August 25, 1919.
Dear Zitkala-Sa:
I thank you for your book on Indian legends. I have read them with
exquisite pleasure. Like all folk tales they mirror the child life of
the world. There is in them a note of wild, strange music.
You have translated them into our language in a way that will keep them
alive in the hearts of men. They are so young, so fresh, so full of the
odors of the virgin forest untrod by the foot of white man! The thoughts
of your people seem dipped in the colors of the rainbow, palpitant with
the play of winds, eerie with the thrill of a spirit-world unseen but
felt and feared.
Your tales of birds, beast, tree and spirit can not but hold captive the
hearts of all children. They will kindle in their young minds that
eternal wonder which creates poetry and keeps life fresh and eager. I
wish you and your little book of Indian tales all success.