Previous William Thomas Sherman Info Page postings, quotes, observations, etc.
By James Kirke Paulding (1778-1860)
As found in his novel, Koningsmarke, the Long Finne (1823), Book IV, ch. 2, pp. 192-198.
"…In the intermediate spaces, between these distant settlements [i.e., roughly in and between present-day western New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware], resided various small tribes of Indians, who sometimes maintained friendly relations with their new neighbours, at others committed depredations and murders. The early settlers of this country were, perhaps, as extraordinary a race of people as ever existed. Totally unwarlike in their habits, they ventured upon a new world, and came, few in numbers, fearlessly into the society and within the power of a numerous race of savages. The virtuous and illustrious William Penn, and his followers, whose principles and practice were those of non-resistance, and who held even self-defence unlawful, trusted themselves to the wilds, not with arms in their hands, to fight their way among the wild Indians, but with the olive branch, to interchange the peaceful relations of social life. There was in these adventurers generally, a degree of moral courage, faith, perseverance, hardihood, and love of independence, civil and religious, that enabled them to do with the most limited means, what, with the most ample, others have failed in achieving. We cannot read their early history, and dwell upon the patient endurance of labours and dangers on the part of the men, of heroic faith and constancy on that of the women, without feeling our eyes moisten, our hearts expand with affectionate admiration of these our noble ancestors, who watered the young tree of liberty with their tears, and secured to themselves and their posterity the noblest of all privileges, that of worshipping God according to their consciences, at the price of their blood.
"The character of the Indian nations, which inhabited these portions of the country, and indeed that of all the various tribes of savages in North America, was pretty uniform. Like all ignorant people, they were very superstitious. When the great comet appeared in 1680, a Sachem was asked what he thought of its appearance. 'It signifies,' said he, 'that we Indians shall melt away, and this country be inhabited by another people.' They had a great veneration for their ancient burying-grounds; and when any of their friends or relatives died at a great distance, would bring his bones to be interred in the ancient cemetery of the tribe. Nothing, in after times, excited a deeper vengeance against the white people, than their ploughing up the ground where the bones of their fathers had been deposited. When well treated, they were kind and liberal to the strangers; but were naturally reserved, apt to resent, to conceal their resentment, and retain it a long time. But their remembrance of benefits was equally tenacious, and they never forgot the obligations of hospitality.
"An old Indian used to visit the house of a worthy farmer at Middletown in New-Jersey, where he was always hospitably received and kindly entertained. One day the wife of the farmer observed the Indian to be more pensive than usual, and to sigh heavily at intervals. She inquired what was the matter, when he replied, that he had something to tell her, which, if it were known, would cost him his life. On being further pressed, he disclosed a plot of the Indians, who were that night to surprise the village, and murder all the inhabitants. 'I never yet deceived thee,' cried the old man; 'tell thy husband, that he may tell his white brothers; but let no one else know that I have seen thee to day.' The husband collected the men of the village to watch that night. About twelve o'clock they heard the war-whoop; but the Indians, perceiving them on their guard, consented to a treaty of peace, which they never afterwards violated.
"Their ideas of justice were nearly confined to the revenging of injuries; but an offender who was taken in attempting to escape the punishment of a crime, submitted to the will of his tribe, without a murmur. On one occasion, a chief named Tashyowican lost a sister by the small-pox, the introduction of which by the whites was one great occasion of the hostility of the Indians. 'The Maneto [i.e. god] of the white man has killed my sister,' said he, 'and I will go kill the white man.' Accordingly, taking a friend with him, they set upon and killed a settler of the name of Huggins. On receiving information of this outrage, the settlers demanded satisfaction of the tribe to which Tashyowican belonged, threatening severe retaliation if it were refused. The Sachems despatched two Indians to take him, dead or alive. On coming to his wigwam, Tashyowican, suspecting their designs, asked if they intended to kill him. They replied, 'no -- but the Sachems have ordered you to die.' 'And what do you say, brothers?' replied he. 'We say you must die,' answered they. Tashyowican then covered his eyes, and cried out 'kill me,' upon which they shot him through the heart.
"Previous to their intercourse with the whites, they had few vices, as their state of society furnished them with few temptations; and these vices were counterbalanced by many good, not to say great qualities. But, by degrees, they afterwards became corrupted by that universal curse of their race, spirituous liquors, the seductions of which the best and greatest of them could not resist. It is this which has caused their tribes to wither away, leaving nothing behind but a name, which will soon be forgotten, or, at best, but a miserable remnant of degenerate beings, whose minds are debased, and whose forms exhibit nothing of that tall and stately majesty which once characterized the monarchs of the forest.
"But the most universal and remarkable trait in the character of the red-men of North America, was a gravity of deportment, almost approaching to melancholy. It seemed as if they had a presentiment of the fate which awaited them in the increasing numbers of the white strangers; and it is certain, that there were many traditions and prophecies among them, which seemed to indicate the final ruin and extinction of their race. Their faces bore the expression of habitual melancholy; and it was observed that they never laughed or were gay, except in their drunken feasts, which, however, generally ended in outrage and bloodshed. The little Christina [a fictional character in Koningsmarke] always called them THE SAD PEOPLE; and the phrase aptly expressed their peculiar character.
"It is little to be wondered at, if two races of men, so totally distinct in habits, manners, and interests, and withal objects of mutual jealousy, suspicion and fear, should be oftener enemies than friends. Every little singularity observed in the actions and deportment of each other, accordingly gave rise to suspicion, often followed by outrage; and every little robbery committed on the property of either, was ascribed to the other party, so that the history of their early intercourse with each other, is little other than a narrative of bickerings and bloodshed. Thus they continued, until it finally happened in the new, as it hath always happened in the old world, that the 'wise white-man' gained a final ascendency, and transmitted it to his posterity…"
Later Note. The full chapter (i.e. Book IV, ch. 2, and add succeeding chapters 3 & 4), from whence the above extract is taken is even more (and no less) wryly humorous; particularly in its comments on precaution and preventing problems in advance of their transpiring (ch. 3); while in turn, this in relation to the use of religion for corrupt purposes (ch. 4, with Paulding's artfully drafted illustration, being for me frankly, one more sure proof of the nigh omnipresence of masquerading spirit people.) For an entire edition of the surprisingly delightful, if at times perhaps unsettling in its candid carping, Koningsmarke, the Long Finne, see Google books, and for volume two Archive.org.
It's affection and sentiment that gets the flames started, yet only duty will keep the fire alive. So that in the ongong sense then, love is a job at which one must prove oneself; that is at any rate, if their love really means, or ever meant, anything.
Nancy Sinatra with the Louis Chirillo Dancers...(An in-joke to some friends of mine.)
["My Beautiful Balloon, sung by Nancy Sinatra"]
He likes to quote scripture - "I am the resurrection and the life," he says. To which I respond, "Depart from me into the everlasting fire reserved for the devil and his angels (you hypocrite); for I never knew you."
Lower the YT volume way down on this one.
["Hank Williams: Mind Your Own Business" -- studio vers. by Williams Sr.]
While we are familiar with the idea of there being three Graces, it is open to question whether their being limited to three in number is appropriate, let alone strictly necessary. In ancient Greek tradition, these three typically, though not always, are denoted as beauty, charm, creativity. Other forms of "grace" sometimes given are fertility and mirth. Later, we have the Christian graces, ostensibly stemming from St. Paul, in the form of faith, hope, and charity. Now to speak of beauty and charm as graces seems either tautological or at the least very vague; since beauty and charm can be used as viable synonyms for grace. Granting this, that leaves us with at least six possible kinds of grace: creativity, fertility, mirth, faith, hope, and charity. Possibly this list might in turn be expanded on, and include such as veracity, continence, devotion, modesty, boldness, symmetry, contrast, clarity, and simplicity. In turn, the different types of grace, whatever list we finally arrive at, could themselves be broken down and refined into sub-categories or sub-types, as in, say, different kinds of “creativity" or "charity." This all said, I am not prepared at the moment to explore, analyze, delimit, or exhuast exactly what all the graces are or might be; so let me then, for practicality's sake, speak of the graces as being creativity, fertility, mirth, faith, hope, charity, veracity, continence, devotion, modesty, boldness, clarity, and simplicity.
The point I did want to make, notwithstanding, is that a given artist could employ or exhibit any one, some or all of the graces, and to various degrees and in various combinations, in his or her work. So that if then we desire an artistic work of ours to best succeed, it seems we would want to integrate as many graces as we can into a harmonious whole. At the same time, the more conscious we are of the graces we can or could conceivably improve the quality and power of our work by knowing of and incorporating them whenever feasible in whatever project or endeavor we are embarked upon or engaged in.
True, if we take the traditional Nine Muses as forms of endeavor, namely: Calliope - Epic poetry; Clio - History; Erato - Lyric poetry; Euterpe - Music; Melpomene - Tragedy; Polyhymnia - Choral; Terpsichore - Dance; Thalia - Comedy; Urania - Astronomy, we realize not all the graces are applicable and or of equal relevance. For instance, mirth might be inapposite in a tragedy. Yet to merely contemplate the possibilities the graces afford us in enhancing a given work serves as a most useful tool for purposes of building upon our range and capacity as an artist and the force and power of whatever work it is we intend to produce.
["Simon & Garfunkel - The Boxer - Madison Square Garden, NYC - 2009/10/29&30"]
He's great ghost certainly, yet is it not true also that he cannot even face the very people he judges and looks down scornfully upon? And if this weren't enough and to make things even easier for him, honest truth, by common custom and consent, is not allowed. Who then is it that flees reality and the facts?
The finale from "Lili" (1953) with Mel Ferrer and Leslie Caron.