Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-02-04
Ghildren's department.
[OrigillaI.l
THE INDIAN,

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he had in view was to discover passage
from Europe to the East Indies by sailing
westward. This passage he did not discover
but be discovered the continent which is now
known all over the civilized world by the
name of America. This continent, was at the
time it was visited by Columbus, inhabited by
people very different in many respects from
Europeans, but resembling in some particu-
lars the ancient Jews. They were called In
dians, simply because Columbus and his men
set out with the hope of reaching the country
now called East Indies. These people have
nearly all disappeared from the States. Only
very few remain to give the present genera
ton an idea of what the red men, as they
were called, were. The questions may be
asked, who were the Indians of America? And
how did they get here? No satisfactory ans
wer has ever been given to these inquiries,
and it is probable that no one will ever be
able to give anything more than reasonable
conjecture in reply to these interesting ques-
tions. The probability is that the Indians of
America came from Asia, crossing over into
America at Behring's Strait. This strait is
at present only about forty miles wide, and
it may be that many hundred years ago it
was much narrower; or it may be that Asia
and America once were joined at this point
by narrow neck of land. This, however, is
only reasonable conjecture. 1t is thought
that the Indians belong to some Of those
tribes of people who anciently inhabited Asia.
In some respects they bear a striking resem-
blance to the Jews. Amongst the more CIV
ilized, or rather less barbarous of the Ameri-
can Indians, their architecture, their Ian
guage, and their religion, bear at least no.
ticeable resemblance to the ancient Jews.
The word Peru, the name of one of the divis-
ions of South America, is Hebrew word,
meaning "to cause to be fruitful" Amongst
the North American Indians, there was ira.
dition of the flood. They had also an indis-
tinct idea Of Supreme Being, which it would
seem they had learned from the Scriptures.
Their ideas respecting the great Spirit were
far superior to those entertained by any ma
tion of antiquity except the Jews. 1t is con-
jectured that some wandering Jews, at some
time, made their way to the continent of
America, and in process of time, spread all
over it.
The North American Indian was strange
medley of good and bad qualities. He was
generous and hospitable to fault; but cruel
and revengeful in the extreme when aroused
by injury. He had no correct notion of JUS
tice. He never thought of inAicting punish
ment upon the individual who injured him
but when injured by one of a tribe, or by one
white man, he appeased his anger by iLaict-
ing vengeance on the first individual he met.
One characteristic of the Indian was that
he was notoriously improvident. He literally
took no thought for tomorrow. He laid up
nothing for the future. In this respect he
might have learned very important lesson
from the bee or ant.
When the first settlers of this country came
amongst the Indians, they were kindly treated.
In most cases, however, the poor Indian was
treated very inhumanely. He was cheated
and swindled in multitude of ways. Ad-
vantage was taken of his ignorance and su-
perstition and worse than all, he was made
drunk, and then babarously shot because he
acted like drunk man.
An Indian woman was called squaw.
As is the case with all uncivilized people, her
lot was hard one Her husband had for
her but little affection, and often treated her
with great cruelty. She had all the work Of
the family to do. The husband did nothing
but hunt and fish. All the men in each In
dian tribe were warriors; but when the tribe
was engaged in hostilities, one was chosen
chief. He did not by any means occupy the
position general occupies amongst civilized
nations. He usually led the attack on the
enemy in person, and the rest followed, not
in regular order, but just as each one thought
best.
When Indians went from one place to an
other, two never went in a company. Two
never walked together side by side, but the
one after the other, at considerable distance
apart.
1t is less than four hundred years since the
discovery of America by Europeans, and only
about two hundred and fifty years since its
permanent settlement; yet most of the In
dian tribes have become absolutely extinct.
What few remain have been driven to the al
most uninhabitable wilds Of the Rocky Noun
tains and the regions beyond. There is some
thing sad in the thought that, to all human
appearances, the day is not far distant when
the proud Indian will be blotted out of exis-
tence His destiny seems to be that which
has fallen to the lot of the wild beasts that
once wandered over his native hunting ground.
The government of the United States has done
something to reclaim them from the depths
of barbarity into which they have fallen but
infinitely more to exterminate them. Almost
the first salutation the poor Indian received
from the Puritan fathers was volley of mus
kerry. The first settlers of this country took
possession of the Indians land and drove him
away on the plea that he was ignorant and
wicked, and because Of his ignorance and
wickedness, could have no title to the soil
which had been bequeathed to him by his
ancestors. Were the same theory at present
adopted, and put into practice, by far the
greater part of the present inhabitants of the
country would be driven from their homes.
In fact, were the theory and practices of the
first settlers of America respecting the Indian,
adopted, the world would be nearly
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