the primary command, the first law of real
happiness.

She has always been the silent but telling power behind life's
activities, and at the same time shared equally with her mate the
arduous duties of primitive society. Possessed of true feminine dignity
and modesty, she was expected to be his equal in physical endurance and
skill, but his superior in spiritual insight. She was looked to for the
endowment of her child with nature's gifts and powers, and no woman of
any race has ever come closer to universal mother-hood.

She was the spiritual teacher of the child, as well as its tender nurse,
and she brought its developing soul before the "Great Mystery" as soon
as she was aware of its coming. When she had finished her work, at the
age of five to eight years, she turned her boy over to his father for
manly training, and to the grandparents for traditional instruction, but
the girl child remained under her close and thoughtful supervision. She
preserved man from soul-killing materialism by herself owning what few
possessions they had, and thus branding possession as feminine. The
movable home was hers, with all its belongings, and she ruled there
unquestioned. She was, in fact, the moral salvation of the race; all
virtue was entrusted to her, and her position was recognized by all. It
was held in all gentleness and discretion, under the rule that no woman
could talk much or loudly until she became a grandmother.

The Indian woman suffered greatly during the transition period of
civilization, when men were demoralized by whiskey, and possession
became masculine. The division of labor did not readily adjust itself to
the change, so that her burdens were multiplied while her influence
decreased. Tribe after tribe underwent the catastrophe of a disorganized
and disunited family life.

To-day, I am glad to say, we have still reason to thank our Indian
mothers for the best part of our manhood. A great many of them are
earnest Christian women, who have carried their native uprightness and
devoted industry over into the new life. The annual reports of the
missionaries show large sums, running into the thousands of dollars,
raised by the self-denying labor of the native women for the support of
their churches and other Christian work.

As the men have gradually assumed the responsibility of the outdoor
toil, cultivating the fields and building the houses, the women have
undertaken the complicated housekeeping tasks of thei