, 1873-06-22

l
| The absurdty Of misdirected philanthropy wat
well illustrated in the jealous efforts Of Mrs
Jellyby to provide the young natives Of Borio-
boola Cha with flannel jackets and woolen
trowsers, regardless OF the fact that the ther-
mometer ranged through the nineties all the
year round in that afflicted region. Tho efforts
Of our own philsnthropists to ameliorate tue
| condition and advance the civilization OF the
noble red men of the forest, who we're the
original owners of Western real estate, arc NO
loss ridiculous than those OF AIRS. Jellyby, which
did no good to Borioboola Ghn, md caused the
worthy Mr.. Jellyby SO much pain, what time ho
used to stand with his head against the wall and
mourn oyer the fooishness Of his wife and the
distress Of Caddy. It is not long ago thzt q
worthy Indian missionary, in the sim
plicity Of his heart, thought that the
squaws under his charge should have hats and
| paraso1s to protect their delicate comple1ions
from tie too ardent hcnt Of the sun Some
| benevolent ladies ut tho East accordingly con-
tributed an assorted collection Of hats and divers
parasols of yariegated color and condition. Upon
their receipt at the mission, the worthy man was
shortly astoundsd upon boholding the copper
colored sisters, each arrayod in hat and
parasol, and nothing else, parading the street
! with an aboriginal degree Of pride and
self-satisfaotion fully as pronounced as tho more
civilized and elegant hautour with which Flora
McFlmsey sails down the Avenue in her new
11,t ~
thropy has many times supplied the Indians
with CASTLE soap, though they Ind as little use
for it as hippopotamus has for a glass Of water.
They tried to smoke it, to eat it, to wear it
as an ornament, and eventually exchanged it for
q glass Of whisky. Many and many time has
the untutored Indian mind been distracted With
eight-day clocks, huting irons, pop-guns, pocket
combs, shoe-strings, pillow-casos, engar~spoons,
oyster-forks, quil-pens, and other such uten-
sils which were OF about rs much use to him
Twenty-sizth street would be, ard all
Of which he would at my time ex-
change for tin lookng-glass in which
he might admire his ugly countenance, or
q drink Of whisky, which ho might put into his
ugly stomach.
It was reserved for the Quakers, who have
charge Of the Otoe Indians dwelling on the Big
Blue in South Nebraska, however, to cap the
climax. For years the Quakers have labored to
civilize the Otoes, with what success the denoue-
ment shoEs. The Philadelphia Quake1s recently
received intelligence from the Otoe missionary
that the equaws had no bonnots. The Quaker
eBses we're dumbfounded at this startling intelli-
gence, and in the goodness Of their hearts, they
set themselves to work and obtained q hundred
bonnets, which they forthwith despatched by.the
first express to the Otoo missionary When the
bonnets arrived, the miBgionary's w1fo summoned
the Bouaws together, and fitted bonnet On each
fair head. The Indian bellies, however, with
that curiosity which belongs to the female
se1, whether black, copper-colored, or white,
whipped them off to look at them, and, having
got them of couldn't get them on again. They
had them on bottom side up, wrong side before,
and every way but the right way. This vas suf-
fciently distressing, but the worst Was to come.
There is q custom among the Otoes that no
brsve can sit down between sunrise and sunset
without disgrace. He can lie down,
hs.o,eel down, lean up against tree,
stand On his head, Or turn hand-springs. but |
he mustn't ait equ:~e dova on any account what
ever. From time to time, however, it appeared |
some OF the Otoe braves had treacus--ous memo |
ries, and sat down before they thought, and thus |
fell into disgrace. To obviate this difficulty, /
each brave is provided with what is termed q |
"crow cushion" An affair 80 contri7ed |
and fastened to him that tho moment |
be commences to. stoop in the sitting |
process a pin runs into him and
reminds him Of the ofrense he is about to COM
nit. Meanwhile, the squaws went to their Wig !
wams, carrying their bonnets in their hands, !
as they couldn't get them on their hesds again.
The warriors, taking them for +" croW cushions" |
ut once con6scated' them. The next morning |
the squaws were out bare-headed ss usual, while !
each bold warrior. had bonnet fastened on
him, panier fashion. Il was no. long, however,
before the new "crow cushions" were
wrecked. The warning pin was not on
them, and, as the forgetful braves, one after
Tue other, sat down, they wrecked tbs gentle
Quakeresses' donations: and reduced them to
fat surface Of straw and ribbon. There is COM
Tort, however, for the philanthropists after ALL
They have only to insert pin in their next in
Foico Of bonnets to the Otoes, and use
Fill be found at last for the hat Of the
female Of the period and lucrative
trade may yet spring up in old oast-o4 bonnets.
Our own bellies may also take hint from the
gentle savage, and utilize their bonnets when they
to bo "positively frightful, - BY turn
ng them into paniers, a2d thus Bubserre the
911posas ot economy, and also fesc4e the daily
from the uBca to which they arc pow
subjected
The bill which Was recently passed by the italian
Senate suppreasing religious corporations, and
slich awaits the royal sanction to become Law,