Las Vegas optic., 1914-08-22
PALE FACES did
THE INDIAN A
WRONG
RETURNED BRUTALITY AND ROB-
Berry FOR HOSPITALITY,
LECTURER SAYS

of Archaeology, was not altogeIher
favorable to the pale faces, in fact,
it was a terrific indictment of the
white mans attitude toward the red
man The lecturer dwelt upon the
unity of the human race and espec-
tally of the Indians from physio-
logical and psychological standpoint.
Still there were many divisions and
wide differences in language among
the Indians, geographical environ
ment modifying culture while climatic
conditions modified nvocations. How
ever the fundamental religious ideas
based on observation of nature we're
general and the Indian mind was char
acteristically reverent and poetic.
Symbolism was to him the natural
form of expression and the same
symbols, such as the cross appertain-
ing to the four life giving winds, are
found throughout North America.
Other symbols, on the other hand, be-
longed to certain localities.
The Indian was by nature hospit-
able and the first words that greeted
the English on landing upon the New
England coast were those from an In
dian who shouted, Welcome English
man." phrase he had learned fur
ther south 1t is a sad story, the his
tory of the first century of contact be-
tween white man and Indian. The In
dian did not regard land as property,
as little as he regarded the air in the
sense of proprietorship. Hence the
slow recognition by the Indian to the
white mans claim to property in land.
Miss Fletcher described how the Eng
lish colonies purchased land from the
Indians and the confusion that en-
sued because of the Indians ignorance
Of the white mans attitude regarding
land.
The Indian had no king or arbitrary
ruler. His was representative gov
ernment only Miss Fletcher then de-
scribed pathetically how the Indian
was gradually crowded back, how his
domain was disintegrated by frontier
posts and rights of way to those posts
and how finally the reservation was
evolved, the white men going SO far
as to place arbitrarily chiefs over
them, these chiefs being called pa
per- chiefs by the inlians.
The iniquitous influence of traders
was outlined, how they debased the
hunt from a religious ceremony to a
pursuit for gain, how the white manu-
factures killed off the native handi-
crafts, how the white man turned his
worst side toward the indian. The
Indian on the other hand, was fighting
for his home, for his very existence.
The devastation wrought by the intro
duction of liquor was vividly descrfb-
ed. The white mans greed and the
white mans immortality caused the
Indian to regard the white man with
distrust and disdain.
Then came the great change oyer
the country, The buffalo disappeared.
| there was loss of vegetation and ami
NAL life, making existence more diff
cult for the Indian. Miss Fletcher
traced the movements for the educa-
ton of the Indian down to the found
ing of the school at Carlisle which
she declared did even more for the
education of the white man than it
| accomplished for the Indian. The
change in the government policy of
dealing with the individual rather
than the tribe and its beneficent in
fiuence, were revived. However, the
laws of the allotment of lands and for
the Indians owning their property, in
seyeralty, are not suitable to the
southwest. The problem of the Pu-
eblo and the Navajo is separate one
and in some respects the most diff
cult with which the government has
yet to deal.stee rs. gspma W
It is of primary Importance that the
Indian learn to speak English, was
Miss F1etcher's admonition, in this
country only one language must be
used for only in that manner can pub
lie opinion become an educated opin-
ion. The treasure house of English
literature and history must be unlock
ed to the Indian so that he may un-
derstand the American viewpoint.
One of the chief factors of misunders
standing between whites and Indians
has been the interpreter who neither
understood the Indian tongue perfect
| ly nor had any adequate knowledge
of English and thus frequently mis-
interpreted the thoughts of each race
to the other.
1t was, perhaps. the finest of the
series of six lectures which Miss
Fletcher, the greatest living author