St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-30
INDIANS SOMETIMES BATHE.
Inspector Mclaughlin Destroys nm
Old Tradition,

MAJ. James Mclaughlin, United States in
spector OF Indian agencies, was at the Mer-
chants hotel yesterday, on his way to the
Shoshone agency in Wyoming. He recently
visited the Sisseton agency near MiIbank. s.
D., for the purpose Of taking an annual CEN
sus of the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux, who
are there located. The result of the census
was gratifying proof that civilization is not
always certain death to the red man.
"As a general thing" said Maj McLaush-
lin to Glpbe reporter, ''an Indian no
sooner takes to living in house than he
takes to CONSUMPTION, pneumonia and premature
destruction. This is because he has no nat
ural ideas Of hygiene. He overheats his house
frightfuly in cold weather, and then when
perspiring goes out doors with no precaution
against taking cold. He thinks it beneath
his dignity to be comfortable or to take anv
care OF his health. OF course his medicine
man sometimes prescribes excellent vegetable
remedies in case of sickness, but the value of
those remedies isn't half what Eastern en-
thusiasts would make us believe. And then
the remedies that are worth anything ara
administered IN the midst Of so many incan-
tations, would-be magic and such stuff, that
the patient loses good part of the benefit.
Besides these herbs, the Indians sweat bath
Is really vigorous and successful remedy for
many minor attacks Of disease. think that
1t is the chief foundation for the ruggedness
Of the average red brother. And the red sister
too, for that matter. The women use the
sweat bath as much as the men. But, I
don't know why, never saw an Indian child
taking sweat. You see they fix up little
tepee of branches, wrapped around with blan-
kets, carry in some hot stones and pour wa
ter over the stones. This fills the tepee with
clouds Of steam, much or little according as
the water is poured on fast or slow. At
once young Hiawatha old Kicks in His
Sleep begins to sweat like a race horse. He'll
let himself melt apart for ten or twenty min
utes, and then he'll rub dry, and so escape
all danger Of taking a. cold. It's a popular
idea with the Sioux that this bath is spiritual
ly purifying, and that it should be INDUCED
in previous to a ghost dance, so as to sort of
jolly up the good spirit
'The Indians now, however, have passed up
the medicine man They call in the agency
physician, and they are learning how to live
in a house. So that the census at Sisseton
showed a considerable increase over last year
and it's likely that the Sioux Indians at
least may prosper in civilization. When the
Sissetons were accorded lands in severalty
were made full-fedged citizens, and were
given a big cash bonus to buy the frewater
that citizenship entities them to, then feared
the whole tribe would go to pieces, But they
are doing frst-rate. Many of them are strict
ly temperate, and they even take an active
interest in politics, and hold enthusiastic rati-
fication meetings to indorse county candidates.
None Of them have been put on either ticket
yet, however. They are chiefly Republicans.
I don't approve of giving an entire tribe lands
in severalty and every Indian full citizenship
with the land. I think it would be better to
accord these privileges first to the most in
telligent, sober Indians and later to the 9TH
ers sort of premium for intelligence and
good conduct This plan of gradual transfor-
nation is also advocated by Secretary Hoke
Smith,