Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-03-24
INDIANS REAL AND IDEAL.
Aomance Has Given Poor Lo a Halo which
| the Truth Causes To Vanish,

R0mance HAS Given POOr lo HALO Wnich
the Truth Causes to Vanish.
The student of cthnology finds no
more fascinating branch of human.
ity than the Indian. Not the race
o. depicted Ivy Catlin, Schoo.craft,
and Drake, who have painted him In
glowing colors, but the Indian as he
exists to-day. The time has come
when the truth about Indian life
should be told. The gentlemen men.
TONED gave much thought to the
subject OF which they are now the
accepted authorities but he who
goes among Indians as student will
at once perceive that the whole
study Of the red men has been one OF
externals to the exclusion OF the
more secret and inner life that dis.
closes the real character Of the race
The following paragraph appears In
the introduction of brakes master.
piece:
There was found in him che Indian) an
unbounded hospitality. q friendship vouchcd
for with life itself. and uniailing remem-
brance Of q kindness done him. q nobility
Of soul that held It firmly to his ideas OF
honor. filled him with reverence for the
in him an ardent longing. to emulate their
renown. In social and domestic life kind
ness and self control were constantly mani.
tested. wrangling and strife being unknown
In the Indian dwelling.
It Is diiIicult, says the Pittsburgh
Dispatch, to conceive Of q more in.
correct statement Of the case regard.
Ing the mental attributes Of the In.
dian. In addition to the error that
has been constant In the minds of the
people, through such statements aud
ideas as romantic and prejudiced
writer's have given out as ethnologi.
cal data, there has been q funda.
mental error In the study Of Indians
In CHASING or grouping them all to.
getheE 1t ia true that there are
certain constant characteristics
among the Indian. just az there are
In the Caucasian race, but 1t Is also
true that tho mental and physical
differences between tribes arc more
marked than between the European
nations
It 10 through reading such authors
% viewed the outside or apparent
life Of Indians that the world knows
almost nothing about the dominant
acteristics of the red man. In
civilized circles the belief Is current
that the perceptive faculties OF tho
Indian are highly developed; that he
IL acute in all things, and that his
mind almost intuitively Rrasps phi.
losophlcal subjects; that he II Q horn
orator with q natural rhetoric; that
he plerces the failacics OF sophistry
with almost divine powers OF an.
aiysis; that no has evolved q re.
liHious system and worships one God
under the title of Great Spirit These
are the mental attributes with which
he 10 clothed by those who have been
accepted Is authority. His physical
J powers are no less those of q dcmi.
god. He Is supposed to be bundle
Of muscles and nerves, capable Of al.
most superhuman Endurance. His
eye Is 20 true that he distinguishes
objects and tells their characters.
tics before they come within the
range Of vision Of the whiteA Owing
~ his uncrring aim his markham.
ship IL phenomenal His idea Of To-
cation Is 50 highly developed that he
| uuu0 uio Woy ONOt uuVIVu pldiuS uuu
mountains, and notices the slightest
displacement Of stick or stone.
What are the facts? The Indiar
Is not an orator. He expresses him.
self with extreme ditiiculty aud In tn,
simplest manner He has neither
rhetorical nor analytical power. Hi
PHILOSOPHY Is Of the crudes: sort ant
he has no religion. He does no
worship great spirit, except as HI
has been taught by the whites Hi
mental powers have nothing super
natural 10 them. Physically he 1
the inferior Of the white as he
mentally. His muscles are weake
and his nerves more easily unstrung
his eye Is less keen than that of :h
white plainsman, and he Is q tyro u
Workmanship; his idea Of location !
BOUNDED BY bis environments II
sees few sights hears few sounds
smells few odors and tastes fev
fiavors. The result Is that his who'll
life 10 narrow rs the. facts presente,
to him are few. His perceptive faC
uities are Of low order and his pow
ers OF discrimination small. This
however, Is q rule which, like al
other rules. has exceptions for Their
are now. and have been In the past
elevated minds among the Indians