Counsellors; for all their Government is by Counsel of the Sages; there
is no Force, there are no Prisons, no Officers to compel Obedience, or
inflict Punishment. Hence they generally study Oratory, the best Speaker
having the most Influence. The Indian Women till the Ground, dress the
Food, nurse and bring up the Children, and preserve and hand down to
Posterity the Memory of public Transactions. These Employments of Men
and Women are accounted natural and honourable. Having few artificial
Wants, they have abundance of Leisure for Improvement by Conversation.
Our laborious Manner of Life, compared with theirs, they esteem slavish
and base; and the Learning, on which we value ourselves, they regard as
frivolous and useless. An Instance of this occurred at the Treaty of
Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, _anno_ 1744, between the Government of
Virginia and the Six Nations. After the principal Business was settled,
the Commissioners from Virginia acquainted the Indians by a Speech, that
there was at Williamsburg a College, with a Fund for Educating Indian
youth; and that, if the Six Nations would send down half a dozen of
their young Lads to that College, the Government would take care that
they should be well provided for, and instructed in all the Learning of
the White People. It is one of the Indian Rules of Politeness not to
answer a public Proposition the same day that it is made; they think it
would be treating it as a light matter, and that they show it Respect by
taking time to consider it, as of a Matter important. They therefore
deferr'd their Answer till the Day following; when their Speaker began,
by expressing their deep Sense of the kindness of the Virginia
Government, in making them that Offer; "for we know," says he, "that you
highly esteem the kind of Learning taught in those Colleges, and that
the Maintenance of our young Men, while with you, would be very
expensive to you. We are convinc'd, therefore, that you mean to do us
Good by your Proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you, who are wise,
must know that different Nations have different Conceptions of things;
and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our Ideas of this kind of
Education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some
Experience of it; Several of our young People were formerly brought up
at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces; they were instructed in all
your Sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners,
ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either
Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin, take a Deer, or kill
an Enemy, spoke our Language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for
Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors; they were totally good for nothing.
We are however not the less oblig'd by your kind Offer, tho' we decline
accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of it, if the Gentlemen of
Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we will take great Care of
their Education, instruct them in all we know, and make _Men_ of them."
Having frequent Occasions to hold public Councils, they have acquired
great Order and Decency in conducting them. The old Men sit in the
foremost Ranks, the Warriors in the next, and the Women and Children in
the hindmost. The Business of the Women is to take exact Notice of what
passes, imprint it in their Memories (for they have no Writing), and
communicate it to their Children. They are the Records of the Council,
and they preserve Traditions of the Stipulations in Treaties 100 Years
back; which, when we compare with our Writings, we always find exact. He
that would speak, rises. The rest observe a profound Silence. When he
has finish'd and sits down, they leave him 5 or 6 Minutes to recollect,
that, if he has omitted any thing he intended to say, or has any thing
to add, he may rise again and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in
common Conversation, is reckon'd highly indecent. How different this is
from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where scarce a
day passes without some Confusion, that makes the Speaker hoarse in
calling to _Order_; and how different from the Mode of Conversation in
many polite Companies of Europe, where, if you do not deliver your
Sentence with great Rapidity, you are cut off in the middle of it by the
Impatient Loquacity of those you converse with, and never suffer'd to
finish it!
The Politeness of these Savages in Conversation is indeed carried to
Excess, since it does not permit them to contradict or deny the Truth of
what is asserted in their Presence. By this means they indeed avoid
Disputes; but then it becomes difficult to know their Minds, or what
Impression you make upon them. The Missionaries who have attempted to
convert them to Christianity, all complain of this as one of the great
Difficulties of their Mission. The Indians hear with Patience the Truths
of the Gospel explain'd to them, and give their usual Tokens of Assent
and Approbation; you would think they were convinc'd. No such matter. It
is mere Civility.
A Swedish Minister, having assembled the chiefs of the Susquehanah
Indians, made a Sermon to them, acquainting them with the principal
historical Facts on which our Religion is founded; such as the Fall of
our first Parents by eating an Apple, the coming of Christ to repair the
Mischief, his Miracles and Suffering, &c. When he had finished, an
Indian Orator stood up to thank him. "What you have told us," says he,
"is all very good. It is indeed bad to eat Apples. It is better to make
them all into Cyder. We are much oblig'd by your kindness in coming so
far, to tell us these Things which you have heard from your Mothers. In
return, I will tell you some of those we have heard from ours. In the
Beginning, our Fathers had only the Flesh of Animals to subsist on; and
if their Hunting was unsuccessful, they were starving. Two of our young
Hunters, having kill'd a Deer, made a Fire in the Woods to broil some
Part of it. When they were about to satisfy their Hunger, they beheld a
beautiful young Woman descend from the Clouds, and seat herself on that
Hill, which you see yonder among the Blue Mountains. They said to each
other, it is a Spirit that has smelt our broiling Venison, and wishes to
eat of it; let us offer some to her. They presented her with the Tongue;
she was pleas'd with the Taste of it, and said, 'Your kindness shall be
rewarded; come to this Place after thirteen Moons, and you shall find
something that will be of great Benefit in nourishing you and your
Children to the latest Generation.' They did so, and, to their Surprise,
found Plants they had never seen before; but which, from that ancient
time, have been constantly cultivated among us, to our great Advantage.
Where her right Hand had touched the Ground, they found Maize; where her
left hand had touch'd it, they found Kidney-Beans; and where her
Backside had sat on it, they found Tobacco." The good Missionary,
disgusted with this idle Tale, said, "What I delivered to you were
sacred Truths; but what you tell me is mere Fable, Fiction, and
Falshood." The Indian, offended, reply'd, "My brother, it seems your
Friends have not done you Justice in your Education; they have not well
instructed you in the Rules of Common Civility. You saw that we, who
understand and practise those Rules, believ'd all your stories; why do
you refuse to believe ours?"
When any of them come into our Towns, our People are apt to crowd round
them, gaze upon them, and incommode them, where they desire to be
private; this they esteem great Rudeness, and the Effect of the Want of
Instruction in the Rules of Civility and good Manners. "We have," say
they, "as much Curiosity as you, and when you come into our Towns, we
wish for Opportunities of looking at you; but for this purpose we hide
ourselves behind Bushes, where you are to pass, and never intrude
ourselves into your Company."
Their Manner of entring one another's village has likewise its Rules. It
is reckon'd uncivil in travelling Strangers to enter a Village abruptly,
without giving Notice of their Approach. Therefore, as soon as they
arrive within hearing, they stop and hollow, remaining there till
invited to enter. Two old Men usually come out to them, and lead them
in. There is in every Village a vacant Dwelling, called _the Strangers'
House_. Here they are plac'd, while the old Men go round from Hut to
Hut, acquainting the Inhabitants, that Strangers are arriv'd, who are
probably hungry and weary; and every one sends them what he can spare of
Victuals, and Skins to repose on. When the Strangers are refresh'd,
Pipes and Tobacco are brought; and then, but not before. Conversation
begins, with Enquiries who they are, whither bound, what News, &c.; and
it usually ends with offers of Service, if the Strangers have occasion
of Guides, or any Necessaries for continuing their Journey; and nothing
is exacted for the Entertainment.
The same Hospitality, esteem'd among them as a principal Virtue, is
practis'd by private Persons; of which Conrad Weiser, our Interpreter,
gave me the following Instance. He had been naturaliz'd among the Six
Nations, and spoke well the Mohock Language. In going thro' the Indian
Country, to carry a Message from our Governor to the Council at
Onondaga, he call'd at the Habitation of Canassatego, an old
Acquaintance, who embrac'd him, spread Furs for him to sit on, plac'd
before him some boil'd Beans and Venison, and mix'd some Rum and Water
for his Drink. When he was well refresh'd, and had lit his Pipe,
Canassatego began to converse with him; ask'd how he had far'd the many
Years since they had seen each other; whence he then came; what
occasion'd the Journey, &c. Conrad answered all his Questions; and when
the Discourse began to flag, the Indian, to continue it, said, "Conrad,
you have lived long among the white People, and know something of their
Customs; I have been sometimes at Albany, and have observed, that once
in Seven Days they shut up their Shops, and assemble all in the great
House; tell me what it is for? What do they do there?" "They meet
there," says Conrad, "to hear and learn _good Things_." "I do not
doubt," says the Indian, "that they tell you so; they have told me the
same; but I doubt the Truth of what they say, and I will tell you my
Reasons. I went lately to Albany to sell my Skins and buy Blankets,
Knives, Powder, Rum, &c. You know I us'd generally to deal with Hans
Hanson; but I was a little inclin'd this time to try some other
Merchant. However, I call'd first upon Hans, and asked him what he would
give for Beaver. He said he could not give any more than four Shillings
a Pound; 'but,' says he, 'I cannot talk on Business now; this is the Day
when we meet together to learn _Good Things_, and I am going to the
Meeting.' So I thought to myself, 'Since we cannot do any Business
to-day, I may as well go to the meeting too,' and I went with him. There
stood up a Man in Black, and began to talk to the People very angrily. I
did not understand what he said; but, perceiving that he look'd much at
me and at Hanson, I imagin'd he was angry at seeing me there; so I went
out, sat down near the House, struck Fire, and lit my Pipe, waiting till
the Meeting should break up. I thought too, that the Man had mention'd
something of Beaver, and I suspected it might be the Subject of their
Meeting. So, when they came out, I accosted my Merchant. 'Well, Hans,'
says I, 'I hope you have agreed to give more than four Shillings a
Pound.' 'No,' says he, 'I cannot give so much; I cannot give more than
three shillings and sixpence.' I then spoke to several other Dealers,
but they all sung the same song,--Three and sixpence,--Three and
sixpence. This made it clear to me, that my Suspicion was right; and,
that whatever they pretended of meeting to learn _good Things_, the real
purpose was to consult how to cheat Indians in the Price of Beaver.
Consider but a little, Conrad, and you must be of my Opinion. If they
met so often to learn _good Things_, they would certainly have learnt
some before this time. But they are still ignorant. You know our
Practice. If a white Man, in travelling thro' our Country, enters one of
our Cabins, we all treat him as I treat you; we dry him if he is wet, we
warm him if he is cold, we give him Meat and Drink, that he may allay
his Thirst and Hunger; and we spread soft Furs for him to rest and sleep
on; we demand nothing in return. But, if I go into a white Man's House
at Albany, and ask for Victuals and Drink, they say, 'Where is your
Money?' and if I have none, they say, 'Get out, you Indian Dog.' You see
they have not yet learned those little _Good Things_, that we need no
Meetings to be instructed in, because our Mothers taught them to us when
we were Children; and therefore it is impossible their Meetings should
be, as they say, for any such purpose, or have any such Effect; they are
only to contrive _the Cheating of Indians in the Price of Beaver_."
NOTE.--It is remarkable that in all Ages and Countries
Hospitality has been allow'd as the Virtue of those whom the
civiliz'd were pleas'd to call Barbarians. The Greeks
celebrated the Scythians for it. The Saracens possess'd it
eminently, and it is to this day the reigning Virtue of the
wild Arabs. St. Paul, too, in the Relation of his Voyage and
Shipwreck on the Island of Melita says the Barbarous People
shewed us no little kindness; for they kindled a fire, and
received us every one, because of the present Rain, and
because of the Cold. [_Franklin's note._]
AN ARABIAN TALE[139]
Albumazar, the good magician, retired in his old age to the top of the
lofty mountain Calabut; avoided the society of men, but was visited
nightly by genii and spirits of the first rank, who loved him, and
amused him with their instructive conversation.
Belubel, the strong, came one evening to see Albumazar; his height was
seven leagues, and his wings when spread might overshadow a kingdom. He
laid himself gently down between the long ridges of Elluem; the tops of
the trees in the valley were his couch; his head rested on Calabut as on
a pillow, and his face shone on the tent of Albumazar.
The magician spoke to him with rapturous piety of the wisdom and
goodness of the Most High; but expressed his wonder at the existence of
evil in the world, which he said he could not account for by all the
efforts of his reason.
"Value not thyself, my friend," said Belubel, "on that quality which
thou callest reason. If thou knewest its origin and its weakness, it
would rather be matter of humiliation."
"Tell me then," said Albumazar, "what I do not know; inform my
ignorance, and enlighten my understanding." "Contemplate," said
Albumazar [_sic._ Belubel], "the scale of beings, from an elephant down
to an oyster. Thou seest a gradual diminution of faculties and powers,
so small in each step that the difference is scarce perceptible. There
is no gap, but the gradation is complete. Men in general do not know,
but thou knowest, that in ascending from an elephant to the infinitely
Great, Good, and Wise, there is also a long gradation of beings, who
possess powers and faculties of which thou canst yet have no
conception."
A PETITION OF THE LEFT HAND
TO THOSE WHO HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENCY OF EDUCATION
[Date unknown]
I address myself to all the friends of youth, and conjure them to direct
their compassionate regards to my unhappy fate, in order to remove the
prejudices of which I am the victim. There are twin sisters of us; and
the two eyes of man do not more resemble, nor are capable of being upon
better terms with each other, than my sister and myself, were it not for
the partiality of our parents, who make the most injurious distinctions
between us. From my infancy, I have been led to consider my sister as a
being of a more elevated rank. I was suffered to grow up without the
least instruction, while nothing was spared in her education. She had
masters to teach her writing, drawing, music, and other accomplishments;
but if by chance I touched a pencil, a pen, or a needle, I was bitterly
rebuked; and more than once I have been beaten for being awkward, and
wanting a graceful manner. It is true, my sister associated me with her
upon some occasions; but she always made a point of taking the lead,
calling upon me only from necessity, or to figure by her side.
But conceive not, Sirs, that my complaints are instigated merely by
vanity. No; my uneasiness is occasioned by an object much more serious.
It is the practice in our family, that the whole business of providing
for its subsistence falls upon my sister and myself. If any
indisposition should attack my sister,--and I mention it in confidence
upon this occasion, that she is subject to the gout, the rheumatism, and
cramp, without making mention of other accidents,--what would be the
fate of our poor family? Must not the regret of our parents be
excessive, at having placed so great a difference between sisters who
are so perfectly equal? Alas! we must perish from distress; for it would
not be in my power even to scrawl a suppliant petition for relief,
having been obliged to employ the hand of another in transcribing the
request which I have now the honour to prefer to you.
Condescend, Sirs, to make my parents sensible of the injustice of an
exclusive tenderness, and of the necessity of distributing their care
and affection among all their children equally. I am, with a profound
respect, Sirs, your obedient servant,
THE LEFT HAND.
SOME GOOD WHIG PRINCIPLES
[Date unknown]
DECLARATION of those RIGHTS of the Commonalty of Great Britain, _without
which they cannot be_ FREE.
It is declared,
First, That the government of this realm, and the making of laws for the
same, ought to be lodged in the hands of King, Lords of Parliament, and
Representatives of _the whole body_ of the freemen of this realm.
Secondly, That _every man_ of the commonalty (excepting infants, insane
persons, and criminals) is, of common right, and by the laws of God, a
_freeman_, and entitled to the free enjoyment of _liberty_.
Thirdly, That liberty, or freedom, consists in having _an actual share_
in the appointment of those who frame the laws, and who are to be the
guardians of every man's life, property, and peace; for the _all_ of one
man is as dear to him as the _all_ of another; and the poor man has an
_equal_ right, but _more_ need, to have representatives in the
legislature than the rich one.
Fourthly, That they who have _no_ voice nor vote in the electing of
representatives, _do not enjoy_ liberty; but are absolutely _enslaved_
to those who _have_ votes, and to their representatives; for to be
enslaved is to have governors whom _other men have set over us_, and be
subject to laws _made by the representatives of others_, without having
had representatives of our own to give consent in _our_ behalf.
Fifthly, That a _very great majority_ of the commonalty of this realm
are denied the privilege of voting for representatives in Parliament;
and, consequently, they are enslaved to a _small number_, who do now
enjoy the privilege exclusively to themselves; but who, it may be
presumed, are far from wishing to continue in the exclusive possession
of a privilege, by which their fellow-subjects are deprived of _common
right_, of _justice_, of _liberty_; and which, if not communicated to
all, must speedily cause _the certain overthrow of our happy
constitution_, and enslave us _all_.
And, sixthly and lastly, We also say and do assert, that it is _the
right_ of the commonalty of this realm to elect a _new_ House of Commons
once in _every year_, according to the ancient and sacred laws of the
land; because, whenever a Parliament continues in being for _a longer
term_, very great numbers of the commonalty, who have arrived at years
of manhood since the last election, and _therefore_ have a right to be
actually represented in the House of Commons, are then _unjustly
deprived_ of that right.
THE ART OF PROCURING PLEASANT DREAMS
INSCRIBED TO MISS [SHIPLEY], BEING WRITTEN AT HER REQUEST[140]
As a great part of our life is spent in sleep during which we have
sometimes pleasant and sometimes painful dreams, it becomes of some
consequence to obtain the one kind and avoid the other; for whether real
or imaginary, pain is pain and pleasure is pleasure. If we can sleep
without dreaming, it is well that painful dreams are avoided. If while
we sleep we can have any pleasing dream, it is, as the French say,
_autant de gagné_, so much added to the pleasure of life.
To this end it is, in the first place, necessary to be careful in
preserving health, by due exercise and great temperance; for, in
sickness, the imagination is disturbed, and disagreeable, sometimes
terrible, ideas are apt to present themselves. Exercise should precede
meals, not immediately follow them; the first promotes, the latter,
unless moderate, obstructs digestion. If, after exercise, we feed
sparingly, the digestion will be easy and good, the body lightsome, the
temper cheerful, and all the animal functions performed agreeably.
Sleep, when it follows, will be natural and undisturbed; while
indolence, with full feeding, occasions nightmares and horrors
inexpressible; we fall from precipices, are assaulted by wild beasts,
murderers, and demons, and experience every variety of distress.
Observe, however, that the quantities of food and exercise are relative
things; those who move much may, and indeed ought to eat more; those who
use little exercise should eat little. In general, mankind, since the
improvement of cookery, eat about twice as much as nature requires.
Suppers are not bad, if we have not dined; but restless nights naturally
follow hearty suppers after full dinners. Indeed, as there is a
difference in constitutions, some rest well after these meals; it costs
them only a frightful dream and an apoplexy, after which they sleep till
doomsday. Nothing is more common in the newspapers, than instances of
people who, after eating a hearty supper, are found dead abed in the
morning.
Another means of preserving health, to be attended to, is the having a
constant supply of fresh air in your bed-chamber. It has been a great
mistake, the sleeping in rooms exactly closed, and in beds surrounded by
curtains. No outward air that may come in to you is so unwholesome as
the unchanged air, often breathed, of a close chamber. As boiling water
does not grow hotter by longer boiling, if the particles that receive
greater heat can escape; so living bodies do not putrefy, if the
particles, so fast as they become putrid, can be thrown off. Nature
expels them by the pores of the skin and the lungs, and in a free, open
air they are carried off; but in a close room we receive them again and
again, though they become more and more corrupt. A number of persons
crowded into a small room thus spoil the air in a few minutes, and even
render it mortal, as in the Black Hole at Calcutta. A single person is
said to spoil only a gallon of air per minute, and therefore requires a
longer time to spoil a chamber-full; but it is done, however, in
proportion, and many putrid disorders hence have their origin. It is
recorded of Methusalem, who, being the longest liver, may be supposed to
have best preserved his health, that he slept always in the open air;
for, when he had lived five hundred years, an angel said to him; "Arise,
Methusalem, and build thee an house, for thou shalt live yet five
hundred years longer." But Methusalem answered, and said, "If I am to
live but five hundred years longer, it is not worth while to build me an
house; I will sleep in the air, as I have been used to do." Physicians,
after having for ages contended that the sick should not be indulged
with fresh air, have at length discovered that it may do them good. It
is therefore to be hoped, that they may in time discover likewise, that
it is not hurtful to those who are in health, and that we may be then
cured of the _aërophobia_, that at present distresses weak minds, and
makes them choose to be stifled and poisoned, rather than leave open the
window of a bed-chamber, or put down the glass of a coach.