Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-24
THE INDIANS.
a Talk with Father De Emet.

From the New York Trlbune.l
The Rev. Father De Smet, widely
known for his missionary labors among
the Indians, departed recently for Eu-
rope in the steamer City of Baltimore.
A Belgian by birth, Father De Smet at
an early age entered the Jesuit Order,
and after having been ordained priest,
was sent to the Rocky Mountain region
in 1912 to prosecute the perilous and
toilsome duties of Christianizing and
civilizing the savages of the plains and
mountains of the star West" At va
rious periods within the past twenty
years he has crossed the Atlantic for the
purpose both of obtaining missionary
help and the means of purchasing goods
for the Indians. He makes his present
voyage for the object of bringing over a
dozen or more of religious women and
men who will establish schools among
the Ricarees, Crows and Sioux inhabiting
the region through which flows the main
branches of the upper Missouri. The
Sisters are expected to teach the Indian
children the rudiments of an English
education, and also instruct the girls in
sewing and embroidery. Father De
Smet intends also to bring with him a
few blacksmiths, tailOrs, and carpenters.
The blacksmiths are wanted for wagon
work, horse-shoeing, and the require
ments of the household the carpenters
for church and hut building, and to in
struct the male youth in their craft, and
the tailors to instruct in the knowledge
of the manufacture of comfortable gar
ments.
The condition of the Indians on the
western side of the Rocky Mountains is,
in the opinion Of the good Father, such
as would make good men rejoice. Nearly
the whole of the Flatheads, Nezperees,
Spokanes, Kalispels, Snakes, and other
tribes inhabiting Oregon and Washing
ton are, he says, converted, and have
laid aside their predatory habits for the
peaceful avocations of agricultural life
The Catholic missionaries have supplied
them with seed and taught them to raise
abundant crops. The tribes inhabiting
Montana, Dakota and Wyoming Terri
tories, and all the region extending from
Northern Kansas TO British America,
and from Minnesota to the Rocky Noun
tains, appear to cause Father De Smet
great anxiety as regards their present
and future condition. Although wishing
to deal charitably with all, and having
no desire to be censorious or condemna-
tory, he feels that the treatment of the
tribes by the Government agents has
been far from what it ought to be-
The greatest number of the latter
have, in their treatment of the Indian,
been influenced almost solely by desire
for gain. The result has been that not
more than twenty-five per cent. of all
the goods sent out have ever been dis
tributed, the boxes having been previ-
ously opened, and the greater part re-
tained by the agents or their subordinates
Last year matters were better managed
All the boxes remained unopened until
they were brought into the presence of
the various tribes for whom they were in
tended. This fair and open dealing had
a happy effect, and Father De Smet is of
the opinion that should it be continued,
there will be little to fear from the red
men. The Father Is desirOus that the
Government should exercise more care
in marking out reservations for the In
dians, and in guarding the latter, as much
as possible, from the cOrrupting habits
and fraudulent practices Of traders and
adyenturers. Most of the Indians on
this side of the mountains, he remarked,
are at present very poor; their chief
support, the buffalo, and nearly all other
kinds of game, having become very
scarce. Should the buffalo continue to
decrease in the same ratio as during the
last ten years, it will not be long until
they will have almost disappeared from
the regions watered by the upper Mis-
souri, and its affluents. The manners
and habits of the Indians, are, as a gen
eral thing, very little studied by the
whites. When one of the former is
killed, his relatives believe they are dis
graced until his death is avenged. If
white person is killed, it is not unusual
for the whites to attack and murder all
the Indians of a lodge. The butchery
of six hundred Indians, nearly all of
whom were women and children, BIZ the
order of Major ChiYington, While under
the latters protection, very naturally
aroused the spirit Of vengenance among
all the surrounding tribes.
Helpless old women and young girls |
were fendishly murdered, and the dead |
bodies we're in some cases subjected to
outrages. In his iourneying among the
various tribes, Brules, Blackfeet, Crows,
Ukases, and other tribes, many of whom
are at present giving evidence of hos !
tile feeling, Father De Smet was received |
everywhere with kindness. About |
year ago he visited hostile bands of the
Sioux to the number of six thousand, at
the request Of the United States officers,
and was everywhere well received and |
listened to with attention. Father De
Smet says the Indians will be kind and |
docile if treated kindly. During the |
whole of twenty five years residence
among them, he never was addressed |
with an angry word. He spoke of the
visit of Messrs. Doolittle and Foster Of |
the Senate, last year, to St. Mary's Mis-
siou Station, among the Riearies, with |
evident pleasure. These gentlemen were
present at an examination Of one hun
dred and fifty children in reading, SPELL
ing, grammar, arithmetic, United States
sewing and embroidery. They
we're extremely pleased with the good
department of the children and their
progress in learning. Ia speaking of
the Indian children, the countenance of
the Father dilated with joy, his thoughts
having evidently recurred TO the droll
sports and upeouth jocularity of the ten
der ones who are under his care. The
Indian boys, were, he said, the best be-
haved boys he had ever seen, and the
adults were so eager for instruction that
they would listen to the teachings Of the
from dawn until dark.
He had no doubt but that they will
become a useful portion of the American
people, if the Government exerts itself
in their behalf, and puts aside the de-
sword. All can be easily
taught to cultivate the soil and practice