Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-04-14
How Many Steps In the Rear?"
CAHULLA, CAL. March 5, 1898.

Ed. RegiSter-In reply to Mr.. Mooret
questions to me on the Indian question
! 1 beg leave to submit paper writer
and composed by Lillian Complanville
a Nez Perce Indian girl. which she
/ read on graduating from the Indian In.
dustrial School, Carlilse, Pa. Subject
How Many Steps In the Rear?" ssAs
applied to the dusky woman and her
| fair sister, this question demands our
| interest and arouses our ambition. Let
US first consider the time each has had
to advance 10 civilization, and see if il
| is hardly just to compare the steps be-
tween them. Our fair sister has had
! nineteen hundred years and more to
become what she is to-day. Civiliza,
| tiOn was handed down to her from the
| Greeks, although in very crude state,
long before the time of Christ, but it is
to Christianity that woman owes her
elevated position of to-day. Ancient
history teaches us that she was very
much degraded before the coming OF
our Blessed Redeemer. Let US now
turn from this UiUad picture to obtain
another view.
'When Columbus first landed here,
did he discover nation that was civil
lized aud steadily improving? No, he
came in contact with nation in its
most degraded form; a nation that
was clothed in the skins of animals,
the leaves and bark of trees AMI that
obtained its living like the wild beasts
of the forests. With this strong con-
trast in view do we wonder that our
fair sister is so far ahead of US? But
we are proud to say that we can COM
pete with them in many ways. You
have inspected our sewing room and
laundry and have witnessed our gym
nastic exercises. Do they not speak
for themselves? Ask our kind patrons,
in whose homes we spend the summers,
concerning many other points, those
who have so generously given US their
time in order to teach US the necessity
of education and the true value Of
economy in house keeping. On enter
ing an Indian teepee you would soon
discover that the woman's spare mo-
ments are not spent in idleness, some
make pottery, others weave their own
blankets, make bead work, etc. We are
to-day to show you that we as Indians,
are endowed with understanding and
the power Of learning as well as other
people. We are not yet equal in intel
lectual growth and executive ability,
but with time for careful training we
can take our place on the great stage
of life and perform our part as credita-
bly, as our fair sisters.n Omltting some
here where she describes their early
suffering, she further says. "They
very unceremoniously took the Indians
land from them, and because the poor
Indians tried to defend themselves and
their land, they waged war against
them Thinking they were
performing a 6eneUOle1t act they gath
cred the Indians together and placed
them on tracts of land, we too qOetI
know as the Reservation. Is there a
nation under the sun, if kept from con-
tact with other nations, that advances
in civilization? If the In
dian woman continues to be an Indian
and live on the Reservation, | am
grieved to say that there is little or no
future for her, as her life there is not
much better than slave. We hope
the day sscomiug when our great Gov
ernment will do away with all such
affairs as annuities, rations, the reser-
vation system, and let the stalwart de-
pendent Indians look out for them
selves. If the dusky woman is attoaCed
to take her place in the world and de-
pend on her own resources, without
the sneering jests of white people who
call themselves civilized the Steps in
the Rear will not be so many, and
with the aid of the extended hand of
her fair sister, she can walk with them
side by side
| will cite DR.. Eastman, of Chicago.
a full blood Indian, who is having
fine practice among the white people.
You will remember the Indians have
only been having schools for about
thirty five years. Can any nation be
fully civilized in that short time?
Respectfully,
Mrs n. j. SALSBERRY.