Show tOPLE E OPLE j AND AND KINGS KINGSBy L By FRED BAGGY BAGEY An An Effective Oration ration Indians ma may not be rated as ora ora- but th the speech delivered by Chief ot ol otes s Min Un to that little gathering soldiers and nd civilians at nt the fort tort St St. Louis in the spring of 1832 mU must Pe e been a masterpiece At le least st within a aver very was ras vas effective for tor Rv v V years years' the white mans man's mission mission- tics les i s with the white mans man's book of ot ave aven had crossed the great plains de d h through what was ws then them hern Utah h had d conquered the thet jt t 1 barrier of C the with a ajob an job n and had established Christian ions ions' in ill the Oregon country Translations of or purported records rec rec- eds of the old chiefs chief's speech e ate te that It II was as a gem of simplic- simplic ly ty and forcefulness The old the assembled led hat his people hat hail sent sene him over overe ic e trail of many moons from he c setting sun to get the white axis axi's book of Heaven He lIe told hem hefa he had come with strong strong- enemies en and arms through many cross tross str re lands bonds buthe must turn Hurn wiLls both arms broken and nd nd empty 4 d f He lie told the assembled banquet banquet- t. t en ers era bat they had bad taken en him to where here their women danced but bot the book was not there that he heh h had d been led to where the white mm an worshiped the Great Spirit candles but he did not find Cind the Ithe book there that those present present present pres pres- ent had bad made his feet heavy with lifts and his moccasins would ferow row old with carrying them but the book was not am among among- on those I rifts gifts In dramatic conclusion the old thief chief told his listeners that he must mud return over the lou lu Ions trail to his people in hi a dark land and tell them that he had failed to tord get rd that th for which he came and his 1115 people would die in darkness s and go co on that hat dark trail to other hunting grounds with no white whiteman whiteman man man to jeo go o with lh them and no u white whiteman's hite hiteman's mans man's book to fo make the way plain 4 p Pebble in a Pond i With the succinct remark that he hed he'd hed hedno d d no more words the old Indian included his speech but like a peb peb- e in ill a a pond his words created aVe of religious Interest Jn in the Inns In In- ns ns that spread d to every corner of ofa a e country A X translation of the speech was was printed in the hristian tian Advocate in New Nw York rith ith it an editorial by the editor ask ask- rig who would carry the book of life a the Indians of oC Oregon The speech attracted the attention n if Dr Marcus Whitman a young of oC Ru and the Rev r Samuel Parker of oC Utica Ulica New Nework ork ark In ITt 1853 the American board missions decided to send Whitman d Dr Cr Parker to investigate and ort rt upon n the feasibility of lung ling missions In the little known rc f ind n l. l That That same fame year found the doc doc- j jf r of f divinity and the doctor of t in ine in a at old ld yort Fort Lea Leavenworth the off place into the western wilderness ss in time to attach them therm selves S to a y a company of fur tur traders l bound for Green river in what was then northern Utah but now is southern south ern Wyoming Green River in those days was just a rendezvous where thousands t of of- Indians gathered ever every jear from the distant lands of ot the West to trade with the white men JY When en Whitman and his companion reached ched the trading center they found some 2000 Indians including a a large legation delegatIon of Oregon P JT Old Chief Dies From them they learned that Chief Mm Min had bad died before his homeward homeward home home- ward lard journey had been completed and nd only one of ot the original four emissaries the youngest of ot the the chiefs chiefs had reached the wigwams of f his tribe a after e the memorable journey to St. St Louis UIS But this envoy had hd told his people a n man would be sent with the book of Heaven i t Wh When these Indians learned that Whitman and his companion were the themen with the book their wen men actions conVinced convinced con con- vinced the investigators that missions in Or Oregon gon w were re feasible So Dr Parker went on to Oregon with the Indians and Dr Whitman returned to report fe to th the American board The rhe Indians sent two of oC their sturdy young braves with him |