The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-10-25
The Racoon QN THE IowAr, MIrR HAY.AH0 Letters
LETTER No. l.
TALL TIMBER, ON THE RAcooN RIVER, {,
] ear the Des Moines, |. T, Sent,l7. 1913 (

TALL TIMBER, ON THE RAcooN RIVER.
Near the Des MONIES, |. T., Septsl7, 1913 (
INrERRo (Ioway, )sFREND.-
Twas sadly vexed to perceive by his letter that
your correspondent from Burlington, l. T, con-
sders himself west !; he west-faugh, he don't begin
to be | hatter myself that out here | am heap
nearer shutdown. He writes of ladies' with alabas-
tran skin, carnation scarcely sufusing the cheek
shall tell you of damsels where The pure unadul-
terateu red paints not the cheek only but the ankles
well. He describes silk and lace toegery; Ishall
depict aboriginal loneliness that demands no orna-
ment beyond blanket and ear hobs and whilst
he on the banks of the Mississippi delights his eyes
with witchng smiles, shall content myself with
gazing on dlmpIes ted with vermill,on. Your
respondents mostly portray the rules and arts and
hypocrisy OF maldens taught and drilled by the
adopts OF arhclal society my muse shall chaunt
in prose OF unsophist Gated daughters OF the wilder
ness, who, scornng the letters OF civilization, sit
and view a gentleman pare his toe nails without a
blush. Interro doubt whether you, or most of
your readers, ever read or heard genuine unvar-
nished description OF our Indians Your novel ma
ker's Indians are no more like them than the
world when, without form and void, with darkness
dwelling upon the face OF the waters, 10 the same
world whe glorious Eve moved amid the wood
bines ofparadise. According to the most orthodox
writers, the he Indians (whom we westerners term
"bucks'') are devoted to or melancholy, eter-
nally blowing out their own or somebody else's
ceaselessy pondenDg over the graves OF their fore
fathers-being more like ghosts OF departed stoics
than human beings whereas the truth OF the matter
is they are all Just as fond OF fun as most OF us
Inchero, as the Ioways name white men. AS for the
young men, our romance authors describe
them many lunatlcs, under the influence of
Mars or Venus, either replete with military ambl'
ton soused head over ears In love, coDversing
harsh music crude flutes beside the brink OF some
moont stream. AS for the squaws, an author can
not get hold OF female red skin, but she must doff
the blanket and assume wings instead, and at once
her corruption puts on lncorruptabllIty." The
poor squaws, unbeknown 10 themselves, are either
rushing TO preserve the endangered life OF some Ill
fated white skin, or else are dying herolcay on the
graves of their departed husbands, II unmarried,
make themselves fish bait for true love. This is
well--all very well for book fabrcators as most
people are predetermined to believe that the savage
is he has almost uniformly been described, but
do assure you it is all humbug. An author whose
pen serves for a harvest of daily bread, must cater
for the popular taste but l. independent as the
Herald itself, shall depict The red man as he is
deeply regrettng that my delineations may not cor
respond with the preconceived notions OF some OF
your readers, who doubt will be disposed to Iebut
my assertion that the " bucks" not race of
aciturn heroes and patriots, the red fair sex the
most perfect plnks of female virtue or herolsm Fiji
teen years ago thought of the Indians most of
my fellow citizens OF New York, presume, do now.
But most of that period having been compelled TO
reside among them 1t will be judged from my future
eplstles how much my awe and admiration have d.
mnished. | do not deny, with our race, there
are individual instances of daring, gratitude, or
other virtues, which have been remarked-but the
very fact of their having been noticed, evinces such
acts are not peculiar TO them as a people. shall
terminate this paper by observing that fifteen
years intimate acquaintance with red men have
convinced me that they possess but three national
themselves-an Unsuitable disposition to beg from
| the pale faces-and upquenchable thirst for the
alcoholic (Which u.s. in the loway, pay-nee).
Argreck. kay (adleu), ZiNG.