New-York tribune., 1896-10-24
AMONG THE TOTEM POLES.
SKETCHES OF INDIAN LIFE AND NAN
NrRs IN THE ALASKA PANHANDLE.

THE THLINKETs OF sOUTHEAsTESaH,Sa Sa,a Hl,H 1on,se
KA by Frances Knapp ana nGpT Printed S''s at
the University Press. Stone e. kimbai' Ohic'So
rho r,ater,s, Cor this somewhat dlscursive but
decidedly interesting volume was ga'heie'
through wears OF personal observation ana III
ouirv among the natives OF Alaska. rs far as posS
sible II was taken down from the lips OF od men
and women The young folks have SO cohiuseu
the traditions Of their fathers and the teac"iiss
of the missionaries that they are unable 10 reia'e
correctly the old legends and beliefs our ihoS'
valuable source Of information. say inc au''o'' D
twas the oldest woman in the Sitka ranchefie'
The first day Of her saga-teiling she WIS es'~''
lished. out Of respect for her great age III ''e
soctest upholstered rocker in the house :
but II was evident that something was "rone'
Tho interpreter was appealed TO-
What does she want? Another cushion.
".She wants to lie on the floor was the an
swer.
and spraNled at full length. native fashion'
upon a squirrel rug her chin resting ON her wilh-
cred hands. she told her weird tales
Sucb largely was the origin Of this BOOK
which Is an admirable type OF a class "hich WI"
probably never become too large IL ls hle
made record Of phases of humanity which are
rapidly passing away. and which. once lost' WI"
be lost forever. How much the ways ana ooii'sS
of perished peoples interest us Is shown IN inc
vast expenditures made for antiquarian research
There is profit in cropping In Egyptian tombs and
digging up the plains of Troy and Babylon, 10
rc, merely the meagre record Of craven stones
How much better If We could get closely written
volume containing an eyewitness description
Of the court OF Rameses or the camp or hector
Here are alien and outlandish peoples. in our own
Of ,yh
ord. Assuredly 1t Is the part of wisdom to make
II now, rather than to wait until its subjects
have vanished into the unreturning past 1hey
sre thus vanishing more swiftly than we OFTEN
think 1t is startling to observe how rapidly CIV
ilization IS Improving off the face OF the earth
many things OF fascinating interest In the am
NAL kingdom for example, men still young re-
member when the mightest Of the tourldae' 'he
bison. roamed ou. Western plains in herds oil mill
ions. when the most beautiful of the equine race
the ouagga, was almost equally numerous III
South Africa and when the second largest laiu
beast Of our era, the white rhinoceros was
familiar denizen Of the wilderness. To-Day the
first survives only in captivity. to the nunper OF
q few score: the second is absolutely extinct and
not even a perfect specimen or II, stuiieo anu
mounted has been preserved in a museum; and
hunters are securing South Africa TO ma ana
kill the three four of the third SAID sun 10 DE
living. Nor is our powder-cart civilization much
more sparing Of wild men than of wild beasts
Where 1t is not exterminating them 1t is trans
forming them and destroying all about them tnat
is OF interest to the student OF ethnoogy. 100
often II is degrading them. robbing them OF saw
age virtues and adding to them civilized VICES IL
is a worthy purpose. to catch some or the true
untanted aboriginal spirit and preserve 1t by
rx-at 10
pose. In this case wor;hy achieved.