The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-08-13

knows as mucn ABOUT the Omana IN
dams as Miss Alice Cunningham
will soon be issued by the Bureau of
Ethnology Miss Fletcher has spent
months at a time for many years
among these Indians in their camps
learning their language, studying their
traditions, customs, philosophy and
music, and by winning their confidence
has been able to get nearer their real
thot and point of view than anyone
else Miss Fletcher became much in
terested in them and greatly touched
by their fear that they would be forced
by the Government to give up their
homes, as their relatives, the Ponkas,
bad been, when driven from their
campfires on the Niobrara River to the
wilds of Indian Territory. 1t was thru
her intelligent and persistent effort
that their land was secured to them
by an act of Congress, and also owing
to her that they were enabled after
ward to obtain loans to build homes on
that land For the past II years Miss
Fletcher has been the holder of the
Thaw Fellowship of the Peabody Mu-
scum, Cambridge, and this has enabled
her to give herself up entirely to her
literary work connected with the Oma-
has Besides the valuable and inter
esting volume about to be published,
Miss Fletcher devoted four years of
steady labor to the preparing of
monograph describing wonderful
peace ceremony between unrelated
tribes, which lasted fivs days. The only
living person who was acquainted with
the whole of this ceremony was an old
Pawnee Indian. and Miss Fletcher was
constantly filed with the fear that he
would die before she could get it all,
but fortunately he did not. Miss Flet-
cher, who is a very good musician, be-
lieves that there is a wealth of fresh,
-s.,F Ind 1IHcfo
and that the day will come when these
Indian motifs will be used for our
American songs, as the folk songs of
Europe have been used by Bach and
other foreign masters. A wonderful
symphony awaits some coming genius.
In this connection Miss Fletcher does
not say what she thinks of MacDow-
ellis famous Indian symphony, classed
by many musicians with his best work.
In her Indian Story and Song" pub
1ished some time ago. the musician will
find much that is interesting, the
unique music of these songs, which
deal with sentiment and philosophy,
bringing out in a remarkable manner
the delicate poetic beauty of the idea.
Miss Fletcher is no longer young, but
is still going on with her work, dis
playing the energy of her earlier
days, and viii probably continue to
give the world the benefit of her un-
books which will take their place
among that small but priceless number
regarded by every one as unquestioned
authority on certain subjects.
The antics of Mrs. Ida Won Claussen
are rather amusing, but would proba-
bly, receive very little attention We're
this not the Silly Summer Season which
brings with it the usual dearth of news
of real Importance. Mrs. Won Claus
i acv-f.4 nd hka 70
membered appeared in our midst last
year very angry because Minister
Graves. our representative in Sweden.
refused to present her to the Swedish
monarch. Mrs Won Claussen said she
lad every reason to believe that King
Oscar desired to meet her, and that an
interview was nearly arranged when
his Majesty was visiting Germany,
which, however, fell thru, but when
she applied to Mr.. Graves for the
courtesy of a presentation it was de-
MED her. Thereupon the irate lady
vowed vengeance on the Minister. and
hurryfFg across the ocean sought an
audience with the President, but was
firmly but Politely informed that the
Chief Executive could not possibly see
her Some international correspond
ence followed, of which the. public new
er heard the result, and Mrs. Ida Won
Claussen and her social aspirations were
lady has written a letter to one of our
leading newspapers, setting forth her
several conqueStS. She has an embar-
rassment of riches when it comes to a
question Of royal suitors The lady, by
the-by must be a widow, as there is
no mention whatever of Won Claussen,
either dead or alive. Presumably, of
course, she IS a widow. Prince some
body or other of Rome has asked her
hand in marriage, which places the
LADY in a very trying position, since
Prince somebody or other else consid-
ers her engaged to him, and has among
his possessions several photographs
which should only belong to the man
she intends to marry. She much pre-
fers the former Prince, who is rich.
handsome and only &c years old, but
until she can get those pictures back,
and a bill of release from the latter
Prince, she can give no satisfactory re-
ply to the honored proposal of the
former Prince. She is, therefore, in a
state of mind. She also wishes us to
know that she has been invited by the
aunt of some Duchess to spend a
month in her villa near Genoa, and by ?
former lady in waiting of the Queen OF
Sweden, to visit her in one of the prin-
cipal palaces of Sweden. And her sue
cesses do not, by any means. end here
She has written the libretto for a grand
opera, which has been favorably re-
ported upon and which will probably
be produced at the Scala in Milan thi
year Altogether she thinks America
ought TO be very proud, indeed, OF
such daughter.
One of the most popular of recen
philanthropic movements is that of tho
public playground which is spreading
so rapidly that before very long Their,
will hardly be city turnout the coun
try without one. San Francisco is t.
spend s741,00 in this way, and man,
other places are spending even more
The Play Congress, to meet in New
York in September, will be represent
ed by more than 100 cities, and ad
etc, and much is expected from thi
gathering. The Playground Associa
ton of America, which stands at tn
head of this movement, aims. particu
larry, to reach the millions OF poor lit
tie children crowded in tenemen
houses, to whom tree. or a bit o
green grass, or anything to play with
is almost unknown. OF course, tn
playground is open to all children, bu
IL is primarily for the poorest class
President Roosevelt is Honorary Pres
ident of the Association, which has tn
support and assistance of the Duches
of Marlborough. Jacob Riis, Mr.. an
Mrs. John Rockefeller. some OF tn
Vanderbilts, and other equally well
known people The movement wa
given a decided impetus by Mr.
Humphrey Ward, the English novel
ist. who at the banquet given in he
honor in New York on the occasfo
of her recent visit to this country, CAV
her experience in establishing play
grounds and vacation schools in Lor