Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-09-24
DEAR CHILDREN

Henry w. Longfellow.
DEAR CHILDREN
You all like true story, don't you?
You know that history and a true
story are the same thing, but it
sounds more interesting to call it Il
true story, and am going to tell you
one. This will have to be a continued
story, for it is too long to be put in
one colImn.
THE MIGHTY BRICKLAYER.
A long time ago the place that is
now called Tasmania-a long name
for little people, but a pleasant one
to say-was filed only with dark-skin-
ned people-not white person on the
island. These dark people lived their
wild, free life among their native for
ests, and knew nothing about race
that thought itself much better than
they.
But after 4 time the white people
found this land and they wanted it.
LhNy ASlt IHil IHCy WCIC much WlSGI
and more important than these igno-
rant black people, and they simply
came to take what they wanted.
The natives didn't think much
about which was wiser or more i'm
portant, but they knew they wanted
to stay where they were. and they
didn't want the white people to come
and take their land away from them.
So they tried to drive the white peo-
pie away. Then the whites used their
guns and pistols, and the natives used
their arrows and spears and dogs, and
they began killing each other because
one side wanted to keep, and the other
to grasp, the land.
The leaders of the whites didn't want
to kill the natives entirely: they only
wanted the land; but when they had
to kill the natives to get it, they killed
them. They kept trying ways to
get what they wanted without killing
the natives all Off or being killed by
them.
One plan they had was to have SOL
diers go out and hunt for the dark
people, and wherever they found
them to surround them and take
them to an island near by and make
them stay there for the rest of their
lives, out of the way of the whites.
Then the whites wouldn't have to kill
them.
Plenty of soldiers were found who
were willing to hunt for the natives,
because the government was so gen.
erous as to offer them $40
, apiece for every native they caught.
But there was one great trouble
about this way of getting the natives
fenced in-they always fought very
hard for the liberty that was so much
dearer to them than life. and the SOL
diers might kill six for every one they
brought in. So after few years this
plan was given up.
Another plan was to drive the ma
tives into d corner of the island and
fence them in there by line of SOL
dicrs: but the natives broke through
and fought Just as before. for what
Fthey felt was theirs, and both white
people and dark people kept on get
ting killed very fast.
This had been going on for twenty
five years. and Sl2O, 600 had been spent
by the government, and thousands of
lives had been lost, and thousands of
soldiers were kept busy trying to
bring the natives to submission
twenty-five years of time and all
those lives and money enough to do a
great many good things-and still
the natives who we're lett .only about
300 now were as fierce as ever in
, lighting for their homes and their
: rights.
This is the way matters stood when
4 poor bricklayer came one day to
the governor and told him he had Il
plan for bringing the natives all in
and making them good and peaceful
subjects.
The governor wanted to laugh at
this poor man, who thought he could
be wiser than all the people in power
over the island had been, but he was
in hard place and much puzzled,
and he thought he would at least lis
: ten to what the man had to say.
= ! will tell YOU in the next paper
what his plan was.
SISTER HELEN.
. Who sends half of the $500 names the
boat. Write to Natl Secretary B G. c..