The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-28
AROUND THE CORRIDORS.


1.-THE Alaska Indian" said DR.. Jules Provost
last evening at the Occidental, lis, without
any doubt more susceptible to the influences
of civilization than the members of any other
of the various tribes scattered over the Ameri-
can continent 1t is remarkable how environ
ment tells upon these people. They are al
most wholly without the vicious instincts so
prominently developed in the Indian char
acter by other chimes, and perhaps 1T is due TO
this one fact that they so readily fall into the
customs of civilization. The Chinese are COM
monty spoken of as the most sklllful 1mltators
on earth, put, as matter of fact, they are not
to be compared with the Indians OF Alaska
An Indian of average intelligence Will give the
best Chinaman on earth cards and spades
and beat him on anything from dog
yoke to a clock. Just give them the
tools, and they will duplicate anything that
they see. For native ingenuity have never
seen their equals among any other people.
They are not alone imitators in the mechanic
arts, but show marvellous adaptablllty IN the
acquisition of knowledge pertaining TO Gus
toms and morals. For generations they nave
lived in underground huts. No sooner Gid
they see the cabins OF the white man than they
too took to surface habitations. Not few OF
them, but thousands, at once recognized the
advantages of house of wood above ground.
Now it is not good form to live underground,
and the whole nation is rapidly acquiring COM
Portable houses. 1t was the same way in the
matter of personal cleanliness. They saw the
white men use soap and water and they were
not slow to fall into line
Mentally they are certainly far superior to
other American Indians. They acquire Eng
l1sh with great facility and learn TO read
and write in about half the time required Tor
these accomplishments among the Sioux or
Apaches. We often have visitors from settle
ments six or seven hundred miles away. They
look with awe and wonder upon those OF their
kind who enjoy improved conditions OF living
at or near the mission. They see cabins in
course of construction where hunks and
blankets are used instead of skin and the
floor. The lesson is not lost upon them. They
return to their settlements, ana at once prac-
teal results of their newly acquired ideas are
to be seen. No more sleeping on the foor-no
more underground caves. In this way whole
towns have been changed from squalid misery
to fair degree of comfort. Many of them are
devout Christians. l have known an Indian
to bring the dead body of his wife hundreds of
miles over mountains and almost impossible
rivers that she might have Christian burial at
the mission. There are great things in store
for the Alaska Indian, for he is progressive and
anxious for instruction in the arts of civiliza-
ton"
Iuo press ulspdtcu from washington, WHICH
says that Governor Hughes of Arizona is to be
retired from Office on the report of Secret Ser
vice Inspector Oliver will come as surprise
to good many people in Arizona" said
William Meter of Globe at the Grand yes
terday. "Of course, the rumors have been thick
relative to his removal for some time. He has
been in hot water ever since his appointment,
and there have been complaints from dozen
sources, whether we'll founded or not I am not
IN P,-f i, frOp tbxa
Secret Service Inspector was generally sup
posed to contain matter favorable to Hughes
and complete refutation of the charges of his
enemies, who, OF course, were responsible for
the investigation. They have made great
cry because he appointed members of his
family to places under the Government, but if
am not much mistaken, there is much of this
sort of thing among officials higher than
Hughes. It's poor man, indeed, who will not
take care of his friends, in a political way,
when the power to do so is given him.
Hughes urpopularity, in my opinion,
comes from the fact that he changes his poll
tics every few years. Here again selfish mo-
tives should not be charged against him, for
he has yeered several times without having in
sight any office, or without the expectation of
reward of any kind.
"The rumored appointment of Ex-Governor
Zulick to succeed Hughes is hardly within
the bounds of the probable, but it is hard to
account sometimes for the turn of fortune in
political warfare. He may have bridged the
gulf which short time ago very stormy
water between himself and Hoke Smith,
Baron G. de Choisy, who is out here for the
Societe Industrielle DIES Sciences ct des Mines
an immensely wealthy French syndicate that
is purchasing some large quartz-mining prop
critics in this State, in speaking of the reason
for seeking foreign investments, said the other
day at the Palace: '"There is great deal OF
idle capital in France that must seek invest
ments abroad. We have no such opportunities
as You have here. All our large railroads and
other such public enterprises have been built
up SO that there is little opportunity for invest
ing in that way. So it is with the different
lines of manufacturing. The surplus capital
must go out of France, and a great deal is
being invested now all over the world. There
seems to be great field here" The Baron and
Mr.. de Bourgade, who came out with him,
have satisfied themselves of the value of sew
eral large properties and will recommend their
purchase
Ben Maddox of the Visslia Times is in town
and is very enthusiastic over the outlook in
his end of the San Joaquin Valley for this sea-
son. Yesterday at the Grand he said: "In no
part OF the State will there be better crop of
wheat than in the upper end of San Joaquin
Valley. In TACT they have never before had such
crops even there Thousands of acres will
yield from fifteen to twenty-five bushels to the
acre. With the way the price of wheat is 60
ing up that means a great deal. There is the
best OF feeling in Visalia. The population has
been increasing very fast the past two years.
1t is the most prosperous town in the State to-
day. You couldn't get house to live in and
there are great many improvements going ON
all the time and buildings being put up. One
good sign is that we have hardly felt the hard
times that the rest of the country has had"
SUPPOSED TO BE HUMOROUS.