40 [72] TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



Red is also the color which strikes the eje v/ith the greatest intensity, 

 because its light waves possess more width than those of all the other 

 colors. This is the cause why red is used in preference to other colors for 

 signals on lighthouses, military signals, and flags. The red flag is the 

 symbol of the Red Republic, or terrorism, not only because red means 

 blood, but because red tickles our eye more than other colors, producing 

 less undulations in a second than all the rest of the colors. Several lan- 

 guages, as Spanish, use the word '■'■ what has color" for the adjective red. 

 The term red often receives preference over other colors approaching the 

 red; for instance, a German will not speak of a "yaller dog," but only of 

 red dogs; and the Germans of the middle ages said rotes gold for yellow 

 gold.f The Indian languages seldom have different terms for each shade 

 of red as we have, but call them all by the same term red. It would be 

 a very interesting task to trace the uses, superstitions and symbolisms 

 connected with this color throughout the various nations of the globe. 

 Primitive and half-cultured nations are addicted to its use in their dress 

 and ornaments, for it strikes their eye and their fancy withal. The Seneca 

 chief Red Jacket received that name from a scarlet garment given to him 

 by a British officer, which he was proud to wear in preference to any other 

 article of dress. One of the skeletons di^covered in the prehistoric cave of 

 Mentone had its bones deeply impregnated with a red color or paint which 

 must have been applied, after removing the flesh, shortly after death. 



FiRE-wORSHir and the mystic connection existing- between the 

 sun and the fire-i^-ame, a subject in many points comparable with 

 the one just treated, formed an important part of the Cha'hta 

 religion. Of this we possess a circumstantial and trustworthy 

 account in the Boston ''Missionary Herald" of 1.S2S, pp. 17S-1S3, 

 of which the main features may be given as follows : 



Fire acts the part of an informant to the sun ; it will tell the sun if any- 

 thing wrong is done in its presence, for a constant intercourse is going on 

 between the two. Svmbolically fire is called in Cha'hta sha'hli miko (for 

 mi'ngo.'"), and ha'shi ititchdpa, "the sun's mate"; sha'hli points to fre- 

 quence, plenitude, addictedness to. Solar cult is preeminent among the 

 Cha'hta Indians; anciently "they found the bright path to victory 

 through the sun. and reached home safely after warring." These words 

 formed a conventional way of addre>-ing the people used by war-leaders. 

 Their belief was that the sun, or "the man above," holds the keys of life 

 and death, and that all the benefits of which mankind participates come 

 from him. Still the people showed no gratitude to the sun for benefits 

 received, when in prosperous circumstances. The four names now given 

 to the God of the Christians are all the echoes of heliolatric or other pa- 



t The numerous American water -courses called Red river are anything else rather 

 than red. 



