EXERCISE LXXII.

MORAL AND PHYSICAL FORCE.

If my voice could but reach those of my fellow-countrymen who feel themselves deprived of their just natural rights; who, whether in the North or the South, are excluded from the privileges of freemen;- and I claim a right to appeal to them, for no heart in the land beats with a livelier and deeper sympathy for them than mine; I would beg and implore them never, voluntarily and of choice, never, unless absolutely driven to it by their oppressors, to resort to violence, however clearly the physical and numerical force may seem to be within their grasp. The awful and murderous operations of military power can only be justified when directed against a foreign invader, or domestic conspirators attempting to obtain possession of the government by force of arms; even in such cases they must be allowed to be in themselves great evils, and are only tolerated because necessary to put down still greater evils. They cannot be rightfully employed as the means of enlarging the liberties, or reforming the abuses, of any nation or community.

The horrors and cruelties of civil and intestine war, the bloodshed and the barbarism of the battle-field, the furies and the crimes attendant upon massacre, conflagration, and pillage, can never be made to prepare the way for the blessings of liberty, peace, and equal rights, to enter and take up their abode in any land. They serve only to bind upon it still more firmly the burden and the woes of slavery and sin. "All they that take the sword," that is, select and adopt it as the means of improving their social or political condition, "shall perish with the sword." But truth is mighty, reason is mighty, conscience is mighty, the spirit of human and of Christian benevolence is mightier than them all, and the most despised minority, the most trampled victims of oppression and slavery, if they make these the weapons of their warfare, and wield them in faith, patience, and perseverance, will be sure to conquer, for God will be their ally. And the strongest and fiercest giant, who

comes to the field with a spear, and with a sword, and with a shield, will be sure to fall before the merest strip ling who meets him in the name of the Lord.

EXERCISE LXXIII.

SPEECH OF CORNPLANTER.*

Addressed to Pres. Washington at Philadelphia, in 1790.]

FATHER-The voice of the Seneca nation speaks to you, the great counsellor in whose hearts the wise men of all the thirteen firest have placed their wisdom. It may be very small in your ears, and we, therefore, entreat you to hearken with attention, for we are able to speak of things which are to us very great.

When your army entered the country of the Six Nations, we called you the town-destroyer; and to this day, when this name is heard, our women look behind and turn pale, and our children cling close to the necks of their mothers.

When our chiefs returned from Fort Starwix, and laid before our council what had been done there, our nation was surprised to hear how great a country you had compelled them to give up to you, without your paying to us anything for it. Every one said, that your hearts were yet swelled with resentment against us for what had happened during the war, but that one day you would consider it with more kindness; for, said we, what have we done to deserve such severe chastisement?

Father; when you kindled your thirteen fires separately, the wise men assembled at them told us you were all brothers; the children of one great father, who regarded the red people as his children. They called us brothers, and invited us to his protection. They told us that he resided beyond the great waters where the sun first rises; and that he was a king whose power no people could resist, and that his goodness was as bright

* We give this and the three following pieces as specimens of Indian elu quence. + Thirteen States.

as the sun. What they said went to our hearts; we accepted the invitation and promised to obey him. What the Seneca nation promise they faithfully perform. When you refused obedience to that king, he commanded us to assist his beloved men in making you sober. In obeying him we did no more than yourselves had led us to promise. We were deceived; but your people, teaching us to confide in that king, had helped to deceive us; and we now appeal to your heart. the blame ours?

Is all

Father; when we saw that we, had been deceived, and heard the invitation which you gave us to draw near to the fire you had kindled, and talk with you concerning peace, we made haste towards it. You told us you could crush us to nothing; and you demanded from us a great country as the price of that peace which you had offered to us, as if our want of strength had destroyed our rights. Our chiefs had felt your power, and were unable to contend against you, and they therefore gave up that country. What they agreed to has bound our nation; but your anger against us must by this be cooled, and although our strength is not increased, nor your power become less, we ask you to consider calmly,-Were the terms dictated to us by your commissioners reasonable and just?

EXERCISE LXXIV.

SPEECH OF BLACK HAWK.

[Addressed to Gen. Street, before whom Black Hawk was brought as a prisoner, at Prairie du Chien, in 1832.]

You have taken me prisoner, with all my warriors. I am much grieved, for I expected, if I did not defeat you, to hold out much longer, and give you more trouble before I surrendered. I tried hard to bring you into ambush, but your last general understands Indian fighting. I determined to rush on you, and fight you face to face. I fought hard. But your guns were well aimed. The bullets flew like birds in the air, and whizzed by our ears like the wind through the trees in winter. My warriors fell around me; it began to look dismal

I saw my evil day at hand. The sun rose dim on us in the morning, and at night it sank in a dark cloud, and looked like a ball of fire. That was the last sun that shone on Black Hawk. His heart is dead, and no longer beats quick in his bosom. He is now a prisoner to the white men. They will do with him as they wish. But he can stand torture, and is not afraid of death. He is no coward. Black Hawk is an Indian.

He has done nothing for which an Indian ought to be ashamed. He has fought for his countrymen, the squaws and pappooses, against white men, who came, year after year, to cheat them and take away their lands. You know the cause of our making war. It is known to all white men. They ought to be ashamed of it. The white men despise the Indians, and drive them from their homes. But the Indians are not deceitful. The white men speak bad of the Indian, and look at him spitefully. But the Indian does not tell lies; Indians do not steal.

An Indian who is as bad as the white men could not live in our nation; he would be put to death, and eat up by the wolves. The white men are bad schoolmasters. They carry false looks, and deal in false actions. They smile in the face of the poor Indians to cheat them. They shake them by the hand to gain their confidence, to make them drunk, and to deceive them. We told them to let us alone, and keep away from us; but they followed on, and beset our paths, and they coiled themselves among us, like the snake. They poisoned us by their touch. We were not safe. We lived in danger. We were becoming like them,-hypocrites and liars, adulterers, and lazy drones, all talkers and no workers. We looked up to the Great Spirit. We went to our father. We were encouraged. His great council gave us fair words and big promises; but we got no satisfaction, things were growing worse. There were no deer in the forest. The opossum and beaver were fled. The springs were drying up, and our squaws and pappooses without victuals to keep them from starving. We called a great council, and built a large fire. The spirit of our fathers arose and spoke to us to avenge our

wrongs or die. We all spoke before the council fire. It was warm and pleasant. We set up the war whoop, and dug up the tomahawk. Our knives were ready, and the heart of Black Hawk swelled high in his bo som, when he led his warriors to battle. He is satisfied. He will go to the world of spirits contented. He has done his duty. His father will meet him there and commend him.

EXERCISE LXXV.

SPEECH OF RED JACKET.

LA reply to the address of a missionary at a council of the chiefs of the Six Nations, in 1805.]

FRIEND AND BROTHER! It was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet together this day. He orders all things, and has given us a fine day for ou council. He has taken his garment from before the sun, and caused it to shine with brightness upon us. Our eyes are opened that we see clearly; our ars are unstopped that we have been able to hear distinctly the words you have spoken. For all these favors we thank the Great Spirit, and Him only.

Brother! listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their seats extended from the rising to the setting sun; the Great Spirit had made it for the use of the Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He had made the bear and the beaver; their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All this he had done for his red children, because he loved them. If we had disputes about our húnting-ground, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood. But an evil day came upon us; your forefathers crossed the great waters and landed on this island. Their numbers were small; they found us friends, and not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country through fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a