Newspaper Page Text
Bails icily Timas.
‘ TRENTON, GEORGIA.
An International Congress of Geogra
phers is to be held in Paris during the
summer. __
The Louisville Courier-Journal calls for
a free delivery mail system for the farm
ing communities.
About fifteen companies are reported
to have been organized during the past
few weeks to build cotton mills in the
South.
The New York Telegram estimates that
there has been in three years a twenty
five per cent, decrease in prison inmates
in prohibition lowa.
One may stand on top of the Eiffel
Tower in Paris, they say, and be entirely
out of a heavy storm that rages at a lower
level. The structure is 984 feet high.
The statement is made, says the At
lanta Constitution , that not more than five
eminent scientists in the United States re
ject the Darwinian theory of evolution.
Our country is not altogether defence
less on land. The Centennial demon
strated that 70,000 militiamen can be as
sembled in New York within fifteen
hours.
The Chicago Journal thinks that the
coming census may show a decrease in the
population of some of the States. It pre
dicts a falling off in some of the New
England States and in the two Carolinas.
Both France and England have decided
that the female sex has not the necessary
intelligence to make proper use of the
ballot. And still American girls run af
ter those fellows 1 indignantly exclaims
the Detroit Free Press.
At a recent banquet in New York Gov
ernor Buckner, of Kentucky, said that
after the surrender at Appomattox General
Grant followed him into the woods, and
offered him the use of all his funds and
food for the comfort of himself and his
men.
Cincinnati firemen gave a ball the othei
evening and an alarm left the maids and
matrons without partners while the tire-
Ultu fof bbt Ul’S wlxlir
and “swallow tail” coats in the line of
duty. Both the ladies and the fire were
put out.
The revival of the spelling bee promises,
thinks the Atlanta Constitution , no end
of innocent and hearty amusement. There
is more genuine enjoyment in one of
these contests than there is in a hundred
walking matches or other tests of physical
strength.
The wives of the foreign ministers at
Peking, China, must have been highly
flattered to receive portions of the State
dinner at their homes. This was the
nearest approach to recognition that they
have any hope of in a country where the
woman is never deemed worthy to appeal
in public.
It is of some interest to recall the fact
that Ramsey says in his “Life of Wash
ington” that Washington’s mother “was
from the influence of long established
habits so far from being partial to the
American revolution that she often re
gretted the side her son had taken in the
controversy between her King and hex
country.”
A railway company in Texas, which
has 7,000,000 acres of good land to sell
on easy terms, has agents drumming
among the disappointed boomers. As all
Oklahoma contains less than 1 900,000
acres, there should be no trouble, remarks
the Detroit Free Press, in accommodating
the overflow. “There is a little food foi
thought, too,” it adds, “in the possession
of so much land by a railway corpora
tion.”
The Cherokee outlet is the next sectior
of the boomer's promised land. His ad
vance guard is already there, announces
the Washington Star, dodging the United
States army, fighting over worthless
claims, and, as in Oklahoma, swallowing
great quantities of alkali dust in the
water and air. Alkali water in the
Oklahoma cities is now very expensive,
and, after drinking, the imbiber heartily
wishes that he hadn't.
The ancient Japanese custom of Hari
Kari, or Happy Despatch, has received s
set-back. For centuries it has been the
custom for officials of high rank who may
have offended their sovereign to disem
bowel therrfselves upon intimation from
the Mikado. Not long ago an old and
trusted official wounded the feelings of
the monarch and the next day an ofiicei
brought him the fatal sword, a mag
nificent weapon incrusted with rare jew.
els. The culprit received the sword,
packed his valuables and took the steamer
for Hs-vo en route to Paris, where he
Anld the sword of honor far $30,000.
LOOK SEAWARD, SENTINEL!
Look seaward. Sentinel, and tell the land
What you behold
SENTINEL.
I see the deep-plowed furrows of the main
Bristling with harvest; funnel, and keel,
and shroud,
Heaving and hurrying hither through gale
and cloud,
Winged by their burdens; argosies of grain,
Flocks of strange breed and herds of south
ern strain,
Fantastic stuffs and fruits of tropic bloom,
Antarctic fleece and equatorial spice,
Cargoes of cotton, and flax, and silk, and
rice.
Food for the hearth and staples for the
loom;
Huge vats of sugar, casks of wine and oil,
Summoned from every sea to one sole shore
By Empire’s sceptre; the converging store
Of Trade’s pacific universal spoil.
And heaving and hurrying hitherward to
bring
Tribute from every zone, they lift their
voices,
And as a strong man revels and rejoices,
Thoy loudly and lustily chant, and this the
song they sing:
CHORUS OF HOME-COMING SHIPS.
From the uttermost bound
Of the wind and the foam
From creek and from sound, .
We are hastening home.
We are laden with treasure
From ransacked seas,
To charm your leisure,
To grace your ease.
We have trodden the billowsj
And tracked the ford,
To soften your pillows,
To heap your board.
The hills have beeu shattered,'
The forests scattered,
Our white sails tattered,
To swell your hoard,
Is it blossom, or fruit, or
Seed, you crave?
The land is your suitor, •
The sea your slave.
We have raced with the swallows,
And threaded the floes
Where the walrus wallows
’Mid melting snows;
Sought regions torrid
And realms of sleet,
To gem your forehead,
To swathe your feet.
And behold, now we tender,
With pennons unfurled,
For your comfort and splendor,
The wealth of the world.
—Alfred Austin, in National Review.
BLACK CLOUD'S SON.
A GOVERNMENT RIDER’S STORY.
There will never be another Indian out
break serious enough to call for the ac
tion of a full regiment of soldiers in sup
pressing it. The extermination of the
buffalo was the death-blow to the hostile
Indian. Added to that, the building of
the railroad lines flooded the West with
emigrants, miners, hunters and tourists,
md the Indian found himself hedged in
by circumstances. The red man is no
longer a warrior. He is down, and down
pretty low, and it is the beginning of the
end. He is doomed to follow the buffalo,
ind his total extinction will be regretted
only by the few philanthropists who
argued for him as a theory, and never
came in physical contact.
No human being ever came nearer
being a fiend than an Apache Indian. The
Pawnees, Blackfeet and Cheyennes were
wicked enough, but the Apache had
traits of his own—a fiendishness w r hich
other tribes might imitate but could not
equal. He was born crafty and cruel. He
never had the slightest feeling of mercy
or pity from the cradle to the grave. He
was never so much amused as when assist
ing to torture some living thing. He was
never so satisfied as when planning to
take life.
A year previous to the time General
Custer was ordered West to begin a vigor
ous campaign against the Indians, the
Apaches were in their glory, and they
boasted that they could defeat any force
of soldiers sent against them. I was
scouting and mail-carrying in Texas for
the Government, and after many close
shaves was finally captured by the red
imps. It is of that incident I am going
to write.
A month before my capture I was out
on a scout on the Rio Pecos River, our
party numbering eighteen men. We
were well mounted and moving quickly
from point toCpoint. One day at noon
we went into cam]) in a grove of cotton
woods, and before I had unsaddled the
Lieutenant in command informed me
that he had lost his revolver from its
holster during the last mile of our ride,
and asked me to ride back in search. In
stead of riding I returned on foot, and
had the luck to find the weapon only
about a quarter of a mile away. I then
cut across an elbow to reach the grove,
and when within stone’s throw came sud
denly upon an Indian pony in a dry gulch,
and at the same instant discovered his
owner crouched behind a boulder with
his back to me and his face to the grove.
I had him under my rifle before he could
turn his head. Indeed, my finger was on
the trigger when I saw that he was a boy.
lie had a rifle in his hands, but I called
out to him to lay it down or I would tire,
and after a moment's hesitation he
obeyed. Then, as I kept him covered at
a distance of only seven or eight feet, I
called to the men in the grove, and
several of them came hurrying down in
response.
I had captured a son of Black Cloud,
Chief of one of the Apache bands, and
the boy was named after his father. He
was only fourteen years old, and his
presence there exemplified the ruling traits
of Apache character. Three hours before
he had discovered our party while out
hunting with a party of his own. They
dared not make an open attack, but the
young Chief had sent his people away
and then cut across the country to the
grove, planning that we would halt
there. Single-handed and alone he was
going to pick off the Lieutenant, and
then make his escape to boast of it. We
had splendid horses and were all old
campaigners, and the boy would not have
had one chance in ten to get away. He
must have realized it, and yet he was
willing to run the risks. He was greatly
chagrined and cast down by his capture.
We had finished our scout aud were on
our way back to Fort McKavett, and we
determined to carry him in prisoner.
When he was informed of this he earnestly
begged me to kill him, saying that he
could never hold up his head among his
people again. Had he been wounded
and rendered helpless it would not have
been so bad; but to be taken as he was
would forever disgrace him. We bound
him fast to his pony, secured the animal
against a break for liberty, and set out
for the fort.
The boy was sullen and defiant for a
time, refusing to answer any questions,
but after a while, when I had told him
that he would not be harmed, and that
his capture under the circumstances re
dounded to his credit, he thawed out a
little. Three hours after his capture we
got sight of a single Indian a mile away
to our right on a knoll, and as we halted
young Black Cloud informed me that it
was one of his tribe, who wanted to have
a talk with us. Signals were exchanged
between the two, and the stranger soon
came galloping in. He was one of the
hunting party, and had been dodging us
for twenty miles to find out if the boy
had been captured. He was a fine look
ing fellow, and as he halted in our midst,
ii'J saw the ignoble situation of the boy
thought was to fight for him.. I
called his attention to the fact that any
move of his would result in the death of
them both, and then explained how the
youth was captured. Knowing the con
ceit of the tribe I spread it on very thick,
alleging that it required our whole force
to make the capture, and it was not ac
complished then without a hard fight.
This falsehood made the boy my friend
for life, while it put the other in better
humor. I stated that young Black Cloud
Avould be taken to the fort and held
prisoner until exchanged for some white
captive, and gave ray word that he would
be well treated meanwhile. He sent a
message to his father to the effect that he
was not afraid, and hoped to be at lib
erty in a few days, and two hours later
we had him safely lodged in the guard
house at the fort. His capture was looked
upon as a good thing, for we knew that
his tribe would gladly exchange two or
three white prisoners for him.
Two weeks after the capture of yofing
Black Cloud I was called into the
Colonel’s office one evening, and asked if
I thought it possible to get through to
Fort Concho with despatches. The
country was then in the possession of the
liostiles. The Pecos warriors had come
down out of New Mexico to make com
mon cause against the whites, and the
Kioways, Cheyennes, Chickasaws, Semi
noles, and Sliawnees were all out in the
country to the north and east. The
Apaches had us almost in a state of siege,
being seen every day within five miles of
the post, and the chances of making a
sixty-mile ride across the plains lying be
tween the two forts without running
against a party ot hostiles was not one in
fifty. At times a Govern
ment rider commanded to go. He
is asked certain questions, however, in a
manner which decides him to make the
attempt. I left the post at 9 o’clock at
night of an Aujmst evening perfectly satis
fied that I sli#Jl be dead or a prisoner
bffm'c midnight. 1 had a bronco of tire
l<w*%ait, a rifle and revolver, and I car
ried only five or six pounds extru weight.
Bofore setting out I went in to see young
Black Cloud aud say good-by. I had
spent much of my time in his company,
and we had become pretty good friends.
When I told him of my journey he took
from his neck .a buckskin string, to which
was attached the tooth of a grizzly bear,
and handed it to me with the remark:
“You cannot get through. You will
be captured or killed. If not shot down,
show this to my people. They will know
who it belongs to. They may trade you
for me, and I shall thus get back to my
tribe.”
A thunder storm was coming up as I
took my departure. Instead of holding
due north, on the direct route, I rode to
the east for five miles and then held
away for Concho direct. The storm now
broke, and for a full hour I rode ahead
at a steady gallop, one moment in dark
ness so black that I could not see the
cars of my horse, and the next in a blaze
of light so brilliant that it blinded me.
By the time the storm had passed I was
a good fifteen miles from the fort, and
as I had seen nothing to alarm me I be
gan to hope that I would get through all
right. It was between 10 and 11 o’clock,
and I had pulled my broncho down to a
walk for the first time, when he suddenly
uttered a snort of alarm and started off
with wild jumps. Three or four rifles
cracked, and as the reports reached me
the horse fell in a heap and flung me far
over his head. I was momentarily stunned
by the fall, and before I had made a move
to get up I was seized by at least three
Indians, who were not a minute in bind
ing my hands and feet. When I got a
clear head once more it was to realize
that the Apaches had me a secure prisoner,
aud that, there were six or seven warriors
about me. The moon came up in a clear
sky a little latter, aud then I made out
that I had run directly into a temporary
camp. The shots fired after me had
brought down my horse, and he lay groan
ing and floundering a few yards away.
The Indians knew that I was a white
man, but they didn’t know who they had
got hold of until morning came. During
the interval I lay on the wet ground
guarded by two of the warriors, and al
most immediately after my capture two
men were sent off in different directions
with news of it. A party of twelve
Apaches arrived just before daylight and
ten more at sunrise, and among the latter
I recognized Black Cloud, father of the
boy. One of the men had recognized
me as “The-white-man-who-hurries,” as
the Government riders were called, and
as being in the party who captured the
Chief’s son. No one ever saw such a mad
lot of redskins before or since. They
wanted to torture me, and yet they
realized that through me the boy could
obtain his liberty. The Chief at first
declared that he had disowned his son,
and that he might rot in confinement be
fore he would exchange a white prisoner
for him. When I called his attention to
the charm young Black Cloud had given
me the old man pretended to believe that
it was a sign the boy was dead, and
he ordered my immediate torture. 1
was jerked to a sitting position, my boots
cut off, and the devils were about to use
their knives on my feet when the old man
changed his mind aud restrained them.
The sight of me before them was the same
as a pail of fresh blood placed before
ravenous wolves, and I expected to be
knifed or tomahawked every moment foi
the first half hour. When they had
cooled down a little Black Cloud de
manded the particulars of his boy’s cap
ture. I saw that he felt degraded over
the event, and was ready to disown the
youth, aud I made out a strong defence
for the little chap to save ray own scalp.
It was finally decided to spare my life
for a few days, and I was conducted to a
camp in the foot-hills between the two
forts. Here a council was held, and I had a
close shave of it. While Black Cloud
wanted his son back, some of his advisers
contended that he should wait until se
curing some cheaper prisoner. They in
sisted on making me out a very import
ant personage, and it was well known
that I had killed or wounded several of
the tribe in different scrimmages. An
other thing that bothered them was how
to make the exchange and not get
beaten. Treacherous and deceitful to
the last degree themselves,they would not
credit the whites with having any honor.
It was argued, too, that the commander
of the fort would exchange the boy for a
private soldier or any sort of prisoner,
and that I had done them too much dam
age to be set at liberty. There were
three days in which my fate was unde
cided, and during the last day a stake
was driven and fagots collected for a fire
to torture me. I had no voice
in the council, being bound and
under guard, but it was at length
decided to make the exchange. So cau
tious and fearful were the Indians that it
took, a week to effect what might have
been done in a day. I wrote a note to
the commandant explaining the situation.
This was carried in by a squaw, who was
permitted to see and converse with young
Black Cloud. He replied that he would
exchange. The Apaches then wanted
the boy turned loose before they released
me, but this I would not hear to, know
ing they would murder me. It was finally
arranged that he was to be escorted a
mile outside the fort and turned loose on
his horse. I was to be taken to within a
mile of the fort, and turned loose on foot.
The parties were to occupy eminences
half a mile apart, and the hour was to be
9 o’clock in the morning. This plan was
carried out. Twenty soldiers came out
with the boy; and about the same num
ber of Apaches escorted me. The treach
ery of the copper-faced fiends was soon
exemplified. They had posted five war
riors in a dry run to shoot me down as I
made for the fort. The boy doubtless
suspected some such move, for as soon as
released he came galloping straight for
me, and after a ‘ -how how” and a hand
shake he insisted that I walk beside his
pony until we reached the gate of the
fort. When I was safe he waved his
hand and rode away to be received with
yells and cheers, and it was then we saw
the treacherous rascals creeping out ol
the cover where they had been stationed.
A year later, after a fight in which ovei
forty of the bravest Apache warriors had
gone to earth, I found young Black Cloud
among the dead, having been hit foui
times. He had a Winchester and a re
volver from which every cartridge had
been fired. New York Run.
Destruction of the Birds.
There is a subject to which I would
call attention, says a correspondent oi
the New York Times, namely, the mania
for making collections of birds’ eggs. II
has become a great evil in this gectioc
and unless checked soon will, I think,
prove worse than the English sparrows oi
anything else. Different writers have en
couraged children to make collections of
eggs and have dwelt on their beauty, and
the result is that swarms of boys are
scouring all the country in the vicinity of
towns for eggs, Every egg is taken and
hardly a nest escapes destruction. A yeai
ago I determined to put a stop to it if
possible. I found that the law forbids
the robbing of all nests other than those
of crows, blackbirds, hawks, and owls,
making it a misdemeanor and also provid
ing a penalty of $5 for each offense. This,
added to the fine of imprisonment oi
both for the misdemeanor, makes rathei
serious business of egg collecting. And
I found several persons who agreed tc
help me, had the law published in th«
local papers and also read in Sundaj
school, along with a warning that all
found guilty would be punished. II
worked well. Only a few were found tc
continue collecting, and a second personal
notice to them was all that was necessary.
A Buffalo Census.
A report is being prepared for the
Smithsonian Institution, by Professor W.
T. Hornaday, which will show the habits
of the Amerioan bison and its graduallj
decreasing range, and give interesting
details concerning the reduction of its
numbers from countless thousands a quar
ter of a century ago—the slaughter of
1868 to 1872 taking off three and a half
millions—to less than 750 at the present
time. The buffalo now left include 243
head in a domesticated state, viz.: 140
head belonging to C. J. Jones, of Garden
City, Kan.; 35 head owned by C. Allard,
on the Flathead Indian Reservation,
Montana; 18 head with Buffalo Bill’c
Wild West Show; 13 head on Charles
Goodnight’s ranch near Clarendon, Texas,
and several small herds of two to five
head. The wild herds, so far as known,
are as follows: Near Peace River, Can
ada, probably 200 head, though consid
erably more according to some estimates;
in Yellowstone National Park, as counted
no longer ago than February 12th, 200
head; in the Pan Handle of Texas, 30
head; on the Red Desert, Southern
Wyoming, 20 head; in the Mussel Shell
country, Montana, 10 head; in South
western Dakota, 5 head.— Trenton {N. J.)
American. ~~ "* ~~
THE KEi> MAN’S HOME LIFE.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDIAN OF
THE PRESENT DAY.
The Tepee, Cooking, Treatment’ of
Children, Ways of Courting, Ideas
of Sickness aud Religious Beliefs.
A Montana correspondent of the Cin
cinnati Enquirer says that a description of
the home life of the Indian of the present
day will give the reader the fairest oppor
tunity to form correct conclusions.
The tepee or lodge is constructed of
from fourteen to twenty-six poles, the tops
of which tied together and the butt ends
resting on the ground,inclosing a circular
area, the diameter of which ranges from
sixteen to thirty feet. The structure is
covered with one continuous piece of buf
falo skins, nicely fitted together and so
thinly dressed that sufficient light is trans
mitted into the interior, even when the
lodge is tightly closed. Several families
usually live in one of these lodges. Though
each family has its particular part of the
dwelling and the furniture of each is kept
separate, anything like privacy in conver
sation or life is impossible. They sleep in
open compartments witli feet toward the
center, where a perpetual fire is kept going
for cooking purposes.
The cooking is now done in large iron
kettles, issued by the agents or sold by
the traders, and nearly every article of
food is prepared by boiling. Meat Is sel
dom fried. It is generally roasted, when
not eaten raw, by hanging on a stick near
the fire. Bread is cooked by frying in
grease. As Indians can get along very
well on meat dried in the sun and such
berries and roots as they can find, it is
easy to comprehend how the Plains In
dians can subsist comfortably upon the
treeless prairies. Prior to coming in con
tact with the whites most of the Indians
used pottery of their own manufacture.
They disdain the use of plates, knives
and forks. In disposing of liquid food
they form with extended thumb and bent
forefinger a spoon, which answers all pur
poses. In eating meat they usually take
a piece into the left hand and. conveying
it to the mouth and grasping an end with
the teeth, with a dexterity almost alarm
ing, sever the bit to be masticated from
the chunk by means of a butcher-knife.
Cleanliness is at a discount, though
fortunately most Indies are very fond of
swimming, and will for hours remain in the
water when near a river. The Sioux,Chey
ennes and a few other tribes use porcu
pine tails for combs. The Crows dis
pense with combs altogether, and it is on
this account that they are even more
filthy than other Indians.
Home government lies entirely in the
hands of the head of the family, who is a
more pronounced autocrat than the Czar
of Russia.
The children are little looked after
and become independent when emerging
from babyhood, but he who denies the
Indian’s love and affection for his off
spring is very much in error. The babies
do not cry as much as the white babies;
as a rule they are healthier. The Indian
cradle when tied up, is a little coffin
shaped sack with a hood-like projection
about the head. It is made of cloth or
skins of several thicknesses, always two
at the back, and to this a board or a stiff
piece of rawhide is securely fastened to
keep the child’s back “as straight as an
arrow.” After being carefully and firmly
tied in the little cradle, the child, as a
rule, is only being taken out to be cleaned
in the morning, and again in the evening
just before the inmates of the lodge go to
sleep. I have seen a baby not two days
old snugly tied up in one of those little
sacks, .the latter being suspended from
the pummel of the saddle. Hanging
alongside of the pony, and mother and
child comfortably jogging along, making
a good day’s march in bitter cold winter,
easily -keeping up with a company of cav
alry, whom she was guiding after hostile
Indians. The little toddler soon learns
to ride and shoot, to steal and to lie; the
boys begin smoking when about
years old. Later on comes self-mutilation
and torture to graduate into manhood,
when he is named from something that
has happened during his life, from some
accident, some animal killed, or some
bird that helped him to success. Girl
babies usually receive their names soon
after birth.
The Indian in his normal frame of mind
is a happy and contented being; he is
fond of singing, dancing, smoking and
gossiping. There is hardly an hour, day
or night, when in a well-regulated camp
the sound of the monotonous tum-tum to
the step of the light fantastic is not heard
accompanied by the hoarse and shrill
voices of males and females in song.
There are few people on the globe who
smoke as much as the Indians, and cer
tainly few who give to it, in so great a
measure a religious character, making it
a social pleasure and prizing it highly
and secretly as a mark of friendship. All
Indians, on the slightest provocation,
seem to crystalize into a circular group,
seated on the ground for the purpose of
“hitting the pipe.” The nightly pow
wow of the warriors, for the purpose of
discussing the affairs of state is one of
life’s sweetest necessities.
Some tribes have regular si ory-tellers—
men i4'o have devoted a great deai of
time to learning the myths and stories of
their people, and who possess, in addition
to a good memory, a vivid imagination.
Often a mother sends for one of these,
and, having prepared a feast for him, she
and her little “brood,” who are curled
up near her, await the fairy stories of the
dreamer, who, after his feast and a
smoke, frequently entertains them for
hours. Gambling is the great passion
of the Indian, and he will, without ap
parent regret, lose upon the turn of a
card all liis earthly possessions, includ
ing, in a few instances, his favorite
squaw. Some of the Arizona tribes of
Apaches indulge in mimic and tableau
plays.
The young men of the Indians do most
of their courting in a standing position.
An Indian lover will stand and wait near
the lodge where abides the object of his
admiration until she appears, when he
walks up alongside of her and throws his
blanket round her. If she reciprocates
the louder sentiment they will thus stand
for horns, his blanket covering both thes>,
heads and closely wrapped around both
their bodies. I have seen as many as haji
a dozen young men waiting by the path,
which led doVn to the water near the
camp, and one after another throw his
blanket around a girl as she was going to
fill her vessel. If the girl likes to be held,
she makes some reply to the first greeting;
if she expressed dislike to his advances,,
the man, by the law of courtship, must
at once desist. The embrace under the
blanket excites no comment or annoy
ance from mischievous boys or garrulous
o.d men and the lover can hug the object
of his affection to his heart’s content un
molested. I have never seen one Indian
kiss another, even among lovers or be
tween mother and child, but hugging is
most energetically practiced. There are,
of course, many other sly ways of court
ing. The marriage soon follows as a
matter of trade between the respective
parents. Though in Indian marriages
the affair savors strongly of a commercial
transaction, and the wife is usually
spoken of as being secured through pur
chase or theft, still, as a rule, there is
quite an expenditure of sentiment and
affection prior to the business part of it.
Marriages between blood relations is for
bidden among them.
The general idea of sickness among the
Indians seems to be that an evil spirit has
entered the person, and that when it is
exercised all will be well. The efforts of
the doctor or “medicine man” are prin
cipally directed toward casting out this
malign and mysterious presence through
chanting, dancing and other hocuspocus.
Very little medicine in roots and herbs is
taken internally, and surgery is little
known among them. Faith in a happy
hereafter for all is universal, and in con
sequence Indians are not agonized with
fear and doubt at the approach of death.
Nature has given them, in common with
all other animals an innate desire for life,
and this in connection with their social
laws, which forbid self-destruction, keeps
them from committing suicide, so that
this crime is rare among them. There
are some wonderfully pretty beliefs among
the Indians treating of the Great Spirit
and the great beyond.
The Indians are essentially a religious
people, or more correctly, a superstitious
people, and, as bats thrive best in dark
ness, so do superstitions in barbarism.
WISE WORDS.
Assumed virtue is false dignity.
Self admiration is lonesome exercise.
A trained man will never go straight.
Wise men always have to be told how
wise they are.
Queer things are not so queer after they
become utilized.
Appearances are not always the evi
dence of happiness.
Ignorance is more respectable than the
abuse of knowledge.
A tailor-made man should never be
considered responsible.
Common sense demands a government
that will govern impartially.
There is no greater success in life than
to always have an object in view.
No man can exert greater influence
than by exhibiting his own self-respect.
A reformer to be successful must al
ways be prepared to take his own drugs.
The man who depends upon himself,
knows how to do right without being
told.
Persons imitate each other because
they are not on good terms with them
selves.
The burden of disappointment is the
necessary preparation before success cau
be borne.
No man will ever receive any knowl
edge more convincing than the fact that
he is bom.
The successful man is always the best
informed in regard to the means by
which he succeeded.
The act from a sense of duty will pro
duce greater happiness than to yield to
the promptings of desire.
One Cause of Baldness.
One great cause of baldness, in the
opinion of a Western knight of the razor,
is the habit many people have of changing
the style of hair cutting two or three
times a year, or nearly as often. He says:
“They insist on a ‘short Pompadour’ in
the hottest months, a less pronounced
crop in the -fall, and then wear their hair
longer as the weather gets colder, gradu
ally approaching a shave again by the
time the thermometer gets up in the nine
ties. Now all this may be very comforta
ble, but it is very bad for the hair and
scalp. It is best to wear the hair short
all the year round, brush it freely and
.rust to nature for the only really effec
tive substitute for pomade.”
Electric Watches to Run a Year.
Inventor Nic. Hussey of Menlo Park,
N. J., who has procured a patent for a
watch to run by electricity, has almost'
completed the formation of a company to
manufacture his electric clocks and
watches. Mr. Hussey has been working
eleven years on his four inventions, which
include a marine clock. The peculiarity
about them is the g avity movement,
which, aided by a small electric current,
moves the pendulums of the clocks and
the large balance wheel of the watches.
The battery is inclosed in the watch-caso,
and with it the time-piece will run for a
whole year without any attention.—*
Chicago Times.
The Texas Steer as a Nurse.
A Texas steer lifted a carriage and
baby off a street and over a high fence
in Denver, Col., without the least dam
age to either the infant or the carriage,
and the little one seemed delighted with
the performance. It is not likely, how
ever, that this incident will make the
Texas steer popular as a child’s nurse.
To be sure, the steer wouldn’t desert the
baby in a public park and let the hot sun
shine in its face half an hour, while he—
or it—flirted with a policeman, but there
are weighty reasons why the animal will
not be employed in that capacity.—
Norristown Herald. .