Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-03-29

friendship vouched for with life itseIr,
an unfailing remembrance Of a kind
ness done him, q nobility of soul that
held II firmly 10 his ideas Of honor,
filled him with reverence for the sages
and heroes Of the tribe and inspired In
him an ardent longing TO emulate
their renown. In social and domestic
life kindness and self-control were
constantly manifested, wrangling and
strife being unknown In the Indian
dwelling"
II IL difficult, says the Pittsburgh
Dispatch, TO conceive Of n more iDcor-
rect statement Of the case regarding
the mental attributes Of the Indian
In addition TO the error that has been
constant in the minds OF the people,
through such statements and ideas as
romantic and prejudiced writer's have
given out as chronological data, there
has been q fundamental error In the
study Of Indians in CHASING or group
ing them all together. II Is true that
there are certain constant character
istics among the Indians, just as there
are In the Caucasian race, but IL IL also
true that the mental and physical diff
ferences between tribes are more
marked than between the European
nations.
II is through reading such authors
rs viewed the outside or apparent life
Of Indians that the world to-day knows
almost nothing nbout the dominant
characteristics Of the red man. In
civilized circles the belief Is current
hat the perccptive faculties Of the
Indian are highly developed; that he
Is acute In all things, and that his
mind almost intuitively grasps phil.
osophical subjects; that he is born
orator with natural rhetoric; that he
pierces the fallacics of sophistry with
almost divine powers Of analysis; that
he has evolved a religious system and
worships one God under the title of
Great Spirit. These are the mental at.
tributes with which he has been
clothed by those who have been accept
ed as authority. His physical powers
are no less those Of n demigod. He Is
supposed to DO bundle OF muscles
and nerves, capable OF almost super
human endurance. His eye Is SO true
that he distinguishes objects and tells
their characteristics before they come
within the range OF vision Of the
whites. Owing TO his unerring aim his
Workmanship In phenomenal. His iden
of location is SO highly developed that
he finds his way over untrod plains
and mountains, and notices the Glight-
est displacement Of stick or stone.
What are the facts? The Indian Is
not an orator. lie expresses himself
with extreme difficulty and In the sim
plest manner. lie has neither rhet-
orical nor analytical power. His
philosophy Is Of the crudest sort, and
he has no religion. lie does not wor-
ship a great spirit except as he has
been taught by the whites. His mon.
tai powers have nothing supernatural
In them. Physically he is the inferior
of the whites as he Is mentally. His
muscles are weaker and his nerves
more easily unstrung; his eye Is less
keen than that Of the white plains
man, and he is u tyro at marksman-
ship; his idea OF location Is bounded
by his environments. lie sees few
sights, hears few sounds, smells few
odors, and tastes few havors The re-
suit Is that his whole life Is narrow, rs
the facts presented to him IRE few.
His perccptive faculties are Of low
order and his powers Of discrimination
small. This, however, Is a rule which,
like all other rules, has exceptions, for
there are now, and have been In the
past, elevated minds among the In
dams