The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1885-10-07

IL is W uBuL en-
'see those young ones" he continued,
pointing at q duo Of embryo warriors who
were rolling over each other, and whose
sole wardrobe consisted Of calico shirts,
"they run around all winter without o
stitch moro clothes than that Tough
Well 1 should say they are They'll live
where a white baby would freeze to death. "
The first Indian village we saw was in
the Shoshone reservation in Western Idaho.
We had ratified along all day on the Oregon
Short Line through an almost uninhabited
region, the only relief for the weary
monotony Of prairie sage-brush and lava
being an occasional water tank or primitive
station, and we're winding along the sho-
shone river just as the sun was sinking in
the Occident and lonely western twilight
was gathering DER the plains, whom we
espied the tepees Of the village on our left.
To do it justice it did look quite picturesque
in the Idaho cleaning, the light oolored
tepees standing out plainly against the
back ground Of the bluffs across the river,
the sombre smoke curling slowly from the
camp fires, aud the horses and ponies
grazing near by, and yet tho scene bore a
weird and desert-like aspect that carried
with it a sense Of awful loneliness, and
made us mentally calculate the distance to
WE'LL home.
Farther up the line of the same railroad
in the State Of Oregon, we passed through
the UmotillO reservation one afternoon-a
glorious April day, much like a beautiful
June day in Ohio. All vegetation was
green and growing, flowers were in bloom,
and the wild strawberries were turning
pink Occasionally we passed an Indian
hamlet of three or four tepees with their
copper-Colored denizens and o full nssort-
ment of dogs Occasionally we would see
a few acres fenced in and titled, though
most of the country was still wild, and
twice we passed Indian burying grounds.
The UmatillOs have never been particularly
troublesome. Their reservation embraces
a veritable garden spot and is now well
surrounded by white settlers. Last spring
the Interior Department made an attempt
to open the lnnds for settlement, first allow
ing the Indians each farm. A Commits
sioner was accordingly sent out from Wash
ington to talk with them regarding selling
the reservation they now occupy and &C.
cepting in lieu thereof lands in severalty.
The Indians were all strongly opposed to
parting with the land, although in the
crafty manner of their race they carefully
refrained from telling the Commissioner so.
One chief said he would want time to con-
slider the matter and when told he could
have all the time he wanted, said he would
take ten years. Old Chief Peo made a very
| extended speech, declaring himself as q
mugwump and glad that the Democratic
party had come into power, 'for now"
said he, "every chief will have house
built My son, who has been to school,
saw it in q paper, have always been a
Republican, but now I am a Democrat"
The efforts to educate the Indian youths
after the manner Of their white cousins has
been fairly-indeed we may say highly
successful. The schools at Carlisle, Pa.
and Hampton, Va, have been of grea,
benefit to the race. There are also schools
at Lawrence, Kan, Forest Grove, Oregon,
and near Salem, Oregon, beside the Agency
Schools aud others of less Importance ]
visited the Forest Grove school, which wal
not so much unlike an educational institu.
ton for the whites. The pupils embrace
all tribes and are of all shades from the
full-blOoded Indian to those whose white
blood is scarcely tainted with that of tn,
other race. The boys wear blue uniforml
and the girls wear neat print gowns. As
entered the campus don't imagine Tn
from Yale because I use that word) tw,
modern Pocahontoses were sitting on th,
grass under tree humming q Moody ant
Sankey hymn. Timidly and modestly the7
looked at the visitor, ceasing their singing
until 1 passed to another part Of tn,
grounds 1 found the superintendent O
the school and had quite a talk with him
He was watching some of the boys boxinl
up some Of their property, preparatory t,
moving to the Salem school. On the othe
side Of the grounds base ball game was il
progress among the boys. They took
great interest in the game, the bystander
applauding the players when a good catol
or run was made. A red umpire called ou
Glow ball." "high ball." "fouI," etc., il
good English, the pitcher called out "iudg
ment aud the players kicked at the dec'e
ion Of the umpire just as natural as life.
In still another portion Of the grounds
half dozen youthful Kioapoos, Lapwuis
and Modocs were industriously tootiul
away upon some brass band instruments
can't say they wore remarkably success
full as a band but must say that they de
served success because Of their ceaseles
attempts and unhagging zeal.
These youths are fairly educated in tn
i simple English branches; also the girls Il
housework and the boys in farming AM
} carpenter work. Most Of them return L
! their forest homes where some Of them d
good work in educating others, and wher
D some, amid the influences Of their shiftles
Bedouin-like surroundings, drift bae
i almost to their former condition. Yet th
B value Of these schools must not be for
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