THE DAKOTA L ANG U AG E . E THE DAKOTA LANGUAG . B' 'E '. S . '. 'IG G S. To th e Ofiioers and Members of tko Mi nn esota Hi stori cal Soci ety z—' so rr I o w in t o dis Gentlemen i ght y am that , g the - - t . ance of Lac qui Parle from St Paul , and the season of the o u r as y ear at which y annual meetin g takes place , as well on a I ccount of other pressin g duties , am unable to answer in person to the invitation kindly extended to me , by the Hon c rable Executive of the Society, to address you on the coming occasion . The address which I have prepared h as t . C E O D been placed in he hands of the Hon M M L , to be used t as the Society may jud ge b e s tfi C onnected with the subject therein presented , i s a point I v iz to which wi sh for a moment , to call your attention ' THE DESTIN' o r THESE INDIAN T'IBES . It is well understood h by all t inking persons , that in their present uncivilized con n u . l dition , they cannot long co tin e C ivi iz ation , as it passes m onward , must encircle the with its blessin gs , or sweep them from the face of the earth . They must be civilized and christianized or perish . It seems also t o be passin g from a state of theory to that of a generally admitted fact , n that the India s in any state , cannot lon g continue to exist as . A a separate people The great merican people , will W ithout doubt , absorb every other interest and every other n existe ce w ithin it s wide spreadin g reach . There are certain great and predominant influences which h T e Address was read at the annual Meeting by Mr. MCL E OD . MI E I 'I C I NN SOTA H STO CAL OLLECT ONS . direct the moral and political formations and transforma tions , which are silently and constantly takin g place in our country . The result of these infl u ences i s the production h . To of a omo geneous whole , out of a heterogeneous mass — a certain extent this is admitted by all but there are cer n tain elements which politicia s , who have grown up under particular infl uences declare to be not capable of combina tion . Nevertheless this combination is goin g on very rapidly , but such persons have not the sa gacity to perceive . O it , or moral honesty enou gh to admit it win g to various h as a causes operating for evil , the unity of the race been p l arent h as . p y broken up , insomuch that it come to be denied That unity will be restored by the progress of science and art , and especially by the universal prevalence of the Gospel — of the Prince of Peace producin g a brotherhood of nations . As n h ilanth ro it re gards these India s , the question , with p ists is t o p and Christians , , not whether they can be expected preserve their national existence , it is admitted that they ff cannot , the e ort to keep them in that state has already Operated in a manner very prejudicial to th e interests of s — is many small tribe but the question , what boon shall we hold out to them , to what place shall we assi gn them to what kind of civilization shall we introduce them Shall m b e we refuse to grant the the ri ghts ofcitizens , when they ' come fitted to exercise those rights If so we press them back into barbarism . Shall we not rather hold out to them A with the restraints of law, its blessin g and privileges t present an Indian has very little inducement to chan ge his o ff habits . He thereby cuts himself from the sympathies of his own people , and he hears no friendly voice , emanatin g from our legislative halls , saying to him , come up hi gher . This is a subject for our legislators to consider well . And what is the type of civilization to which we shall try THE DAKOTA L ANG UAG E . 9 1 to introduce them Shall it not be that which eminently — h as characterizes our own age and which been produced , fl o f more than by any other in uence , by the dissemination the religion of the bible Where the Bible i s not read by the common people , there the civilization is of a lower grade . Education in the broadest sense of the word—education in the arts as well as the letters of civilization—education fo r o d . N time and als eternity , shoul be sought for them othin g short of this will meet the obli gations resting upon us as a people . In the lan guage of Prof. Gammell , in his excellent “ ” “ s A . u n Hi tory of the m Baptist Missions , their claims po A t n the sympathies and philanthropy of merican chris ia s ar e , if possible , stron ger than those of any other portion of man i . It s u s kind for that their heritage has been despoiled , and u s they have been scattered and wasted , and it i s to that Providence has assigned the broad domain , which they lately held by the undisputed possession of centuries . We are o c c u daily treadin g amid the graves of their dead , and are pying the ancient homes where they once dwelt in barba rian pride and power . “ A e In their civil relations to the merican people , they hav been styled the adopted children of the republic they are under its protection and within its guardian care . Their th e condition , on this account , the more earnestly invites ceaseless endeavors of christian philanthropy, to raise them and from degradation , and reclaim them from barbarism , pour into their darkened natures , the light of the Gospel , which h as made our national condition and prospects so ff ” di erent from theirs . Permit me to subscribe myself, 'ours very truly . ' I H ' M NNESOTA ISTO ICAL COLLECTIONS . D AD 'E SS . Language is the vehicle of thou ght the medium of com munic ation between one being and another . It is a combi o f nation arbitrary sounds and signs , by which one mind c ommunicates its thoughts , feelin gs , and purposes to other m inds similarly constituted . From the Bible history of our race , it appears that man w as created , not only with the power of speech , but with the c omplete knowledge of a lan guage adequate to the fulfillment o f all the hi gh and noble purposes of communicating freely m an and fully with his kindred , and also with his creator . And God the first specimen of written lan guage , of which we have any authentic account , i s that which was graven by th e “ finger of God , on the two tables of stone , on the mount that burned with fire . Hence the inference that lan guage , both spoken and written , is from God . Human language must necessarily be an imperfect me i d um of communicatin g the feelings and purposes of mind . is as It the channel of thou ght , and is deep or shallow , . And thou ght is deep or vi gorous , or otherwise as the ’ s abundant rain showers from heaven , falling upon earth surface , often m ake new channels of communication with so t the great ocean , mind , when invi gora ed and enlar ged , it s works thoughts out through new channels , formin g new words and forms of speech , or imparting new meanings to t i hose already in use . Hence the study of lan guage s ever so new and ever interesting . This must have been when ” all the earth was of one language and one speech , and nothin g prevented free communication between all the mem bers of the human family . But much more has it become a study of intense interest , since , as a check on rebellion , God as r h scattered and separated the one g eat family of man , by introducing a diversity of lan guages . THE DAKOTA LANGUAGE . It is a remarkable fact that all lan guages , barbarous as ff e well as civilized , present but di erent shades of the sam mental philosophy . From this source also , it seem s to me , is derived one of the stron gest arguments for the unity of A th e f the race . t same time , a care ul comparison of the lan guages of the various tribes of men , will ultimately prove the most certain guide to ascertaining their proper place in th e the great family , and the time of their divergence from parent stock . A th e s darkness and barbarism and war have , in past ages n and of the world , bee powerfully productive of dialects s o lan gua ges , may it not be hoped that the spreading of light and knowled ge—the late wonderful applications of art— science to the steamship , the railroad and telegraph and with principles of peace the religion of the Bible , may th e to be the means of restoring family of man again , if not u s e one , at least to the of a few lan guages Christianity and civilization , in their pro gress , are even now accomplish ing this object .