The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-25
Poor a N odern Days Turns to
III Farming.

IS ~ n little town of
Il s: ehrasiia, L saw-an old
I'D ilsi Ali ~ Z, Il is two-horse wagon up
n before dry goods store, says a writ
lin the washington Star. He asked
Tempt box that was in front. He was
told Re turned to his squaw,
who sat beside him on the wagon. and
saba few words he got down and
started to put the box in the wagon.
3ts Hold up there, you lazy old devil,
said the storekeeper, IF you can't
gets8d down yourself and load in box
s after I've given it to you. you cant
have You get back up on the
wi gon, said the merchant to the
.#sqnaW
he Indian drove away and left the
box.
I This was like the Indian. The man
he b1Ick--is proud. He makes his
s$sGuawfdo the drudge work. The buck
feels that his sole occupation is the
i$$Warpat h Between this and hunting.
or else in getting ready for battle or
for the chase, the Indian spends his
time The squaw may make mecca
Ills Own S<iiicA >
and the maker Of his ornaments. He
used to put in much of his time chip
ping out flint arrowheads and stone
tomahawks; or in making his bows.
"a but even in theadays of the flint lock
gun he quit all of this in the East
n IN the West. though, the Indian laid
aside the bow and arrow for the long
II shotY$only fifty years ago. Now no
where does the Indian do great deal
In some places he farms a little and
raises stock. There are no more bat
ties for him to fight. His hunting
h grounds are cut by the white mans
plough About all that is left for
him 10 do is to make his war bonnet
4 and once in a while paint himself for
"a mock pow-wow.
Every brave in the old days tried
ito do deeds that would some day make
him chief For the most part the
81 chieftaincy went from father to son,
\ but sometimes all of the heirs of q
tribe were killed off in one battle.
VI and the tribe had to find a leader in
some other family The reason, per-
haps, that every brave wants to be
s%chief4is because that Office gives him
Il power The word of the chief must
he obeyed. If he says, kill that man."
that man must die.
The medicine man is very great
man in every tribe, 1 asked an old
medicine man once how he cured his
patients.
s3S IN 10 bottle, jus hand.' he said; Il
say .ous die you die; I say you
get we'll you get well. I make no
man we'll he no give me money
.si$s mo cure, no pay, is it?" said l.
Yes, that right; I no cure him, he
no pay
The Indian medicine men, like the
are thought by many whites to have
great power to cure. I asked my med
icine man friend if he ever treated
any whites. He said to me:
y 81 doctor some white man Weston
& close He be sick one year One
year poor, no meat-all same bone.
III doctor him one hour, one day-whole
week. Now he see me he shake my
j hand
Since the days of the priest the
Il medicine man has lost some OF his
grasp The Indians now nearly all
81 profess the Christian religion, and
there are many native preachers
s. among them who are looked up to
Il quite as much as the medicine men.
Scouting, too, is what the Indian
& likes. War with him is simply hunt
4 ing big game. He is built just right
for his business. His eye is keen and
5 his foot swift. He will dare the devil.
But even TO be an ordinary Indian
!. !. is thought to be great blessing by
n the brave. When it is in the blood
is hard to get out. Most of the young
men who leave the Indian colleges
when they get back to their Western
81 homes, take to their old habits again.
There is something comfortable about
$t the blanket, and there is freedom in
h the tepee. Contentment is in the life
4 of the Indian. One o'clock with him
d is two O'Clock. He will never do any
4 thing to-day, but is always ready for
tomorrow.
Only One Fat Indian.
Sst The Indian humps over no desk and
Breaches no foul air. His figure is
straight; his lungs large. Some tribes,
gsit lis true. are dying off, but this is