The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-04-18
VOL 6, No. SO. Whole No. 99S

"5~S' A""S W. st'hu, CoHSreSS Ol dSes, eucu
glory on its brow, peculiar TO ITSELF yet in part
Elected by the glory that went before.
But what have the African savage and the wan
dering Tartar for their Pas,l To fight for food and
grovel in their senses, has been the employment Of
their ancestors The Past reproduced in them.
mostly belongs to the animal part of our mixed
ture. They have indeed come in contact with
race, on which have dawned higher ideas; but hoto
have they come in contact AS pictims, not as pu-
pills m,gunpowder, the horrors of slavery. the
unbushing knavery of trade, these have been their
teachers! And because these have failed to produce
high degree of moral and intellectual cultivation,
cooy declare that the negroes made for slaves
that the Indians cannot be civilized; and that when
either Of the races come in contact with they
either consent to be beasts of BURDEN be drv-
en- to the wall, and perish.
That the of mankind different, spiritually
as well as physically, there is, of course, doubt;
but it is as the difference between trees of the
forest, not as between trees and minerals The facia
al angle and shape Of the head is various in and
natons but these are the effects Of spiritual infuen
ces, long operating character, and in their be-
coming causes; thus INTERVIEWING, Past and Future
ever do. Every skilfu phrenologis knows that spr-
itual influences, operating with activity and power,
will materially and most vsiby change the organs Of
the head, even in few months. Mr. Pierpoint once
told me Of young clergyman, whose theological
opinions had undergone change, through severe con
hct. As they walked together, they CHANGED to pass
| one of the Fowlers well known phrenoo gists.-
Mr. Pierpont being certain that the young man was n
perfect stranger both in face and regulations asked MIR
| Fowler to look ut his head "Sir,'' said he, "here
! are obvious signs Of recent and violent conflict in
your mind. 1t appears if there had been strug-
! gle between new opinions, and old ones for which
! you had great reverence. The organs of veneraon
and causaliy are like the of the sea tossed in
storm.'
This furnishes good answer to the oft-repeated
charge that belief in Phrenoogy tends to material
ism; for this is Of thousand proofs that spirit
subdues matter and changes its form. And if the in
huence Of few months could thus change the organ-
cation o(h skull, what must be the effect Of sensu-
al IDEAS and dark theology through ages? That
| the head Of the African has less intellectual dexe-
opmcnt, is proof that it always 1cih be That
the Indian has not beers civilized, is evidence that
| he cannot be- We have never tried TO humanze or
cvilize, either Of these True, have latter
| ly sent missionaries among them, many Of whom were
self denying and righteous men, hut they generally
proceed most unphlosophcally. They forget that
language is the natural growth and product of a ma
I tons IDEAS and that when people have never con-
ceived an idea, there Of course exists medium in
their language by which TO convey it to them. This
is illustrated by anecdote which with sone-
where A missionary trying to translate the BIZ
| bic INTO some heather tongue. When he came TO
the phrase "Ssera peepcd through lattice, he was
greatly puzzled for the people for whom he wrote
had lattces lie crossed his fingers as to leave
diamond shaped nterstices, and asked of the na-
ves what word they had " hch signifcd something
like that. He told shm, and the translator inserted
the newly discovered word Some yenrs after when
he became familiar with the language, he found that
he had printed in his Bible, "Sisera peeped through
tool baskct' And il the difficulty is so great in
words that describe merely OUTWARD things, what
mus, it be with regard to abstract theological ideas,
which Christians themselves find 1t so hard to explain
or comprehend
But even if the practical wisdom OF the missionn-
res had equaed their sincere ZEAL their influences,
would have been but drop in the ocean.
The heather nations become acquainted with
hundred ders, and thousand sailors, from Chris
tan nations, where they sec one missionary The
teaching derived from these classes certainly does not
make them less of animals, and of course has no ten.
dency 10 enlarge the Jdctdt angie. from such sour.
ces they learn much that degrades but nothing that
eevaes.
But it is urged that Indians " no have been put 10
schools and colleges, still remain attached to row.
ing life away from all these advantages,
s'IIis blanket tied with yellow strings, the Indian OF
the forest went. -
And what if he did Do not white young who
have been captured by savages in infancy, show an
equally strong Discrimination to take upon themselves
the restraints OF civilized life' Does any body urge
that this well known fact proves the white noa-
pabe Of civilization
But you ask, perhaps, what becomes Of my theory
that races and individuals are the product of ages, IL
the influences Of half life produce the effects
on the CaucasiaE and the Indian? | answer, that
white children brought up among Indians, though
they strongly imbbe the habits fthe race, gener
ally prone TO be the geuiuses and prophets their