The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-13
THE INDIAN SITUATION.
President Meserve's Interesting Lee
ture Last Evening.

A Story That Shows Their Distrust of
Whites and also Their Quick Minds
Tribute to Hoke Smith and Senator
Dawes.
At the vestry of the First Baptist
chucrh last evening there was valu-
able and interesting lecture by a valu-
able and interesting man.
Mrs. Myra E. Frye, president OF the
Maine Woman's Indian Association, IN
PRODUCED President Charles +. Meserve,
OF Shaw University, Raleigh. N. G, for
merly president of the Haskell Institute,
at Lawrence, Kansas, the great govern
ment school for the Indians.
President Meserve said that he desired
to speak upon sour National Indian
Problem" He referred to the first
Thanksgiving day in 1921, ordered by
Governor Bradford, at which Massasoit
and the rest were invited. Could that
treatment of the indians have been con-
tinued, how much different would have
been the result and the problem of to-
day.
He referred to the history of the In
dian that resulted in the reservation sys-
tenn, which, he believed, couldn't have
been improved upon by the very cum
ming Of the devil to keep down the In
dian. He would give an illustration.
Down ON the Cherokee strip. few years
ago, he was told of a bright Indian-girl.
and went down to bring her to the
school. He tried to show the girPs
mother the benefit of her daughters in
struction in white manners OF life, but
the mother, although she approved some
what, refused her consent. He wasn't
willing to give up that girl. He went
to the house with his wife. The mother
was reserved. He began 20 play with the
baby, and got into the mothers good
graces. He opened the subject OF her
daughters going to school. but it was
no use. Later he seut for the mother TO
bring the daughter to the Iagents' head
quarters. Itwas there that the mother
finally let out on him, to use popular
term. She said: "You white folks do
make me tired" and more of the same
kind. The fact was she really wanted
her daughter to 60 away to school, but
sheshad distrust of him because he was
a white man, and she was justified i'll
such distrust as her following story
shows, After her burst of indignation
she felt better, and finally explained that
she was born in what is now Nebraska.
Her father was prominent man in the
tribe They WIRE forced to leave their
home and move to the Cheroee strip.
The year before she returned to the land
Of her fathers, to the spot that was by
right her own. There was town there.
In the light of the electric globes, or of
the sun, she saw nothing that was hers.
"There is nothing there now that is
mine. j 1t was stolen from me by the
whites" and she stopped,a las much as to
say, and you want to steal my daugh-
ter" ~
: The greatest trouble has been this feel
ing of disgust, said President Meserve.
In regard to the Indian problem at the
present time, he said that there is no po-
litical party that could come into power
that would dare to legislate adversely to
present methods of advancement. He had
a long talk recently with Hoke Smith,
Secretary of the Interior, and was de-
lighted to that he approved Of the pres
enJ methods in educating the Indian.
He paid the Secretary high compli-
ment for his interest in the education of
negroes and Indians. He read from the
Secretary's report, showing that be advo-
Gated permanent Indian service. He
knew that Hoke Smith was honest in
that, because he knew of four cases
where men were retained in the service
solely through his interference, though
politically they were subject to removal.
He devoted good deal of time and
praise to Senator Dawes's efforts for the
Indian, and declared that he had done
more than any other man. He told
story after story, each more interesting
and significant than the last, of the in
telligeuce and progress Of Indian boys
and girls in the schools, and said, they
are just the same after all, as your boys
and girls, and given the same conditions
would learn as rapidly" 1t was most
interesting lecture.
President Meserve is a graduate of Col
by, class of 1877. Among his classmates
were jill Drummond, Jr., w. Fl. Loon
ey, DIR. Charles D.Smith, and W. H.
Brownson and Jos. H. Files of the Ad-
vertiser.
president Meserve was an active par
ticipant in tie services of the last Mo-
honk Conference, and is regarded as one
of the leading friends of the Indian in
the country.
Mayor-elect Curtis Educated in Maine.
Edwin Upton Curtis, who has just