St. Landry democrat., 1884-08-23

times that four thousand teachers
are sufficiently interested in tie
progress of their guild and the
Improvement of the greatest Of
the arts-that of molding. and painting
and decorating the mind of the young
10 meet in such convention as ts:at
now being held at Madison. II the pro.
ceedings of these teachers evidence any
lack of grasp of the full range OF their
task it is the absence OF all adequate
recognition OF those elements OF ednca-
tioo which lie outside of primers. and
grammars, and haudbOOks of science,
and dictionaries. Nowhere are the as
poets of education of more consequence
than in the work OF awAking the dor
mant mental and moral activities OF
our grown-up. scholars-the Western
Indians.
1t is no doubt pretty thing to hear
Indians sing ''Anlerica" in Dakota dia-
lect, and perfom other tricks, but teach
ing few Indians to do such things
willie the bulk of their tribes are left
to wallOw in aboriginal dirt and slide
down a descending scale OF whisky ana
acquired vice is not educating the IN
diaus. Putting few score Indians IN
colleges and teaching them Creek,
mathematics, and bellies lettres that put
them out of relations with their fellow
tribesmen, while not putting them IN
relations with the whites, is not edu-
eating the Indians. The real educa-
ton OF the Indian must be accom-
plished by processes entirely distinct
from all these. Education for the In
dams should be Indian, not Caucasian.
1t must begin at the bottom. Tie first
thing to be given them rs physical
basis. We who have taken their lands
and have herded them in reservations or
driven them into the wilderness to wait
for the unhappy day when we want that
too, must, before we do anything else to
civilize or educate them, give them
way of supporting themselves.
Our Indian policy now is to make the
Indians paupers or refugees. The first
and most important part of Indian edu-
cation should be togiye every Indian
family piece of land, stock, implements,
seed, and compel them to earn their
bread by the sweat of their brow as
farmers, herdsmen, ranchmen, or what
not. To teach them to work is more
necessary in this stage of development
than to teach them dead languages.
An equally valuable lesson would be to
teach them good faith, honesty and
truthfulness by such simple object
lesson as the maintenance by our Gov
eminent of its plighted faith with them
in its Indian treaties. Such breach
of our obligations as the violation of the
treaty rights of the Indians in the In
dian Territories by the recent charter
ing of two railroads to run through
their lands contrary to the solemn
pledges made by our Government un-
does more Indian civilization in a trice
than years of the noble work at Hamp-
ton and Carlisle can build up.
The place to educate the Indians is
among the Indians, Those whose en-
thusiasm makes them willing to devote
their energies and their lives to this
gentle philanthropy should do as the
French Missionary lsborers did at the
beginning of our contact with these
helpless victims of our superior strength
and wit. they went to live among the
Indians, and taught them how to SOW
and reap and adapt such of the arts of
a richer civilization as were applicable
to their humble needs It will be many
generations before collegiate Indians
are of any use to themselves or to any
one else Chicago Tribune.