The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-06-17
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER SUNDAY june IT,
THE WEARING OF TIE Blue.
THE FIRST OF THE GREAT MOVEMENTS IN
AMERICA AGAINST INTOXICATING DRINKS.

This ia not the frat time in this country
that the "wearing of the blue" has been q
sign of abstinence from intoxicating drinks,
nor " ere white men the fret to establish .
temperance society on American soil. No;
the red men, who never knew drunkenness
until tempted to it by the cupidity of white
men, were the fret to associate themselves
together against the use of alcoholic drinks.
In the last century and previous to the
Revolutionary war, after the Six Nations
had dwindled fearfully in numbers, and
had lost much in character as " noble sons
OF the forest" an lroquois prophet, brother
OF the head chief of the Six Nations visited
the various tribes of his confederation to
look into their condition, and endeavor to
devise and suggest means to arrest their
degeneracy and decay. One OF the first
tribes he visited was the Onondaga. 1t
did not take him long to learn that the
chief agent of their demoradzltion was
rum. From one end OF his journey to she
other, In every tribe be visited, evidences
of its destroying power met him, and he
determined to use all the power of his iu-
huence as q teacher aud prophet TO induce
his people to turn from the habit which
was destroying them.
At Onondaga, after serious cOpsulta-
ton with the chief men, a tribal meeting
was called. every soul of the tribe, man and
woman, old and young, even to the
youngest papOose being present. 1t was
an occasion of great solemnity. Not the
head chief himself was more august than
the prophet; for he WAS regarded as stand
ing between his people and the Great
Spirit. Hehad come many huRdred mile 3 for
their sakes, and they looked eagerly for his
message from the Great Spirit. Looking
about him sorrowfully he exclaimed:
SHOW few you are! Once you stood
like the primeval forest, covering hill and
dale, mountain and valley; from where
A. a.
land. Now you are few scattered,
scorched, blasted trunks; "a few weak,
withered sap!ings here and there. What
has wrought this changer Has fire come
from heaven and destroy ed you? Has the
sharp axe OF the invading forester been
laid at your roots? No. The poison is in
yourselves; aud soon the canker of it will
leave none of you on the face of the earth
Remember the legends of your fathers !;
how bat two or three generations have
passed since your lodges were countless !;
how they clustered il forest and field,
around the lakes and along the streams.
Remember the numbers of your warriors,
their bravery, their battles, their trim m phe;
how their name was everywhere honored,
their bow and their battle axe every where
feared Where now, oh, Onondagas ! are
the columns of smoke that went up from
your vigwams above the tree tops in the
valleys and on the hilisdesf Where now
are the crowds of young braves who once
made your summer wild woods merry with
mimicry of hunting or of war, or sent their
winter snow snakes swiftly gliding over
the crusted snow or the ice bound streamsf
Where are the long lines of warriors which
in other times went, In the glory and ter
ror of their war paint, out on the war path,
still and switt as the serpent in their
movements, fierce and destructive as
wolves and psnthers in their assault
What has made this wide difference be-
tween then and now3 Has the earth
opened her mouth and swallowed yoar
wigwams and your peopief Has the Great
Spirit sent q pestilepce, and destroyed
your enemies with greater numbers and
Drawer courage, overpowered you and
beaten you in war, and reduced you to
your present condition No; none of
these things have happened you. What
then has done 1T What has wrought the
changef Why is it that to day my voice
can reach every member of your tribe
Why are you such handful 1t is the
white mans fire water 1t is the evil
spirit that you let the white man tempt
you with that has eaten your life away.
Go on as you have been doing; continue to
yield yourselves to this deadly poison, and
how many summers will pass ore your
last lodge will be gone, the last fire be
quenched in the wigwamf Ere many
winters, as one of your some, or your sons
son, hungry ard ragged, staggers beggar
To the white mans door, the finger Of the
white mans sccrn will be pointed at him
as The last OF the Onondagas.'
Such is the story, as old men tell it
This is certain from the visit of that
prophet, for many years no member of the
Onondagas tasted liquor. Every Indian,
squaw, and papoose foreswore ardent
epirits, aud ali Kept their pledge Within
forty years it was always known that if
York, he had not on the 6lue Ieggings of
the OlOndagas, but the red ieggings of the
Oneidas, of whom ouly part took the
pledge. II an Onondaga asked for drink
of water in a store where liquor was sold,
he smelt the glass, and, if there was any
suspicion of liquor in it, he carefully wash
ed it before drinking.
There is a vast deal of worldly wisdom in
the remarks attributed to Brother Gardner in