300 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



triousness replaced the search for salvation. There arose "an amaz- 

 ingly good conscience" concerning the acquisition of wordly goods 

 (Bendix, 1960, pp. 85-90). 



There is a distinction made in the literature between the "old 

 middle class" — entrepreneurs, independent businessmen, and the 

 professions — and the "new middle class" — salaried employees, the 

 bureaucratic officials. In the new middle class the basic values have 

 been altered to include career emphasis, adjustment, and security, 

 although success is considered to be more than an accident (Kahl, 

 1956, pp. 193-198). As we have pointed out elsewhere, the Cherokee 

 Middle Class, with the exception of a few career employees in the 

 Bureau of Indian Affairs, are all engaged in business enterprises. 

 The members, with one or two exceptions, mirror the sentiments of 

 the "old middle class"; the secularized Protestant Ethic. Individual 

 responsibility, self-discipline, hard work, and thrift — basic ingredients 

 of the bourgeois ethos — are virtues echoed by this group of Cherokee. 

 They participate in the American Dream, ^* the "rags to riches" 

 sequence, which is the anticipated result of adherence to the doctrines 

 of the Protestant Ethic. 



INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR 



Directness. — The intermediary, a constituent of the Harmony 

 Ethic, is not utilized by those of the Cherokee Middle Class. In 

 fact, it is a source of irritation to these people. Schoolteachers, 

 including those who are Indian, attempt to discourage the practice 

 among the children; employers deplore it. They all stress forth- 

 rightness and directness in their dealings with others. One informant 

 said emphatically, "If I have something on my mind, I speak out." 

 This theme is apparent in their behavior. In situations where 

 assistance is needed they solicit it directly without recourse to another 

 person. Of course, requests are often preceded by such remarks as, 

 "I hate to bother you" or "I know this is an imposition." One bad 

 winter day, a cafe employee v/as snowbound at home. The business 

 owner asked, "Harriet, would you mind driving down to get her in 

 time for the noon hour rush?" There are always attempts made to 

 discharge obligations which they feel they have incurred. In this 

 specific illustration, payment was not accepted for my lunch. 



Closely related to directness in dealing with others, is the empha- 

 sis placed upon "keeping one's word." "If I say I'm going to do 

 something, I do it. None of this putting off, or avoiding the issue." 

 John, one Middle Class informant, said, "When I promise the kids 

 that I'll take them somewhere, fishing perhaps, I do it. I want 



M See Merton, 1957, p. 139, for cultural axioms necessary to the maintenance of the "American Dream." 



