New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-02

(From Q photograph by PARK, Brlntofd1
hill, sees at the top a small rude oblong struct-
urc, which he might easily mistake for a back
woods church or schoohouse. 1t is distinguished
from both Of these familiar structures by hav-
ing the door in the middle of the southern
side instead Of AT one end The door is iiankcd
by two square windows, which, 1t Is soon dis
covered, have their countcrparts on the north
side. The ends of the house have no openings of
any kind Within the house a narrow. raised
platform. with bench to sit upon, built as
part Of the STRUCTURE, extends all around the
walls. with just room enough for the door TO
open at a right angle. In front of this solid
bench there were movable ones placed end to
end around the room to accommodate the poo
pie who could not all find places against the
wall Nobody, observing this arrangement, would
need to he told that in point at least the
Indians had maintained the habits of their fore
fathers in seating themselves gravcly around the
council fire The central hearth wa, indeed
missing. but the customs il created were still
preserved. As the people entered they separated
at the door. the women occupying one end OF the
house and the men the other.
Indians are rarely in a hurry. So the Green
Corn Festival lasts all day and into the night,
and the later Thanksgiving for the Harvest, it is
said. continues for several days What seems
curious is that Sunday the day sacred among
Christians, should he the usually chosen
by the paeans also for religious services. The
fact shows the gradual, almost impcrceptibe
progress of customs quite foreign 10 the original
thought OF the red men. INC nsciously he has
Welded to the practice of setting apart the first
day Of the week somewhat different from the
other six. Custom j. the basis of doctrine.
Sooner or later he will consciously accept the
Christian reason for doing what he now does
without a thought of its purport Fierce
trovcrsy over matters of faith il unknown to him.
The simple deism of the Onondagas is apparently
an unconscious compromise between the Old forest
religion and the Christianity Of their neighbors.
Uawrnniyo the All Ruler, the Great Spirit whom
they now celebrate in long orations and invoke
in werd chants was unknown to the anclcns,
who worshipped, perhaps without manufactured
svnb Is the thunder god lleno, and the sky god
Taronhiawagon. H. is easy to see how two divinl-
Ties that were merely names for cOntrasted aspects
Of the heavens overhead might be united in
thought and how the worship of the visible
heavens might be transferred TO an Invisible
deity At least these changes were readily ac-
ccptcd by the Iroquois Nations. SO far as one
could Judge from their speeches, the OnondaSas
botray no "Reminiscences Of the old varied nature
Worship How philosophical the Indian be
in giving up his religious psculiarities was shown
many years ago by daring act Of Chief George
IT, NJ Johnson tJcyunghehkwang by which he
rebullcd the conduct Of the Delawares rem
nant of this tribe had been admitted TO the
league and to the privileges of the Reserve But
they kept up practices unknown among the other
nations, and in particular were addicted to the
worship of a hideous wooden idol In the midst
Of their ceremonies on one occasion Mr. johnson
suddenly appeared among them and after an i'm
nossioned address demanded leave to strike down
the image Silence reigned throughout the circle
Of worshippers. Perhaps the Delawares thought
that the god ought to protect himself, perhaps
they dreaded the animosty Of other tribes; but
without waiting for formal reply, the bold
iconoclast seized an axe and split the statue with
a single blow. The face, which Is among the
rolics Of Indian life treasured by the widow OF
Mr. Johnson, is like the masks still used by some
Indians a grotesque imitation of human features
When the idol fell there were signs Of disappro-