The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-12-24

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the fact that he breaches monogamy
to his young men, are at least signin-
cant
AS the ghost dance is now perform
ed | doubt whether | should call It a /
"barbarous RITE" any more than |
should apply that rather harsh term
to some of the more primitive, though |
probably sincere, religious observ-
ances among the white Christians
Dancing, as a medium of worship, is
very ancient There are sects in this
country who make use Of It in some
form. with whom nobody dreams Of
interfering The Indian ghost dance
has certain Accomplishments of ecstat-
/ ic frenzy but similar manifestations
are recorded of camp meetings and
revivals among simple minded epd
superstitlous people of our own race.
White enthusiasts who have worked
! themselves up to a pitch of emotional
excitement where trey believe that
they have "the power" aud the spir
+, ill.," perform wild acts and drop down
; + ncataleptic spasms just as the In
e dians did when the Messiah mania
r first broke out. But the ghost dance
d as now found among the Indians on
s the old Kiowa reservation seems to
j. have undergone much modification and
T. to be an innocent affair. as described
A. - m 1..af,,- srhogt 1apoar &C. IA
It harmless old blind man with a gift for
oratory. Ine Indians tell me that his
r addresses are all good Jesus talk,
e that he urges his hearers to lead right
k lives and follow the Jesus road The
=, worst that can be said of the ghost
,f dance in its present phase, so far as
1t can Judge Is that it Is continuous
camp meeting. and that its attendants
N neglect their work and homes and 9th
Ig er interests of the world that Is, IN
ID order to keep In readiness for the glor
h les Of the world to come-a form o.
" fanaticism which, fancy, knows nc
ne boundaries of time or race or cree'
ut or country
IN am not aware that any OF th'
is chiefs of the three affiliated tribe
cd practice the ghost dance even in III
ed milder development today. do no
at know, on the other hand, that they ar
he taking any active measures for dis
Mt eouraging IT, In this respect they re
ct semble a majority of the typical II
he dams in their neighborhoods. All tn
ne three chiefs, however, eat the mesca
re bean or button. A "mescal feast
would perhaps come within the desil
re nation "barbarous rites, as It is
ed gathering for social and semireligiou
he indulgences in a native drug with ce
nc tain qualities resembling opium. tn
he effect Of mescal eating is described !
cir some OF the Indians as inducing siee
my with pleasant dreams, others say chi
be- il makes their hearts happy al
the their minds content | tried TO fr
his some mescal wrecks such as are oftt
q a pointed out among whites as victim
Gle Of toxic drugs, but could not discoV
Is any; the Indians who talked 10 n
all with the utmost freedom of their
of diligence were certainly as well pi
YER, served as any observed. The gre
md center of mescal eating IS the p
ICY creek community, very largely ma
rful nm of the Indians who stood with Lo
oks Wolf in his contest against the
ord forcement OF the Jerome treaty. 7
ut mescal Is certainly a medicine, a
pro- both inward and outward applieatio
ool, are described by the Indians as p
ting duclng wonderful curative effects
, in certain diseases One Indian who "
suit dismissed from Carlisle school as
He'd hopeless consumpuve. fell back up
low the mescal after exhausting the rec
for nized pharmacopia, and is today
the fine a specimen Of health and strenl
heir as could wish to look at.
the Col Randletts general attitude
NOR ward the Indians may be too pattern
lter and his advice too cautious, for
ork ultimate best interest Of the race !
lime example. he oounselled stron
Z, be against Lone VOLTS purpose TO
AID conclusions with the government
than an injunction suit. feeling sure thai
more meant disaster in the end. Not
o is, other friends Of the Indians. lnelnd
for the write, regarded # as the best th
who that could happen to have the law
time Indian titles settled once and Tor
his By he highest tribunal no mar
,hite what the result; that It was De'
Dphy that the Indian should know ms ?
iapt m status now. than 70 90 on ien
- 4, e,,i,. naraaise. cherishine ch