tion, be reclaimed and prosper. Not so the Indian. He cannot be himself and be civilized; he fades away and dies. Cultivation such as the white man would give him deprives him of his identity. Education, strange as it may appear, seems to weaken rather than strengthen his intellect."
In confirmation of this last statement, Custer affirms that the gift of forest eloquence is lost under civilization. He asks: —
"My firm conviction, based upon an intimate and thorough analysis of the habits, traits of character, and natural instinct of the Indian, and strengthened and supported by the almost unanimous opinion of all persons who have made the Indian problem a study, — and have studied it, not from a distance, but in immediate contact with all the facts bearing thereupon,—is that the Indian cannot be elevated to that great level where he can be induced to adopt any policy or mode of life varying from those to which he has ever been accustomed by any method of teaching, argument, reasoning, or coaxing which is not preceded and followed closely in reserve by a superior physical force. In other words, the Indian is capable of recognizing no controlling influence but that of stern arbitrary power. . . .
"And yet there are those who argue that the Indian with all his lack of moral privileges is so superior to the white race as to be capable of being controlled in his savage traits and customs, and induced to lead a proper life, simply by being politely requested to do so."[1]
Let us quote a passage from another intelligent observer of Indian life, also an accomplished officer of the army of the United States. The extract has a touch of romance about it, as it presents a child of Nature of the other sex: —
- ↑ My Life on the Plains; or, Personal Experiences with Indians. By General G. A. Custer, U. S. A. 1876. Pages 11, 16, 102, et seq.
