The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
We have a Badger in our house. He begins with a capital B, and he is
a capital little chap. He can throw his bean-bags into the hole every
time, and he does well in school, too. A year ago his relatives wanted
him to come to our school, but as he could not live in the ground and
grow his own coat as other badgers do, we had to wait till this fall.
I said he could not live in the ground. He did live on it though last
winter, for there was no floor in his house and the sides and roof were
made of logs and mud, and he had a tin cup, and sometimes a tin plate,
perhaps, and that was all there was to supplement his fingers. Some
forked sticks in the ground, on which a board or two were supported,
and a dirty quilt and an old blanket made his bed. The bed made itself,
without any neat housekeeper’s help.
Corn, pounded up in a wooden mortar and boiled in water, and dried
venison and berries, were the principal diet of our Badger.
Now, he is just like a boy––a white boy––and he is learning to talk
English fast, and he tries to sing Sunday-school hymns and gets the
tune quite well. Pretty good for a Badger just out of his native hole,
isn’t it?
Well, he has woolen shirts, knee-pants, stockings, mittens, and shoes
and cap, etc.; everything suitable for a boy seven years old. You would
not know him from a boy if he did not sometimes get down on all fours
and rub his stockings through at the knees; but we hope he will grow
out of this badgerly habit in time.
Now, there are some boys and girls called the “Torrington Valley
Gleaners,” who like pets so well that they are taking care of this
little Badger. They call him Edward.
They send him clothes and send money to buy his food. They held a fair,
and the boys brought in pumpkins, turnips, celery, pop-corn, etc., not
for the Badger to eat, but to sell, so that they might have money to
help him. The girls made fancy articles for the same purpose.
Now they have enjoyed doing this so much, and they think it will be
so nice when they and their Badger are grown up, to feel that they had
helped him to be a man, that they have asked me to recommend their plan
to other boys and girls and to their parents, in Connecticut and other
States also.
We can say that we have a variety of pets for them––ducks, bears,
weasels, cows and other animals, to whom we give Christian names and
Christian training, so far as Christian friends help us to do so.
Nine of these Indian boys have just gone off in the twilight with their
lady teacher, in a big sled, to get the mail, and a dozen little girls
are making rag dolls, etc., for they all like a little play after
school is out and their work is done. So they have both work and play
and are not dull.
May there be many to pray for them and help them that they may become
good servants of Jesus Christ.
* * * * *
RECEIPTS FOR FEBRUARY, 1887.
MAINE, $266.43.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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