The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1888-04-18
Do Indians Ever Laugh :?

Some Indian School-boys found their
teacher had a great aversion to frogs.
To them it was continual source of
amusement to see her RIM away from
them. One day boy caught one, and
shut it up in the table drawer. The
teacher entered the room. All were in
order; but when she opened the drawer
the frog, glad to gain it's liberty, leaped
out upon the table and the teacher made
a great ado. One of the boys in gen.
tlemanly way took up the frog, carried
it to the door, and threw it out. No
sign of enjoyment could be discerned in
their faces. They remained through
school-hours retaining their solemn digni-
ty. Afterwards, as they told of it, they
laughed until the tears came, laughed
over and over again, as they remembered
the dismay of the teacher. Why did
they not laugh at first They had not
yet come into the ways of white men
enough to realize that we would excuse
rudeness in our pupils under these cir
cumstances, and they consider it rude to
laugh aloud, or to laugh at all at the ex-
pense of another in the others presence.
An old woman who owned poor old
pony which was almost dead from starva-
ton and hard work, had brought the
pony in and tied him to the fence He
was literally "skin and bones" While
l was in the honse | heard the woman
making a great cutlery, and ran to the
door Just In time to see an immense flock
OF crows fly away. said, what is the
matter? p She replied that the crows
had come to pick her poor old pony
bones while he still lived. She saw the
funny side of it as we'll as I, and laughed
very heartily. When one of the young
lady missionaries asked an Indian wo.
man for her Wakan sioa tanka," in
stead of her Waksica taxa" no one
laughed till the teacher was gone. When
l inquired why the dish-pan was not
given, the reply was, she did not ask for
the dish-pan, she asked for " the great
evil spirit, and l assure you no Indian
woman hears that story without laugh
ing heartily. Another teacher, meaning
to ask for tub, asked for young man,
and though to her face they did not
laugh, [ have seen a whole sewing. school !
convulsed with laughter over the mistake
several times since. When one of the |
ministers from the East attending our
meeting went up to group of Indians
who could not understand a word of
English, and tried to enter into CONVEX
sation, of course there was no response.
He said to me as I came up, why do |
they look so solemn?" / interpreted
what he said to the Indians, and all |
laughed, and said, We did not know
what he said why should we laugh ?"
1t does not seem to occur to those asking
the question, why they do not laugh, !
that they I've but little to laugh at in
the presence of white men.
Indian children are in the house quiet !
and orderly they sit and listen to hear
older people talk, and if anything is said
that is very amusing, so they cannot con
troll themselves, they put their hands on
their mouths and run outside to laugh.
Men laugh gently and quietly, and now
and then you may hear an old woman
laugh long and loud if 80, some relative
will say aside, Hear how loud she
laughs, like a white man she is un.
womanly." They are very social PEG.
pie, and around the campfire one may |
hear many legends and fables hear many |
old war songs and nursery rhymes.
They are human. They are men and
women. AS a race they are neither
treacherous nor lazy, but of course among
them there are some who are both, Just |
as among us.-M58s Collins, IN american
Missionary