2
THE COURIER
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I
first artistic work done by an Ameri
can Indian ever published The pre
face, by John L. Webster, closes
witli the words: "It is hoped that a
souvenir of this kind will not only re
call the wonderful progress made by
the white people who have found
homes in the valley or the Mississippi,
but create and forever ierpetuatc a
kindly feeling for the remnant of the
Indian people still remaining and
who are slowly struggling upward to
ward a higher civilization." No one
could read this simple record of fiose
Indians who signed the treaty with
the government in 1S54 by which the
land now occupied by the city of
Omaha and the exposition grounds
passed from the tribe forever, without
adding respect and admiration to the
'kindly feeling." The treaty is printed
in full and is followed by short
sketches of tbe chiefs and a few In
dian legends. The life of Esta-mah za.
Iron Eye. known to the whites as Jo
seph La Fleschc, is drawn with a deli
cacy and charm inspired by love of
the subject. The simple little tale
with its lofty ideals and high stand
ards of morality is so well told that
one mentions with hesitancy an in
accuracy at the close whore some lines
on prayer from "Tbe Rime of the
Ancient Mariner" are ascribed to
Tennyson.
The son of Iron Eye is Mr. Frank La
Fleschc, now employed in the Indian
bureau at "Washington, who is to lec
ture ujkiii Indian Music at the con
gress of musicians at Omaha. An
autograph fac-simile of a note to his
sister accompanies the music of a song
as follows: "This is a little song we
have often sung years ago in our play
with the children of the Winjahgae
village. We used to form in a single
line and inarch through the village
singing this at the top of our voices,
following the leader wherever be went
through vacant houses, deserted mud
lodges, the tall grass and through mud
puddles. Little beaded moccasins
would be a sorry sight when we got
through. I put it in your album to
remind you of the fun we used to
have." After all the children of dif
ferent races are much alike. To
escape from the insincerity and for
nialism of everyday life into the ideal
atmosphere of directness and single
ness of purposes diffused by these few
pages, is like a rare visit to nature's
haunts.
The parents of pupils in the public
schools are criticising the method of
preparing the work which was sent
from them to the educational exhibit
of the exposition. It seems that in
many cases the work was not done by
the pupil whose name is signed to it.
Superintendent Savior was most anx
ious that the work of tbe Lincoln
schools should compare favorably with
exhibits from other sections of the
state. Those who examined the ex
hibit of tbe Lincoln schools before it
was sent to Omaha were astonished by
its cleverness, tbe manual skill of exe
cution and the feeling for color and
decoration. Upon examination it has
developed that the samples are com
posites. Pupils whose handwriting
is excellent have copied the work of
the best scholars and signed only the
name of tbe latter to the joint pro
duction. The samples of handwriting
are bound into books on the covers of
which are printed that the writing is
d'uie by a peculiar method called
4 muscular," whereas the teachers
were instructed to allow the children
to produce their samples by holding
tbe pen in what manner and position,
and by using whatever muscles they
liked, so that they sent in a good
example of "muscular" writing. The
effect of such methods upon the young
unless counteracted by examples and
precepts of scrupulous truthfulness at
home must be demoralizing.
The fate of the nation and the state
in a few years will rest upon the school
children of today. If Eugene Moore and
poor Hartley had been trained into
rigid habits of honest thinking and
doing at school, they might have re
sisted the temptation to release the
strain of notes overdue by adding
some of the money of the state to their
own bank account. Tbe record of
thieving from the city and the state
and by business men from any con
venient victim is very large in this
state. The whole future life is
roughly sketched in at school. Men
tal integrity is far more useful to one
who possesses it and to tjieconimunity
he serves than geographical, uiathe
matical. or chirographical proficiency.
The principal of the city schools is a
being good, powerful and incapable of
deceit to the little child. A direction
from him which conflicts with the
nicely poised conscience of the child,
is apt to make liim a cynic, to make
him distrustful of that inner voice
which he has been taught to obey.
The shock of such a discovery, unless
counterbalanced by protests at home,
must be hardening.
The temptations of business and
politics to dishonesty and lying are
almost irresistible. So much so. that
the life records of only a few can be
referred to without great care and
delicacy on funeral occasions. There
is occasionally a blameless Sir Launfal
whom his business associates pity and
call a crank, whose record, humanly
speaking, is perfect, but these are
rare enough not to afTect the average.
One of the exceptions should be em
ployed to direct the policy of city
schools. The harm a man below the
average can do in such a position is
far-reaching both geographically and
as to time. It is a wise provision that
as a man sinks in the social scale his
influence decreases in the same ratio.
The toughs and professional bad men
only injure themselves. The natural
uplift of a normal child removes him
from the influence of the vicious. It
is the average man's example when
placed in the most exalted position in
the child's school world tint Satan
gets the best results from.
Much of the work, especially the
kindergarten samples, that was sent
from the Lincoln schools to the expo
sition was the work of the teachers or
of some one whose name was not
signed as the author of it. The chil
dren have talked about it for several
months and parents who are trying
to teach them that truthfulness and
honesty are of more value than marks
have been seriously embarasscd and
discouraged by the questions of the
children for help in .the work de
manded of them by the teachers un
der the direction of Supcrintendant
Saylor.
The present attention given to naval
affairs lends added interest to the fas
cinating career of Lord Nelson, as por
trayed in the biography by Captain A.
T. Mahan, U. S. X. Nelson had won
derful inherent qualities of greatness,
but. like Dewey and other heroes, he
was indebted to the age and to the
opportunity for their expression. He
did not wait idly for the opportunity
to come to him, he was constantly
seeking it: and as it flitted swiftly bj,
he had the unerring instinct to grasp
what toother men might seem a delu
sive shadow, if seen at all.
Duty and honor were his watch
words through life the honor of the
nation and his duty to his country.
From childhood until after he had
reached the highestglory in the battle
of the Nile, all else was sacrificed to
his devotion to his career.
Nelson was one of the eleven chil-
CCeCeCCCCCCCCCC
6 - S
! GOOL
HOUSES
9 Are what everybody wants in the summer, and nothing- "
2 does so much xxd to make a house cool as matting- on the 1
l floors. We have just put in a new stock of line desig-ns.
v We have a fine grade of linen warp matting- that is usually v
9 sold at 40c per 3'ard. We only ask 30c per yard for it.
3 f
We also have a heavy grade of straw matting- at 15c per I
5 yard. Just think ! You can cover an ordinary room for
2 about $3.00. 2
j IN fill tn I
I 1124 0 St, Lincoln, Nebr.
9 9
dren of an impecunious clergyman of
good family. The poor little boy at
the age of twelve, wishing to assist the
family fortunes, asked his uncle, Cap
tain Suckling, to take him to sea.
"What has poor little Horatio done,"
writes this uncle, "that he. being so
weak, should be sent to rough it at
sea? But let him come, and if a cannon-ball
takes otT his head, he will at
least be provided for." From his
delicacy of constitution there seemed
little liklihood that he would return
from the voyages to southern seas, but
while stronger men and boys suc
cumbed to the fevers and hardships of
a tropical climate, Nelson escaped.
Through the influence of his uncle he
was advanced rapidly to the rank of
captain, from there promotion was
slower. He was thirty-nine vhen he
obtained the coveted flagship of an
admiral. All through the intervening
j-ears lie was constantly upon the
water. Afterspending three years in
the West Indies, he reached England
only to be sent to face the rigors of a
northern clime, and he had learned to
dread the cold much more t ban the
heat. It was while stationed in the
West Indies enforcing the laws in
reference to commerce with .the
United States at the close of the Revo
lutionary war, that Nelson met his
future wife. Lady Nelson never
aroused the ideal love of her husband,
though he retained a-warm affection
for her till the end. She had little
sympathy with his ambition or love
of his career, and we cannot blame
her. It must have been weary wast
ing for a husband always at sea, that
rival by which the was totally eclipsed.
To fully delineate the character of
Nelson, no doubt it was necessary to
give his relations with Lady Hamil
ton during the closing years of his
life. But we would like to forget so
great a blemish on his fair fame. He
was of a singularly lovable disposi
tion; he liked and trusted all his sub
ordinates and was worshipped by them
in return. No wonder then that such
a man seldom thrown with women,
should idealize a famous beauty who
had turned the head of many an older
man of the world, and who gloried in
his own achievemeuts. His devotion
to Lady Hamilton lasted until his
death, but his final words did not
breathe her name, but "God and my
country.''
Captain Mahan speaks of Nelson's
life as "The embodiment of the sea
power of Great Britain.'- At Nelson's
death at the battle of Trafalgar, won
against the combined forces of France
and Spain, England's naval supremacy
was established. The period of his
torv following the French revolution
and Napoleon's encroachments, by it
constant wars by sea as well as land,
furnished a remarkable opportunity
for the development of a great com
mander. Nelson's success lay in his fearless
ness of responsibility, and in the in
tuitive judgment and quick decision,
which led him to seize a chance which
to others appeared hopeless. He lost
an eye. an arm, and received a deen
cut over his forehead at different bat
tles but remained without a vestige of
personal fear, and was killed at his
post of duty. Nelson sometimes gave
tbe following pithy counsels to young
men for their guidance in their pro
fessional life: "First, you must always
implicitly obey orders, without at
tempting to form an opinion of your
own concerning their propriety: sec
ondly, j'ou must consider every man
as your enemy who speaks ill of your
king; and thirdly, you must hate a
Frenchman as you do the devil." The
closing clause may partially explain
the undying nature of the English
antipathy for the French.
Some undergraduates once wished to
play a joke upon a man who was a
disciple of Pythagoras, says the London
Figaro, so one day when he was a little
Ble?py by reason of the amount of brandy
and soda that he had imbibed, his
friends smeared him with honey and
rolled him in the inside of a feather
bed. When the disciple of Pythagoras
got up in the morning he looked in the
looking glass at himself and said slowlj
with a whistle, "Bird, by Jove ! "
Smith He's a clever man; speaks
threw languages.
Snooks What are they?
Smith United States, base ball and
golf.