The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1901-10-31

twentieth century is an unsuitable desire to make
the Indian 60 to work. Its outward and visible sign
is good deal of talk about pauperizing him and
wronging him by permitting him to continue to
recline in the lap of luxury at the expense of
paternal government and revel in the plethora of
good things provided for him by the kind agent who
devotes the best years of his live-and perchance
loses money-in the service of the red skin. It
is reported that the commissioner of Indian
affairs has notified the president that "Lo' is being
coddled too much, and that he will never work until
the government leaves off being kind. The superin-
tendent of the school at Carlisle Pa also believes the
time has arrived for the Indian to get out and rustic
At the first glance one is inclined to say these
gentlemen right, that the Indian must get into
the with the of the world and sink or swim
by his own efforts. But, is this justice?
What is one man S meat is another man S poison:
work that is eminently suited to one man is alb
horrent to another, and the habits and methods of
life of can never be adopted by the next
The ideal work is that occupation which is both
pleasant and profitable to the worker, and the
Indians idea of workthe idea he has been bred to for
ages-s to hunt game for his family and tribe. The
Whites in their wantonness have killed off the game
and because factory work is agreeable to them have
built factories the ancient hunting grounds
Then they tell the Indian he must go to work in the
factory. And this is not just
Any person who has lived among the Utes or
the Moquis knows that to characterize all Indians
lazy and slipshod is absurd. They not. Their
energies take different direction from the energies
Of the Whites that's ALL and their ideas of work and
play are entirely different. The whites came, and
because they we're the stronger they took away
the natural occupation of the Indian They realized
however that if they failed to provide for him he
would either steal starve, like child So they
provided for him, and he became used to being pro-
vided for; and if they stop providing for him he will
again either steal or starve, for what was true
fifty years ago is true today. He has been pauper-
lied for many years that it has become habit
with him which would be hard to break. Give him
back what belonged to him originally, and which
just naturally took from him. and the chances are
that he will once become sef-supporting.
The truth of the matter is that the Indian has
not had fair show for his white alley. He has
been chvied around from pillar to post till he doesn't
quite know where he's at. One day give him
tract of land and say, "This is yours to keep You
can order off white and hunt where you please
on it, and the very next day open up said land
for settlers, and in month city and school of
literature has sprung up what given the
Indian to keep. He hears the tourist speak Of him
las picturesque adjunct to western civilization, and
hears the civilized westerner say the only good
Indian is dead Indian and he can't quite reconcile
things. It is but natural that he should give up
thinking for himself and cling to the government
la child to it's mother
And here is another point: Is the Indian capable
Of entering the lists with the Ango-Saxon race,
lif he had the inclination? Could he become
cessful inventor drummer, insurance agent or dry
goods clerk? Wouldn't he be pushed to the wall
before he got started? Of all the ambitious young
Indians who have graduated from the several govern
ment schools, how many have earned competent
living? The Indian of today is largely what the
whites have made him. The latter have the best of
the bargain all the way down the line, and may as
we'll put up with matters as they are It is incon-
ceivabe that western civilization should have halted
in it's progress because of the Indian but since his
lands are now ours, and since his means of susie
nance have vanished, the least do is to take
care of him as long he wants to be taken Of
He is not such very expensive luxury after all.