The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-30
SECRETARY TELLER ON Ma
TIONAL EDUCATION
Especially Among the In
dianS.

H M. Teller, secretary of the inte
rior. will be read with interest:
! DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, /
WASHINGTON, August l, 1882.
Req. J. C. RartzeU. D. D., Ocean
GTOUs, ~. j.
DEAR SRI have your letter in
viting me to attend the National
Education Assembly, to be held at
Ocean Grove, August Sth and 9th
inst. l regret that cannot accept
your kind invitation. The object
Of the assembly as you declare it,
ito help, stimulate and direct the
public sentiment Of the nation in
favor Of enlarged state effort, and
temporary national aid in pub
lie school education" meets
my hearty appreciation, and
l shall be pleased if /
can contribute in the slightest de-
gree towards the attainment of that
object. The great mass of the peO-
pie must depend on the public
school system for the education of
their children. An efficient public
school system, extending to all the
states, and affOrding equal facilities
for education to all classes OF chill
dren flee from rate bills, cannot be
too highly priced. In some sections
of the country the states are able
and willing to support such schools
by taxation on the property of the
state. In other sections the states
are not able to do so, and l fear not
willing, unless stimulated by aid
from the general government.
recognize it to be the duty Of the
Estate to provide for the education of
the children within its borders, but
if the state neglectS or refuses SO to
do, 1t think It is clearly within the
power of the general government to
provide such school facilities. But
fortunately there is no state in which
no provision for public education is
made, and therefore the occasion for
the exercise of this power does not
exist, except as auXi- iary to that of
the state. I believe that in all the
states the sentiment in favor OF
educating the children is so strong
that the action required by
the general government would
be simply to make and wisely dis
burse proper appropriations, so as
Ito encourage and stimulate the
states that are least able to carry on
the work by themselves. To do this
without seeming to discriminate in
faV or of certain states, such appro
priationS ought to be based on the
degree of illiteracy as shown by the
last census. If a system OF public
schools can be maintained for ter
or fifteen years in any state, there
will be no danger of it's abandon
ment. An educated community
will demand suitable educationa
facilities for the education of al
classes of children. So we may
reasonably hope that the appropria
ton from the national treasury
need not extend beyond g period O
ten or fifteen years,
The attention of the assembly
will doubtless be directed alsC
toward the education of the In
dams. The difficulties that sur
round their education are very
great; but I do not believe tina
they are insurmountable, nOtWith
standing the fact that nearly al
efforts made in this direction during
the last 200 years have proved fail
ures. I believe, however, with tn
changed condition of the Indians
that is by placing them on reServa
tions, that they can now be mad,
useful citizens if the government
will make ample provision for put
ting the children in properly con
Quoted schOols,-sehOols Let teach
ing simply book knowledge, bu
Educating thena in the ways Of civ
ilized life.
y The Indian requires education IL
I the practical affairs of life; he mus
be taught to work as well as read
his hand must be educated as vel
:. as his head. With additional labO
81 schools established within easy com
municatiOn with the tribe, yet no
near enough to allow the influence
of savage life to counteract and I'm
do the work of the school, we MAJ
hope to repeat Oh large scale wha
iCaptain Pratt and Mr.. Armstrong
have so successfully done at Car
llb4C dllO AldLA pCOAs AaOO1 4cs cshN
has ever bean, the greater civiliZe
lOf the human race, and Whenevel
the Indian becomes 8 laborer, he i
not far from civilization and use
fulness to society. HeretOfor
we have confined our efforts t
the education Of a few, hoping
to make such persons teachers AM
exempIars to their savage brethren
but experience has demonstrate
that a few well educated youth
could not withstand the baneful in
fuences of savage life, with which
they were at oncessurrounded Of
p their return to their tribe. We can
: not hope for the speedy eiyihzatio:
of the Indian unless we can eXten,
our educational efforts so as TO il
clude the great mass Of Indian chi
, dren. To do this now, as the In
dams may be located on reserve
tons easy of access, is only a cues
ton of approximation and the COZ
dial support Of the administrator
Fl authorities.
Very respectfully,