The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-11-14


 On May "A last, when the Six Natlvhs gathered at Brantford to celebrate the kings birthday. the wives of the pro- vincial officials expressed their aston fshment at finding hundreds of full blooded and half-breed Indian women and girls parading before them in tailor cut coats, shirt waists and cloth skirts of walking length, with their hair done up in the approved styles beneath up- to-date millinery creations.
 This adoption of the white mans garb, the agents say, has made the Six Nations turn with greater energy to the white mans ways of living, and every where improvement has been noted in the towns and on the farms, where barn raisings are numerous, modern imple- ments are multiplying, and in several cases steam blows are being used. But while many of the white mans ways entered into the makeup of the Six Nations Indian when he put white mans clothing on his back, some origi- nal customs still cling to him. Thus 1t comes about that whenever a Mohawk or Iroquois brave wants to summon his wedding guests he secures @ purple grain of corn, passes quietly among a crowd of his fellows and slips the grain for moment in the hand of him whom he desires as a guest at the festivities. The Six Nations bride has nut yet fallen in love with the printed wedding card, even though her mother is deeply offended whenever any one refers to her in the good old Indian way as a squaw. Another striking example of the new Indian is found in California among the Diggers, long considered the lowest of the North American red men. Many a Digger still lives on worms and grasshopper pies, but he is usually of the dying generation. The large ma- jority of the members of the present generation have departed absolutely from the revolting ways of their fath- CTS, and are living in the white mans way.
 This Is true of as many full-blooded Diggers as of those that have white ! blood in their veins: and neither class I is small, numerically. These Diggers have been more successful in agricul- tural pursuits and cattle raising than their white neighbors.
 This is especially true of the half 1 breed descendants .os Digger women and early California miners who, failing at good hunting, took up ranching There are wealthy men among them who tour Europe and buy works of art \ to decorate their homes, which stand or Sites where once their fathers grubbe6 ! up roots for breakfast.
 It is 8 peculiar fact that full-blooded ! and half-breed families do not readily take to the luxuries of the white man in some respects. No matter how large ! and sumptuously furnishe,- their homes may be, the bedrooms are always fitted | out with almost Spartan simplicity. The mon sleep on small hard cots over which sheepskins or blankets are spread, No mattresses, sheets or spreads add 10 their comfort. l An American who once spent a wsel at the home Of one of thosc Digger ] ranchers and wine growers says:
 His home was supplied with every | civilized article Of comfort and adorn- inert. The young rancher himself was q cnllege graduate and had travelled ex- tensIvelv He could discuss ;iterature as intelligently as he could speak or cattle raising, and his tastes were every bit as refined as those of his American neighbors.
 l "One day an old Indian squaw ap- peared and stopped at the house for several days. Her hair was long and bedraggled, her face black and wrin- Mother Hubbard and blanket, and hel bare feet were wrapped in cotton ban. dages in lieu of stockings.
 "She could not even speak English beyond few loconic expressions picked up from miners and trappers. She was a type of the old Digger squaw of years ago.
 Who's the old woman?' asked.
 My aunt,' replied the young man "she came down here to rest up after { long spree. The tribes just had feas to celebrate the chiefs marriage, ant they all got pretty sick on white-mam: firewater. They don't understand tht art of mixing cocktails yet
 Most of the new style Diggers, how ever, have severed all relations witf their barbarian relatives and give theil blanketed tribesmen scant courtesy.
 The Alaska Indians also have show1 a remarkable tendency to adopt civil ized ways within the last ten years. II California there are many full-bloods from Alaska tribes studying in the pub lie schools, and several have entered the state university, where they hay, shown remarkable Intelligence.