever. Some were already at their
stations and in their schools, and some were on the way, subject to the
trials of quarantine. Not one hesitated in the path of duty. Many
teachers from the different parts of the North were ready to go when the
reports of the pestilence were most alarming, but not one of the
teachers who had previously been in the work, failed to await
instructions to go forward whenever we should speak the word. We
have been grateful to God during all these days of the autumn for the
splendid qualities of consecration and courage which have come out of
our correspondence with our honored teachers. Never did their fathers
or brothers, years ago, when deadly war called them to face the perils