The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-04-24

The Young Poetess to Marry an Indian Almoi
as Accomplished a. Herself

ELAINE GOODALE'S ROMANCE.
The Young Poetsss to Marry an Indian Almost
as Accomplished Herself
New York Press.
A life that 10 tinged with romance has
alwaysa fascination for the public. The
public is to be forgiven. for there il some
romance r and so painfully realistic aSous
other things 1t was two or three months
ago that bit of romance was telegraphed
over the wires from the w est-the announce
ment of tho engagement OF Miss Elaine
Goodale to DR.. Charles A. Eastman. The
special significance of this engagement is
in the fact that DR.. Eastman 10 an Indian,
and that both have consecrated their lives
to the Indian cause.
known here. although her name, and that
of her sister Dora, are familiar to all who
have read their charming verses, published
when they were so youthful that they were
little more than children.
That nature bestows lavish gifts upon
some if but beggarly ones on others is very
truly exemplified in these two aisters They
are both women of extraordinary talents,
and while this article is intended mainly
as a sketch Of the elder the two were so
closely associated In their childhood that
for q certain period it is impossible to
speak of them separately. One ought not
to omit saying that Miss D0ra's rare endow-
ments are hardly secondary TO those of her
years she has developed so much feeling for
art that, through the jealous advice of Mr..
John w. Stimson. she has devoted herself
to serious study In this direction, and last
June took the first prize In the art depart
ment at Smith College. Northampton. Mass
As children Elaine and Dora Goodale
ale exhibited wonderful facility III ex-
pressing their thoughts. and these thoughts,
nurtured as they were In the midst OF
nature in all Its most ravishing beauty.
were poetic and imaginative In the eX-
treme. At two years old Elaine showed
signs of precoclty, and q VISITOR to Sky
Farm, where her parents were then living,
sent back pages to her father about her
after he left, great had been the impress
sion she had made upon him.
Sky Farm was the name given to the six
in the Berkshire hills. Ii was here that the
children were born and lived until they
were thirteen and sixteen years old, when
in 1879 they came to New York TO attend
school for one year. Al! the rest OF their
training was received at home. Both father
and mother having highly cultured minds
the children were in literary atmosphere
constantly. Great attention was given to
the study OF the languages, clergyman
near at hand teac hing them Greek, a Ger
man scholar grounding them in that lam
guage. and faciliIles to learn French being
provided for them in their own mother and
father.
A fact which seems almost inconceivable
to the more common place mind is that the
children began to write at i've years OF age.
A little later they prepared a journal. which
was read regularly once a month before the
assembled family. The journal was called
"Sky Farm Life.D and great ceremonies
were prepared for the occasion when it was
read. The meeting generally took place ut
some pretty spot IN the woods. and the
-an idyllic festival Elaine was the editor
in-chief. and all that the journal contained
was expressly designed as surprise to the
parents.
There was almost no society for either
parents or children at Sky Farm. DR.. Or
Vile Dewey was a neighbor; there were one
or two families at Great Darlington, and
Lenox was near at hand; but the chief
amusements were found among themselves.
Mr.. Higginson, in writing about the chill
dren thinks this almost hermit-like loneli-
ness, however congenial, was unnatural
and to be deprecated; but. as the result has
been in every way gratifying to their par
ents, there islno occasion for regret
few visitors came to Sky Farm, and
when one day General Armstrong galloped
over the hills to the secluded home he was
destined to trace the dim outline In a fu-
ture for Elaine which had remained IN
dreamed of before. His enthusissms about
Hampton College were impaired to the
family. and soon imbued one of his listen
ers with an ardor that resulted In her leav-
ing the farm and taking uD serious duties
at Hampton. For three y ears she remained
there, and then found q still broader field
in the far West where she was made super
visor of all the Indian schools, and has
been associated with the best and most
helpful of Indian work.
Closer and closer she came to the little
romance which. however natural and con-
sistent it may have seemed to herself, was
like an improbable fairy tale to the outside
world. The Indian whom she 10 about to
marry is fast becoming . hero. DIR. East-
mans real name il Ohiyesa Ia WINERY He
is not a full-bloOded Indian. and has as
sumed the name of his grandfather. Capt.
Eastman. a white man in the regular army.
for the purposes of civilization. He il q
man of rare physical endowments and his
face and head indicate great power and in
tellectuality. He has received his medical
training in Boston and has been offered
most fattering inducements to remain
there and practice his profession. but he
has lofty and answering purpose to re-
turn to the land of his people,
and together he and his bride have
marked out q life little short of
language, and Miss GOodale has attained
the facility of a native. One of the incl
| dents related of her 10 that she arrived in q
new camp late one night and from within
her tent talked to the Indian women. They
did not discover until the morning that
| she was not one of themselves.
Dr.. Eastman and Miss GOodale not only
converse in the Indian language, but when
they are separated write In 1t, showing GU
bids advantages of secrecy in their case to
| be undeniable.
Four volumes by Elaine and Dora Good
| pie Blossoms I'm Berkshire with the
Flowers" journal of Farmers Daueh-
ter" and "All Round the Year." They CD.
peared between the years 1879 and 1881. and
Elaine has done little, If any, verse writing
since. While at Hampton she edited the
= ed Iox< n H.