The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-20
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Indian Question.

Nv attention has recently oeen turned 10 tue
,,~si.r question" by two communications. one
.ho sentinel of 10th inst, reply of O. Ell.
IT., the superintendent of Whites Institute,
.oayd,ng charity school in Wabash county,
:, the other from a Washington correspondent
y nTbe Troublesome Red Man." in to-day's is
If the Indianapolis Journal
THE first is a reply TO Washington special to
Aha Sentinel reporting Representative Holmans
-;aws of Indian schools in the States. in which
.. ouoted as saying that, ''from the day they
-. these schools, including Whites Institute,
aha rme they leave, they are like Gagged birds
:. animals, fOaming in letters" and are objects
distress to their parents while they remain
there
The truth of the matter is, they have been
-.,rntarilv offered to the school to be educated
I'D trained to civilized life by their parents
..s;ng and admitting that the only future hope
.,,ha red man is to take the white mans path
IA learn his language and modes of life, and
.Arrp to their people to aid them in turn by
hat thew have learned Their parents part
,v;tb them. and feel anxious for them, as white
,sonie feel when they send their sons and daugh-
t.-e TO the distant boarding school and college,
MS no unusual thing for parents to visit these
.sbools within the States, of which am witness,
I'D they have rejoiced to find them comfortable
.ontented and happy.
I have rarely seen happier company of girls
.nd boys than are found at Whites Institute.
ana s SosS i"" Holman wonld visit II NO.
yrould not only rejoice that the Good
Shirt put it into the heart of Josiah
White Of Philadelphia to buy six hundred acres
Of superior land in the State he represents. and
10 endow manual labor schooffor the friend
Isss-whether white, black, or Indian, and thus
Law foundation for such an institution as we
ind there but he would go away tender-he hearted
enough to put the appropriation of last year back
10 its original figures.
When you hear those Indian children send out
their answers, quick and clear in good English
in practical arithmetic, geography and English
grammar with eyes flashing earnestness as do
those of the elltraineG white children of our
public schools; when you see the girls about
their household duties cheerful and happy, OF
bringingup for inspection their fancy needle
work, with smiles all over their faces; when you
see the boys busy milking the COWS and man
aging the stock, or driving q yoke of oxen, or
teams afied or showing their antics at leapfrog
and other games, you would smile at the states
mans ideas Of the work going on in his sovereign
State, where he draws so sorrowful picture of
"caged birds or animals, foaming in letters"
The purpose in bringing these children from
their homes to schools in the States is TO give them
practical acquaintance with the arts and man
ners of civilized life. They are here more rapidly
taught the English language and trained in do
mestic and business life, and when boys and
girls are educated under like circumstances and
commence life socially equal, the motive to re-
turn 10 barbarous manners is taken away, and
they at begin life with desire to blend life
with home, and the desired transition is made
Experience in the last twenty years of Christian
work among the Indians. abundantly confirms
this.
When the Cherokees went West, having plenty
Of money for education they sent their boys to
Eastern colleges. When educated they returned
home, and married in the tribe. The result was
they lived as their wives made the life of home.
Discouraged by this experience. the tribe were
about to abandon the expe riment of education
by order of councils A sensible old chief told
them they had made a mistake in educating only
their boys They must educate their girls as
well, and perhaps they would have better sue
cess. The new system suggested was adopted,
aud success attended their work from that time
on. Woman must be mans equal to reach Chris
tan civilization, and among all the tribes of
earth man will be failure if woman is left be-
hind
This first mistake in the civilization of
the Indian has fastened SO completely
apCn the American mind without
seeing the cause of failure, that statesmen
slowly and doubtngy and grudging!y make in
adequate appropriations for the great work to be
DONE
Somehow the popular mind is settled in the be-
lief that the Indian will not work. They fail to
comprehend the true Indian character. There
no work harder than hunting buffalo, and bear
md deer-than bagging the game and trudging
aome with it many fatiguing miles. Yet he does
the work manfully and bravely. and accepts it as
aduty imposed upon him by the Great Spirit
from which he dare not shrink. To the wife is
assigned the services of the wigwam and the la
q aipaln hn he
trained to scorn to do her work and In doing it
neglect bis own he and she would equally scorn
70 nave her do his work. Division of labor is a
universal religious observance in primitive In
oiah NE While the Indian retains his primitive
ldeaS and pursuits he has no use for our educa-
non. School life for his children will disqualify
Ihem Tor the hunt they will get lost in the
Weoas, ne says, and you cannot move him. But
Wnen his game is gone his dependence for sup
port ey the hunt IS lost. He is not without
augment. lie accepts the situation and calmly
auu Fesolutely comes down or up to 1t. He sees
ne can live an Indian life no longer He
must take the white mans road He
wants his children to be admitted into school to
earn English, to read and write, to learn the
snlte mans ways. His change is often complete
n ma. . very short time; The energy and strength
hat Yesterday was kept for the wild pursuit of
game Is now used with the ak and maui. He
sOes 70 work III fencing land, building houses;
Saus Tor agricultural implements; wants cattle.
nurses no gs, and If any one will read the rapid
undressing products of the Indian Territory,
year oy year, for the last twenty years. he will
gee the rational and rapid change that has come
o the Indian. Schools, agriculture and mis-
s monary work have kept nicely in harmony. and
success, Notwithstanding the cold support the
peace policy" of General Grant has often met
WIN mas been very great success.
N the article of the Journal to-day 14th)
pb Oar washington correspondent puts to Hiram
ce, ex-commissoner the following question.
anu receives the appended answer:
DO you think, Mr.. Price, that the Indian
51sssuon can be settled by transferring the con-
h nv OF the red man from the Interior to the War
Departmentln
,ar Price laughed as he replied: '"That has
aready been tried. The War Department might
SSva',o the Indians by brute force but it never
ss 30 40 anything toward civilizing them. They
n s'e never taught anything of agriculture, of
s 'ae manufacturing arts. and, In fact were as
savage and as uncivilized at the time the control
.s transferred to the Interior Department as