St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-11-23
A BISHOP ON INDIANS.
Friendly View of the Red Men by One Wha
KnOsya.

.-.-~~---s
Friendly View of the Red Men by One Wha
Knows.
when went to Minnesota" SAID
Bishop Whipple, Indian affairs were
In their worst state. The agents were
appointed asa reward for political serv.
ices. The salary was but ffteen hundred
dollars a year, but there was a definite
understanding that the position meant
a competency for life. The Indians
had been dragged down to sorrow
their fathers had never known. The
Sioux have a very bad reputation now,
but for thirty years it was their boast
that they had never taken the life OF
white man. If their former friend-
ship has been changed to enmity, it Is
our fault.
''The Indian is the noblest type Of
the wild man In the world. He rec
ognizes the Great Spirit, believes in a
future life, has a passionate love for
his children. and will lay down his
life for his tribe He is courteous and
hospitable IL the bitterest enemy
came to his wigwam he would be
treated as an honored guest. The
world is peopled with spiritual inhu-
enees to the Indian. There is a spirit
in the waterfall, another in the thun-
der, another In the trees. Everything
explainable by science is by the Indian
attributed to spiritual influence.
The Indian is proverbially honest, un-
less he is demoralized by drink.
''In thirty-six years experience with
the Indians never knew one to tell
me q lie, and I never had a thing
stolen by one. I asked Tan Indian
once IL it was safe to leave my
property in his wigwam while made
q. distant journey. He laughed and
said: Quite safe. There isn't white
man within a hundred miles of you.'
Among themselves the Indians are
fond of jokes and often shouting with
laughter. They are taciturn, however.
In the presence OF the whites.
There was much bitterness among
the Sioux when Icomnienced my work.
There had been sold without their
knowledge eight hundred thousand
acres of their reservation. They re-
ceived no pay. They were told that
there were claims against them to that
amount. The government expended
eight thousand dollars year for the
Indians. When i came they had not
taught single child to read. As /
taught fifty in the first year / was
there at a cost of less than seven hum
dred dollars, the fact Is striking
one.
In 1862, during the civil war, the
Indians learned from pictures which
they saw on the traders counters that
the north was at war with the south,
and was being defeated. When the
they believed they could recover their
lost territory They commenced q
massacre in which eight hundred peo.
yle were killed In three weeks. The
western border of Minnesota was q
trail of blood
Many of the noblest border men |
have ever known were cruelty MUIR
dered. 1t was darker than midn light,
shall carry to my grave the warm
hospitality 81 those friends who
now sleep in nameless graves. The
massacre was the outcome of a long
series of neglects and dishonesty, and
the only light in the darkness Of those
days was the fact that the Christian
Indians were as true as steel They
saved more than two hundred white
women and children. There are In
dians still whom love as the bravest
knights that ever walked on earth,
and who at the risk of the hatred OF
their fellows and danger to their lives
never faltered The same massacre
would have taken place on our north
ern border had it not been for the fact
that the Christian Indians gave timely
warning to the danger, and friendly
Indians came to the defense of the
whites
tAt Fort Ripley some of these In
dians received certificates from Gen.
Sibley, one of the noblest men In com
mand of our troops, which read: ''The
bearer is entitled to the lasting graft
tude Of the American people for hav-
ing been instrumental with other In
. dians in saving the lives. of white
women during the Sioux war. '
There are about eight thousand In
dians in Minnesota now. Among them
are nine churches and there are TWEEN
ty-se1en fulI-blooded Indians who are
clergymen. Thirty.six years ago /
found pandemonium. saw such
wretchedness as I would not have be-
Iieved could exist in Christian ma
tion. All ] could say was: How
long, oh Lord?' On my last visit I
preached to five hundred Christian In
dians. did not see a blanket nor a
painted face Icou1d only say: What
hath God wrought2' Cleveland Lead