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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1928)
PAGE 4 THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN POCAHONTAS—FIRST GREAT AMERICAN INDIAN (Continued from page 1) soon following her Christian baptism, she was married to John Rolfe. Opaschisca, her uncle, gave her away and the ceremony was performed according to the ways of the English Church. Two years later they visited England. Pocahontas was received with much ceremony by King James I and Queen Anne. She was known as Lady Rebecca. While there her picture was painted, and this same picture was later presented to the State of Virginia by the ruler of Great Britain, and is now in the State House at Richmond. A few short months before she had lived in a wig wam and now she saw gilded palaces. Not long be fore she had worn deer skin, now she wore a ruff, a brocaded gown, and a high Jacobean hat! The Bishop of London held a feast in her honor. While in Eng land she met Smith, whom she had long thought dead. She would not marry Rolfe until she was convinced that Smith was dead by having his false grave pointed out to her. When she was told that Smith was dead she grieved exceedingly. Reports of this cruel meet ing are conflicting. Some say she fainted away and did not speak for a long time. This would have been quite natural if she had thought him dead. Others insist she only wished to call Smith * ‘ Father. ’ ’ What ever the truth be, Pocahontas began to lose her bloom ing health and to fade. Finally came the day for de parture for Virginia. She took a coach from London to Gravesend, where she could board her ship. It is not known whether she died of a broken heart from grief at the prospect of leaving Smith forever, or whether she was the victim of an epidemic of small pox that was then ravaging in the vicinity of Graves end. Here she was buried, but the exact spot is un known. Thus ended the life of “the beautiful savage,” the one who came to Jamestown on a dismal night through the woods and saved the colonists. Her son later re turned to Virginia and one of her descendants was John Randolph of Roanoke. When Pocahontas and Rolfe went to England Pow hatan sent one of his men, Tomocomomo, to report the number of inhabitants and the general state of the country. Tomocomomo returned and it is too bad that there is no written record of his report, for it would no doubt be very interesting. No doubt Pocahontas was the main factor that caused “the kindness of the natives who brought the colonists maize and other provisions.” Without this aid the first English settlers that came to Virginia in 1607 would have starved. Who knows whether Pocahontas fell in love with the gallant Captain John Smith or merely worshipped him as a superior and exalted being? Who knows if he ever took more than a fatherly interest in her? We do know she had a tender and merciful heart; that she, an interesting Indian maiden, was feted by the royalty of England and never blundered; that America owes a debt of gratitude to this illustrious woman who did so much to promote her colonization. St. Georges church at Gravesend bears an entry which reads, “21 March, 1616, Rebecca Wrolfe, wyffe of Thomas Wrolfe, gent., a Virginia Lady borne, was buried in ye Chauncelle.” LET YOUR DOCTOR DECIDE Following are some splendid suggestions just issued by the Oregon State Board of health—pay attention to them: Thousands of people have tuberculosis and never know it. About two people in every hundred break down with this disease. Even you may have tuber culosis and not know it! You may be infected and never develop tubercu losis. But if you feel any of the following danger signs of tuberculosis, especially if you have two or three of them in combination, take no chances. See your doctor. Let him decide. Are you tired all the time without any cause that you can think of? Not laziness, but fatigue—that loss of ambition and energy that gives you an all-in feeling? That may be a danger sign of tuberculosis. Let your doctor decide. When you begin to lose weight fairly rapidly with no apparent reason and when such loss of weight is accompanied by loss of “pep” or a “tired-all-the- time” feeling, it may be tuberculosis. Let your doctor decide. Loss of appetite, or what is commonly called “in digestion,” is frequently an early sign of tuberculosis. This is especially so if with it goes a loss of “pep” and loss of weight. Let your doctor decide whether your indigestion is or is not a sign of tuberculosis. A cough that lasts more than two weeks should al ways be viewed with suspicion. It may be caused by tuberculosis. Take no chances. Let your doctor de cide. Blood-streaked sputum or quantities of blood with coughed-up matter should put you on your guard. It may be tuberculosis. Let your doctor decide. No chronic disease is more easily cured than tuber culosis, if it is discovered in time. The danger signs listed above are the earliest signs of tuberculosis that are most commonly noticed. Proper treatment in a sanatorium or at home will restore health to most cases of early tuberculosis. If in doubt have an ex amination today, with bared chest. Your local or state tuberculosis or public health association will as sist you with information or in other ways, if you do not know what to do. They will serve your doctor or you for the asking. Take no chances.
