The Knickerbocker Gallery/A Curt History of the United States
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Henry R Schoolcraft
A Curt History of the United States.
IN THE HEBRAIC MANNER.
1. In the year 1776 of the Lord's advent, the people rebelled against England, and against all her lords and counsellors, and the Lord prospered it, and caused it to be successful, seeing that it would be for the benefit of the people on each side of the great waters, even of the Atlantic sea, which divides the Old from the New World; and for the advancement of the cause of truth; and for the good of mankind. In this great war, George led the armies of the thirteen tribes, and the war lasted seven years.
2. And the people, when they had accomplished the rebellion, and made it sure, formed a league and set up a government, saying, We will be united henceforth for ever, and will help each other in peace and war. And after twelve years of the league had passed, they made a firmer and a broader league, and wrote a new frame of government, and set up a great commonwealth. And when they had finished it, and put their names to it, they chose George to rule over them in peace, for he had led them wisely and prudently in war. And he ruled over them eight years; doing, at all times, that which was well-pleasing, just, and right. And he sought peace of days in his own house, where he died, saying, Stand fast in these things, and let them not slip, and remember the Lord who hath helped us. And all the people mourned with sincere mourning; and they respected his memory, as they had respected him, while living, and while leading their armies in battle, and in governing their councils in peace. Thirteen tribes were there when George began the government, and Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee were added in his days.
3. And they raised a monument of hewn stones to his memory, because he had been a just and wise man, and a leader of his people in troublesome times. And the people of all the tribes, who had greatly multiplied in the land, contributed stones to this monument: and they engraved on the stones, "George, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." So was he gathered to his fathers.
4. Now when George had finished his reign, and laid down the sword of power, the people called John to be their leader. He was a bold man, who had raised his voice for the rebellion, and stood by it, and he had spoken good and firm words of truth therein, to encourage the people, and to lead them to go forward. Neither did threats appal him, or cause his heart to flag, and he stood close by George, and was one of his chief elders and counsellors. Nevertheless he had some misgivings of the wild murmurings of the people of the Old World, which he heard, as a gathering tempest, across the great waters. And he sought to sustain and strengthen himself, in holding up firmly the sceptre of the government. Yet did he nothing that it forbid, being a patriot all his days. But the people took umbrage at his acts, after he had ruled four years. And he passed the days of his declining years in peace and serenity, amid the vineyards of his fathers, respected by all, and beholding, with a calm brow, the spreading and growth of the league of the people.
5. Then called the people Thomas, who had been the chief scribe of John, to rule over them, and he ruled eight years; and it became a saying from that time that eight years was the term of approbation of a faithful ruler. His rule was pleasing to those who had caused the rebellion, and to all the tribes and nations of people, who desired that no heavier burthens should be laid on one man's shoulders than another. For he had written sound and true words on this subject, and the thirteen tribes had made a notable declaration of them to the world.
6. Thomas trusted in the principles of the frame of government, and in the people to maintain it. Yet not by wars, for he was a man of peace, and sought to multiply knowledge. In his days the nations of the old world rose up against their rulers, and overturned thrones not a few; raging with the violence of a storm. He mingled not in these wars, as George had counselled, and kept his ships from the seas, though many of his people wished to lade them with bread, and carry it into the gates of foreign cities. In his reign was Louisiana purchased, and Ohio added to our circle of States.
7. When Thomas had finished his course, and the eight years were ended, the people called James the civilian; and he found a time of trouble. In his days the Lion of England spoke proud, swelling words, haling men by the hair of the head from the ships that carried bread over the ocean. James and his scribes and elders then stamped on the ground, and he ordered the sword of George to be drawn from its scabbard.
8. Then war raged for the space of two years and six months; for the Lion again asserted his right to the land and to the government which had been wrested away by rebellion; and he sent ships and armies to burn our cities with fire, and lay waste the land. For he had not forgotten the great and terrible rebellion; and he roared out loud and unjust words in council; and by them placed, as it were, chains of iron in the seas.
9. He also spoke to the sons of Shem, who stood with bows and spears in their hands, in the forests, and they fell with fury on the borders, and wrenched off the bloody scalps of men and women, raising horrible cries to please the Lion.
10. These were the days of trial, and of searchings, and of blood; army fighting against army, and navy against navy. And it fell out that a man named Isaac, in a stout ship, mastered one of the Lion's ships, and shot cannon-balls through her sides, and sunk her; and other ship-masters of the commonwealth did the same, and the mistress of the ocean was shaken.
11. In these days also rose another great ruler among the nations on the other side of the water, called Napoleon, who executed the wrath of God upon unjust kings and potentates, whom he seized by the neck and stamped on, and overthrew their governments, and entered their cities with banners, and exercised authority exceedingly between seas and seas. He reigned about twelve years, more or less, till he had accomplished his end, when God began to loosen his hold on the nations, by covering him and his large armies in snows; and he afterward shut him up on an island in the sea, and then loosed him a little to fight the Lion and the down-trodden kings; when he again shut him up on another island, in another far-off sea, where he died. Now, this man had also spoken proud words against James the civilian, and against Thomas, his predecessor, at Berlin and at Milan; and he cast proud glances across the water at Thomas and at James the civilian, and their government, albeit he sold to Thomas, for a possession, Louisiana, and took the value thereof in silver, weighed in the scales.
12. So died the great disturber of nations, who had been a rod in the hands of the Almighty, and a leveller and a preparer of ways for the chariot of events, albeit the nations acknowledged it not. And after his fall there prevailed peace in the world—a great and notable peace—as it is at this day. And the Lion of England made peace with James the civilian, and left him his borders to the utmost, and all his forests, which were filled with the sons of Shem; nor would James admit these into the writing of a treaty which he made at Ghent, though strongly urged by the Lion; for James said, With a cruel and bloody hand have they wielded the arrow, and the club, and knife against me, and have unjustly sided with the Lion; and to me only shall they bow, and with me make the peace. And my name and the name of my land is the Eagle, and with my strong wings will I cover the land, and all the seas and mountains thereof; and with my claws and my beak will I defend it against the Lion and against the sons of Shem, and against all nations.
13. Eight years had James the civilian ruled, and his days were called the days of vindication, for he had conquered the country anew, and established its liberties; and his ships and armies had gained credit, which gave him a name over the nation. And Louisiana assumed its manhood and became a State, and Indiana did like-wise, and the Union grew.
14. Then the people assembled together again and chose James the soldier to govern them. And his reign was the reign of peace. In it the nation began to grow and to extend its borders into the lands of the sons of Shem, and into the valley of the mighty river, even the river whose outflow and course the ocean can not arrest, pouring out thick floods of water, mixed with earth, and trees, and drowned beasts. Then, also, knowledge was increased, and plenty rewarded the labors of men. The axe was lifted against the thick trees, and the ploughshare driven through valleys. And the sons of Shem were advised to do the same labors, and to drop the bow, and to dwell in fixed houses, and forsake evil spirits and worship Jehovah. And to this end peace was made with them, and a place was assigned to them, even a colony.
15. Eight years ruled James the soldier. In his days Mississippi, and Illinois, and Missouri, and Alabama were added to our borders; and it was a time of rest, and of ceasing from strifes and divisions of men, and the people greatly multiplied and prospered.
16. After this the people called John the son of John to rule over them; and Harry of the West was his scribe. Now John had been the chief scribe of James the soldier, and he was a ready writer, and understood the method of the government. He ruled four years; and in his days peace continued, and the nation increased in wealth and strength. His ships went to every part of the world, and they returned loaded with the products of foreign lands. And he sent ambassadors to Panama, for Harry had advocated the cause of those lands and peoples, for they would be free.
17. And when John the son of John, had finished his course, the people chose Andrew to the government. Andrew was a man of a stout will and a strong mind, ruling men with vigor and with fear. He governed the land eight years, and they were years of great excitements and overturnings of opinion, but of great prosperity. The enlargement of the cultivated borders, under the hands of art and industry, which had been commenced under James and under John the son of John, continued and increased, and the treasury overflowed. Money became as plenty as iron, and the people were surfeited with prospects of wealth.
18. And the people liked Andrew. He knocked shackles from commerce, and made it free. He also overthrew the treasuries of paper-money, and gathered the silver and gold into separate treasuries, and put faithful men over them, to see that there was no waste. He made the land of Napoleon pay for the proud words spoken by that proud man, at Berlin and at Milan, holding up the truncheon of his power with great authority. He caused one of the tribes of the Eagle family, which had faltered in a certain particular, to walk up and tighten her hold on the national chain.
19. In Andrew's days large spaces of the wilderness were possessed, and ploughed with the plough; Michigan and Arkansas arising and saying, We, too, will join the league, and they joined it; and the sons of Shem, whom James had kindly and wisely advised, gathered he together, from their wayfaring positions, and sent them to a territory and a colony, west of the great river, where they might till the land and become followers of the plough and dressers of vines, and keep cattle. And Andrew died after he had gone home to his own house, even the Hermitage, praising God, and telling his household and servants of His goodness.
20. Then called the people Martin to rule over them, and he ruled four years. Martin was a civilian of great foresight and knowledge, and subtlety in affairs. He had been the chief scribe of Andrew, and had served him at the court of the Lion, and he carried out the principles of Andrew respecting the method of the government. He continued the treasuries of hard money, and left the ships of the merchants free to sail, and fetch and carry whatsoever they would. And the people traded exceedingly, and they also put high values on all lands and houses, and every thing whatsoever, insomuch that there was a great reäction, and revulsion, and outcry among the merchants and the artizans, for much money had made the people mad.
21. In Martin's days, the provinces of the Lion toward the North rebelled, and there were battles, and there was bloodshed, men being hanged, and a ship pitched over the great Falls; and they sought to entangle him and his government in this rebellion. But he stoutly resisted it, and sent Winfield, the captain of the host, to keep peace on the borders, and to restrain the violence; and it was restrained. And our borders were enlarged by Iowa, one of the growing tribes of the Eagle.
22. And the people laid the sins of Andrew at the door of Martin, saying, that both these had too much slackened the cords that bind men in the traces; and there was a vast commotion of opinions, which heaved like a tempest of the sea, and parties were broken up, and the people marched with drums, and banners, and songs, and shoutings; and the shoutings prevailed, and they chose William Henry to the government.
23. Now William Henry was an aged man and feeble of body, but the people clave to him because he had fought well, in former years, against the Lion, and against the sons of Shem, whom he had overthrown in a great battle, and killed their great chief (Tecumseh) with the sword. And when he had set his feet in the White House, which is the "Shushan" of the people, they thronged greatly upon him and pressed him sorely for places in the treasure-houses and in all posts of power and influence, so that his frame shook with the continuous appeals and graspings of hands, and he fell sick and died.
24. Thirty days only had William Henry ruled when he died. And the custom of the government called John, the Tilite who sat near William, to step in his place, and to exercise the powers thereof, during the rest of the time for which the people had called William Henry.
25. Now John the Tilite was a man of words without stability; and the tempest of opinion which had brought him up raged yet more and more. It drew, as it were from the depths of the sea, mud and slime, and all manner of creeping things, and John crowned them with power, saying, "Be rulers of ten, and twenty," and they ruled. And the land was vexed, and troubled sore, for the remaining space of three years and eleven months that remained of William Henry. And he stood aghast all his days, saying, What shall I do with this great people, and how shall I get bread to satisfy the hunger of so many? And he fed them, sometimes with crumbs, and some times with loaves, and he satisfied them not. He also continued Daniel, the scribe, whom William had called, and afterward, when Daniel went to his own house to abide there, he chose Caldwell, a wise man from the South, to fill his place. Through Caldwell's influence much good was done. In his day Texas was added to the land, and he gave continually wise counsel to maintain the treasury of silver and gold, and to keep the seas open, and leave every State its just rights, and every man his reserved privileges. For he was not a time-server and zealous of the rights of States, and they called him the "Nullifier." And in his days joined Florida, and Wisconsin, and Texas the league.
26. Then gave the people out lots between Harry of the West and James the Third; and the lot fell on James the Third, a civilian from the country where Andrew had risen, oven Tennessee; and James ruled four years. In his days sought the Lion to curtail our borders, on the west, along the great sea, even in Oregon; and the waves of opinion heaved heavily, with the people saying, "We will have a great line, even 54° 40′;" but in the end James accepted a small line, as Daniel the scribe had done aforetime, in the days of John the Tilite, on the north-east border; and the writing of a treaty was also made with the Lion, touching the extreme western border, and that border was fixed and established. Yet had the land no rest, for there arose a great cloud in the South, and trouble on the southern border, where the sons of Shem had had a great kingdom, and offered idolatrous sacrifices to the sun and to the great god of war, Huitzelapochtli. And Lopez rose up, saying, "Thou hast stolen away my vineyards and fields, even Texas, and I will smite thee with armies." And Lopez was a cruel man, shooting prisoners in cold blood, and vaunting vehemently.
27. And the armies of Shem and of the south country, led by Lopez and by vain persons, crossed the borders and vaunted themselves; and they were met by the armies of Samuel of Texas, and by the armies of James, led by two valiant captains of the host, even Zachary and Winfield, and they were utterly discomfited and overthrown, battle on battle, with a heavy slaughter, and driven back even to their chief city, which was taken and conquered, and the whole land subdued. Then made the chief of that land terms of a treaty, and ran the lines of it from the river to the great hinder sea, and it was made sure to James and his people, so that the rule of James was very prosperous, and the country grew, and the people were multiplied exceedingly, and our borders were greatly enlarged on the south and west.
28. And in his days was gold discovered in the country of one of the tribes, even in California; and it was found in great abundance, and continually, so that Ophir itself could not exceed it. And gold became as plenty as iron, and they shipped it as they ship bread, and the country grew and prospered in all things, and the fame of it went abroad into all nations. So brought James the period of his rule to a close with great gladness and rejoicings. And he went home and died at peace with God.
29. Then spake they of Lewis of Michigan. Now Lewis was a man brought up among the people, and he was wise and prudent, having used both pen and sword for the land, wherefore the people demanded him. And there was a man named Zachary, who was brave and undaunted, one who laughed at fear. Now, the people ever loved a man who had fought battles, and Zachary was a soldier, rough and ready, who had led the armies of James in the field, and conquered the enemy both on the plains and in fenced cities, and mastered them mightily.
30. And when they had given out lots between Lewis and Zachary, the lot fell to Zachary; and to quit himself of the duties of the civilian, he chose men for scribes, of every sort, who understood the manner of the government. Still pressed these duties heavily on him, for in his days rose a great question of the sons of Ham, whom Japhet held in bondage, and whom certain of the tribes said, Why keep ye them in bonds? let them go free. And when a year and six months had passed, Zachary fell sick and died. For God took him away from a dreadful tumult to come, and from civil war.
31. Then called they, for so was the custom of deaths, Millard, his right-hand man, who sat near the chief ruler, as John the Tylite had, and he served the remainder of the time of Zachary, even two years and six months. In his time was the question of the sons of Ham made great, and the people had a mind to settle it, and they settled it after great and angry debate; and so it was that nothing was diminished from every man's right, leaving the sons of Ham in a mild bondage, where aforetime they were in bondage, and free where aforetime they were free, saying, Let the new territories decide for themselves, for the people could not otherwise agree, and it was a question which threatened the stability of the government. In his days was California added to the league, and the people grew.
32. During the rule of Millard was the seventh numbering of the people, and they were found to be three and twenty millions, not counting smaller sums. And there were counted three millions of the sons of Ham, but the descendants of Shem numbered they not, for they were wild men, and dwelt in the forests with bows in their hands. Albeit the third James had said to a man named Henry, Go number them, and return their number so that we may know it. In the days of Millard answered the said Henry, there are four hundred thousand of the sons of Shem, and the numbering is not finished, and they possess a wide country between sea and sea, even millions of squares, with mountains and fastnesses and plains, and they are a fierce people; and Millard said, Go on, number them, and make an end of it, and write the account.
33. Then the people, when Millard's time drew near, assembled together in great numbers, abiding in one place for many days, and there were great searchings to find a man to be put in the government. And the most part were for Lewis, and others for James the Pennite, and for William of York, and for Stephen, and for Daniel of York, and for Samuel. Also were there great canvassings for Winfield the captain of the host, and for Millard, who still ruled, and for Daniel the Scribe. But they chose Franklin of the Granite State, whose father had fought in the Rebellion; for they said, He is both a civilian and a soldier, who understandeth the manner of the government, and he will firmly stand by the Compromise which is made respecting the sons of Ham.
34. And Franklin called William of York to be his chief scribe, and the country prospered and grew. His ships went freely to every land, and gold, which had been found in the time of James the Third, continued to be dug up, as stones and iron are dug, and it was sent across the waters to foreign nations as bread. And no country hath ever prospered in this manner, since the Lord established Israel in the promised land. For the name of Jehovah and the Messiah of God is called on in all the length and breadth of the land. There is no land that has prospered like this land, and no people who have multiplied and prospered like this people; for the Lord hath a favor unto them, because they serve and praise him. This is the history of eight and seventy years, and they have been years of increase. Thirteen tribes have multiplied into one and thirty, and three millions of souls into three and twenty millions. And they retain their integrity still, as when they came over the sea, when they fled from the symbolic Babylon, singing praises to God, and trusting in him while they laid their hands on the plough, and scattered the seed in the ground. Every man here standeth on his own legs and his own feet, with none to lay unequal burdens on his shoulders or make him afraid, but he truly liveth by his own vine and fig-tree. Every man also lifteth up his soul and his voice to God, without any name or power standing between him and his Maker, but the Great Messiah of God, who is Christ, whom he hath predestined for this very office. It is no longer necessary to go to Gerazim or Jerusalem to worship, for the veil of the temple is rent asunder indeed, and the Gerazim and the Jerusalem of God is, in these latter days, in every believer's heart. Tell me, where hath there been such a people and such a country, and what is the name of it?