The herald., 1894-02-18
OLD CHIHUAHUA'S RELIGION,
He Animadverts Upon the
White Mans Creeds.
AN Incident Recalled by DR.. JOrdan's
Recent Lectures.
A Native Californian Holds Forth In an
Eloquent Manner Upon Some
Very Abstrnse Sub
jects.

"Ths recently published lectures on
evolution and the derivation of man by
Professors LIE Conte and Jordan, re-
minds me so forcibly of similar lecture,
but from an entirely different source,
that had the pleasure of listening to
one warm day last summer that l con-
cluded to give it to you," said Mr.. A.
G. Tingman of Indio to HERALD re-
porter yesterday.
II WAS on my way to look over the
San Jacinto range on the higher noun
| tains, which are covered with snow in
winter. We left Indio early one after
noon and csmped at Old Chihuahus's
camp just below Torros. We had hardly
got our coffee started when old Chihus-
hua put in his appearance. have
known the old man for years and often
heard him tell how he had gone north
with the Spaniards and was working for
Capt. John A. Suffer, herding cattle,
when Orc Primero was first brought
down. | invited him to have cup OF
coffee with US. After we had finished
the coffee we lit our cigarettes and
stretching ourselves under large mes
quite tree, our conversation drifted to
religion.
Old Chihuahua talks good Spanish,
and he has been high priest OF the CO.
huilla mission Indians for years. After
the breaking up of the mission, the In
dams of this valley we're left entirely to
themselves as far as religion was con.
cerned. and the old man got what he
learned at the missions. | saw him
oficiste at the cremation OF the old
chief, CRbezon, some nine years ago.
Formerly they worshiped the sun, and
az they came by heat and light, so they
must return. Old chihuahua said:
1.-THE grasses cannot grow under a
stone, nor tree in a cave, and all good
Indians welcome the sun as be appears
in the morning. and bids him goodbye
as he disappears, begging him to return
again. that they may live and prosper.
The white mans religion is very bad.
The way he lives is very bad. and he
dies young. Did my dog run away and
leave me when you came, and 60 with
you? No; he remained to protect me.
his friend. Once l had good claim
way up north, and | dug lots OF gold,
and white men who thought were my
friends said was horsethief, and were
going to hang me, and ran away and
they took my claim; got all the gold.
white men will do anything for gold
that's their religion. The white man
more than anyone, but he don't; the
inside of his head is old and worn out,
and he talks and talks, and his words
are like the wind in the trees, for they
are nothing and they never come true.
But the little child, when he will talk,
knows what is best, for his head is new
and not worn out. See the burro and
the cow and some other animals; they
kpow, more than all the white men at
could only live. for when they knew go
much they only suffered more, and sui
fered in more ways than any animals
that lived ON this whole earth, so they
just quit and went to eating grass, for
life was all they could have"
''And thu old man of an unknown age
tottered off to his brush wickiup, and as
the sun disappeared over the San Jacinto
range we could hear him and his family
chanting their evening prayer, begging
old Sol to return on the morrow; and my
mind turns to poem written by an old
desert prospector some years ago:
"Go forth" said the sun to a ray of light
That for aeons had lain on its breast,
"Of light and life from world 10 word
Be thou the bearer best"
Down past the morning star 1t few
And lighted on earth on the glistening dew,
Reflected here, refracted there,
1t shimmered and glistened everywhere.
1t visited all the haunt of men,
Looked into misery's noisome den,
Lost in the city's filth and mire.
Found again in ths furnace Ore.
Refrscted here. reflected there,
1t shimmered and glistened everywhere
1t told the tale OF hate and scorn,
1t dyed the rosy cloues of m Urn,
1t shone on many q precious gem,
1t cleaned on q royal diadem,
1t bore loves glances to beauty's eyes,
1t painted evenings purple skies,
1t glanced along the polar snow,
And fingered in the tropics glow.
And cleaving again the vault of blue,
Prom star to star it onward few
Where the vision of man can never pierce
To the nebulouB pales of the universe,
Bearing light aud life wherever it went,
1t again returns from whence twas sent,
Where rest eternal ends Its wearied hightp
In the life of life in the light of light
So thy spirit, o man. when its destiny's filled,
Though it hide in a body of sh anne,
Though it burn in passions red flame,
On the journey omnipotence willedj
Yet pure as 1t comes, SO untRrn1shed 1t goes;