MICMAC INDIANS. 155 



young. Consumption carries away many of 

 them. Strong drink has proved a great curse 

 to them, in even a greater degree than to white 

 men. They have taken kindly to the white 

 man's vices, and his virtues of steady industry 

 and thriftiness have been largely neglected. Al- 

 though they live in houses and cook on stoves, 

 and sleep on bedsteads and sit on chairs, and 

 wear our cut of garments, still they are born 

 children of the forests, and all their dispositions 

 and aptitudes go back to the old conditions of 

 the rude hunter life of their forefathers. 



The question is often asked, From whence 

 came the Indians ? A great deal of study and 

 laborious research has been given to the matter, 

 but as yet there is no sure answer. It is most 

 probable that they originally came from Asia, 

 entering in the vicinity of Behring Straits. 

 Their faces, complexion and language favor 

 this view. The indications are that they were 

 not the first people who lived on this Continent. 



