of the mode in which the north american indians educate their children.
many of the asiatic nations and african tribes sell their children without compunction; but no emolument or hope of advantage can induce a north american indian to part with his child to strangers. of the tenderness with which the american indians regard their offspring, buchanan witnessed the following manifestation:—
“a mother with an infant at her breast, and two other children, one about eleven and the other eight or nine years of age, were in a canoe near a mile from land, during a violent squall. the wind came in sudden gusts, and the waves dashed in rapid succession over the frail vessel. the poor woman, with a small oar in one hand and the other surrounding her babe, directed the two young ones, who each had a paddle, to get the head of the canoe to the wind while the squall lasted; which, with much labour on the part of these tender little mariners, aided by the mother, was at length effected; but during the effort it was very touching to see the strong emotions of maternal love, evidenced to the poor infant at her breast. she would clasp it tightly to her agitated bosom, then cast a momentary look at her other children, and with an anxious and steady gaze, watch the coming wave. in this scene was exhibited such high degrees of fortitude, dexterity, and parental affection, that i would have wished many of our civilized mothers, who look and think with contempt on the poor indian, had beheld her.”
it might be expected that those who display such tenderness to their offspring, should be particularly careful of their subsequent education. accordingly, we find that the indians pay particular attention to this matter. “it may be justly a subject of wonder,” says mr. heckewelder, “how a nation without a written[37] code of laws or system of jurisprudence, without any form or constitution of government, and without even a single elective or hereditary magistrate, can subsist together in peace and harmony, and in the exercise of the moral virtues; how a people can be well and effectually governed, without any external authority, by the mere force of the ascendency which men of superior minds have over those of a more ordinary stamp; by a tacit, yet universal submission to the aristocracy of experience, talent, and virtue! such, nevertheless, is the spectacle which an indian nation exhibits to the eye of a stranger. i have been a witness to it for a long series of years, and after much observation and reflection to discover the cause of this phenomenon, i think i have reason to be satisfied that it is in a great degree to be ascribed to the pains which the indians take to instil at an early age honest and virtuous principles into the minds of their children, and to the method which they pursue in educating them. this method i will not call a system, for systems are unknown to these sons of nature, who, by following alone her dictates, have at once discovered, and followed without effort, that plain obvious path which the philosophers of europe have been so long in search of.”[71]
the manner of this education is described by our good missionary as follows:—
“the first step that parents take towards the education of their children, is to prepare them for future happiness, by impressing upon their tender minds, that they are indebted for their existence to a great, good, and benevolent spirit, who not only has given them life, but has ordained them for certain great purposes. that he has given them a fertile extensive country, well stocked with game of every kind for their subsistence; and that by one of his inferior spirits he has also sent down to them from above, corn, pumpkins, squashes, beans, and other vegetables for their nourishment; all which blessings their ancestors have enjoyed for a great number of ages. that this great spirit looks down upon the indians, to see whether they are grateful to him and make him a due return for the many benefits he has bestowed, and therefore, that it is their duty to show their thankfulness by worshiping him, and doing that which is pleasing in his sight.
“this is in substance the first lesson taught, and from time to time repeated to the indian children, which naturally leads them to reflect and gradually to understand that a being which hath done such great things for them, and all to make them happy, must be good indeed, and that it is surely their duty to do something that will please him. they are then told that their ancestors, who received all this from the hands of the great spirit and lived in the enjoyment of it, must have been informed of what would be most pleasing to this good being, and of the manner in which his favour could most surely he obtained; and they are directed to look up for instruction to those who know all this, learn from them, and revere them for their knowledge and the wisdom which they possess; this creates in the children a strong sentiment of respect for their elders, and a desire to follow their advice and example. their young ambition is then excited by telling them that they were made the superiors of all other creatures, and are to have power over them; great pains are taken to make this feeling take an early root, and it becomes, in fact, their ruling passion through life; for no pains are spared to instil into them, that by following the advice of the most admired and extolled hunter, trapper, or warrior, they will at a future day acquire a degree of fame and reputation equal to that which he possesses; that by submitting to the counsels of the aged, the chiefs, the men superior in[38] wisdom, they may also rise to glory, and be called wise men, an honorable title to which no indian is indifferent. they are finally told that if they respect the aged and infirm, and are kind and obliging to them, they will be treated in the same manner when their turn comes to feel the infirmities of old age.”
when this first and important lesson is thought to be sufficiently impressed upon children’s minds, the parents next proceed to make them sensible of the distinction between good and evil; they tell them that there are good and bad actions, both equally open to them to do or commit; that good acts are pleasing to the good spirit which gave them their existence; and that on the contrary, all that is bad proceeds from the bad spirit who has given them nothing, and who cannot give them anything that is good, because he has it not, and therefore he envies them that which they have received from the good spirit, who is far superior to the bad one.
“this introductory lesson, if it may be so called, naturally makes them wish to know what is good and what is bad. this the parent teaches them in his own way, that is to say, in the way in which he was himself taught by his parents. it is not the lesson of an hour or of a day; it is rather a long course more of practical than of theoretical instruction; a lesson, which is not repeated at stated times and seasons, but which is shown, pointed out, and demonstrated to the child, not only by those under whose immediate guardianship he is, but by the whole community, who consider themselves alike interested in the direction to be given to the rising generation.
“when this instruction is given in the form of precepts, it must not be supposed that it is done in an authoritative or forbidding tone, but, on the contrary, in the gentlest and most persuasive manner: nor is the parent’s authority ever supported by harsh or compulsive means; no whips, no punishments, no threats are ever used to enforce commands or compel obedience. the child’s pride is the feeling to which an appeal is made, which proves successful in almost every instance. a father needs 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. if the father sees an old decrepit man or woman pass by, led along by a child, he will draw the attention of his own children to the object by saying: ‘what a good child that must be, which pays such attention to the aged! that child, indeed, looks forward to the time when it shall be old!’ or he will say: ‘may the great spirit, who looks upon him, grant this good child a long life!’
“in this manner of bringing up children, the parents, as i have already said, 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) got such a good 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 on 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 honorable in themselves; while, on the other hand, when a child has[39] committed a bad act, the parent will say to him, ‘o! 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.
“thus, when a lad has killed his first game, such as a deer or a bear, parents who have boys growing up will not fail to say to some person in the presence of their own children: ‘that boy must have listened attentively to the aged hunters, for, though so young, he has already given a proof that he will become a good hunter himself.’ if, on the other hand, a young man should fail of giving such a proof, it will be said of him: ‘that he did not pay attention to discourses of the aged.’
“in this indirect manner is instruction on all subjects given to the young people. they are to learn the arts of hunting, trapping, and making war, by listening to the aged when conversing together on those subjects; each in his turn relating how he acted; and opportunities are afforded to them for that purpose. by this mode of instructing youth, their respect for the aged is kept alive, and it is increased by the reflection that the same respect will be paid to them at a future day, when young persons will be attentive to what they shall relate.
“this method of conveying instruction is, i believe, common to most indian nations; it is so, at least, amongst all those that i have become acquainted with, and lays the foundation for that voluntary submission to their chiefs, for which they are so remarkable. thus has been maintained for ages, without convulsions and without civil discords, this traditional government, of which the world perhaps does not offer another example; a government in which there are no positive laws, but only long established habits and customs; no code of jurisprudence, but the experience of former times; no magistrates, but advisers, to whom the people nevertheless pay a willing and implicit obedience; in which age confers rank, wisdom gives power, and moral goodness secures a title to universal respect. all this seems to be effected by the simple means of an excellent mode of education, by which a strong attachment to ancient customs, respect for age, and the love of virtue are indelibly impressed upon the minds of youth, so that these impressions acquire strength as time pursues its course, and as they pass through successive generations.”
what can afford stronger proof of the socialist’s doctrine, that the character of man results from the peculiar mode of training to which he may be subjected, than the forgoing statements of the missionary heckewelder? robert owen and his disciples assert that man is the creature of circumstances; that the quality of his character corresponds to the quality of the associations under the influence of which he has been trained. and in the statements of a minister of the gospel, we find ample proof of the truth of these assertions. o! that men were wise enough to perceive the benefits that would result from the proper application of a principle, the truth of which is thus warranted by the condition, character, and training of the aborigines of america!
