"These mythic tales are poetry. But they are not written in verse. They are not the poesy of civilized man, which must sacrifice strength to conventional expression. They are the lyric poetry of a strong primitive race with an untrammeled imagination running riot in contemplation of worlds and stars and suns and gods and creations. They are accounts of heroic achievement in those early periods of human development when the principles were evolved and the institutions created upon which civilization rests.
These echoes of the primal mind are sublime. Those who read them aright shall be enraptured, transported, made strong in the faith of the ultimate triumph of all righteousness. For when man passes out of that age when the stars speak to him, when the thunder has a voice for him, when the glory of nature is essential to him, he forgets God."
Indian Myths
The Preface
These Indian myths were collected by William Elsey Connelley. They were secured from the old people of the Wyandot tribe many years ago. Mr. Connelley was adopted by the Wyandot as a mark of favor for the work he did among them.
These stories have been adapted for use in the third, fourth, and fifth grades of the American public schools. They are written in the vocabulary and expression of those grades. The adaptation was principally made by Miss Edna Clyne of the Seattle public schools.
Mr. Wallace Clarke, in his illustrations for the book, has admirably interpreted these Indian myths.
The value of such material as will be found in this book has always been recognized. It has not been utilized to any great extent for the reason that there has not heretofore been any intelligent effort to adapt it to any specific place in the schools. Schoolbooks on this subject have been collections of miscellaneous tales written in the vocabulary of ordinary literature. Whatever of adaptation was attempted was in the use of a patronizing style, which served only to offend the child. Having no definite place, the books failed of any extensive use.
These mythic tales are poetry. But they are not written in verse. They are not the poesy of civilized man, which must sacrifice strength to conventional expression. They are the lyric poetry of a strong primitive race with an untrammeled imagination running riot in contemplation of worlds and stars and suns and gods and creations. They are accounts of heroic achievement in those early periods of human development when the principles were evolved and the institutions created upon which civilization rests.
These echoes of the primal mind are sublime. Those who read them aright shall be enraptured, transported, made strong in the faith of the ultimate triumph of all righteousness. For when man passes out of that age when the stars speak to him, when the thunder has a voice for him, when the glory of nature is essential to him, he forgets God.
Some of these stories reach down to that period of progress in which flourished the Scandinavian skalds, when Celtic bards sang of Ossian and when the Semitic mind produced that survival set down in the annals of Israel:
“When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
And that other immortal one:
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors.”
That man shall be in accord with nature, the imagination of the child must be touched. And in all efforts to influence society to turn to justice and prefer it and to live in right conscience and rejoice in it, we must ever bear in mind the eternal truth that “where there is no vision the people perish.”
