Prev | Current Page 622 | Next

Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851

"Oak Openings"


This Son of the Great Spirit was certainly killed by the Jews of
that day, so far as he COULD be killed. He possessed two natures, as
indeed do all men: the body and soul. In his body he was man, as we
all are men; in his soul he was a part of the Great Spirit himself.
This is the great mystery of our religion. We cannot tell how it can
happen, but we believe it. We see around us a thousand things that
we cannot understand, and this is one of them."
Here Bear's Meat availed himself of another pause to make a remark.
This he did with the keenness of one accustomed to watch words and
events closely, but with a simplicity that showed no vulgar
disposition to scepticism.
"We do not expect that all the Great Spirit does can be clear to us
Indians," he said. "We know very little; he knows everything. Why
should we think to know all that he knows? We do not. That part of
the tradition gives us no trouble. Indians can believe without
seeing. They are not squaws, that wish to look behind every bush.
But my brother has told too much for his own good. If the pale-faces
killed their Great Spirit, they can have no Manitou, and must be in
the hands of the Evil Spirit This is the reason they want our
hunting-grounds.


Pages:
610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634