Evening star., 1927-11-08

by Longfellow. The cross of Christ
mas already been disavowed "unoff.
cially'' by the tribes, but the leader.
would now plan for its official reiec.
tion in 1928.
They explain that, with the coming
OF the white man to America. evil be-
fell the Indians. Deprived of all rights
and liberties, the Six Nations declare,
through their alleged chiefs. that the
only thing the Indians have left is
their old Indian religion"
That they have the opportunities
Of civilization. of education. of pro.
lection in peace and of aid toward
prosperity counts for naught: they re-
vert to Indian dances and Indian rites,
with wild cries and howls. They ap-
peal to the Great Spirit" for sym.
pathy in their present state, tied down
by the white conquerors' laws and
robbed of their hunting grounds.
That the present generation, and
several generations preceding. never
knew savage conditions, makes little
difference: the leaders know what they
want better than do the Indian bu-
reaus.
They do not recognize the historic
claim of many writer's that until the
white man taught them Christianity
their own Indian religion was ignorant
Of the existence of One Great Spirit.
Creator and Father of All. They call
the Great Spirit "Gitchie Manitou. the
Mighty; white men call it God" Civ
ilization gave them also the concept OF
Heaven. which they term a Happy
HuntNC Ground" 10, the poor In.
dian, whose untutored mind.''
So the Indians would revert to
type? However, one of the highest
authorities on North American
mythology. DIR. Hartley Burr Alexan.
der. professor of philosophy, Univer-
sity of Nebraska. writes in ths
Mythology of All Races:
1T has recently been much the
custom Of writer's dealing with In
dian beliefs to assert that the concep-
tiop of Great Spirit. or Great Mys-
terry, is imported by white teachers.
that the untutored Indian knows no
such being: the universally of the
earlier tradition as to the native ex-
Istence of this idea is regarded as OF
little consequence, almost as a studied
misinterpretation. Nevertheless, wnen
we find such definite conceptions as
that of Kitshi Manitou. among Alcon-
quians, or Tirawa-atius. in Pawnee
religion. or even such indefinite ones
rs that ,of the Carrier Indians Yut.
toere tthat which is on hishD, we be-
gin to question the truth of the mod
ern assertion. AS matter of fact.
there is hardly Il tribe that does not
possess It's belief in what may very
properly be called a Great Spirit. or
Great Mystery or Master of Lille.
Ills difference from the SUI
preme Deity of the white man Is not
SO apparent"
When white theOlocians so differ on
spiritual technique. who shall decide
the essentials for ''LO. the poor In
dian? He would revert to type" and
look with faith to Gitchie Manitou, the
Mighty and dance before Him, even
as did David.
X y
But there is another nation, quite
different from the Six Nations OF In
dians. which also proposes to discard
Christianity and go back TO its an
ciert gods. Gen. Ludendorff an
nounces that hereafter Germany
should cease to honor the Prince Of
Peace and should again worship Odin.
or Wodan, or Wuotan. According to
"Grimm's Teutonic Mythology" Odin
or Wuotan lis not only the world-rui.
ing, wise. ingenious god. he is, above
all. the arranger of wars and battles"
He was the god of the Druids.
Herman I. Stern. in The Gods Of
Our Fathers" describes Odin. saying.
'As the supreme god of war, Odin's
role is very complete"
The German poet, Henry F'lecher,
speaks:
Beside it. all that Babels builders piled
Had seemed the playful labor of a child.
High on its summit stood a massive
throne:
like a morning sun. it
Shone:
Thereon reposed crowned and kingly
form,
Huge as the ocean cloud that bodies
the storm.
At times he stalked around his dia-
mond chair.
Scanning his empire with a monarch's
care:
Nations have bowed and hosts have
turned to fly
eye
rs he an angel or a godc" cried.
Awed and astonished. to my shining
guide.
"A god he said; "all-ruling Odin, he.
Lord of your earth-soil. air and
wavy sea
And, most and worst. the realm of
man is strong
That still adores yon prince of crime
and wrong"
<ultur ask that Germans return to
odin as their god.
(CorYrixht. 1927. by Paul v. colnnLl