“Indian Youth’s Newspaper” (from The Youth’s Companion, September 7, 1854; p. 80)
Dr. Butler, Missionary among the Cherokee Indians, has sent us the 2d No. of a small paper, published among that interesting tribe of Indians. As an evidence of their advancement in learning, we make the following extracts.—The paper is printed partly in Cherokee, and partly in English.
Cherokee Rose Buds. Devoted to “The Good, the Beautiful and the True.” Female Seminary, Cherokee Nation, Wednesday, August 2, 1854. The Cherokee Rose Buds is published at stated periods by the co-editresses, Catharine Gunter, Nancy E. Hicks.
OUR WREATH OF ROSE BUDS.
We offer you a wreath of flowers
Culled in recreation’s hours,
Which will not wither, droop, or die,
Even when days and months pass by.
Ask you where these flowers are found?
Not on sunny slope, or mound;
Not on prairies bright and fair
Growing without thought or care.
No, our simple wreath is twined
From the garden of the mind;
Where bright thoughts like rivers flow
And ideas like roses grow.
The tiny buds which here you see
Ask your kindly sympathy;
View them with a lenient eye,
Pass each fault, each blemish by.
Warmed by the sunshine of your eyes,
Perhaps you’ll find to your surprise,
Their petals fair will soon unclose,
And every bud becomes—a Rose.
Then take our wreath, and let it stand
An emblem of our happy band;
The Seminary, our garden fair;
And we, the flowers planted there.
Like roses bright we hope to grow,
And o’er our home such beauty throw
In future years—that all may see
Loveliest of lands,—the Cherokee.
Corrinne.
———
A SMALL RIVER.
There is a small river which runs along about a mile from my home; it is a very beautiful one; its banks are covered with fine large trees, grass and various kinds of flowers. In the spring, it is very pleasant to sit on the bank and look at the water gliding along.—Many a happy hour have I passed at this creek with my sisters and schoolmates, looking at the water and gathering flowers, making bouquets and gathering grapes and berries.—There are a great many fine nut trees on the bank, with their large branches hanging over the water. A little way up the creek is a mountain. It has some large rocks on it.—When we go on the top of the mount and get on one of these large rocks and look down on the creek running below, it looks very beautiful. there is one place at this mountain where there is a way to go down like steps, and the rocks are placed one after another, and look as if some one had made them that way. Between some large rocks, there is a place almost in the shape of a house. It is square just like a room, and it has a beautiful spring in it, and the water comes from out the rock, and runs down to the bottom and goes into the creek. It makes a great noise when it falls off the rock. There is an open place like a door, and just in front of the door is the creek. It is pleasant to sit there and see every thing looking so fresh and beautiful.
Quale-u-quah.