, 1876-03-25
"t.c, the Poor Indian"

Many persons in the Eastern States, al
ways assoCinte with Indian character grand
ideas ot honor, truth, cunning and endurance,
and hvso doing. SHOW tlE ir little knowledge
OF Indian g.. Those kinr thoughtsof Poor
Lo." viii ,lo 20 usc when speaking Of u very
frw exceptional cascs. hut will not do by
any means, when speaking Of the Indians as
u people.
We will admit they are cunning, but they
show it only in " trrachrrhNs way. and their
endurance is only 7isable. when, driven on
by their love Of blood anil plumber ther
endure hunger, thirst, anything and after
thIcr hing and trdon8 marches, they dance,
and shout around the bloody scalps Of their
victims, and, kept Up by excitement, they
will dance and keep up their hclliah jubilee
for days together, especially If the scalps
or children, or perhaps some particular en-.
envy. have seen these scalp dances when
alone with them IN their country, mud have
thought il some ofthosr kind hearted people
Of the Eost could be IN my Plnce and rnioy(')
the scene Ns Tdid, I felt positive they would
change their minds; they would loose some
of those romantic ideas; Poor Lo" would
be stripped Of all his "Ereotn"st,' and he
would appear to them as he did to me, the
vcricst d6rilS on earth--trcachtrouS unmcr-
cirul, unpitying demons. II our friend was
not vet satisfied let him tnke n run for life,
with them: hear their horrd yels, and know
that "cvcry Yell means hor as the noun.
tainccrs say, and l think our friend. when
he got back 81 icly to the cast, would for
get to pray for those poor Indians" way
out west.
True the Indians have had some cause to
excite the demon Of their nature hut have
they not fully glutted their vengcncel win
they never hc satisfied? Surely they have
doNhly had their pay. Gu through the west
and you will find that every town and hamlet
has its tale of "Hjia .fuss-." We need not
take the present only, hut 20 btrk 10 our
grmd.Rthcrs days, and how many children
have crcpt closer to mother, as some one was
reading or relating some tale Of Indinn hor-
rors. But they have passed away from our
eastern shores; their war.Cry no more is
heard on our eastern mountains, or in our
eastern valleys; their canoes no more freak
the lakes smOothc snrflcc, NJ M Drc will the
woods re echo with the crack 0f their rifles,
or the laughter of their children; no more
will the happy maiden meet the proud war
rior returning from the chase; No; these
are recollcctions Of the past. ASA race
they are dwinlling away, and soon will be
numbered with the things Of the past
They have been driven h0ck--hack; un.
able tn stand against the march of civiIOtion;
they are beating u trail to the western noun.
tains. where " they read their doom in the
scttingsun.' Perhaps on this account the
eastern people have kinl Of sympathy, or
pity, for them, and would do all in their
power to help them, 10 ciyiIiz' them, not
knowing that by so doing. they are under.
taking an @posibRHN lor. the true Indian
cannot thrive under the white mans laws
He wants the broad cxpanse Of prairie, or
the rugged, crazy mountain peak, just ms
Natures God formed them, aud as soon as
the white MN b'gins to cncroach upon
them and their hunting grounds, they must
either he driven back. farther into the iute.
terior, or stay and try the erer fatal plan Of
civilization. Those who have any foresight
must see at glance that to minglc with the
whites means determination.
Buoyed up by their love Of revenge, they
take. the warpa,h, prefering to die in
warfare, to what they consider the greatest
insult that can be heaped upon them--work.
1t is useless for white men to go among
them with the hope of improving them, for
they never can forget their tribal supersti.
tions, nor the traditions Of their fathers; their
hatred for the whites is hereditary, and al.
though they may hide it with clonk of
friendship, yet il will burst out afresh, ON
the slightest provocation.
There is no middle-ground between the
whites and Indians, and the saying, "If the
mountain will not come to us, we must 90
to the mountain" j. truly illustrated in all
attempts 10 civilize the Indians. We cannot
bring them to an equality with us, and there
fore, to try to civilze them we must sink to
their level. And do We help thcm' See the
poor, miserable remnants of once powerful
tribes, beggng, where once their fathers
ruled As Sprague once said; SLOWLY and
sadly they climb the distant mountarns; their
council fires have long since gone out upon
our shores, and their cabins are in the dust.
As. pc pie, they live only in. the songs
of thdr eXtrrminat0rs."
As hey become wenkcr they become more
treaclrrous anil bloc thirsty. With
deathgrip they clutch the hatchet and the
scalphg knife, and driven on by their love
of rp,nnp. thpy commit tnose hOrriI crimes