But great as is the credit due the Indians for their advancement here, little could be seen of gain were it not that the corps of teachers sent out by the A.M.A. have been chosen, not from the lame, the halt and the blind of this country, not from those who for support must resort to something, but from those young women who are willing to leave homes of comfort and refinement, in order that their lives may be worth something in the world--young women who are consecrated beyond what we can even imagine until we have seen the difficulties and annoyances which form so large a part of their lives. Not for _support_ would these women have gone into A.M.A. work, but cheerfully and gladly do they live on the very smallest possible salaries, that more may be done for the Indian. In describing Santee I have described all the schools, for the same plan is carried out everywhere--the plan of Christianization; for that must needs come before civilization can be hoped for. The Indian is not civilized who, forsaking his heathen gods, has learned the ways of the white man without knowing his God; for invariably he learns the vices and the crimes; and is in reality more of a heathen than before. Many are the villages of Indians in which the white man's _dance_ has been introduced and is enjoyed much more than the native dance; it is working much evil which is hard to uproot, for they say, "Is it not the white man's way?--it must needs be all right." The work among the older people is of course more limited than that done in the schools. The age of study is with them past. The most intellectual work of which they are capable is learning to read the Bible; even this they cannot do in any other than the Dakota language. It is impossible to teach an old man English that will ever mean much to him. Our word "holy" could never mean what his own word "wakan" means; our word "God" could never take the place of his "Wakantanka." His brain would be so disturbed in his effort to learn and to comprehend our difficult language, that when he had mastered the words, were it possible, the sweet truth and the comfort would be all gone from him. Any but a scholar must read the _Bible_ in his own language. Thousands of Indians are learning Bible truths and are getting a little light in the few years left them. They are learning a little of the way of life, and receive the message with gladness. Spotted Bear, a Christian Indian, said at the recent convention at Santee: "All we know we have learned out of the Dakota Bible. Teach our children English, but don't take from them and us the means of reading our own Bible."