Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Grand Ronde, OR
About Weekly Chemawa American. (Chemawa, Or.) 189?-198? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1902)
CHEMAWA AMERICAN. 7 Ten Nights in a Bar Room. Feb. 22 1902, "Ten Nights in a Bar-Room" was pre Rented ty Ihe pupils of Mrs Cloutier, Mrs. Campbell and Miss Freudian a moat cred itable manner on Haturday eveniff. When - all Ihe parta were so well taken it would hardly be fair to make comparisons. The boys and girlB all did their best and entered Into the spirit of the play in a manner which demonstrated not only their ability hut iheir wlllingness,to make the evening asucceeB.AThe audience expressed Uheir Biirpriae and delight at the excellent pre fortuance. The following is the cunt of characters: Sample Bwichel '. .. , JohnRaub BirrionSlade Tom Young Joe Morgan Charles Cutter Frank Slade : Martin Wollen Harvey Green .James Smith Mr.maine William lilougett Willie Hammond John Harris Mrs, Morgan Lucy McCloud Mary Morgan Irene Campbell Mebimble Cartwright Elvira Pnrteh The play was well set. John Harris painted an addition to several of our regular scenes which add.'d urcatly to the effect. The Long Hair Must Go. There has boon widn-prend Ci.mnent upon the order of Commissioner Jones prescribing "close cropped hair, faces un pninted and the abandonment of the blan ket" as the twentieth century styles pre scribed for Indinns. Casting about for a renHon for this order, the Youth's Compan ion cays that it is believed that "paint on the Indians' faces melt and runs into the eyes; producing disease." the'infereiiee be ing that this part of therrderls thus based, Ii i also conceded that the shirt, for hy gienic reasons, may he preferable to the blanket, but, It is asked. "Why not leave the way of wearing the hair to individual taste?" The whole reason underlying this order ismissed in this estimate. If we are to civilize these reservation Inrlians(which ih conceded to he the government's plan), they must be induced to discard the Insig nia of savagery, indolence and tilth, get into working clothes and work. The paint nn their faces may not aflect their eyes, hut It is unclean, and stamps them as sav ages, and it surely needs no argument to convince any practical person that men cannot work to advantage with lone hair blowing about their faces and blankets falling lonsoly about Iheir limbs. The "blanket Indian" Will mock the efforts of civilization in his behalf until these i neia nia of tilth and laziness irive place toclothes in which he can have the free use of his body and a chanoo once in a while for a change of clothing. The Orevnnian views this matter of hftir cntliiiir, painting faces and wearing of hlnnkets, exactly right. Commissioner Jones is a ptogressive man. He wants the American Indian to adopt civilizuiinn, before the wneels of civilization roll over hint and crush him out of existence. He wants nc monkey-bnaine-8 about it, hut, is in earnest, as in evidenced by his instruc tion to his auenm on the reerva'ionw Mn dnce'hp Indian tn cut off their lnar h-iir, throw away their old breech Jclour, gee string and blwnkets, wear working mens cb-ihing and get out and work for a HvinK. like other human beinjra have to do. It would bean amusing aight to se- a man trying to plow or pitch hay wearinga. blanket. His long hair is also a nnisimce, and a detriment to his progress. The In dians of the Coast States excepting two or three eastern reservation have abandoned the long hairstyle long;go, thrown awnv their blankets 'and'taepees, and it did not cause them to die of a broken heart. It made men out of them and good self supporting citizens. Let the proud Sioux, Cheyenne and Comanche do likewise. Commissioner Jones thinks thesoouer the better, and he right.
