Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1892-05-20

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by mr. 1G'eRpty Greaa'
ssetE DUMB DENla'S the fol
ADDREfNG
The wonderful progrea and poPuI4rity
of the Improved order'If Red Msfl
the Hast few great suns have brought tor
foremost place among the strictly social and
fraterual institutions of the land. There a-e
many causes for this phenomenal increase
Of numbers and influence. The order has
intrinsic merits as a society; it teaches and
exempiifes the principles offriendship and
brotherly helpfulness; it especially appeals
to the patriotic sentiment of the American
citizen because of its origin, its traditions ard
its ceremonies.
We have been criticised of late because of
our title and the supposed barbarism of GER
emonies. But every true and intelligent
Red Man takes the greatest delight in the
fact tfat we are the acknowledged conserva-
tors ofthe original American people. peo-
pie conceded by the early travellers and wri-
friendship, generous in inequalities, and
with many traits of character worthy Of emu
lation by the civilized race. If 80" the
poor Indian of to-day, is lazy, brutal,
drunken rufian, it is evidently because the
vices of his conquerors have been more i'm
pressive than their virtues.
The Improved Order of Red Men is proud
to perpetuate the memory Of the noblest
type Of man ever discovered in his natural
state, and who certainly had the highest de-
velopments morally, physically and intel
lectually The American Indians are new
but feeble and scattered remnant which,
as we have seen, have traded TIE virtues of
their ancestors for the vices oftheir conquer
oTs. In addition to the complimentary de
scriptions Of the early writer's, we have the
beautiful legends of the aborigine which
haYe come to us to prove his courage, hisi in
tellect, his loyalty. his kind disposition, his
moral worth, and his lofty PERCEPTION of a
creator and ruler of the universe.
Through all the traditions of the various
tribes and nations, there runs the conception
with all the human attributes in perfection,
who was to his people the highest type Of
physical strength and beauty; whose heart
overlooked with love for his tribe and people,
and whose knowledge and wisdom surpassed
all others; He who it was taught them to
love and help each other; He taught them to
hunt, to fish, to fight, to plant to build, and
the strength there is in unity and harmony.
History shows no more wonderful union
than that we know as the league of the Iri-
quois. For centuries it stood unmoved and
unbroken by any of the weakening internal
or external influences which have laid low so
many of the mighty empires of the earth. 1t
was not until long after the advent of the
paleface invader that it fell asunder.
1t is said that the 18th successive Great
Sachem was at its head when the white man
FIRST appeared. "Hayowentha" was the
ideal man who came to them in the begin
ming who brought the nations together and
gave them instructions and good advice /;
who created their democratic form of gov
ernmeut in which honor was given to whom
honor was due and the brave, the expert
enced, and the true, the generous and the
wise, were only given posts of honor and
authority. It is true the Indians had an evil
spirit. The "Mache Maneto," who was not
much of god anywaY-hsrdly more than
an incident or exempli6cation of the ills
which assail humanity. But their "Kishe
Maneto' was a good spirit, indeed. Not an
implacable jealous god, dealing eternal pun
ishments, but an altogether kiHd, merciful
generous being, who filed the earth with
corn and game, and brought death only as a
means to translate the Red Man to eternal
hunting grounds of peace, plenty, ane per-
feet happiness.
Thus it was a deserved compliment 10 the
aboriginal people of this country, that the
earlier social and patriotic societies ofAmer-
lea designated themselves and their purposes
by use of Indian appellations.
The good chief "Tamina, ofthe Delaware
nations, whose day the Order celebrates
each great sun, was one of the signers Of the
Penn treaty, and was noted for his physical
and mental qualiti es. He was always
stauuch friend to the whites having had the
good fortune to begin his acquaintance with
one Of the best Of them-William Penn.
The earlier organization, as far back as 1881,
took his name, and later when these societies
became inimical to Great Britain and the
necessity for secrecy became urgent, the GER
emonies aud phraseology Of the abOrigines
we're adopted. In I77I just prior to the rev
olutiou, the attention Of the British officials
was called to this society. by letter from
William Eddis, surveyor Of customs at An
napolis-a copy of which is now on file in
the archives of the State of Maryland, in
which he speaks of branch of the Tamiua
Society exisiug in that place, which pro-
claimed its objects to be to thwart the pur-
noses of the enemies of freedom. These or
CARNATIONS Aourished throughout the coun-
try, aud alth ough the Boston Tea Party is
sued from the lodge room of another society
there is no doubt it was intimately connected
with the sim liar institutions at Philadelphia,
Baltimore and elsewhere. Afterwards IN I7S5
we learn that General Washington wrote a
letter Of thanks to the red men of Philadel-
phia thanking them for their kind assis-
lance and attention to him on the occasion
of their annual celebrations. Again in 1883
VIM. Mooney, of New York City, organized a
Taniina Society which its constitution de-
ciared was to connect in Undesirable bonds
of friendship, American brethren of known
attachment to the political rights of human
nature and the liberties of our country, and
to exhibit an independence Of foreign Gus
toms. This finally became a thorough polit-
ical body. and is to-day the well-known Dem.
ocratic Tamiuy organization Of New York