Hesperothen; Notes from the West, Vol. 2 (of 2): A Record of a Ramble in the United States and Canada in the Spring and Summer of 1881Russell, William Howard, Sir
History
Hesperothen; Notes from the West, Vol. 2 (of 2): A Record of a Ramble in the United States and Canada in the Spring and Summer of 1881
Russell, William Howard, Sir
United States -- Description and travel
The first number of the 'School News,' which I have before me, contains
as an article: "What Michael Burns, an Apache boy, thinks on the Indian
Question." He says, "I cannot help myself, having much feeling for my
people, what has been said about them, and the efforts making to give
us the same privileges as the people of the United States. And it is
said how we have been treated by the bad white man, for the last ten
or fifteen years, decreasing our number. But that kind for treatment
for my nation will soon stop." The poor boy goes on to say: "There is
no doubt that we are in fault. We had the opinion that we could not
get beaten by any other nation. Now we know for ourselves that we will
have to change.... But how does the white man know which way is the
best to do. Was he born that way? No! Education gives him the light
of knowledge." Then a boy named Marcus Poko writes to his father: "I
want you to try hard and leave the Comanche way, and to find the white
man's way." In the leading article, written, I presume, by Samuel
Townsend, it is said: "Indian ways will never be good any more, it
is all passed, gone away, and the other way is coming up to take the
place. We shall all be glad when we all get into the civilised way of
living, then the Indians will not make so much trouble for the American
people. Some people say 'let the Indians get out of the way. There
is no use in trying to advance them, kill them all they are like the
wild animals deaf and dumb, they never will learn anything. We have
already paid so much money for them they have never become civilised
yet.' But all good people say, 'Oh, yes, give them an education and
plenty of opportunities, and send more teachers among them so they may
come up beside us and live as brothers and live in peace.'" There is a
little paragraph as to language. "There are a great many words in the
English," says the writer, "that the Indians have no word for, so the
white people who make the Indian books have to make new Indian words.
So the Indians have to learn the new Indian words. Now we don't know
much about it, but we believe the Indians can all learn to speak the
same as the whites." Then there is a column about the school news:
"Lizzie McRae, a Creek girl, made a very good corn bread the other
day. We had some of it. It was right good I tell you." "Robert American
Horse is a steady boy. He works in the blacksmith shop very well, and
Mr. Harris never has to tell him but once how to do something." "One
of the teachers had artificial violets on her belt. A Gros Ventre boy
saw them, but did not know what they were, so he got up from his desk
and went close to the teacher. He looked at it and then smelt it. When
he smelt it he said, 'Pooh! rags!'" "Boys, some time ago Captain Pratt
gave us advice about throwing stones at birds. Some of the boys who
understand most English did not listen. We want the birds to come and
stay with us and sing for us, too. Let us remember about this, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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