Sketches of Indian Character: Being a Brief Survey of the Principal Features of Character Exhibited by the North American Indians; Illustrating the Aphorism of the Socialists, that "Man is the creature of circumstances"Bailey, James Napier
Philosophy
Sketches of Indian Character: Being a Brief Survey of the Principal Features of Character Exhibited by the North American Indians; Illustrating the Aphorism of the Socialists, that "Man is the creature of circumstances"
Bailey, James Napier
Indians of North America
“In the month of April, 1782, when I was myself a prisoner at Lower
Sandusky, waiting for an opportunity to proceed with a trader to Detroit,
I witnessed a scene of this description, which fully exemplified what I
have above stated. Three American prisoners were one day brought in by
fourteen warriors, from the garrison of Fort M’Intosh. As soon as they
had crossed the Sandusky river to which the village lay adjacent, they
were told by the Captain of the party, to run as hard as they could
to a painted post which was shown to them. The youngest of the three,
without a moment’s hesitation, immediately started for it, and reached
it, fortunately, without receiving a single blow; the second hesitated
for a moment, but recollecting himself, he also ran as fast as he could,
and likewise reached the post unhurt; but the third, frightened at seeing
so many men, women, and children, with weapons in their hands, ready to
strike him, kept begging the Captain to spare his life, saying he was a
mason, and he would build him a fine large stone house, or do any thing
for him that he should please. ‘Run for your life,’ cried the chief to
him, ‘and don’t talk now of building houses’! But the poor fellow still
insisted, begging and praying to the Captain, who at last finding his
exhortations vain, and fearing the consequences, turned his back upon
him, and would not hear him any longer. Our mason now began to run,
but received many a hard blow, one of which nearly brought him to the
ground, which, if he had fallen, would at once have decided his fate.
He, however, reached the goal, not without being sadly bruised, and he
was besides, bitterly reproached and scoffed at all round as a vile
coward, while the others were hailed as brave men, and received tokens of
universal approbation.”
_Of the Religion of the North American Indians._
S. F. Jarvis, D. D., A. A. S., of New York, in his discourse on the
religion of the North American Indians, details many facts illustrating
the notions which they entertain respecting Deity and a future state.
His statements on this head exhibit both research and accuracy; though
in the first part of his discourse he has digressed from the subject for
the purpose of discharging a clerical arrow at the memory of Volney and
Voltaire. This however, is pardonable in an individual holding the title
of Doctor of Divinity. After indulging in many speculations respecting
the true religion, and the modes in which it became corrupted, he
observes:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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