The National tribune., 1907-08-01

retire him all the same. AS far as the
Army is concerned the ColonefS career
is ended. He is retired with full pay.
which is $3.50 a month. 1t is needless
TO say that Mrs. Ayres is noisily indig-
nant at the result of the investigation,
and threatens to bring the whole mat
ter before the courts in suits against the
entire West Point outfit. Altho Col
Ayres had made himself extremely un-
popular, not to say obnoxious, in the
Army by his lack of tact and general
IeXplosiveness, if Mrs. Ayres had only
had the good sense to keep quiet after
the 'overcoat incident" the chances are
that he would not have been disturbed.
but would have been allowed to finish
his service. Mrs. Ayres says that her
husband has lost his position thru the
wicked Vaccinations of the wives of va
riouS officers whose motive was jealousy
of her. and who influenced their weak
husbands to strike at the innocent Colo
mel, bounding him out of the service Col
AyreS. when informed of his retirement
is said to have remarked quietly Il am
soldier. My Commander-in-Chief has
issued his order and 1 shall accept it
without comment" which was very dig
nifed and highly creditable to him. but
which doesn't seem to fit very well his
supposed character~- If the newspaper
accounts are to be trusted this subris-
sive bowling to a superior will on the
CoionefS part, and his public utter
ances as to the course he should pursue
II retired. are a trifle inconsistent His
| lawyer advises him to have an exani-
nation of his physical condition made
! by physicians in private life rather
than Army doctors. and if their diagno-
| sis should show him not to be in the
serious condition claimed by the Board.
to lay the facts before the War Depart
ment and the President Looked at in
one way Col Ayres does not seem to
have been treated quite fairly: that is.
tne punishment seems to be rather great
er than the fault deserved. His bravery
ana efhciency as a soldier have never
| been questioned, indeed so far as these
qualities are concerned he is rather con-
spicuous. on the frontier in Cuba. and
the Philippines he did good service He
IS the picture of mental and physical
v1gor, and is only 53 years old A
Board of Army doctors have declared
MIN unfit for duty. Was their word
enough to retire him. Should he not
have been given a little more show? To
De sure he was persona non grata in the
Army, and was always making a lot of
trouble but was this sufficient cause for
retirement2 We pretend to believe in
the square deaf' in this country, and
If all the facts in the case have been
given the public it hardly seems as il
Col AyreS has been given that
There is no figure more dramatic
than the American Indian, not only in
his appearance, but in his racial charac-
SCh bS1iSS. ANO race leIluS Itself more
naturally to dramatic performance, and
while the Indians have not had their
plays, as we understand a play, each of
their various dances has embodied some
dramatic idea. and its representation has
been theatrical performance yerv
unique and interesting dramatic exhibit
ton by Indians took place recently at
IChiloco, Okla. At this place is an In
dian Agricultural School, maintained bv
the Federal Government, and attended
hxr cOr,,<a Id; l;.,,~
resenting about 40 different tribes At
the annual commencement of this
school. early in July, 40 young Indian
men and women students gave a per-
Iformance of an adaptation of Longfei-
lows beautiful poem. Hiawatha which
was one of the most artistic realistic.
limpressively beautiful dramatic per-
formanceS ever given in any country
The play was given out of DOORS at
night. when new moon was shining in
the west and the sky brilliant with
| stars. Near the school buildings is a
lagoon about 800 yards in width and
| perhaps quarter of mile in length,
and extending out into this little lake a
large platform or stage was constructed
on piles, about $50 feet from the shore.
This stage was converted into a verita-
bic forest, white Indian tepee standing
on each edge while a fire blazed be-
| fore the entrance to one. From the
shore to each end of the stage was
niShing the necessary illumination for
the actors. These were all full-blooded
Indians. carefully selected and drilled
| by their teachers, each Indian young
man and woman inspired by the beauty
of the lines and conSciouSe of his or
| her natural fitness for the part Their
costumes were historically correct, the
young Indian who took the part of Hia-
watha wearing parts of sacred wampum
belts belonging to his tribe which had
| t6nSnnnIn1 n fn hi Hatr -
which were made as early as the four
| teenth century. The forest island with
its electrical lighting, being like great
jewel glowing in the darkness. 1t was
a wonderfully impressive scene. About
twilight the invited guests began to ar
rive from the surrounding country and
nearby towns, in wagons and on horse
| back. On the soft turf at the margin of
| the lake the 500 Indian students. repre-
senting most of the important tribes of
the United Etates. took positions as
spectators, silent, as if entranced with
| the beauty of the scene. speaking. when
| they did so. only in whispers. The play
| opened with an Indian council. Out of
the darkness. on the gently rippling
| waters of the lagoon appeared softly
gliding canoes, mystically white as they
came into the path of the moons rays.
the name of an Indian tribe painted on
| the PROV of each. Landing at the
magic island, the Indian council was
i
and smoked, when the warriors laid
aside their weapons. and kneeling in a
long line washed the war paint from
their faces The voices of the speakers
could be heard as distinctly across the
water as tho they were only few feet
away One of the prettiest scenes was
the courtship of Hiawatha and his visit
to the Arrow Maker, the gentle Mime
haha's father. The Arrow Maker sat
beside his campfire making his arrows.
passing them over to his daughter, who
attached the feathers to guide their
fight. Hiawatha arrives in his canoe,
| the Indian maiden modestly retires
from the interview, which ends by the
two floating away in the white canoe
"On long and distant journey,
To the portals of the sunset
To the regions of the West wind
while on the shore stands the old
Arrow Maker alone, blessing them with
uplfted hands. As a picture, pure and
simple however. the prettiest scene of
all was the wedding feast of Hiawatha
and Minnehaha. Young warriors ar
rive in their canoes with the trophies
of the chase and engage in their native
games. Here is group of Indians jest
ing with one another and telling stories.
| There, groups of pretty Indian girls