Weekly Chemawa American., March 30, 1906, Page 2, Image 2

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THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
But this work demands patience. You cannot make
an angel out of an Indian in a moment.
Tfou cannot remodel the social system in a day, nor
drag -the millineum by the ears. Any attempt to do
this would remind one of the fellow who gaVe his wife
his reason for not attending church; because as he
said, he didn't want to be an angel, as it would bother
him to get his coat on oyer his wings.
"Huh," retorted the good lady, "what you want to
be studying is howtoget yourhaton overyour horns."
The object of the teacher should be to "get the hat
on over the horns."
When this is done "the coat will slip on easy enough
over the wiiicrs." Patience, push and persistence will
accomplish all this. -
I would remark in the second place, th.it it has been
charged and generally believed that the red man is
both lazy and indolent.
I am free to admit that he does not possess an un
governable desire to rush in the fieldsof labor and
tear things to pieces.
And this much I Will say further that he does not
take much pains to deny the "soft impeachment "
When aman compels his "better half" to do the
rough work while he plays cards, hunts and fishes and
then comes home at night groaning under the weight
of two or three small fish slung. over his shoulders
and insisting on aecupying two-thirds of the fire
place, it has rather an ominous look.
The Indian child, should, therefore, be taught that
labor is honorable and necessary to success, while idle
ness is disgraceful, and all achievement, both intel
lectual and financial is impossible. "Manual labor,"
aTone of them said not long ago, "is degrading.
"We send our children to the government schools to
make ladies and gentlemen of them, so they won't
have to work." ' :
'If this idea generally obtained amongst them, it
would be better if they never saw a government school.
They should be made to see that labor is the law of
the universe that it is labor which has given the
white race its proud preeminence in the world that
the old idea that a man to be a gentleman must live
in idleness is a delusion and a snare.
Why, a man who lives in idleness can be anything
but a gentleman.
I think it was Josh Billings who sf-id that .when
laziness got into a man's blood there was only one
cure for it, and that was to bleed him to death
That would be a pretty hard remedy but no doubt
effectual. I hope Josh was wrong.
I believe that if the Indian was taught that labor
was nature's law that every thing which "moves and
has a being" must either work or die, ha would come
to the conclusion that hj couldn't b3 thj only drone
in the hive, and he would learn that he couli, neither
revise the laws of nature nor ignore the edicts of the
infinite.
The Indian should not only be taught to labor, but
to labor persistently and intelligently. In the lexicon
of youth", said Bulwer, "which later reserves for a
bright manhood, there is no such word as 'fail.' "
It is the boisterous sea and the howling tempest
that makes the gallant sailor. Great emergencies
prodm e great men and women.
To be continued.
jj PUPILS' ITEMS jj
n! j
The base ball ground is looking fine.
The boys were reseated in the dining
hall, Monday.
Miss Troutman is framing pictures
for the small girls' home.
The Y. M. C. A. delegates left for
Portland this morning.
They are laying new and larger rails
on the Southern Pacific railroad.
Albert Scott is a star player in basket
ball. He will soon be in the first team.
Last Sunday Olive and Edith Inman
played on the violin to entertain the
girls.
' The bov sin the B company have moved
into their temporary quarters, the new
cow barn.
The boys in C company are proud of
their new temporary home in the new ,
horse barn.
The sewing room girls, have finished
the duck dresses, and will start on the j
gingham dresses next week.
The Estelle Reels and Roosevelts met
in Room 6. Each society gained two new
members. A good program was given.
. Julian Bell has entered the harness
shop and he says that when he knows
how to make harness, he will make one
for his brother, Abraham.
The basket-ball game last -Fridny
night was very interesting. Thecorc was
twenty-three to eight in , favor of Che
ma wa.
The Y. M. C. A. boys save an 'ire !
cream social last Saturday evenin.'. .
The ice cream did not last very Ion?
but what did last tasted like more.