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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1947-07-03, Page 6To Gain Confidence of Indians Scarlet Coats Adopted by RCMP The adoption of that most strik- ing detail in the Mounted Police uni- form, the "red serge", was not a piece of empty swagger, nor was it merely another expression of °the strong British sentiment in this country. It resulted from sound dip- lomatic forethought. To trace the reason to its origin one must turn the clock back to the frontier days of the West, when a rifle regiment garbed in green replaced a red - coated line regiment at Fort Garry. Perhaps further than that, for the British military scarlet, worn as long ago as 300 years, came to this continent about the beginning of the 18th century. About the time of the transfer to Canada on July 15, 1870, of Rup- ert's Land and the Northwestern Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company, the Government at Otta- wa was receiving vigorous com- plaints that the Indians of the plains were being debauched and robbed by whisky traders. The lawless con- ditions in the West coupled with the need for maintaining more rigid sov- ereignty there, led to the formation in 1873 of the North West Mounted Police. Soldiers of the Queen The previous year the Govern- ' ment had sent out Col. I'. Robert- son -Ross, adjutant general of the Canadian Militia, to make a general reconnaissance of this untamed realm with a view to ascertaining what constitutional lines the pro- posed force should take. Accom- panied only by his 16 -year-old son, one guide and an Indian lad the col- onel left Fort Garry on August 10, 1872, for the Rocky Mountains. Before he had gone 60 miles, he met three large camps of Sioux In- dians—part of the band which but 10 short years before had sought refuge in Canadian territory after participating in the bloody Minnes- ota Massacre—and on another oc- casion when far out on the prairie his small party was ridden down by 10 mounted Sioux who "became quite friendly in manner, shaking hands with us hearily" upon learn- ing that the colonel was a British Officer.. Not once during the whole 8,000 -mile trip were Robertson -Ross. and his three companions molested, a fact which is attributable to the Indian's respect for a soldier of she Queen, Tradition of 1840 In the light of today's tradition, the colonel's most interesting ob- servations were based on his own experiences during that trip, and they concern the uniform to he worn by the new force. "During my inspection of the North West", he reported, "I ascer- tained that some prejudice existed amongst the Indians against the color of the uniform worn by men of the provisional battalion (militia in Manitoba), for many of the In- dians said, 'Who are these soldiers at Red River wearing dark clothes? Our old brothers who formerly lived there (meaning HM's 6th Regiment of Foot) wore red coats. We know that the soldiers of our great mother wear red coats and are our friends'." Soi on grounds that it would gain the confidence and respect of the Indians as nothing else could, the militia commander suggested that the proposed mounted police should be provided with the time-honored scarlet coat. He doubtless had in mind the tradition already estab- lished by the troops in 38411 and the natural fondness of the Indian for bright colors, but he was also well aware from personal knowledge of the power the red coat held over the unrestrained Indian of whom there were at that time some 25,000 on the prairie. No Fuss and Feathers On May 23, 1873, the North West Mounted Police came into exist- ence and in police matters were modelled partly on the Royal Irish Constabulary and partly on a system followed in India: however, the sim- ilarity of the conditions under,which • they and the army would operate dictated that they take after the lat- ter in dress and interior economy. But even here the Prime Minister stressed that he wanted a plain, mobile, purely civil force suited to the rigors of the country with "as little gold lace and fuss and feath- ers as possible". Above all, he in- sisted, there was to be no ostenta- tious display. Thus was the traditional red coat of the British soldier intrgduced to the plains of Western Canada. Tea For Britons Anxious Britons, whose cup of tea has hung in the balance during negotiations with Indian merchants and government officials, learned re- cently that supplies are all set for next year Britain will get n09,000,- 000 ,309,000;000 ($1„23d,000,000) worth, enough for her rationed needs. gtA There She Blows !—Residents of Hoojubatia, Japan, launch this huge 15 by 12 -foot kite, probably the largest in the world. They made it for the resumption of kite. flying contests„ sus- pended for the past ten years in Japan. 'Weight of the kite and string to control it totals 1430 pounds. Some 850 sheets of paper, 20 bamboo poles, and five gallons of ink were used to make it. MADAM, .W1, L you PLEASE MAKE' UP YOUR NINE). BEFORE.11,T EY ALL' ,GOb. ou ' OIF. ST `l LE.B • Vacation Time Again—The Russian child is no different than Canadian moppets or you ag people in any country in the world—he's happy to wave goodbye to school when summer holidays come. School ended for the first th ree grades in Moscow early this year and at noon of May 19, the children cheerily waved goodbye to "pencils and books and teachers' looks,” By GLORIA FERSCIIT Young. 1311 de Danny Dale, his teeth still chat- tering from the wet chill of the night, twisted his head on the soft warm pillow in an effort to speak. "Main, I'm sorry, honest I am. I couldn't help it." The tall blonde buy pulled the warm covers more closely around him, Two dimples, which .he had not outgrown during his 35 years, were even now visible in his cheeks among several scratches._ and a deep gash slightly below his right eye. It was not unusual for Danny to wander off by himself, especially when lie was angry or disturbed. He often spent the entire day swimming or boating in the lake, but he was never gone overnight. At one' hour past midnight, Mr. Hale and a small searching party had found Danny lying on the beach, cold and wet. Dr. Scott spoke softly to Danny as he applied an anesthetic to the boy's. bruised face. "Are you warm, Danny?" • There was a curt reply. "Sure." The experienced country , doctor could see at once. that Danny was straining himself to keep the tears back. "What's the matter, son? 'You can trust old Doc Scott; and surely you have no secrets from your par- ents. Where have you been? What have you been doing?" Danny pulled himself up and leaned against the bedstead. His natural color was slowly coming to his cheeks, but his eyes showed fright. He slowly parted his lips to speak. "I loved her so much." The doctor showed no sign of surprise; he remained silent. It was Danny who did all the talking now. "Mom and Dad tried to keep it a secret from me. They wanted to take me to the city. ' They knew I loved her, just as I loved the coati - of grief. "Dad said I couldn't see of grief. 'Dad said I couldn't see her again. Jeanne has always been so good to me; I couldn't live with- out her. We always have picnics to- gether, and she can swim as fast as I can. I loved to go bicycle riding with her too. Going to the city is bad enough but losing Jeanne is the worst." Doctor Scott began to sec clearly the whole situation. This 15 -year-old youth knew what he wanted. Jeanne I ad been his constant companion. Mr, and Mrs, hale had very sud- denly decided to move to the city in order to open up a small business. They knew, however, it was out of the question to have Jeanne with them. The small 'apartment which they had rented was no larger than a cubbyhole. Dr, Scott motioned Mr. and Mrs. Hale to leave the room, and, after opening the window for some fresh air, he followed. Danny was falling asleep, but the old physician knew that it was a troubled sleep, a rest- less one, which might haunt the boy for many months. "Doctor Scott,"Mrs. Hale began, "My husband and I were wrong. I see it all now." She spoke slowly, a faint smile came upon her lips. "Danny's instincts are healthy, sound. He loves the woods the lakes, the open fields." There was a short pause and then she added mournfully. "And he really loves Jeanne. I did not think a 15 -year- old boy could possibly have so much love for anyone." There was a sudden hush in the 'room and then a movement of feet. Mr. Hale, who bad been silent all this ,time, now jumped up. "Doc- tor,' hi Danny's room, that noise." "Quick, I left the window open. He is climbing out," the doctor re-. •plied. Mrs. Hale was the first to open the door. She saw the long curtains flut- tering in the open window, which franked a full , moon and myriad SCS. �«r ''tne glxcein the bed explained the noise;;F;att the black footprints which covered' the neatly polished floor. Closely snuggled to Danny lay Jeanne, dripping wet and covered with mud. The dog had loved her young master enough to swim back across the lake and find the way home. Danny's eyes were filled with tears, big tears, full of love and joy. Scientists Find Pill Makes Child right Now a child can take a pill three times a day and grow more intelli- gent. The pill, it was learned, is gluta- • mic acid, a common cnetnical that you can buy at the corner drug store if you have a prescription. It is one of the amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins such as you get from meat. In an experiment, 30 children were given the acid. After a year of treat- ment they had gained up to 17 points in intelligence quotient and their mental age had gone up two years. The improvement affects not only intelligence but personalities, the meeting of the American Psychiatric Association learned iron the ex- perimenters. The children got along better with others after the treatment. If a child is not bright even after he has taken the acid for a year be might just as well give up. The greatest improvement, the re- searchers found, takes place in the first six months.• By the end of the year the ceiling of improvement seems to be reached. Work For Thousands The Canadian National Railways has ordered 5,100 freight cars and 48 Diesel-electric locomotives. The orders mean work for thousands in various industries in building the cars and locomotives and in sup- plying the necessary material. Used as Museum The Nazis' Oswiecim (Auschwitz) Extermination camp was opened by Premier Josef Cryankiewicz as a national museum,dedicated to the 4,000,000 persons said to have been killed there. What is Red Tape? It's "'" ed Tape—Plus Well, 110W, in all seriousness, what is red tape? The newly published Callaway Textile Dictionary, a 400 -page vol.- time published by the Callaway Mills of Lagrange, Ga. defines it thus: "Red tape—a cotton tape, dyed red, originally used to tie up offi- cial papers in English law offices in the days of the Old. Middle Temple." That, of course, is the technical meaning, and the dictionary con- tains only the textile vocabulary,. says the Christian Science Monitor. Nevertheless, the authors add at the bottom of the definition: "The term covers much more than this now." The comprehensive dictionary, the first of its kind, is a consolida- tion of the works of three men, be- gun separately, some years ago. Only half of all homes in Canada have a private bath or shower, of Insect Bites Mat Rash Quick/ Stop- itching of insect bites, heat rash; eczema, hives, pimples, scales, scabies. athlete's foot and other externally caused skin troubles. Use quick -acting, soothing, antiseptic D. D. D., PRESCRIPTION. Greaseless, stainless. Itch stops or your money back. Your druggist stocks D. D. D,. PRESCRIPTION. to 4 Gas M gas eIQ iaies o, z JAMES GRANT OF OTTAWA everts tragedy by cod The action .Il he car had been in storage and James Grant was having trouble getting it started. Watch- ing him t n the garage were Morris Evraire, 9, in the rear seat of the car, and Donald Finnessy, 11, standing nearby. Grant decided to pour gasoline into the carburetor. Donald, wanting to see more clearly, struck a match. In a second the gasoline had burst into flames .. and fire flashed menacingly into the interior of the car. Quickly, Grant grabbed Donald, whose clothes had caught fire, and pulling a windbreaker over the boy's bead, dragged him out- side ... beating out the flames with his hands. Then he opened the back door of the car and tried to rescue Morris. The 9 - year -old boy was in a state of panic and "froze" in the far corner%.. , his clothing and the seat cushions burning. Grant was forced to enter the car and pull the youngster out ... once again using his bare hands to beat out the flames. All three required hospital treatment, but no lives were lost. 'We are proud to pay tribute to the bravery of James Grant, of Ottawa, through the presentation of The Dow Award. VIE DOW AWARD is 4 citation for outstanding hero Urn and includes, as a tangible expression of appreciation, 4 $zoo Canada Savings Bond. Winners are selected by the Dow Award Committee, a group of editors of leading Canadiandaily newspapers. Just as Grant started to pour gasoline into the carburetor, young Donald, unaware of the danger, struck a match. ,immediately, the gasoline and fumes burst into flames. Pulling his windbreaker over the boy's head, Grant led him from the garage, heating out the flames with his bare . bands. /^ e Hr� `I roo t! c+ " Uovr'" POP—Running Comment •A, Wl4AK` l:p`tiiOU 90 'Gtal-1. p P. W'PN a "40 is esem -*j: L1.YCK.V INJ ‘,112"/ WYE, Kw. : f - .(. • By 3, MILLAR. WATT A ;all t d