The Washington herald., 1909-05-01
WASHINGTON CHAT.
By THE SPECTATOR.

By THE SPECTATOR.
Miss Alics Fletcher knows the Indians.
perhaps. more intimately than any other
authority row living. Her life has been
given TO the study OF the aborigines. She
has lived for months at a tine with In
dian tribes, and Is one Of the very few
people who have succeeded In overcoming
the reserve OF that people. For nearly
twenty years Miss Fletcher has been the
holder OF the Thsw fellowship OF the
Peabody Museum In Cambridge. and dur
Ing that time she has carried On her work
IN Washington, that she may be IN touch
with the authorities having the Indians
IN charge. Her interest IN the red men
IS practical and human. as well as scien-
tifc. and at the Capital. as well as IN
their own home. she has been their good
angel
Miss Fletcher IS q vonas close 70 sixty
Eve, below. rather than above. the ne
dium height. and inclined to stoutness-
Her features are strong, mascsIline al
most; her eyes are deep set. and IN them
there Is a compelling sympathy. she is
q cultivated musician. as well as an
eihnoIogist, and has made q deep study
OF Indian music. Her book, Indian
Story and Song from North Ansrica, :"
IS the most reliable work OF that B.
ject- Dvorak declared that the fouada-
ton for an American school OF music lies
IN Indian an1 negro melodies. and II ts
Miss Fietcher's hope that Indian motifs
may be used for songs distinctly Areri-
can as the European composers have been
Inspired by the folk songs. The Ameri-
car symphony OF Dvorak was suggested
BY negro melodies, and Mcdowell worked
out q number Of Indian themes. but. un-
happily. only few OF the Indian songs
have been Transcribed. II Congress. how
ever, continues. as heretofore. TO make
generous appropriations for this subject
many more will be preserved and furnish
a rich store for musicians TO draw from
Miss Fletcher prepared and secured the
passage OF the bill which became a law
in 1852. providing that the Cnahss should
receive their lands IN severslty. which
perceeded and inspired her plan to make
them small loans that they might build
houses on this land These loans we're
secured and when this work, which had
Interrupted her investigations for months
az a time. was finished she settled down
among her adopted children and ieisurely
pursued her Investigations. The result OF
these Investigations she has set down IN
many books and monographs. and there
Is nothing II literature regarding the
American Indian more valuable than her
contributions. AS she portrays the ths
members Of this misunderstood ra-s be-
come delightful people. ard she las sue
ceeded in correcting many wrong impres-
sions- 1t Is a generally accepted fact.
for instance, that the totem Is an object
OF worship. while as Miss Fletcher ex-
plains IN one Of her books, & Is simply
the sign of a elan, heraIoIc symbol
The Indians religion, too. is as little IN
derstood by the Superficial student as
the totem pole. He believes. as ne DO.
in a great overriding power This power.
however, cannot. he feels, come near
man. save 20 give him breath. But there
are lesser powers. Ike the wind and the
thunder. and these as well have other
Intermediates The nearest approach TO
the Indians idea OF God Is 20 be found
IN that highest conception Of the Chris
tan religion OF the immalence OF God.
n the power OF evil the Indian has not
much belief Il Is man, IN his idea. who
works all the mischief"
For the Indian children Miss Fletcher
has q peculiar sympathy. and when she
writes OF their plays. their traditions,
their character. she does 50 with a deep
insight and IN mastery style. and IN one
OF her books she notes as a significant
fact the absence Of any uimicTy OF re-
liEtOus ceremonials in Indian children s
games. which is truly significant when
one considers what 4 favorite subject the
copying OF such ceremonials are with
children Of other races.
Gen. Grants birthday recalls to mind
many Characteristic anecdotes Of the
silent man" One that Mrs. Grant used
u delight IN telling was an incident that
happened when they made the famous
trip around the world. as they we're go
ing through the Mediterranean She toIo
It apropos OF & story that was widely
published OF how the general. during the
civil war. happening into the home Of q
unionist in the South, QuIeted g colllcky
baby by walking it Up and down the
floor and singing 10 It while the mother
prepared some chicken for his luncheon
Now. Gen Grant could neither sing nor
whistle; IN fact. he could not turn a
tune and the story, therefore, was made
out OF whole cloth When they we're SAIL
ing through the Mediterranean on the
T--nE-TF,
passed the island celebrated in Homer's
verse as the home Of the sirens, whittier
Ulysses was decoyed by these seductive
ladies' AS their ship neared the island a
number OF the officers aboard went TO
hrs. Grant and told her that she should
look 20 II that her husbands ears were
stuffed With cotton, lest he. too, be en-
ticed and led astray by the singing OF
those same beautiful creatures, where
upon Mrs. Grant laughingly informed the
alarmists that the general was immune
70 the influence or singing. since he did
not known one tune from another But
they insisted that these creatures were
50 beautiful that their faces. II not their
voices. would win him Mrs Grant, how
ever, with brightness with which she
was not always credited. replied that
Homer's Ulysses had been deluded be-
cause he had left his wife, Penelope. at
home. while she. on the contrary. taking
warning from that old tale. had accom-
panied her Ulysses, whom she felt sure
would be protected by her presence even
from the allurers who ensnared the
classic Ulysses.
Another Blow at the Family.