Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-26
Chr Daily Eros md 1stststas
fAhk1oh DAKOTA
thursday Evening. February rs, 1880.
1u1onho TIVE u.rvroseo.
ri'e Manner IN which Ls h Peer In
dis" II 1n~ssructeA a. CarlIsis.

n UNIUvO0Eo.
rhe Manner - sshssh L. The Peer la
d'a" Il s"ssrscteA a. Carlisle.
Cor. Philadelphia News.
Nestling clone together, about a mile to
the northwest Of Carlisle, 10 q cluster of 4
dozen low yellow buildings, arranged al.
most in = square. A long drive leads from
The gate ia the center, winding 10 it. couree
around = dilapidated though picture.que
old stable, whose period Of usefulness il
about over. To complete the picture. ao
Indian, clad in Uncle Sans uniform. PAGES
on guard up and down before each building.
Odd a. this sight naturally seems to sptran.
ger, TO the citizens Of Carlisle it has become
no familiar that il excites scarcely any com
ment. The cluster of yellow buildings il
the Carlisle barracks, and the Indians Who
pace up and down before them are members
Of the school, into which the barracks has
been turned, carried on under the superyis.
ion end at the expense Of the United States
government. The school at present consists
of n hundred and fifty scholars-men.
women. boys and girls. 1t was opened Iast
September, most Of the Indians coming di.
rect from the wesi. A few of them, hovev.
er, were sent up from the school at Hamp.
ton, Va. The institution ia under the
charge Of CAPT. r. II. Pratt, of the United
States army. There are Elk school rooms IN
all, located 10 the second story Of the long
EFT building on the grounds. When your
correspondent entered the first room. the
lady in charge was busy at the blackboard
solving the mysteries Of addition" for a
bntly Indian about 81 years of age, and did
not notice his entrance. "Now, my DEAR
she was saying, "you zee you have not got
that right. Three and two, you know, don't
make nine three and two make Eve"
There we're probably twenty scholars in this
room, most of them young men. They all
seemed eager to learn and paid the ~strictest
attention 10 what their instructress was saw.
ing. In the next room there was a com.
mingliDg of Rirls and small boya.
"Do you see that girl in a green dress,
asked the teacher, pointing TO a tall, unkain.
ly maiden, of probably 10 or 10 SUN mera.
that ls the daughter of Spotted Tail" Miss
Spotted Tail, who was placidly printing her
A, B, Cs on a rlate, looked up and smiled
at the visitor, though she understood
scarcely a word Of what was said. She has
lately been joined in matrimony to the half
breed interpreter employed at the barracks.
One day, Miss Spotted Tail with .ome other
Indian girls, was sent 10 do 8 ,me %scrubbipg;
her husband, however. interfered he said
his wife was of royal blood, that she was the
daughter Of a chief, and he only wanted her
to learn what the white ladies do. The
teacher, alter diminishing q claas which was
reciting, put her pupils through their calis-
thenic exercises. The manner in which
acquitted themselves far surpassed in
unity Of movement that of many flour white
schools, which have been drilled far longer
than they. Not once during the proceed,
ings was the stolidity of any face disturbed,
except one wee little fellow, not more than
4 or 5 years old. whoee mouth spread in a
broad grin of delight as he proudly maneu-
vered before the interested spectators. Some
curious methods have to be adopted to over.
come the numerous obstacles encountered in
instructing the "%aborigines." When they
frat arrived it was found necessary TO give
them English names, as their Indian ones
we're unpronounceable to an Euglish tongue,
and being translated, would make. in most
cases. a whole sentence The Indians
we're notified that their teachers would
read out a list Of names and they could
whichever name they liked.
The result was startling. General
Grant and President Hayes now do honor
to the bountiful board supplied at the bar
racks, while Edith, E~vangeline, Gertrude,
and Bertha sup lovingly with John Smith,
Jake Jones. Bill and Tom. The method OF
at the school is on the kinder
garten order. II teacher wishes to teach
her scholars to spell show" she draws a pic
of a bow upon the blackboard. and
in large letters "bow" above it.
Pointing to the word, then TO the picture,
.he conveys to them the idea that the word
the picture. The Indians are reg
nlarly marshaled to prayers in a neat little
On the wall Of which, over the pull
pit, is painted in large letters: "Glory to
God, on earth peace, good will toward men,"
On Sunday they are marched into town
dressed in their uniform, and distributed
among the various churches. A curious in.
occurred when the Indians first came
to the barracks. Among the crowd that
to see them was a boy With bright
red hair. The Indians seemed completely
at this strange phenomenon.
They looked at him in wonder for awhile.
then one advanced cautiously aud quickly
the boys head with his finger 10
see if it would burn. Thus far the school
has been a complete success, and, if it con-
as it has been doing, promises to fur
nish a satisfactory solution to the trouble
"1ndian question" There il a umo
going around that the authorities at the bar
racks have hired out Indian lsborers 10
l~eighboring farmers for ten cents q dav.
Some Of the troublesome element among the
working class are consequently aroused, but
the renOrf aa vot lacks conHrn,.;no