Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian CollectionCatlin, George
History
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection
Catlin, George
England -- Description and travel; France -- Description and travel; Indians of North America
in the 'Times' newspaper, setting forth all these estimates, and, being
just the thing he wanted, copied them into his book.
The reader sees by this time that, although Jim's looks were against
him, as an orator or lecturer, when he should get back to his own
country--and also that though his imagination could not take its wings
until he was flat upon his back--still that he was, by dint of industry
and constant effort, preparing himself with a magazine of facts which
were calculated to impress upon the simple minds of the people in his
country the strongest proofs of the virtue and superior blessings of
civilization.
These people had discernment enough to see that such an enormous
amount of soldiers and police as their list presented them would not
be kept in pay if they were not necessary. And they naturally put the
question at once--"What state would the country be in if the military
and police were all taken away?" They had been brought to the zenith
of civilization that they might see and admire it in its best form;
but the world who read will see with me that they were close critics,
and _agree_ with me, I think, that it is almost a pity they should
be the teachers of such statistics as they are to teach to thousands
yet to be taught in the wilderness. As I have shown in a former part
of this work, I have long since been opposed to parties of Indians
being brought to this country, believing that civilization should be
a gradual thing, rather than open the eyes of these ignorant people
to all its mysteries at a glance, when the mass of its poverty and
vices alarms them, and its luxuries and virtues are at a discouraging
distance--beyond the reach of their attainment.
Daniel was at this time cutting a slip from the 'Times,' which he
read to Jim; and it was decided at once to be an admissible and
highly interesting entry to make, and to go by the side of his former
estimates of the manufacture and consumption of _chickabobboo_. The
article ran thus:--"The consumption of ardent spirits in Great Britain
and Ireland in the last year was 29,200,000 gallons, and the Poor Law
Commissioners estimate the money annually spent in ardent spirits at
24,000,000_l._ (120,000,000 dollars); and it is calculated that 50,000
drunkards die yearly in England and Ireland, and that one-half of the
insanity, two-thirds of the pauperism, and three-fourths of the crimes
of the land are the consequences of drunkenness."
This, Jim said, was one of the best things he had got down in his book,
because he said that the _black-coats_ were always talking so much
about the Indians getting drunk, that it would be a good thing for him
to have to show; and he said he thought he should be able, when they
were about to go home, to get _Chippehola_[36] to write by the side of
it that fourteen Ioways were one year in England and never drank any of
this _fire-water_, and were never drunk in that time.
[36] The Author.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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