, 1881-08-21

It is not to be denied that the America:
people, SO Called that is to SLY, tile descend,
| ants Of tho O1d-World co1ons1s who seized
and possessed the country,-hayc made Ill
exhaustive study Of the noble red man.
They have ''traded" with him and cheated
| him in the bargain; pensioned ilim and then
robbed him of the pension money; made
t treatics with him and broken them; given
him reservations mld bought them back
from him. They have tried to Christianize
him, tried to ciylize him, tried to shoot him.
ChurcEmcn have prayed for him, and been
scalped i'll the very act Of pious devotion
The Government has sent Ellyoys ExtraordI-
nary and Ministers PIcllipotcntiary to him
and lie las murdered them at the council
board. Cooper made him Il hero Of romance
i'll many 4 charming story, and Longfcilow
has transformed tile string of pa1cfacc scalps
ut his belt into 4 cIlaplet Of savage glory
cucircliIlg his bronzed head. lie las been
the medium through which taxes have found
their devious way from the purse Of the citi-
Zcn to the pocket Of the Indian contractor;
has adorned literature, illustrated the uncer-
talnties Ut diplomacy, and constitutes ali
enduring memorial Of the beauties Of undis-
eliminating Christian charity. Meantime
travellers among the savage tribes who have
escaped with their scalps lave told It's OF the
noble red mans habits and customs, Of his
myths, legends, and supcrstitions; and
archcologists have studied his history i'll his
mounds, statues, Inscriptions on rocks, and
the remains of Ills idols and temples, his
rude weapons, implements, and domestic
utensils.
At last a Chicago author, Alr. Rusliton II.
Dorlnan, has, with intiuit pains, complied,
classified, and published these scraps Of his
tory, myths, snpcrstitions, and legends, and
undertaken to letluce therefroln the fact that
all primitive people, however widely scpa-
rated by space, have started from tlla same
mental and moral point, ant, other things being
equal, travelled the same road Of progress.
OF the "red race'' he says: 'tAlI stages Of
progress are faithfully represented among
them, from the most savage root-digger to
the most civilized Peruvian" "All. |
primitive religious belief is polytheistlc. All
5ayagc tribes are full Of the terror Of inyisi I
BILE spirits which have been liberated by |
death. These spirits till all nature, animate
aid inaninlate. They are in the air, the I
wind, the storm; iii the rock, tic lIilI. the
iale, III the river, the waterfall. They I
into human beings, animals,
)lants and even into inaumate stones, idols,
ind heavenly bodies. which are supposed to
&c animate thereafter. Hence originates
he worship of ancestors, and nlso OF ami
nals, plants, stones, idols, and the heavenly
'odles.' LonsfclIow has given expression
0 the sentiment in the lines, ''.All houses
wherein men have lived and died are haunt
d houses" To the noble red m:ln's appre-
tension the air, the water, tile forest, the
mountain, the valley, is the abode Of multi
udinous spirits These spirits inspire him,
we him into state Of abject fear, and cxalt
I'LL to state Of savage renorselcss rage.
ays Mr. Greenhalgll: ATT night we
card great noise as il ye houses had
II fallen, butt lit was only yc inhabitants
irving away ye ghosts of ye 1nurt1ered.''
The Ohio tribes were accustomed to have