T H E C H E M A W A A M E R IC A N
PA G E 4
A W O NDER FU L WORK
(C o n tin u ed from page 1)
2. T h at the older Nez Perces are generally th rifty and
practice a degree of providence and econom y u nusual
am ong Indians; th at th is th rift is the resu lt of h aving
been forced to work for their living in th eir y o u n g er
days and never h aving been pauperized by receiving
ration s or other gratu ities from the governm ent, and
th a t these characteristics have not descended to the
younger generation as a racial or tribal heritage.
3. T h a t the form er Nez Perce reservation is for all
practical purposes a w hite m a n ’s co u n try ; th a t the
1300 Nez Perces who reside on th e reservation are
widely scattered over a large area am ong a p p ro x i
m ately 20,000 w hite people w ith whom they live as
neighbors and continually ex ch an g e friendly in te r
course; th a t this association and in term in g lin g , to
gether with the co education of In d ian and w hite
children in th e public schools, is rapidly influencing
them to adopt th e m anners and custom s and living
conditions of the dom inant race.
4. T h at their econom ic condition and habits of
econom y enable the older people to m aintain th em
selves in com fort and independence and frequently to
indulg e th eir children, th eir less provident friends
and relatives of a younger gen eratio n , in sem i-idleness
and som etim es in vice and dissipation.
5 T h a tth e real problem is to induce all the ablebodied
m en and women under m iddle age to settle dow n and
go to w ork; establish the you n g m arried people in
hom es of th eir own and get them interested in d iv e r
sified iarm in g on sm all tracts of land and earn in g th eir
ow n living; th a t the solution of th is problem will
autom atically reduce to a m inim um the idleness, pov
e rty , vice and intem perance w hich now prom ises to be
th e undoing of the n ex t gen eratio n , and the ru in atio n
of m any of th eir elders.
W hen in th e course of the advance of civilization,
th e m em bers of a tribe of In d ian s find them selves
gradually decreasing in m em bers, th e ir lands passing
from th e ir ow nership, m any of th e ir people becom ing
hom eless, living in idleness and acq u irin g th e vices of
th e supposedly superior race am ong w hich they live,
and desire to reform th eir w ays and to assum e am ong
th e people of th e dom inant race equal statio n in life
and to acquire th at economic com petency and in d e
pendence to w hich the law of God and n atu re en title
them , it becomes necessary and ad vantageous for them
to declare th e ir purpose and to organize them selves
into a cooperative association for th eir m utual benefit
in ca rry in g forw ard th eir aim .
W e believe w ith E dw ard E verett, th e g reat A m erican
statesm an and divine, th a t “ T h e m an who stan d s u p
on his own soil, who feels th a t, by th e laws of the
co u n try in w hich he lives, he is th e rig h tfu l and e x
clusive ow ner of the land w hich he tills, feels more
stro n g ly than an o th er the ch aracter of a m an as the
lord of an anim ate world. Of th is g reat and w onder
ful sphere, w hich, fashioned by th e hand of God, and
upheld by H is pow er, is rolling th ro u g h th e heavens,
a p art of h i s —his from th e center to th e sky! It is
the space on w hich the g eneration before moved in its
ro u n d of d u ties, and he feels him self connected by a
visible link w ith those who follow him , and to whom
he is to tra n sm it a hom e.
“ P erh aps his farm has come dow n to him from his
fathers. T h ey have gone to th eir last hom e; but they
can trace his footsteps over the scenes of his daily labor.
T h e roof w hich shelters him was raised by those to
whom he owes his being. Som e in te re stin g dom estic
trad itio n is connected w ith every enclosure. T h e
favorite fruit tree was planted by his fa th e r’s hand.
H e sported in boyhood beside th e brook w hich still
w inds th ro u g h the m eadow s. H e still hears from the
w indow the voice of th e Sabbath bell, w hich called his
fath ers to th e house of God; and near at hand is the
spot w here his p aren ts lay dow n to rest, and w here,
w hen his tim e shall com e, he shall be laid by his ch il
d ren .
W e see m any of our people—p artic u larly our young
people— w ithout p erm an en t hom es of th e ir ow n, and
in m any cases, leasing to w hite men th e land w hich
thev them selves should farm , and lead in g lives of idle
ness and in d u lg in g in ru in o u s hom es, and children
grow ing up w ith o u t proper parental guidance and
control; we see the m ajority of our people depending
on th e incom e from leased lands for th eir sup p o rt; and
we see our allotted lands and the hom es of our fathers
g rad u ally passing into the hands of th e w hite m an—
title to m ore th an nine hun d red , or alm ost one-half
of th e original allotm ents having th u s passed, leaving
m any of ou r people w ithout land.
T herefore, we the N ez Perce In d ian s, in convention
assem ble in order to form a more perfect federation of
in terests, encourage th rift, in d u stry and hom e b u ild
ing, prom ote good m orals and obedience to all laws of
the state and nation, do hereby organize ourselves in
to a cooperative union to be know n as “ T h e Nez
Perce In d ian H om e and Farm A sso ciatio n .”
ITEM S FROM TH E TR A D E S
M r. Beecroft, the gardener, is on leave at present.
T h e p ain ters are freshening the outside of a num ber
of the b uildings, particularly porches and steps.
T h e m asons are rep airin g plaster in Brew er Hall at
a num ber of places so th a t th e room s can be painted.
T h e carp en ters have received p art of th eir lum ber
and are now g iving th eir shop problem s consideration.
T h e plum bers are at present concerned w ith con n ect
ing the new steam table at th e dom estic science d e
p artm en t.
T h e engineers have repaired the w asher at th e la u n
d ry and are placing covering on the high pressure steam
line in th e tu n n el at present.