Daily national Democrat., 1858-12-11
MARYSVILLE, CALIFORNIA.
4allg 9latlonaI Democrat.

IHE INDIAN LECTURE.-The lecture of Esh.
qua.go-na-be at the Peoples Theater, on
Monday evening was not so we'll attended a.
we wish it had BEEN A lecture to a white
audience, by an Indian, is not so common an
occurrence, but we should think curiosity
! passing over a wor hier motive would have
induced a good attendance
Our duties prevented our being present
throughout, but we were in a little while, and
we will sketch something of what we saw
and heard.
Mr.. Esh-qua-s so-na-be is about five feet
eight inches high, weighs about hundred
and fifty pounds, and is good looking man.
We are not good in any, and much less in In
dian physiology, bat we should Judge him to
be man of forty-dve or fifty years.
His delivery is excellent lie speaks in a
loud, clear voice, in a very natural colloqui-
al style, and his language and diction are
exceedingly correct showing that he has had
excellent literary advantages, and has well
improved them.
lie was defending, while we were present,
the Indians from the charge of idolatry, and
contending that their belief in a Supreme Be
ing which they call the "Great Spirit is
equally exalted with that Of the Christian
To show how early and how thoroughly the
Indian is taught this belief, he cited the ex-
ample of an Indian boy, only nine years old,
who while with an old man in a canoe one
day was asked
"Who made us and all we see around us?"
'The Great Spirit" said the boy.
''Do you know there is Great Spirit?"
eyes"
"How do you know it? Did you ever see
him ?"
eyes, have seen him"
"What does he look like?"
ole looks like everything see around me.
When l look at the sun shining so brightly,
| see him, for he looks just like the sun; when
| look at the blue sky, see him, for he looks
just like the sky; when l look at the tree on
the bank yonder, see him, for he looks just
like the tree when | look at the little stones
on the Shore l see him, for he looks Just like
the stones; when look at this canoe, l see
him, for he looks just like this canoe; and
when | look at myself in the water, see him,
for he looks Just like me-"
This, he said, was a fair idea of an Indians
conception of the Great Spirit; and he asked
if it was not as grand and noblel one as that
of any people
lie introduced many other illustrations
upon this point, but this will suffice to show
He said the Indians are a great worship
ping people; but they do not, as many whites
suppose, worship any Idols; they only wor-
ship the Great Spirit Their occasions of
worship are numerous. They worship both
by feasting and fasting When the new
corn is first fit to pull, they gather quanti-
ty and cook it, invite all their neighbors. and
make a fes ival for the occasion. But they
have a ceremony of thanktulness to the Great
Spirit for the blessing So when the new
berries are first ripe. So when the first tro-
phies of the hunt are brought in. And so
on every occasion when blessing is given
them
His lecture was quite lengthy, we are told
giving a thorough description of the "Man-
ner and Customs of his people, but we did
not stay to hear it. We give a portion of
what we heard as a specimen of the effort
1t is n lecture he has evidently repeated
many times for he exhibited the most init
mate familiarity with his subject But it was
not delivered as boy speaks a piece at
school, simply as a declaration. His Ian
guage was unmistakably impromptu, and
chosen at the time, and as we have before
said reflected great credit uron his studious-
ness. 1t was much better effort than is
made by many of the white itnerant lee
turers who go about the country.-St Paul
Times.