HEREDITARY DESCENT TN ANCIENT GREECE. 5 



The truth is, that the closest observers understand 

 veiy well that the poor Indian, who has been on the 

 point of vanishing, has made up his mind not to 

 vanish ! If a just policy could prevail, if the advice 

 given by the honored executive of this nation to 

 the Indian chiefs a few months ago at the White 

 House could be followed, we should find the figures 

 astounding us ten years hence more than they do 

 now, by indicating an increase of more than ninety 

 per cent in the number of acres farmed by people 

 who once were savages or half-breeds. 



There is a popular misapprehension on the point 

 of the decadence of the Indian race. It is true that 

 they are unwilling to cultivate the land ; it is certain 

 that they are haughty at the hoe-handle : but when 

 we walk among their wigwams, and contrast what 

 we see there to-day with their condition ten years 

 ago, a few marvellous facts must fix our attention. 



Let us pace to and fro in this encampment far 

 away on the Red Lake agency in Minnesota. The 

 Indians at the agency number 1,100, and the reser- 

 vation contains 3,000,000 acres of land. What have 

 these Indians done in a year? I am reciting an 

 official report; and I find that these 1,100 Indians, 

 or, putting out the very young and the very aged, 

 say about 1,000 persons that can handle an agricul- 

 tural implement, have raised 7,000 bushels of corn, 

 an excess of 1,000 bushels over any preceding year; 

 2,000 bushels of potatoes, and 430 bushels of other 

 vegetables ; have cut 250 tons of hay ; made 5,000 

 pounds of maple-sugar — I wish I were there ! — 



