The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1897-01-16

ter, no matter how rude, for his head, d
blanket, 8 AFRO overalls, and a shirt
for his body, with the wherewithal
for filling his stomach at more or less
regular Intervals, he is ssmuy conteto.''
Why should he worry? The year is
long, and after that anot Their will come,
and then another, and so on to the
END. Why work ones self to death,
like the foolish Americana? Do not
the birds, when building their nests,
pause frequently and tWitter to each
other as they sway side by side on
the bough?? Why should a man pre-
tend to know more than a bird There
is plenty Of time to prepare the land
J for maize, friiole, and sandia patches,
not forgetting the rows Of chiles
! Where is the harm, then, If Pedro and
r Ramona sit down in the shade for a
quiet smoke, or even a conf Portable
little snooze. with the meadow larks
over yonder in the willows, singing
sweetest melodics7 Manana-mana-
ma never do today what you can just
as well put off till tomorrow. That
is the Indians philosophy, and, as he
appears to thrive and be happy upon
it, who shall say his is not the most
sensible way of getting through life?
Go over into the American settlement
yonder and see the white man rushing
to and fro from early morning until
late at night, driving, hurrying, as
only an American does. Yet what
does he get out Of life more than the
Indian? Why not go over into Saboba
consider the Indian, study his ways,
and be wise?
Now the road climbs up on the mesa
above the bottom lands, which have
been TILED by the Indians these many
years. The strip Of arabic land is
small, hence none may be wasted in:
roads, which are regulated to the bar
rem mesa, where no water is. Down
down elbow a row of cottonwood
trees-their soft, downy blossoms
floating away on the breeze and max
ing little drifts in the road-marks
the line of the zenja which carries the
water from the river to the little fields
of the Indians. And, by the way,
these poor miserable, ignorant, untu-
tored savages have hit upon a solu-
ton Of the land question which is the
acme of fairness, and which all the
combined wisdom of ages cannot well
surpass. 1t is nothing more nor less
than a practical and successful ex-
emplifcation Of the theories of these
who do not believe in individual
ownership of land. To begin with,
none of the villagers are speculative
farmers. That is to say, none of them
care to raise larger crops or cultivate
more land than will provide for the
simple wants Of their families. None
desire to accumulate beyond that
ipfs xri1J IL
allots to those who apply such tracts
Of land as they desire to cultivate.
No man is given control over a larger
area than he actually cultivates, and
there is enough for all. So long as a
man desires the piece of land and will
care for it he retains it, but the
moment he refrains from cultivating
the whole or any portion Of it, then
it is taken away, provided any one
wants it. But no one owns an acre
Of land. It all belongs to the control
Of the Captain, in whose decisions all
.acquiesce.
Scattered alongthe banks of the lit
tie acquia in the shade of the cotton
woods. are the houses ofsthe villagers,
their walls Of gray adobe scarcely dis
tinguishable from the soil itself. Here
and there a woman or girl is hard at
work washing clothes in the stream,
and on the limbs Of the willows and
guatemotes are spread snowy gar
ments, mingled with those Of brighter
hue, showing that a regard for cleanli-
ness is not at all incompatible with IN
dian nature, and is equally strong with
the love OF bright colofs. Padding in
the water or rolling about in the sun,
sometimes with a single garment
sometimes naked as the day they were
born, were plump, brown-skinned ba-
bies, their black eyes swapping with
curiosity as the visitors halted mo-
ment, while anon band Of a dozen of
the little rascals would go scurrying
away into the bush like flock Of star
tied quail. Evidently the boyle man
is as much of. a reality with these
youngsters as with others of lighter
hue. a5a, 80 =, ii
; The schoolhouse is, of course, visit
ed. 1t is a low, brown-walled adobe
structure, almost hidden beneath the
branches and foliage Of great cotton
wood trees near the road. Doors and
windows stand open to admit the
balmy air, and through them glimpses
are caught Of number Of jet-black
-4s.-S lcN@, a.ass .