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REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF NORTH AMERICA.

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AVAGES we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the fame of theirs. Perhaps, if we could examine the manners of different nations with impartiality, we fhould find no people fo rude as to be without any rules of politenefs; nor any fo polite as not to have fome remains of rudeness,

The Indian men, when young, are hunters and warriors; when old, counfellors; for all their government is by the counfel or advice of fages; there is no force, there are no prifons, no officers to compel obedience, or inflict punishment. Hence they generally ftudy oratory; the best speaker having the moft influence. The Indian women till the ground, drefs the food. nurfe and bring up the children, and preferve and hand down to pofterity the memory of public tranfactions. Thefe employments of men and women are accounted natural and honourable. Having few artificial wants, they have abundance of leifure for improvement by converfation. Our laborious manner of life, compared with theirs, they efteêm flavish and bafe; and the learning on which we value ourfelves, they regard as frivolous and useless. An inftance of this occurred at the treaty of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, anno 1744, between the government of Virginia and the Six nations. After the principal bufinefs was fettled, the commiflioners VCL. II.

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from Virginia acquainted the Indians by 2. fpeech, that there was at Williamsburg a college, with a fund, for educating Indian youth; and that if the chiefs of the Six Nations would fend down half a dozen of their fons to that college, the government would take care that they fhould be well provided for, and inftructed in all the learning of the white people. It is cne of the Indian rules of politenefs not to answer a public propofition the fame day that it is made; they think it would be treating it as a light matter; and they fhew it refpect by taking time to confider it, as of a matter important. They therefore deferred their anfwer till the day following, when their speaker began, by exprcffing their deep fenfe of the kindness of the Virginia government, ia making them that offer; "for we know (fays he) that you highly eftcem the kind of learning taught in thefe colleges, and that the maintenance of our young men, while with you, would be very expenfive to you, We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us good by your propofal, and we thank you heartily. But you who are wife muft know, that different nations have different conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amifs, if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the fame with yours. We have had fome experience of it feveral of our young people were formrely brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were inftructed in all your fciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad runners; iguiorant of every means of living in the woods; unable to bear either cold or hunger, knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy; fpoke our language imperfectly; were therefore

fore neither fit for hunters, warriors, or counfelJors; they were totally good for nothing. We are however not the lefs obliged by your kind offer, though we decline accepting it and to fhow our grateful fense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will fend us a dozen of their fons, we will take great care of their education, inftruct them in all we know, and make men of them.”

Having frequent occafion to hold public councils, they have acquired great order and decency in conducting them. The old men fit in the foremoft ranks, the warriors in the next, and the women and children in the hindmoft. The bufinefs of the women is to take exact notice of what paffes, imprint it in their memories, for they have no wri ting, and communicate it to their children. They are the records of the council, and they preferve tradition of the ftipulations in treaties a hundred years back; which, when we compare with our writings, we always find exact. He that would fpeak, rifes. The reft obferve a profound filence. When he has finished, and fits down, they leave him five or fix minutes to recollect, that, if he has omitted any thing he intended to fay, or has any thing to add, he may rife again, and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common converfation, is reckoned highly indecent. How different this is from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where fcarce a day paffes, without feme confufion, that makes the speaker hoarfe in calling to order; and how different from the mode of converfation in many polite companies of Europe, where if you do not deliver your fentence with great rapidity, you are cut off in the middle

of it by the impatient loquacity of thofe you converfe with, and never fuffered to finish it be voil.

The politeness of thefe favages in converfation, is, indeed, carried to excefs; fince it does not permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is afferted in their prefence. By this means they indeed avoid difputes; but then it becomes difficult to know their minds, or what impreffion you make upon them. The miflionaries who have attempted to convert them to Christianity, all complain of this as one of the great difficulties of their miffion. The Indians hear with patience the truths of the gofpel explained to them, and give their u fual tokens of affent and approbation you would think they were convinced. No fuch matter. It is mere civility.

A Swedish minifter having affembled the chiefs of the Sufquehannah Indians, made a fermon to them, acquainting them with the principle hiftori cal facts on vhich our religion is founded; fuch as the fall of our firft parents by eating an apple; the coming of Chrift to repair the mifchief; his miracles and fuffering, &c.-When he had finihed, an Indian crater stood up to thank him. What you have told us,' fays he, is all very good. It is indeed had to eat apples. It is better to make them all into cyder. We are much obliged by your kindness in coming fo far to tell us thofe things which you have heard from your mothers. In return, I will tell you fome of those we have heard from ours.

"In the beginning, our fathers had only the flesh of animals to fubfift on; and if their hunting was unfuccefsful, they were ftarving. Two of our young hunters having killed a dear, made a fire

in the woods to broil fome parts of it.

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they were about to fatisfy their hunger, they beheld a beautiful young woman defcend from the clouds, and feat herself on that bill which you fee yonder among the Blue Mountains. They faid to each other, it is a spirit that perhaps has fmelt our broiling venifon, and wishes to eat of it: let us offer fome to her. They prefented her with the tongue the was pleafed with the tafte of it, and faid, Your kindnefs fhall be rewarded. Come to this place after thirteen moons, and you fhall find fomething that will be of great benefit in nou. rifhing you and your children to the latest genera tions. They did fo, and to their furprife found plants they had never feen before; but which, from that ancient time, have been conftantly cul tivated among us, to our great advantage. Where her right hand had touched the ground, they found maize; where her left hand had touched it, they found kidney-beans; and where her backfide had fat on it, they found tobacco." The good miffionary, difgufted with this idle tale, faid, "What I delivered to you, were facred truths; but what you tell me, is mere fable, fiction and falfehood." The Indian, offended, replied, "My brother, i feems your friends have not done you justice in your education; they have not well inftructed you in the rules of common civility. You faw that we, who understand and practife thofe rules, believed all your ftories, why do you refufe to believe ours!**

When any of them come into our towns, our people are apt to crowd round them, gaze upon them, and incommode them where they defire to be private; this they efleem great rudenefs, and the eirect of the wept of infugion in the rules of

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