The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-28

recess is all they study about. They are
taught English, and wear shoes and hats, only
to 60 back home and discard the entire layout,
English language, shoes and hats. The chill
dren are paid to come to school. The man
that took the government contract to teach
them pays them one cent day to come to him.
The schools don't do any good. The most
thorough test that was ever made as regards
the Indians susceptibility tc educational and
religious influence, was when number of their
brightest boys and girls were sent to Trinity
college. 1t was given up as a complete and
ignominious failure"
What language do they speak ?"
"I'he old, old Cherokee. Not one in hun
bred can speak English, and then only broken.
They quit English when they quit school,
Their alphabet has eighty-six letters, and yet
little fellows not more than ten years of age
can read and write in Cherokee. There is
paper published in Tahequah, the capital of
the Indian territory, one side of which is
printed in Cherokee. There are number OF
subscribers among the North Carolina Chero-
KEGS, and they watch for it very eagerly"
INDIAN CHARACTER.
The Indians las usual thng,are remarkably
honest and truthful. This popularity is the
more marked as the proportion OF Indian blood
is greater. They never forget a favor. They
are brave and open, especially in their dealings
with each other They have, at least the men
have. quick understandings. They are simple
In mind as in their habits of living. Whisky
is the strongest temptation you can set before
them"
"And the women?"
The maidens are yirtuous and the squaws
faithful. They are mere drudges, marry
young and as usual thing die young. 1t is
no uncommon thing to see a sQuaw of
fourteen or fifteen or sixteen with her own
child strapped across her back. No, tie squaws
don't see much fun in this life The last L
saw of the Indians at home was family going
along the road, the squaw with bundle that
weighed at least one hundred pounds strapped
oil oil
strapped to the bundle, while her yagabond of
husband was walking along in front throwing
rocks at hornets nest"
"What do Indians think of white men?"
"They diStrUSt them. They seem to think
that the whites are superior people, and the
less they trade with the whites the richer the
Indians will be- They despise a negro. This
is the way an Indian puts it-white man, In
dian, Indians dog, negro"
Nv hat about marriage amongst them?"
Here of late years the marriages have
mostly been performed just as among the
whites-license and preacher. A century ago
there was wild celebration and the marriage
feast; then, later as they became civilized, they
dropped that and there was no ceremony. The
old men still living favor strongly the no.
ceremony plan. Their idea is to build hut
and get q squaw to take care of you and the
cabin, and consider yourself married.
ga real Indian seems all out of proportion to
white man. For instance, they go and hunt
for days to find a suitable laurel tree. Then
they spend two or three days cutting out
wooden comb and walk thirty or forty miles
to sell it for fifteen cents. Same way with
ten-cent wooden spoon or O twenty-fiye-cent
breadtray. Old Mike Walkingsticks carried q
peck of chestnutS sixty miles over the noun
tains and sold them for ten cents One Indian
murdered another not long since just for o
pair OF shoes and quart Of whisky. An
other one shot a COW that he couldn't catch,
and then took off her bell and sold it for
drink of whisky. The COW was worth $40 and
was not even used for beef The bell was all
he wanted.
"Then, again, they can be sublime in their
conceptions. DIR. Miller preached a powerful
sermon to the Indians once and after it was
over he asked an Indian if he understood the
idea of the trinity-three persons in one God.
ayes
"'What is it %
Snow, ice, water, said the Indian.
"Itwas his own idea-iust look at that Indian
there. l believe he's fixing to jump off when
the street car starts"
And the manager went back to impress upon
his red-skinned protege the Importance of
keeping perfectly COOL
ONE OF THEM TALKS.
One of the most intelligent of the Indians,
and the only one that speaks good English, is
John Sneed, three-quarters white.
"What about the game you play?" he was
asked.
SIT is with bats and ball" he answered with
Just the slightest stray accent to his English.
''These poles are six yards apart and directly
in front, 200 yards off, these two poles are set
up the same way. The ball is thrown straight
up, midway between. There can any number
play, but fourteen on a side will play tomor-
row. AS the ball starts down, both sides rush.
The object is to catch it on the "bat," in that