The Spartans of the West 55 



The earliest of the northern Indians to win immortal 

 fame was the great Mohawk, Hiawatha. Although the 

 Longfellow version of his Ufe is not sound as history, we 

 know that there was such a man; he was a great hero; he 

 stood for peace, brotherhood, and agriculture; and not only 

 united the Five Nations in a Peace League, but made 

 provision for the complete extension of that League to the 

 whole of America. 



Pontiac, the Napoleon of his people; Tecumseh, the 

 chevaher Bayard, who was great as warrior and statesman, 

 as well as when he proclaimed the broad truths of humanity; 

 Dull Knife, the Leonidas of the Cheyeimes; Chief Joseph, 

 the Xenophon of the Nez Perces; Wabasha, Little Wolf, 

 Pita-Lesharu, Washakie, and a hundred others might be 

 named to demonstrate the Redman's progress toward his 

 ideals. 



SUMMARY 



Who that reads this record can help saying: "If these 

 things be true, then, judging by its fruits, the Indian way 

 must be better than ours. Wherein can we claim the 

 better thought or results?" 



To answer is not easy. My first purpose was to clear the 

 memory of the Redman. To compare his way with ours, 

 we must set our best men against his, for there is little 

 difference in our doctrine. 



One great difference in our ways is that, like the early 

 Christians, the Indian was a SociaHst. The tribe owned the 

 ground, the rivers and the game; only personal property 

 was owned by the individual, and even that, it was consid- 

 ered a shame to greatly increase. For they held that greed 

 grew into crime, and much property made men forget the 

 poor. 



Our answer to this is that, without great property, that is 



