St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-02-05

/ drinks were 80 uts duu CiuCNiNO ds
those imported later from Europe.
II is "A well known fact that the In :
dams early fell a prey to the bewitch-
| ing Influences OF strong drinks after
] the white men began to appear. Whis-
/ key and rum were the chief articles by
which the early traders obtained their
supplies of pelts from the natives. We
may safely assert that it was strong
drink rather than the sword that ex-
! tirpated the tribes which formerly in
habted the forests Of New England
and the Middle States. Not long since
we gave an account of petition sent
up from an Indian village situated on
part of the present site of Pittsburgh,
In which the Delawares of that village
besought the governor of the common
wealth of Pennsylvania not TO permit
any more Intoxicating drinks to be
brought into their midst by the traders
for it was producing SORROWS, quarrel
ing and death in their midst. And
similar petitions went up from many
an Indian village or encampment in
those early days. The English colo
nists of Massachusetts, as early as
1864, passed stringent laws against the
sale of ardent spirits TO the Indians.
The Dutch colonists, however, were
more indulgent and permitted the traf-
fc in their midst to go on with little
restriction. The colOnists of New
Hampshire were equally INSCRIPTIONS.
The Rev. John NJ. Wilton, in his his
tory of New Hampshire, relates the
following incident which occurred as
early as lots, and which exhibits the
good Judgment of the Indian chiefs
as well as the unprincipled character
of many cOlOnists. He says: 1.-TWO
English traders having established II
trucking house among the PenacoOks,
some of the chiefs took a journey to
Portsmouth TO request that no spiritu-
Gus liquors might be.sOld. They were
man was killed by an Indian in
drunken carOusal within the present
limits of Concord. The chiefs then re-
newed their entreaties to furnish no
more rum, and even complained to the
general court, urging the plea that the
MOhawks might come upon them when
drunk and destroy them. Who can
suppress the wish that this carly tenn
perance movement had been attended
with better success ?"
The Jesuits in Canada at a very early
date forbade, on pain of excommunica-
ton, the giving or selling of intoxicat-
ing drinks to the Indians, "because,
being intoxicated to excess, and thus
depriving themselves of reason, they
fell into mortal sin" 1t is said that
this prohibition was so strictly Observ-
ed that no FrenclIman for some years
'dared to give glass of brandy to an
Algonquin or Huron" But the Indians
being passi0nately fond of these drinks
went to trade with the Dutch in New
York who supplied them with brandy.
1t was soon discovered also by the
Jesuits that they were receiving their
spiritual instruction as well as their
rum from other quarters, and so in
1866, Talon, the vicerOy of Canada re-
moved the restriction. Following this
the most terrible scenes of dissipation
and violence were witnessed in Mont
real and Quebec. Charlo voix, who
went to Canada in 1905, wrote "Hus-
bands, wives, fathers, mothers, broth
ers and sisters were frequently seen in
the streets of Montreal in state of in
toxication, worrying one another with
their teeth like so many enraged
wolves" He also relates that an In
dian, being asked what he thought
brandy was made of, replied, "Of
tongues and hearts, for when-I have
drunk it | fear nothing, and talk like
an angel"
Thus may we not well affirm that in
toxicating spirits have from the very
first advent of the pale faces been the
redman's greatest foe2 From the rifle
shot of his enemy the Indian could find
refuge behind the trees of his native
forest, aud i'll the ravines and rocks
where he had so often shared his game !;
but the enemy of the still even Outwit-
ted the Indian himself i'm his cunning
and deceit. Its attacks were made i'm
the most insidious manner. 1t came
among them like an oily tOngued
friend. bnt it proved itself most
treacherous foe. 1t not only brought
disease and death, discriminating whole
tribes, but it was also the greatest Oh
stacle in the way of the herald of the
cross, and so among the natives of
America as well as in the wiIds of AT
RIGA to-day, the trader was re-
sponsible for the loss of many pre-
cious soul The Young Christian.
City Weeks for Tired Country
Folks.