St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-09-29

ness at the agency, bought them paint,
beads and scalping knives, and sur
rounded them with influences to de-
grade them to lower depths than their
fathers had ever known. What Won
der that such savage pauperism should
be ever ready for deeds of blood and
violence We have forbidden them to
be men legally, and placed every OBJ
stacle in the way of their becoming so,
morally and intellectually.
But IA brighter time is dawning.
During the last twelve years more has
been done to civilize the Indian than
in any other period of history. Presi-
dent Grant took the nomination of In
dian agents from politicians and gave it
to the executive committee of the diff
ferent missionary societies, and these
Christian bodies, aided by the govern
ment, have done good work. The sue
cess of Hampton and the other Indian
schools is too well known to need men
ton. No missions to the heather have
been more blessed than those to the
Indians. There are Indian schools
with Indian teachers, Indian churches
and Indian preachers, and the Indians
have shown themselves capable of be-
coming civilized, educated, Christian
1t is our duty as a nation for the
sake of the fair country which was
theirs before it was ours, and as an
we have done them, to make their path
toward civilization as smooth and as
short an one AS possible. How this is
to be accomplished in its details must
be told by those who have made the
subject study; but our government
must, at least, deal honorably and
truthfuuy with them-there must be
no more broken promises. The In
dians must know that they are men
and capable of becoming citizens, that
they must obey the laws and that
they shall he protected by them. The
| Indian must be educated. Secretary
! Teller believes in making education as
compulsory to the little Indians of In
dian Territory us to the children of
New England. The number of Indian
children is estimated to he about the
same as that of the children of Boston,
and it surely is not too gigantic an I'M
dertaking for our government to give
them all common school education
and knowledge of the Christian re-
| ligion. Would not this alone. if ac-
cOmplished, solve the whole Indian
problem for the next generation? 1t
is far better to spend the government
money for spelling-bOOks than musket
balls, and it costs no more to hire
preachers and teachers than soldiers.
Our government is under obligation to
be generous to the Indian, and it is for
our interest also to be so i'll this mat
ter. Gen. Armstrong of Hampton
school says that not less than $1,000
900 per annum should be devoted to
Indian education that boarding
schools especially should be multi
piled, those at the agencies being put
under the care of missionaries, and
that abandoned army-posts at well
chosen places should be turned into
Indian schools under selected army
officers; that by providing sufficient
salaries superior men should he secured
as Indian agents, and made perma-
nent; that government should not
give Indians gratuitOus supplies but
require return in labor and regular
attendance of children at school on
pain of forfeiture of supplies, and that
all conditions of citizenship should be
promptly created. Indians are men
and capable of being educated and fit
ted for citizens, and until this is done
the Indian problem will never be
solved, neither will the desired end
ever be accomplished until the interest
of the nation is aroused. Secretary
Stanton said "The United States
never cures IA wrong until the people
demand it, and when the hearts of the
people are reached, the Indian will be
saved VI. NJ. 1.
st. JOhHSbWy, Vt.