Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1911-03-24
WIT OF THE INDIAN
The Dignitied Red Man Has a
Keen Sense Of Humor.
STORIES OF STANDING BEAR.

~' '"e via Chief Was Willing
70 nun Against Government At.
torney-A Gallant Brave and His
m'rror-An Invisible Bridge.
Inc impression prevails widely that
tue indian lacks the saving sense Of
humor-'that most characteristic Of
all American qualities" To the ere.
ating and the spreading of this i'm.
preston many recognizable traits Of
indian character have indisputably
CONFERENCE.-The ancestral pride, his
exciusiveness, his gravity Of face and
dignity of manner in public.
Nevertheless an injustice is done
MIN, for among no primitive peoples
Is the sense Of humor keener or more
spontaneous and kindly.
Years ago l was conversing with n
group of children of the Omaha tribe.
They were on their way to a reserya.
ton school, and directly in their path
lay a swamp an eighth Of mile
wide, and straight through this they
were required to wade twice day.
1T Is too bad" remarked. "Can
you not go around the swamp? Your
feet will be wet, and you will be un
comfortable and possibly ILL.,"
"Oh," cried girl Of about twelve
years, her dark eyes dancing with
merriment eve walk over the $1,000
bridge"
They all laughed at this. What
could 1t mean? saw no bridge; there
was no bridge to be seen. 1t made
them merry to see me mvsti1ed, and
/ heard them laughing and chatting
as they went through the water and
mud. Afterward discovered the hui
NOR in the remark. Some years pre-
vlous to that time the government had
appropriated $1,000 to build a bridge
over this swamp, but somehow the
money had vanished into somebody's
pocket and the work was not done.
One evening saw a gallant young
brave making his way swiftly over
the prairies of the Omaha reserve.
He was dressed in all his finery, and
at his side dangled a small mirror,
Manifestly he was an ardent lover
This / should have surmised from his
dress and eager haste, even if had
not known him. AS he was a friend
of mine, had inside information Of
his hopes and purposes; also | ven
tured to stop him for a moment, pre-
clous as knew him time to be.
"That mirror at your side,Y | re-
marked, SIS to give opportunity for
Prairie Flower to discover how lovely
she is, is it not?" He considered a
and then, with twinkling
eye, he replied:
"No. Maybe so she will talk too
much to me. and then / will look into
my mirror to see how tired L am
This certainly was the humor of alb.
surdity.
Examples of Standing Bears humor
| could give almost without number
During the trial of his case before
Judge Dundy the contention Of the
government attorney was that an In
dian is not person within the mean
Ing of the law. This puzzled the old
chief greatly. 1t also amused him.
One day at my table he was vigor-
ously plying a knife and fork when
suddenly he paused in his eating, lift
I'd up his hands, and, humorous
smile lighting up his noble, storm
Scared face, he remarked: "The attor-
news say am not a person. But |
IAN use knife and fork Does a bear
10 that? If he, the attorney, is a per
,on / am one also. We both eat with
Knives and forks. Indeed, ! think
IAN use them faster than he can. II
ne wants to race me eating l am
NJ ~ ta,,.1had of This When |