East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-09-12

UnWtT and sweetness MS Nlllt' ''''''
ars may we'll envy him his wonderful
Gif, OF song,
Charles cutters Indian name s.,
"Dochh-hoh-hh -hharchh' Wo ! Will not
attempt its pronunciation. I've al
ready acquired six gray hairs remem-
herring the spelling alone), and means
Raven. his grand father is the Eagle,
and he comes Of a mighty tribe OF
warriors who have been chiefs ana
head men Of their people for gener-
ations.
Mr. cutter was born - years ago
I'm shaken. a little village in south
eastern Alaska. and belongs to the
Thlinket tribes Until he was seven
he was as other boys Of his race, and
n was taken for granted that he, inI
the fullness OF time would also be-
come great man i'm his tribe, and
preside over council fires. become a
mighty hunter. make the pipe or
psace with the pale faces who came
into the country. and in other ways
deport himself as a great chief should
But Observation-Disclosures, the Ra-
ven. had other plans for himself. Hid
den deep i'm the innermost recess ot
his soul was the longing for music
NOT the weird barbaric tribal chants
of the Thlingets but something diff
ferent. He had listened to and taken
part i'm the gospel hymns of the mis-
sion school which he attended since
his seventh year. and it was this music
that appealed to him. With the very
first money he ever earned, So, he in
vested I'm a cornet That there was
no one at the mission capable of
teaching him to play the instrument
did not for moment daunt the spir-
il Of this scion OF royalty.
For two years he practiced, and at
the end of that time was able TO play
the mission hymns. and was Incl
dentally the happiest boy in Alaska
but this achievement only whetted
his appetite for more. somehow
there had penetrated to the wilds of
that little snow bound settlement the
news of the Chemawa Indian school.
Straightway the Raven made up his
mind that he wanted TO go there. but
how to get there was the veXatious|
problem Alaska Indians We're bar
red unless they paid their own way
But to the Raven where there Is a
will there is also way, and having
made up his mind to go to Chemawa
he set about encompassing the means
To attend the end He did this by
working in the Alaska fish canneries
until he had secured the requisite
amount.
The day he entered the school he
was almost as happy as he was when
he mastered the intricacies Of the cor
net. That day marked the turning
point in his career. He became a
member Of the Chemawa Indian
school band and also the singing So
ciety II was just about this time
that Mrs y. J. Campbell of Chemawa
heard him sing and recognizing the
latent possibilities Of his voice taught
him solo work.
His initial bow was made in the
summer Of '02-3. at Chemawa, where
he sang for the first time in public.
1t is customary 10 think of an In
dian being stolid and unafraid at all
times and in all places, but Mr.. Cut
ter describes most graphically his bad
case Of stage fright in which his knees
quaked and his heart pounded TO suf-
location.
Mr.. William Boyer Of Portland
heard him on this occasion and with
prophetic mind he looked into the fu-
ture and saw success written large
above the head Of the poor unknown,
obscure Indian boy from Alaska. Ths
upshot Of the matter was that he for
ever dropped his Indian patronymic
and became the protege Of Mr.. Boyer.
Mr Gutter as yet has made but few
public appearances. During the Lew
is and Clark fair he sang with the
Carnival Of Venice company and again
at the unveiling of the statue Of SAGA
jawea. Since then his work has been
confined principally 10 choir singing.
It is the personality Of the man that
first attracts one. I don't know
whether he has ever been told that
he is handsome. but It is undoubtedly
fact. He shows his royal blood in
his features and his actions are grace
ful in the extreme At present he is
entirely unspoled, yet I can well inn
agine IN the fullness of time when
he has seen more Of the world that
he viii De most attractive TO women
and I believe, too, that should he ever
forget his art in the interest Of tho
little god Of love that he would make
AN ideal lover
But II is not of these things that
Charles Cutter. erstwhile Dochh, hoh.
hharchh, the Raven. is concerned
Music is 10 him the breath Of life
It represents eyerythlng-fill ever!
long Of his soul His taste in music
is far from Catholic. He has no us'
for the popular music Of the day, bu
prefers the standard operas, his thre
fayorites being Faust" ia Boheim
and Carmen" OF the modern low
songs he confesses TO prediction
for Brahms and Pinsuttfs
Mr.. Cutter speaks English witt
Just enough accent TO make hi
speech interesting and attractive an,
sings with equal facility in English 0
German He told me that unless
child Of the Thlinket tribe is taugh
English by the time he Is or 7
is impossible for him 10 learn tn
tongue afterwards, as that particula
Indian dialect is so full Of guttera
and consOnants.
At present Mr.. Cutter is preparin