The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-27
DO INDIANS EVER LAUGHF

DO INDIANS EVER LAUGH5
Some Indian schoolboys found their
teacher bad a great aversion to frogs.
To them il was a continual source OIL
amusement to see her run away from
them. One day boy caught one and
shut it up in the table drawer. T.
teacher entered the room. All were IN
order but when she opened the drawer
the frog. anxious to gain its liberty.
leaped out upon the table. and the
teacher made a great ado. One OF the
boys IN a gentlemanV 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 dignity. Afterwards. as they
told of it, they laughed uotil 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 10 realize
that we would excuse rudeness IN our
pupils under these circumstances and
they consider it rude to laugh aloud. or
to laugh at all at the expense OF another
in the others presence.
An old woman who owned a poor old
pony which was almost dead from star
walton and hard work. hat. brought the
pony IN and tied him To the fence. lie
was literally skin and bones. While
| was in the house | heard the woman
making a great cutlery, and ran to the
door lust in time TO see an immense
flock of crows fly away. said, What
is .he matter?n She replied that the
crows had come to pick her poor old
pony's bones while he still lived. She
saw the funny side Of 1t as well as l.
and laughed very heartily. When ont
of the Young lady missionaries asked
Ian Indian woman for her "Wakan sica
tanka.n instead of her "Waksica TAXA,
no one laughed till the teacher was
gone. When inquired why the dish
pan was not given, the reply was. she
did not ask for the dishpan, she asked
for 1.-THE great evil spirit, and assure
Won no Indian woman hears that story
without laughing heartily. Another
teacher. meaning to ask for a tub
asked for young man, and though t
her face they did not laugh, have
seen a W hole sewiDg-school convulse1
with laughter over the mistake severa
times since When one of the minis
tiers from the Ea-t attending our meet
ing went up To group Of Indians, whC
could not understand word of English
aud tried to enter into conversation, O
course there was no response. He sai(
. to me as | came up, Why do they lool
so solemn" | Interpreted what he sale
to the Indians. and all lauged, and said
we did not know what he said, VIII
should we laugh Il does not seen
, TO occur to those asking the question
, why they do not laugh, that they law
but little to laugh at in the presence o
white men.
Indian children are in the house qule
and orderly: they sit and listen to hea
5 older people talk, and if anything
] said that is very amusing. SO that the
cannot control themselves, they pu
q their hands on their mouths and ru
l outside to laugh. Men laugh gentl
and quietly, and now ana then 20
< may hear an old woman laugh long an
+ loud: if 50. some relative will say aside
D Hear how loud sac laughs. like
T.. white man: she is unwomanly. The
G are very social people, and around tn
+ camp fire one may hear many legend
o and fables. hear many old war song
r and nursery rhymes.
j They are human. They are men an
4 women. AS race they are neithC
I treacherous nor lazy, but of cour:
n among them there are some who al
!. both, just as among us.-Miss Collin
i in American Missionary.