Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-25
INDIANS AND THEIR CUSTOMS.
Rev. r.. n. Young Entertains an Au-
dscnce at Centenary Church.


1t IL not too much to say that Rev.
Egerton Il. Young the Canadian mission
airy, who has been entertaining the people
OF Richmond with instructive lectures,
drawn from his rich fund OF personal ex-
perence and observation among the In
dams OF the far Northwest, has made "a
remarkable hit" Those who had the
pleasure OF seeing and hearing his Illus
trated stereOpticon lecture at Centenary
Methodist Episcopal church last night
were more than delighted.
DIR. Young Is accustomed TO address Inn
mense audiences In the largest halls, and
was under some restraint owing to the
low-ptched ceiling OF the church vestry
I'm which he spoke, yet for more than two
hours ne held the uniagging attention OF
crowded house.
Views Of the region from which he came
were thrown on n canvass as he proceed
ed with his address and each feature Of
the talk was freely illustrated, Captain
c. II. Hasker operating the stereOpticon.
While the audience was gathering the
lecturer good-humoredly amused the
punctual ones by his laughable account OF
curious Indian customs. Indian etiquette
he told them, requires the dinner guest
10 eat all he can. and take away all he
and his wife had when they settled in the
country. an Indian sduaw, took away with
her after dinner about all the food in the
house which had been incautiously placed
before her.
The Indians. Mr.. Young said, are very
initiative, and 10 Illustrate this he told
the following story A lady visiting the
missionarys church wore one Of the large
hoopskirts then in vogue. The Indian
girls were agOg with excitement when
they saw her, and thereafter not a barre
could be kept on the premises. The old
ash-barrel fell 10 pieces. TO reappear when
the Indian girls entered the narrow church
pews next Sabbath.
when the lights in the lecture-room
were turned down one was irresistibly
reminded Of Cooper's Indian tales. and
many an Indian story Of boyhood days
came to mind, as the splendid pictures
were successfully thrown upon the
screen. The audience was carried up TO the
far Northland. west Of Hudson's bay, I'm
Canada. They saw. as II by magic. the
wondrOusly varied and beautiful scenery
OF that all but unknown region, the
Great Lone Land. Before their eyes the
Aurora Borealis CLEANED over the mar
vellous ice-caves. They saw the Indian
villages. without streets; the braves, the
fQuaWS, the pdIpOoSeS IN Inelf VARIOUS
costumes. and amid typical surround
ings. and We're shown views Of the WILD
beasts Of that region-the grizzly and
black bears. the buffalo. and the ante
lope. Among these were seen the In
dian huntsmen, staying the game.
vivid representation Of an ambush
attack on a wagon-train was replaced
by the Indian scalp-dance. which. by the
way. IS now outlawed by the Dominion
Government.
DR.. Young is at his best I'm portraying
the twilight region between barbarism
and civilization. He awakened great in
terest by relating the effect upon the
Indian races OF the Gospel and Of civil
lization. Fine large churches and school,
houses built by the Indians. were
shown. They were thronged with bright
faced. well-clad men and women. re-
deemed by the missionaries labors
through the Gospel OF Christ from the
darkness Of Paganism.
In closing his address, Or. Young naive
~ remarked that although among the
Savage" red men. he never lost p quar-
ters worth by theft. he feared that he
could not say as much Of civilized white
people. as he had lost a purse during
the evening containing sum OF money
and his newly-purchased railroad ticket.
DR.. Young left at o'clock this morn
ing for Dalton. Ca.