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.