The New York herald., 1849-02-04
TWO CENTS.
The Common Schools or New York.
ooNMuNIsM AMONG THE INDIANS, ETC.
INDIAN SCHOOLS,


INDIAN SCHOOLS.
Schools for the instruction Of Indian children are
nov essolished upsn the st Rsss the Onond.ss, the
CstieIaugus and Ansgsny, and Shnnsoosk Indian
servations.
The shinneoock Indians occupy small pronentesy
Long Island, and within the limits Of the Of South
Hampton The whole number Of children between the
attendsa school some portion Of the time, 10 10.
The Agent Of the st. Regis Reservation rsports that
school has been sept nine months during the year,
with an average attendance of nfty children OF the
$500 appropriated for the support Of the school,
$1se h.s been paid to the late teacher Franois Csr
ior Incidental sxpsnrss; $40 In hiring teacher and
hsnSs 81 t1s a leaving $6S 90 unsxpsndsd in The
letter dated New o. 1s4s from tho teacher to Mr..
.ns agent gives soms additional particulars,
reIaupg 10 the Indians and the soho OIL T
The books used in the school are sanders First g.
sond ssd Third Readers websters ntary Spslinr
Sooa; N.ehsiIs rrinsIy School Geography, saa Col
The number Of children learning to read and reading
ipltns Spelling Book was "a in the fret book Of Ssn-
10; in Geography 9: in Mental Arithmetic 10 learn
Ing TO write l5 learning to count "a
the time OF writing the average daily attendance
was 49, and the numbrr present that day was 90 The
diculiss which the teacher ut hrst had
lars than could be properly cared for Without
materials Is severely felt. Sti uodsr all di.sdvan
sges the children were making commendab!s progress,
and seem to acquire knowledge with the faciit
there were living the American side, bordering
Canada two hundred and fifty children, OF which
number between eighty and ninety are between the
As an evidence Of the rapidity with wbioh they
learn to read and write the teacher enclosed list Of
the names OF AZ children then present in school, writ
ten In fair and lesibe hand by lad who took his
nrst lesson in writing in July last.
earnestly recommend the continuance Of the an
preparation Of $500 annually to this Reservation.
Upon the Onandsga Reservation q school was kept
by male teacher ave mouths previous to the arst
OF May. lsAS, and for the ensuing six mouths by .
male teacher with female assistant. The Of S226
/ expended for teachers wages.
| The whole number Of scholars, who had attended,
a the date Of tie Agents report, 81 Of whom 10
had been quite regular and twenty five had besn ab-
cent but q few days during the year
The whole number Of children the Reservation,
between the ages Of and l6, Ia about %.
Only about three. fths Of the children belonging to
the tribe have attended school at all and tho average
daily attendance IL less than third Of the whole.
When We consider tn: extreme poverty and as'stu
Christian families and novelty Of ssbjecupg to school
discipline the rowing instincts Of the indian
der viii be that 30 many can b. psrsusded to attend
at all.
The branches Of study taught are, reading spelling,
and vocal music Ths .smo want Of books maps S, sp'
paratus, and other appliances for teaohng, felt -
ana food also, prevents the attendance Of many chill
dren
Specimens of drawing executed by several Of the
scholars, highly creditsble to them have been pre-
The indian Reservations in Allegheny Erie, Catta-
thousand Of the finest agricultural aud In the
State. The question naturally suggests itself how,
then can the Indians be % mseraby poor and desti
tuts?
Agriculture the mechanic arts and the habits Of oil
viliEed life. to be learned by them hut the chief
osuse may be found in the fact that thi. land being
the common inheritance. from which all derive sup
port feels individual interest In improving
IL. The labor Of the industrious contributes alike to
the support of the ide The usual Incentives to toll
thrift the hope Of personal gain and the acquis
vious that the prsetcal imposed BY our
laws upen the Indians, obstructs their advance in
knowledge and civilization and depsves them Of the
chief stimulus to inoustry and frug Atty?
The cesion and alienation Of their land cannot be
made without the consent Of the State. Could they
not be allowed to divide the land equtsbiy among
themselves, giving to each estate Of Inheritance
but permitting the to be dispoeed Of by DEVISE
It is now held in common and would the.
held in partition, not devisabe, not aliensbs, nor
ss rant sn Belonging to tn. Holland
the Ogden and other land companies; II the Indians
chcoe To remain 10 worthless ani their removal must
be voluntary The State IL not bound tn shape iS
legislation al tn cause the expuls'on or extsrmfna
ton Of Indians If they desire to occupy the small
remnspt CT their ample possessions, aud are VIII
ling TO become an agricultural people, the State should
permit their possession to be such proven to b
most conducive to the individual and social being
| of aDkiDd.
II the Indian is to be civilized and educated, he
must cease TO be savage We mn't ALLOW h'@ TO
al efforts to educate and enlghten him prove iu-
sive and futile.
| D
Inducements have been held out to the coored pso.
pie by the generous grant of land to improve their
physical condition, and TO slevate their character
| The grant not made q the common property Of
all who might cboose to occupy IL. but wisely par
ceed to individuals in small tracts thus fur nh
ing the strongest encouragement to individual enter
why should not the same policy be adopted in re-
The red man has been deprived Of hi, inheritance
The advance of civilization has usually done but
little for the impr eme mt OF his condition. He has
1iv bePn ALL
while he discarded the virtues, Of the white man.
OF THE oRcAsIzArIoS or rsE coMMo. sHooLs
The number of School Districts in the state aeoord
ing the last ports is 10 62l The numbr reported
last year 1902 Tie formation Of union districts.
and the dissolution OF districts, csnnot have caused
this decrease Some has been committed and
yet 1t seems highly improbable that any Tom Sup.r-
iptendsnt should be Ignorant Of the number Of dis
tricts or tcho ol. houses in hs town
The school money Is spportioned to the several
counties and towns in proportion to their population
Der Of the distrcts we have s5soo 600 hs sum distr
huted the coming year) divided ny 10 62 giving s64
State tha that and ~ less
tfsD 500
The distribution among the districts of the several
towns IL made in proportion to the number Of children
| in each bstweep and 16 years II ago
The distribution Of the school money according TO
districts New York has so 500 children between the
sges Of and g. and tho portion Of school money
co1pty has 10 7o6 children between aud 1e wears Of
as e. ana has 4s5 05 school money about ~
for each child 1he difference in favor Of New York
| Is cents for each child
Diyidirg the number OF acres Of improved land in
the state 1757 2r6 by the number Of districts e2l,
have 107 acres to each district. The aggregate
suation OF the whole state 10 lSl7 S632 500 092,
or so0 eco TO each districts excluding the vsluaton
OF New York, (S247 l52 303) about S86 900.
SCHOOL DISTRICT LIBRARIES.
The number Of volumes In the school District ii.
tra,es in Is44 las $50; In 1s45 ,2OS 139; In
1876 3lOes6; ard IN 1s47. 338 8<8
In the connties Of Ahsghany, Cayuaa, Chenaugo,
Clinton, Columbia. Greene, Hamilton, Monroe, Mont
| gomery, New York, Orange, Orleans. Oswvso, Pat
| nam. Wayne and Wyoming, the number Of volumes
reported less than last year Yet the library money
| has been spportioned to them all
Selections for the district libraries. are made In
the whole range Of lersture and science, with Tho
execution of controversial books political religious
| story biography, poetry, phosopy mental, moral,
and natural fction-indetd every department OF hu-
maj Knowledge contributes Its share to the district
| school library. The object OF this great charity was
not merely TO furnish books for children but TO ests
hsh In all the school diatrcts miscsila neous libra