The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-04-19

"song of the waves" in comparison with
which Tennyson's bugle song is Hat, stale and
Improbable, our author serves up few thoughts
upon that most angelic but sadly unappreciated
Of human beings, the red Injun. He regrets
that the Des Moines Valley is no longer dotted
with the fantastic wigwams,
(Of mats and bark twas mad., We ind
How frail home for human kind ~:
that all the Sacs We end are those unseamly ones
that carry corn and coquettish maids refusals,-
and that the grass of the field, instead Of rust
ling around the stealthy feet of the Fox, bend
in the path Of his quadrupedal namesake. We
agree with him that Skunk and Raccoon are
titles not IS euphonious as Chicaqua and Asipi-
10, but even
While these rude we hear,
| Ungrateful to the Poets ear,
We think that the fragrant memory of abo-
riginal greatness still clings around them, with
the 'mossy bark and board" that mark the
chieftain's grave our authors theory con-
corning which, is too good to be lost -
Once they formed, as presume,
little wigwam DER his tomb.
In regard, however, to the reason why the
homeward bound brave cannot
the trembling log
With his faithful dog
But, Keeling, falls from OF the pole,
Rolling, bowling In the tide,
We are compelled to differ with him. He con
tends that the cause is that
he come there hoArse
From baying on vicious course.
This is, manifestly, an error. The cause is
generally fire water.
As all things are mutable, so, like the Grant
meteor, brilliantly, sadly, down into eterna
night
the Indian passed; for lol
What Is left behind 10 show
That he drew Ulysses bowl
A pertinent question. What indeed?
The lord of the forest, having passed like the
sun in his western glory, from the eyes of men
It is fitting that he be "waked and buried da-
GENTLY" In accordance with this beautiful i'm
pulse OF humanity, the poet proceeds to plant
the defunct,-the ceremony being most touch
ingly performed by several squaws. We
pass over his gorgeous description Of the funer-
81 train, and the imposing obsequies Gncluding
the deposit in the grave of arrow heads and
hasty pudding,) to notice few lines in the dirge
sung by the maidens, which introduce suspi-
cion that the departed warrior was not exactly
q on.resistant Caude in bis domestic circle:
Again returns the day Of sadness!
Again returns the day of gladness!
The Great Spirit hath bereft us;
The Great epirit hath not left us!
Nsvermore vel sigh in SORROW
Nevernore shall dread the morrow!
Let this then be day of gladness-
Let 1t not be one of sadness;
Weep no more; be not fearful;
Weep no more be calm and cheerful
We regret exceedingly the necessity of Sc
verely commenting upon any portion of this
truly beautiful production; but our duty as g
public journalist imperatively demands our
fearless and incorporating hostility to even
the appearance Of evil. 1t is for this reason
that we feel ourself called upon to object, most
strenuousy, to the evidently immoral proclivi-
ties Of the poet, IS evnced in the following
quotation from the third canto,-which will be
more fully appreciated when the reader reflects
that the toilette tastes Of the class of effeminate
aboriginalty to which it refers are of the in
puris naturaiibu. order:
Appearing truly fair,
With their Eephyr-combed hair
Flowing over shoulders bare,-
Angel form. romantic dress
They we're Queens In loneliness!
The heinous principle Of improperly which
this passage manifestly represents. is without
apology, and We are panied to see that it finds
uttersnce in . poem otherwise praise worthy.
The beautiful in nature is not intended for all
timcs and all eyes; nor Is thirst for notoriety
. sufficient excuse for its indiscriminate blazon.
While We admit, with our author, that the am.
bition for fame which was the inception Of the
noble statue of which be makes subsequent
mention, was laudably grati6ed, We contend
that this ethical principle does not extend to the
infntesimal costume Of the fair captive; and Is
long a. the Greek Slave lasts it will carry with IL
the story of the good old lady who sighed for
the chemise and drawers
At this point, the poem, gliding impercep-
tibly from the visionary into the ballad strain,
recounts most romantic history Of the affection
of two copper-colored brethren. The story, which
is sweetly told. runs (for the space Of two coll
umns,) thus: one Of the brethren, wandering
about the hills, spies Sioux, with which tribe
bis own is At hostility. Drawing an arrow, he
lays the scoundrel low. Upon going to the
fallen victim for the scalp he is Mortified 70 End
that ne hss popped friendly lows. He goes
nome sick At the stomach. and while he lies
groAning upon bis bear-skin couch. a deputa--
ton from the lowas come 70 demand him. Hia
brother, pretending to be the offender, goes
With them. and arriving at their village. tells
the assembled braves that the accidental mc,.
derer, bis brother, is too sick to travel, and he
has come % make atonement in his stead. The
lowsa. stirred ~ such an exhibition Of gener.
odty, tear dows The stake, throw aside the
laeeoea and psocsed o have q aprea. n ~