INDIAN MODE OF EDUCATION.

Whatever the child learns, he learns for the most part from observation of his elders and his comrades. He soon finds pride is the spur of his exertions. He soon finds, that success as a hunter, will make him respected by his tribe-while awkwardness subjects him to intolerable ridicule. He listens to every thing that is said of hunting and trapping at home, and eagerly goes abroad with the view of earning some praise for himself. Thus it takes him but few years to acquire a considerable degree of experience; and his reputation always corresponds to his merit. The same feeling, just mentioned, is appealed to with equal success, in regard to most other branches of an Indian education.

It is true, to a great extent, of numerous tribes, as Heckewelder observes, respecting the Delawares,—that a father need only to say, in the presence of his children, 'I want such a thing done; I want one of my children to go upon such an errand-let me see who is the good child that will do it.' This word good operates, as it were, by magic: and the children immediately vie with each other to comply with the wishes of their parent.

"In this manner of bringing up the children, the parents" adds Heckewelder, are seconded by the whole community. If a child is sent from his father's dwelling, to carry a dish of victuals to an aged person, all in the house will join in calling him a good child. They will ask whose child he is; and, on being told, will exclaim 'what! has the Tortoise or the Little Bear (as the father's name may be) so excellent a child?'”

If a child is seen passing through the streets, leading an old decrepit person, the villagers will-in his hearing, and to encourage all the other children who may be present to take example from him-call to one another to look on, and see what a good child that must be. And so, in most instances, this method is resorted to, for the purpose of instructing children in things that are good, proper, or honourable in themselves; while, on the other hand, when a child has committed a bad act, the parents will say to him,

'Oh, how grieved I am that my child has done this bad act! I hope he will never do so again!' This is generally effectual, particularly if said in the presence of others The whole of the Indian plan of education tends to elevate rather than depress the mind, and by that means to make determined hunters and fearless warriors.-Thatcher's Indian Traits.

[From a Western paper, entitled 'Review of the Week.'] TECUMSEH.*

The whole character of this man is worthy the best days of Roman patriotism, in integrity, and honest pride of country. He was valiant, disinterested, true to his word; and with intelligence far beyond that of those with whom his lot was cast, he was equally removed from them in a freedom from their prevailing vices. He seemed a feudal Baron among boors. Even in his intercourse with his British allies,-in whose army he held from the King of England the commission of a Brigadier-General, he was too proud for a subordinate part. His confederates might do as they pleased; but, for himself, he would maintain the dignity of a free and brave man, and a warrior. He abandoned his plan of visiting the President, because he could not be received as the head of the deputation. It is said that, at the last conference at Vincennes, he found himself, at the end of a long and animated speech, unprovided with a seat. Observing the neglect, Governor Harrison directed a chair to be placed for him, and requested him to accept it. "Your Father" said the interpreter, "requests you to take a chair." "My father!" replied the Chief; "the Sun is my father, and the Earth is my mother; I will repose upon her bosom ;" and saying this, he adjusted himself on the ground, in the Indian manner.

A qualified remark has been made upon his courage; but the manner in which he conducted himself during the

* Another notice of this Chieftain is to be found in Vol. I. p. 99.

war, is sufficient to establish the point beyond controversy. The same may be said of the fearlessness shown in his visits to Vincennes, and especially in the exposure of himself upon that occasion, though he must have perceived that he was feared, suspected, and even guarded by bodies of troops, drawn out for that express purpose. It is very illustrative of the apparent diversity in the character of Eiskwatowa, and his own in this respect, that when the Delawares sent a deputation of Chiefs to break up the Prophet's settlement at Tippecanoe, the latter would not deign to give them an interview, but despatched his brother to them, whose threats or persuasions were sufficient to drive back the Chiefs, with strong indications of apprehension and terror. When General Proctor began to prepare for retreating from Malden, Tecumseh, having learned his intention, demurred, and, in the name of all the Indians, delivered an animated speech. If the spirit which it manifests could have had its intended effect, in inducing the General to fight before he retreated, the result must have been, at least, less inglorious to his cause.

"Father!" he began "listen to your children!-You have them all now before you. The war before this, our British Father gave the hatchet to his Red children, when our old Chiefs were alive; they are now dead. In that war, our Father was thrown on his back by the Americans, and our Father took them by the hand, without our knowledge. We are afraid he will do so again this time.

"Listen!-When war (the last war) was declared, our Father stood up, and gave us the tomahawk, and told us he was then ready to strike the Americans; that he wanted our assistance; that he would certainly get us our land back, which the Americans had taken from us.

"Listen!-When we last met at the Rapids, it is true we gave you little assistance; it is hard to fight people who live like ground-hogs-(alluding to the American fortifications.)

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Father, listen!-Our fleet has gone out; we know they have fought. We have heard the great guns, (Perry's victory,) but we know not what has become of our Father with one arm (Commodore Barclay.) Our ships have gone one way, and we are astonished to see our Father tying

up every thing, and preparing to run away the other, without letting his Red children know of his intentions. You always told us you never draw your foot off British ground. But now, Father, we see you are drawing back, and we are sorry to see our Father doing so, without seeing the enemy. We must compare our Father's conduct to that of a fat dog, that carries its tail upon its back, but, when frightened, drops it between its legs, and runs off.

Father, listen!-the Americans have not beaten us by land-we are not sure that they have by water. We wish, therefore, to remain here and fight. will then retreat with our Father.

If they defeat us, we

"Father!-You have got the arms and ammunition which our Great Father sent for his Red children. If you have an idea of going away, give them to us, and you may go and welcome, for us. Our lives are in the hands of the Great Spirit-we are determined to defend our lands, and, if it be His will, we wish to leave our bones upon them.”

This celebrated speech is probably as good a specimen as any on record, of the eloquence of Tecumseh. It was a natural eloquence, characteristic, as all natural eloquence must be, of the qualities of the man. As Charlevoix says of the Canadian Savages, it was such as the Greeks admired in the barbarians,' strong, stern, sententious, pointed, perfectly undisguised. It abounded with figures, and with graphic touches, imprinted by a single effort of memory or imagination, but answering all the purposes of detailed description, without its tediousness or weakness. The President was drinking his wine in his town,' while Tecúmseh and Harrison were fighting it out over the mountains. The Indians were hallooed upon the Americans, like a pack of starved hounds. The British nation was our Great Father, and our Great Father was laid flat on his back. So the policy of the United States, in extending their settlements, was a mighty water, and the scheme of common property in the tribes, was a dam to resist it. Tecúmseh belonged to a nation noted, as Heckewelder describes them, 'for much talk,' and he was himself never at a loss for words. He was a countryman of Logan, too, and he reasoned and felt like him. His whole time and talents were devoted to the cause of Indian independence, VOL. II.-M

and when he spoke upon this theme, as he generally did in public, his fine countenance lighted up, his firm and erect frame swelled with a deep emotion, which scarcely his own stern dignity could suppress,-every posture and gesture had its meaning,—and language flowed burning and swift from the passion-fountain of the soul.

This cutting speech is highly characteristic of the man, and shows better than the words of a biographer the acuteness of his mind in the first part, and his elevation of soul in the last. It is one of those efforts of uneducated genius, which will live on the pages of civilized history long after barbarous tradition has forgotten them.' "Tecumseh❞—to conclude with the closing observations of the Review-" will be named with Philip and Pontiac, the 'agitators' of the two centuries which preceded his own." The schemes of these men were--fortunately for the interest which they lived and laboured to resist-alike unsuccessful in their issue: but none the less credit should, for that reason, be allowed to their motives or their efforts. They were still statesmen, though the communities over which their influence was exerted, were composed of Red men instead of White. They were still patriots, though they fought only for wild lands and for wild liberty. Indeed, it is these very circumstances that make these very efforts and especially the extraordinary degree of success which attended them-the more honourable, and the more signal; while they clearly show the necessity of their ultimate failure, which existed in the nature of things. They are the best proofs, at once, of genius and principle.