New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-23

Obi to sorrow is meet
For lie 90 heet.
For her emile % pure and her lace 20 fair,
With the love and devotion beeming there,
Ofher willing hands and feet.
RED INDIANA.
The Story Of. the Navsjss and the Dano
ing God.
By CHARLES g. LELAND.
I have often observed that the educated
European or American commonly believe
that men of the lower races, such as rec
Indians, Gypsies, or Chinese. think anG
feel like himself, and have the same per
ceptions and moral nature, or rather thai
they are simply what he would be were be
as ignorant as they. This radical erro,
continually manifests itself in literature
and art. It was shown not long ago al
an exhibition in London, in three large,
very well executed pictures representing
Gypsy life, in which there was not Q sin
gle real Gypsy face. The compilations OF
the figures were certainly dark, and their
eyes and hair black, but the indefnable
and peculiar expression of the Romany,
which never becomes apparent until
after much familiarity with the people,
was utterly wanting. 1t may be that they
were all portraits OF real gypsies- perhaps
good ones-but the artist had missed that
which Moreland never missed in Chris
tians, Gypsies, or cattle-I mean the
reality. know of nothing so rare as q
poem or novel in which the low castles of
other races are anything but mere lay
figures, and in this respect some of the
greatest writer's are the greatest sinners.
It is possible that by the time the last
brown or red man disappears, some poet
may penetrate the secret of his mind. I
am less apprehensive as regards the
Chinese. From present appearances it
| would seem as if the opportunities of
studying him will not Immediately disap-
pear.
Hope, however, to be able to set forth
one minor popularity in the religious ma
ture of the red Indian which has so far
escaped comment, in q story which is
perfectly true, and for which l am in
debted to one of the most distinguished
Indian-fghting Generals in the United
States. The characteristic to which re-
fer is that when a wonder, miracle or
any great or striking event, deed or asso-
citation is connected with anything or
anybody, subsequent knowledge of the
method or device by which it was effected
does not destroy in an Indian the sense
Of dignity or holiness it first inspired. If
an English child were to be taken in by
the miracle of the liquefaction of the
blood of St. Januarius, the explanation of
show it was done" would 20 far to make
him discredit the whole array of modern
"wonder works." But red Indians first
instructive idea would be that no man
could ever have found out such q clever
trick unless the Manitou or Great Spirit
had put it into his head; he would be
more awed than ever, and the latter end
of that man would be worse than the first
Some years before the great war of the
emancipation the United States and Gen.
eral Sharpeye, who was in command of
the Southwest, found themselves very
nearly involved in war with the Nava-
jos or Knife Indians, and the difficulty
promised to become as extensive as to
time as expensive in money. Out of
Turkey and China, the most unmitigated
scoundrels on the face of the earth are
those wretches who fatten ct Washington
or through their agents everywhere on
Indian wars, treaties and the contracts
resulting from them. And as American
history indicates that to defraud Winnie
bago warriors and white soldiers does not
prevent an unprincipled adventurer from
attaining high political position, but
rather advances him, the calling of In
dian agent is accordingly sought for by
enterprising men, whose grand totem is
the Golden Eagle. This tribe, who had
by cheating the Navajos driven them to
revolt, were new rejoicing at the pros
pect of several hundreds of thousands of
dollars being laid out on war, to which |
there would be no contingent margin of
several millions as their own peculiar
profit.
General Sharpeye, as patriotic Ameri- |
can and sensible gentleman, could, how
ever see no advantage either to his coun- |
try or to himself in such war, and reso-
lutely set his face against it. He detested |
the entire race of Indian agents, and that |
SO bitterly that it was reported he had
been heard, in confidential grand talk |
with Roaring Storm and Big He'll Cat, to
intimate that if they would in future con-
fine the custom of burning prisoners at |
the stake to the gentlemen commissioned |
by Uncle Sam to conduct the annual pay |
ments, he for his part would be only too |
glad to make favorable return to the
Great Father at Washington as to their
general good conduct and morality.
The war had begun, and now went on
in weary, dreary way, as such struggles
always do at first in frontier country
where there are few troops in q fort,
and outside numerous savage skirmish-
ing enemy which always fights in detail.
One day ranch would be burned, on an
other corral Of horses cleared out, and
On the third soldier or two be caught
up and swept away as in a whirlwind to
hideous torture and death. Yet, through
it all, the stout hearted, honorable, brave
little General did his best to put the war
lown and prevent his men from increas-
ing its extent. He was annoyed by
which, in league with the In
liam ring, wanted war, and he
bowed them out politely. It was in
imated to him in many ways that
ne might make soft thing of it."
which is Anglo-American for feath-
,ring his nest, and he replied that he
preferred to sleep hard with . good con-
Icience. He was attacked in Congress as
. traitor beyond parallel, and s'the gen.
leman from Pennsylvania" informed his
colleagues that this reprobate
,nion peeling, which called itself a Cen
raj, equaled Barabbas, Judas, and all the
'ther asses of antiquity in stupid villainy,
nd surpassed Caractacus, Bacchus, Ger
Britannicus, and all the other
celebrated cusses, in pure cussedness.
This speech went into all the news
'apers-of which the General received
100 marked copiee bv one mail. But he |
lid not falter in his duty, and he found