Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-04-05
GETTING DOWN 10
GRASS
THE MEDICINE OF FRIENDSHIP

he is seriously Ill in Walter Reet
hospital. washington No man coult
receive a finer tribute. AT the CLOSE
of Hfe's brief day here Is a touching
, tribute to the true worth OF a man
When simple people are anxious
about an old and well loved friend
that is in itself proof that he had
reached and impressed those about
him with true demonstrations OF
those virtues pom which all charac'
ter and life success is built. The
medicine smoke this week OF the
Backfeet In the lodge of Walks in
the Water was a. fine an honor and
as high 4 mark of respect and es-
TEEN as an Indian has ever accorded
a white man General Scott, the
man xho speaks with n tongue,
had earned il. The racial in~tolerants
of today may ponder the obvious les
son conveyed IL is a pathetic ges-
rar~- General Scott came west to
| fight the Indians. or rather to sub
| due them He chased Geronimo
through the desert He counseled
with the great leaders OF the North
! ern Cheyennes- He was the friend
Of Gros ventre. Assinniboine. Sioux,
Crow and BIackfoot- With these
! people he came In time TO nave more
influence than any white man who
ever lived among them.
His charming personal memoirs
recently published reveal his per
sonzl yiexpoint upon the Indian. He
vas naturally a just man He strove
10 understand those about him.
More than that, he strove to improve
their condition Probably he did
more 10 promote understanding OF
the Indian than any white man who
ever lived His interest in the sign
language was appreciated. Time
and again the Indians learned that
xhen Scott made a promise he kept
IL He was educated as an arlsto
cEaL Yet the cadets at West Point
used TO call him the three fingered
son of y gun He was a strict discI
pIinar5an~ Those who attended the
Fort Union reunion here will remem-
Der his par1ey with Mountain Chief
and the alert manner III which the
assembled Indians received his mess
age conveyed to them in the sign
language He enjoyed that day. To
Ivan Metxger he said Il can reach
down and gather q handful of sage,
crush 1T in my hand. inhaIe its frag
rance and / ann back there SO years
running buffalo ON the Milk river.
The record OF confidence American
Indians had i'm General Scott was not
built In a day 1t began down in
Arizona In his experience with the
Apaches- They learned that he was
not afraid to fight. that he was tire
less as themselves in following the
war trail. but that he was never too
naughty to sit down and counsel and
that from those c0unseIs always
came even exact justice.
On al the western reservations
there are old Indians who remember
and respect General Scott. He was
q young lieutenant at Fort Totten.
He served at Fort Abraham Lincoln.
He often visited at Fort Buford. He
xas once u Christmas eve guest
there ON a winter trip into the ieE
lOwstOne country OF this he writes
most Interestingly In his memoirs.
Those Indians whose prayers today
are for this fine type OF the Ameri-
can soldier have come a long way
since they fought him to the time
when their singers chant prayers for
him N they hold the medicine pipe
to the four points OF the compass.
They r tolerant to a man, III not to
a people They pray for the life OF a
mar whose religion many OF them
have never accepted but whose per
sonzI virtues have cleared away ra-
cfzI and spiritual barriers.
What a fine thing 1t would be Ii
all men could be as tolerant OF one
another 1T would be better stiIl III
all men could as richly merit such
tolerance in a world where racial
a~ntipathies are disappearing slowly,
but are stiTl cherished by many OF
the NARROW. selfish and ignorant,
with 4 result they sometimes flame
into WAITS and prosecutions. Many
Of lis today laugh at the Pagan and
his rites. thus demonstrating colos-
sal ignorance instead OF concern Ov-
er the fact that with all our enIight-
eminent and progress we have never
been able to completely reach the
spiritual side OF him and cause him
to cast down his ancient affairs, II
in fact that il altogether desirable.
There are Pagans 80 miles from
WIIlist0nr many of them. There are
PaEns two hours ride by automobile
from the shadow of the Church OF
the Redeemer In Minneapolis to the
Mile Laos reservation, where white
civilization and barbaric philosophy
have been neiEhbors for more than
300 years The white man has never
convinced the Indian because all too
often he does not live what he
teaches regarding the things OF the
spirit
So the altar Of the Indian lis still
I'm many asses . hill top where he
sits alone to ponder the eternal mys.
teries and to commune with the u
and the moo and the stars. Some.
times he has strange visions, as his
legends plentifully indicate. They
inspire him They profoundly affect
bis life All too many white men
c1nno say As much Prayer is a
natural thing in the spiritual life of
the Indian III In = xcSfurc m humalf.