e Grand River Station.

Miss Collins writes of her: "Josephine is very much interested
in her work. She said to-day, 'I wish every one interested in
Indians could come here and stay long enough to see how the
foundation _ought to be laid_, and how much better off our
native teachers, Elias and Wakanna, are with the Bible knowledge
they have without the English, than the Indians are who speak
English and are without Christ.' She knows, for her people are
largely godless but English-speaking."

_My Dear Friends_:

We have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that we have had no
time to write to our friends. Miss Collins told the Indians on Sunday
last that we were going to have a tree and wanted all the Indians to
come, the real old ones as well as the young men and women. She told
them of how our Saviour was born on Christmas day, how the people came
and gave him gifts, and we, in remembering his birthday, would give them
little gifts. The next day, a very old woman came to the school-house
and told Mary (that is the native teacher's wife) that she heard we were
going to have a "Ghost feast" and give away everything we had, so she
thought she would come and ask for one of the school-room lamps for fear
she might not get it if she waited, as there would be so many people to
get the things, and she needed a lamp very much.

Doesn't that sound like an Indian? I was very sorry the poor woman did
not get the lamp.

Yesterday morning, while Miss Collins pinned the names on to the
presents, I went up to the school-house, and by the help of two native
teachers planted the tree in a cracker-box and put the little colored
candles on. In the afternoon, we took the presents up and hung them on
the tree; we put up a curtain to hide the tree, and then in the evening
put out several Japanese lanterns on the corners of the house and over
the door, and rang the bell; while the bell was ringing, you could see
the Indians coming from all parts of the village. It was a pretty sight.
The ground was covered with snow, it was just between the light and
dark, and a few bright stars were shining through the clouds.

The room is not very large, so Miss Collins proposed that they should
stand. It was well they did, for they were packed tightly together, the
men and boys on one side, the women and girls on the other.

After all came, we sang "Joy to the World," in Dakota, with several
other hymns;