The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-11-02

with acclaim. new space udS
Il been added to the worlds r
mapped areas. Civilization
will march on. All nations join in re-
joicing-all except one, the most vi
tally interested
The Eskimo, native Of the land OF
snow and ice, does not welcome the
white mans coming Beside his igloo
he sits and listens to the tribal ru-
mors of the coming events. He hears
the weird, garbled tale of how a civ
ilized man." "kabhena," has reached
the north pole. He hears that other
white men will come after him. And
he sits and grieves for his people; for
the advance of the white man means
to hi monty what 1t has meant to all
the primitive people who thus have
been discovered" determination.
Civilization of your kind we do not
want" says the Eskimo to the explor-
er or missionary. 1T Is good, per
haps, for you and for your countries.
It is not good here in the north. We
cannot live under 1t. AS we live now |
so must we live if we are to exist.
1t is our life; and life is good here |
among these ice cliffs when 1t is lived |
In our own way We are content So |
have our forefathers lived from time |
immemorial. And so will we live as |
long as we remain on earth. Force |
us to live as you live, make us accept |
your civilization, and we perish. We
have seen it. We know what 1t does
to u.s. 1t kills the Eskimo. Leave us
to our ways, leave us to our country,
or the Eskimo will be wiped off the
face of the earth"
d, Such is the Eskimo's reception of
the great news. 1t is something like
a shock to our self-satisfaction and
: opinion that our civilization Is best
for all people, whether they like 1t or
: not. How can those poor people up
I there in the frozen north spurn the
benefits that civilization holds forth
to them? How can they fail to realize
a that civilization will make their harsh
: life easier, more pleasant, more hap
by? The questions come naturally at
the idea. 1t seems preposterous. But
when one comes to examine the mode
of living OF the winter bound Eskimo,
|
he is forced to exist, it seems not so
!, astonishing that the Eskimos should
- say: I'VE were happy people until
the explorers came. The explorers
:, brought their civilization, and that is
not we'll"
Living in land SO barren and
harsh that nowhere else on earth Is
. its duplicate to be found inhabited
= the Eskimo through centuries o
=, struggle has adopted the only mode O.
" living that makes his existence pos
sible. The land which other peopl,
III despise, the conditions under which
'r no other people could live. he ha
. learned to love. They are his world
lie and without them he could not live.
'e Resources such as the world look
~ upon as necessary to the maintenance
of life the country has none. 1t is
H. barren of never changing ice an
10 snow. Stones, pieces of driftwoot
reindeer, birds. dogs, fishes, and mos
. of all. seals-these are the things tina
are given the Eskimo to live on. TIL
stones, sticks and bones furnish hiI
with weapons. The weapons furnis
him with meat. For his house ther
is the stone, the ice, and snow, notl
=. ing more. For six months Of the yea
AN his world is in darkness Yet he live
Oh and is happy until the explorers com
nd In the winter hut so excessive
nd the heat that the thick fur carmen
ug of outdoor use are discarded upon e
mr.. trance. Among some tribes men, W
men and children dwell together in
complete state of nudity. in others
III small loin cloth Is used for indo
ps, wear. Night and day the stone lam
DDS filled with train oil burn in the hut
rly The Eskimo is superstitious Of {
nd things. The long arctic night has dri
en- the fear of darkness into his so,
s' and he will not even sleep without
lch light burning before his eyes.
The lamps are so constructed as
our burn brightly all night. When tn
des begin to grow dim the Eskimo v
oyo man knows that 1t is morning a
time to get up. Cherries as such
'Ne home may seem. 1t is declared to
[act uuite the opposite. The woman W
all wakes first In the morning calls {
Our to her neighbor a challenge for a re
to- In dressing and going out after I
morning meal Of fish. which is each
In the ice outside. The challenge
accepted. The women dress and RI
FQ but laughing, break OF great armf
* the frozen provender and CO
J back laughing to their still sleep
s>npanions. The fish are thrown