TRAITS OF INDIAN CHARACTER.

类别:文学名著 作者:华盛顿·欧文 本章:TRAITS OF INDIAN CHARACTER.

    quot;I appeal to any o eat; if ever .quot;--Speech of au Indian Chief.

    ter and s of taken in connection omed to range, its vast lakes, boundless forests, majestic rivers, and trackless plains, t is, to my mind, riking and sublime. . ure is stern, simple, and enduring, ?tted to grapple ies and to   support privations. t little soil in  for t of tues; and yet, if  take trouble to penetrate t proud stoicism and ual taciturnity ion, o him.

    It  of tunate aborigines of America in tion to be doubly e men. tary possessions by mercenary and frequently on ers raduced by bigoted and interested ers.

    ts often treated ts of t, and to justify rages. t easier to exterminate to civilize; tter to vilify to discriminate. tions of savage and pagan  to sanction tilities of bot ed and defamed, not because ty, but because t.

    ts of ted or respected by te man. In peace oo often been tful traf?c; in ion and convenience. Man is cruelly eful of life y, and little mercy is to be expected from ing of tile and is conscious of to destroy.

    t in common circulation at t day. Certain learned societies  is true, o investigate and record ters and manners of tribes; t, too, ed itself to inculcate a friendly and forbearing spirit too protect tice.* t opinion of ter, oo apt to be formed from t tiers and s of ttlements. too commonly composed of degenerate beings, corrupted and enfeebled by ty,  being bene?ted by its civilization. t proud independence y, and tive courage coed by tened neigy  imes breed desolation over a y. It ed trengtiplied ty ti?cial life. It s,  ence. It  ttlement and seek refuge in ter forests and yet untrodden oo often ?nd tiers to be ts of once poribes, tlements and sunk into precarious and vagabond existence. Poverty, repining and y, a canker of ts and bligy of tures. t, feeble, ter like vagrants about ttlements, among spacious de e comforts, cion. Luxury spreads its ample board before t t. Plenty revels over t tarving in t of its abundance;   to a garden, but tiles t infest it.

    * t igable in its exertions to ameliorate tuation of to introduce among ts of civilization and civil and religious knoo protect te traders no purcted, nor is any person alloo receive lands from t  tion of government. tions are strictly enforced.

    ate ed lords of ts i?cation , enduring ts, arrayed in ts. No roof t o tranger; no smoke curled among trees but o sit dos ?re and join ter in . quot;For,quot; says an old orian of Ne;t te t ratarve t, tarve all; time merrily, not regarding our pomp, but are better content eem so meanly of.quot; Suc in tive natures: ts , but sivation and perishe sun.

    In discussing ter ers oo prone to indulge in vulgar prejudice and passionate exaggeration, instead of temper of true p suf?ciently considered tances in s more rigidly from rule t is regulated according to some general maxims early implanted in  govern o be sure, but fe to te man abounds in la e!

    A frequent ground of accusation against treaties, and treaconness ime of apparent peace, to ilities. tercourse of te men oo apt to be cold, distrustful, oppressive, and insulting. treat t con?dence and frankness ion observed not to offend against tition  to ility quicker tions of interest. tary savage feels silently, but acutely. ies are not diffused over so e man, but teadier and deeper cions, itions, are all directed tos, but ted on tionably severe, and furnisives of ility ly appreciate. y is also limited in number, and forms one great patriarcribe, timent of vengeance is almost instantaneously diffused. One council-?re is suf?cient for t of a plan of ilities. ing-men and sages assemble. Eloquence and superstition combine to in?ame tor aial ardor, and t up to a kind of religious desperation by t and the dreamer.

    An instance of one of tions, arising from a motive peculiar to ter, is extant in an old record of ttlement of Massacts. ters of Plymouts of t Passonagessit, and  ed. tertain for tribes t ions exiled from tors, y, o turn aside from te tradition, ry for miles to some tumulus, buried perribe ly deposited, and t meditation. In?uenced by tomb ed gatogetifully simple and patic ing instance of ?lial piety in a savage:

    quot; t of all t, I began to settle, as my custom is, to take repose. Before mine eyes  closed met I sa rembling at t doleful sig cried aloud, Bes t gave t lapped t. Canst t to take revenge of t in a despiteful manner, disdaining our antiquities and oms? See, no truded on our land. If t rest quiet in my everlasting ation. t vanis, not able scarce to speak, began to get   some strengt my spirits t ermined to demand your counsel and assistance.quot;

    I e at some lengt tends to ss of ility, ed to caprice and per?dy, may often arise from deep and generous motives, ion to Indian cer and customs prevents our properly appreciating.

    Anot outcry against ty to ts origin partly in policy and partly in superstition. tribes, times called nations,  t t; ticularly tly engaged in ance occurs in Indian ory  o its neigure and massacre of its principal ?grong temptation, to tor to be merciless, not so muco gratify any cruel revenge, as to provide for future security. titious belief, frequent among barbarous nations and prevalent also among ts, t ttle ives. t ted into treated ion of relatives and friends; nay, so able and tender is tertainment t ive is offered ten prefer to remain ed breturn to th.

    ty of toened since tion of tes.  ition ed into a grati?cation of vengeance. t but be sensible t te men are t dominion, tion, and troyers of to battle smarting ies ion and tes oo frequently set te tence, and yet t savages do not sion and magnanimity to t mere existence and chedness.

    e stigmatize treacratagem in o open force; but in ti?ed by taug stratagem is praise  no disgrace to lurk in silence, and take every advantage of riump and sagacity by roy an enemy. Indeed, man is naturally more prone to subtilty to ural usks, alons; but man o depend on y. In all ers s to stratagem; and y against  ?rst continues tle mode of warfare.

    tural principle of o do t o our enemy  o ourselves; and to be effected by stratagem. t co despise tions of prudence and to rusain danger is ty and produced by education. It is  is in fact triumpy sentiment over an instinctive repugnance to pain, and over ter personal ease and security  alive by pride and ts but in tion. It imulated also by various means. It -stirring song and cory. t and minstrel ed to s tion, and even torian ten ty of narration and broken forto ents praise. triumps s res, on s skill and opulence its treasures, ed to perpetuate a nations gratitude and admiration. ti?cially excited, courage o an extraordinary and factitious degree of ;pomp and circumstance of ; turbulent quality o eclipse many of t but invaluable virtues er and side of human happiness.

    But if courage intrinsically consists in tinual exion of it.

    ate of perpetual ility and risk. Peril and adventure are congenial to ure, or rato arouse ies and to give an interest to ence.

    Surrounded by ile tribes, udes of ocean, as torms, and s , solitary, but undaunted, tions may vie in distance and danger ee or t-errant. raverses vast forests exposed to tormy lakes, t inland seas, are no obstacles to  canoe of bark s like a feats ness of an arroence is snatc of toil and peril. aract.

    No  or modern days can surpass ty contempt of deatitude ains  af?iction. Indeed, e man in consequence of ion. tter ruso glorious deat templates its approacriumply endures it amidst torments of surrounding foes and tracted agonies of ?re. akes a pride in taunting ors and provoking ty of torture; and as tals and t song of triump and invoking ts of o ness t  a groan.

    Notanding torians ers of tunate natives, some brigre on ts are occasionally to be met ern provinces  speak for t on hy when prejudice shall have passed away.

    In one of tives of touc of tion carried into tribe of ty sail of indiscriminate butc in t, s s dotempting to escape, quot;all being despatc; After a series of similar transactions quot;our soldiers,quot; as torian piously observes, quot;being resolved by Gods assistance to make a ?nal destruction of t; ted from tresses and pursued y but gallant band, t of took refuge in a swamp.

    Burning ion and rendered sullen by despair, s bursting  truction of tribe, and spirits galled and sore at t, to ask t ting foe, and preferred deato submission.

    As t drereat, so as to render escape impracticable. tuated, t;plied t all time, by  preceded to t;t  to t still and be s t to piecesquot; t dauntless spirits, told, entering t;saing close togeten or tol bullets at a time, putting t o t;

    Can any one read tale  admiring tern resolution, tiness of spirit t seemed to nerve ts of taugo raise tinctive feelings of ure?

    e ty of Rome, tors cloted ern tranquillity in t resistance or even supplication. Suc  inate and sullen. ruly are ance!  is virtue clotate, from virtue naked and destitute and perishing obscurely in a wilderness!

    But I forbear to dures. tern tribes s t sered traces remain of ttled States of Neing ream. And suc, sooner or later, be te of tribes iers, and s to mingle in te men. In a little hren have gone before.

    till linger about tributary streams of te of tribes t once spread over Massacts and Connecticut and lorded it along t gigantic race said to ed on tions t ?ouris tomac and t peopled ts of t valley of Sory  in forgetfulness; and quot;t no; Or if, perc may be in tic dreams of t, to people in imagination yrs and sylvan deities of antiquity. But sure upon tory of tcell ed, despoiled, driven from tive abodes and ted like s about t doco terity urn y from tale or blusion at ty of t;e are driven back,quot; said an old ;until reat no fartcs are broken, our boinguistle longer and te man o persecute us, for !quot;


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