IN the western part of the State of New York there is a territory known as the “Cattaraugas Reservation.” This is the home of the Senecas, one of the tribes of the Iroquois, or Six Nations of Indians of Western New York. There were six tribes that in the early history of our country formed a confederacy or union, and were sometimes called the Huron-Iroquois; one tribe was called by the Dutch “Sinnekaas,” which at length became “Senecas.” A secretary of the board of missions connected with one of the leading religious denominations visited the Reservation a year or so ago, and he tells us many interesting facts connected with these Indians and concerning the work of the missionaries among them. Fifty years ago most of these people were benighted Pagans worshiping false gods, but to-day there is probably not a dozen persons among the four thousand who have any veneration for heathen worship. This does not mean that all love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. When you say that you live in a Christian land or in a Christian community, you do not mean that all the people in the land or in the community are real Christians, but you mean that all or at least the most of the people believe in Christianity.

Now how did it come about that these ignorant worshipers of false gods have become a Christian nation? You are not surprised to learn that it has been brought about through the efforts of a few earnest and faithful missionaries who have given their lives to the work of lifting up this people. But it is the story of Gowahatis that I started to tell you. She was the step-daughter of Red Jacket, a noted Seneca chief, who received his name from wearing a scarlet coat given him, during the Revolutionary War, by a British officer. Red Jacket was bitterly opposed to the Christian religion, to missionaries, schools and teachers. This step-daughter, Gowahatis, was called “Aunt Ruth” by the missionaries.

Her Indian name was significant of her position as leader of a certain dance performed by women alone. It was very honorable, and constituted her a sort of “chief” woman. Both mother and daughter strongly sympathized with Red Jacket in his opposition to the introduction of the religion of the pale faces, until, having been induced to listen for once to the preaching of the missionaries, they perceived its superiority to their faith and desired to know more of the wonderful salvation which the Son of God had wrought out for all men—Indians as well as white men. They went again, but this coming to the ears of the old chief, he positively forbade them, threatening that if they disobeyed he would leave his family at once. The mother was very much alarmed, and for a time she ceased her visits to the mission house. But after a time she and her daughter took their blankets out into the woods one Saturday evening and hid them. The next morning they walked away from the house slowly, as if going out to the woods, and when they came to the blankets they threw them hastily over their heads, and by a circuitous path made their way to the meeting.

There they heard the words, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This brought them to decide, once for all, to take the Gospel and risk the loss of all things. This was a great step; Red Jacket would do what he had said: he would leave the family; this they knew. He was a very distinguished man; as his wife and daughter they had been much noticed and had received many presents, but they would renounce all for Christ and everlasting life.

They joined the mission church, were very earnest Christian women, they remained faithful unto death, and exerted a powerful influence in bringing others to Christ. A year or two after Red Jacket returned to his wife, and acknowledged that he had done wrong in leaving, adding that he did not think that she was any the worse for being a Christian.

Dear Pansies, this thought came to me as I heard the story of these Indian women: they heard the truth once and were interested, twice and accepted.

How many times have you heard it? Have you accepted Christ?