The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-11-20
DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRAY.
The indian Sci ects Certain COlors, Binds
Them ReverentIy, But Speaks No Word.

The indian Sci ects Certain Colors, Binds
Them Reverently, But Speaks No Word.
prayer is the souls sincere desire,
unuttered or expressed" And the man
ner of expressing desire may differ
widely. The Indian may be as relig-
ious as is the Presbyterian, yet he
never kneels when he prays. He never
addresses the Deity by word of mouth
at all. Yet he asks for the blessings he
needs, and asks for them with as much
faith and with as much reverence as
does his whittier brother. They want
good corn crop and they gather a
handful of green twigs or grasses, and
bind them together in reverent faith
that the Deity is willing and able to
help them; they lay the emblems or
hang them in place where the sun will
shine upon them and leave, assured
that their prayer has been heard. 1t
may not be answered. The corn may
not prosper right away, but they are in
no wise discouraged. They bind to-
gether another emblem, and offer it in
another place. Some places have par
ticular favor. 1t is believed the Deity
sees them there better than in some
other places. 1t is simply the Chris
tan sidea of sanctuary in another form.
Yellow is the color set apart for
melons. 1t is a pigment not easily
found, and the melons are a difficult
crop to raise. The dry lands of the
the southwest the absence of rain for
months and months, the destructive in
sects and animals all trouble the Indian
farmer, but it is n OF the fault of the
Deity, and he never loses faith in
prayer Red is the color for peaches
and all fruits of the tree 1t is more
easily found, and the peach crop is
surer. But these emblemS must be
added to others. 1t requires courage
and prowess to take care of property
even after it is grown. Their god takes
care of those who try to take care of
themselves. The Indian who wishes
| his prayers answered must do all he
can to take advantage of the answer
when it comes. He must be brave to
defend against enemies; so he finds the
claws of the lion and the bear. He must
be wary, 81 he takes the tail OF fox.
He must be fleet of foot, so he takes
| GllC hOOl VI a ttCCl' liz luuoO bS hNSil VI
vision, so he takes the feathers of the
eagle. All these and many other en-
blems he prepares with good" heart,
never forming even mentally speech
in words, and when they are ready he
hangs them up on the walls of his house
or on a pole that will lift them all day in
the sunshine. and he is as certain of an
swer as can the most devout Christian be.
He has his feast days and religious
festivals and when they occur he fol-
| lows the ceremonies his fathers have
observed for scores of generations He
goes as nearly naked as even savages
ever 60 He fasts days at a time or
feeds his mortal body with food and
drink that is not pleasant He spends
hours in the smoking stencil of a cellar
and fills his simple mird with the tradi-
tions that have charmed his people
since the dawn of story. But it is all
his way of praying. You might tell
him your system of praying and Won
der why he did not recognize its superior
virtue But he would probably ask
you if your prayer would bring any
more rain than would his. He might
ask for a test of the stronger rule and
you would remember sorrowfully that
the days Of the prophets of Baal had
long gone by-Chicgao Herald.