Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
THE INDIAN SERVICE.
Commissioner Morgan Talks About
His Recent Tour Of Inspection.
HIS FAVORABLE IMPRESSIONS.

He Finds but Little to Criticise in the Indian
Schools, Though Partisan Politics Has Pre-
vented Their Development-Noble Work of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Suggestions NJ ade
ssFTNHE PRESENT STATUS Of the Indian
Il service is more favorable than expected
to find it, is the comment of Gen. Morgan the
commissioner of Indian affairs, who has inst
returned from a tour of observation among
the Indian agencies and schools. During his
absence of ninety days he travelled some 8 900
miles, more than 900 of which was by ambu-
lance and carriage. He visited the reservations
at Fort Hall, Idaho. Pyramid Lake. Nevada and
spent ten days among the mission Indians and
Yumas of Southern California, and travelled 600
miles in company with Gen. McCook through
the Apache, Navajo and Moqui reservations of
Arizona. He also visited the Pima and Papago
reservations Of the same territory and different
reservations in Oklahoma. He inspected most
OF the schools-government boarding and day
schools, contract and mission schools-in these
reservations and number of new reservation
schools.
LITTLE TO CRITlCIsE IN THE SCHOOLS.
II found, said Gen. Morgan, Comparatively
little to criticise in the schools. and was graft
fed to find so able and faithful body of men
and women those whom met in these insti-
stutons. In some instances i felt obliged to
peremptorily discharge employees, either for
immortality or for unfaithfulness, but am
glad to be able to bear testimony to the gen.
eral high character of the service. On the
whole, found cause for congratulation in {he
present progress of the pupils. have been
particularly impressed with the fact that the
Indians generally work. Everywhere | found
them engaged more or less in manual labor.
They cultivate the land, they tend their focks
and they engage where opportunities offer in
various occupations for wages among white
men. While they do not understand or posi-
bly, nisapprehend what is meant by lands in
severalty. they are practically selecting indi-
vidual holdings and are gradually emancipatng
themselves from the embarrassments incident to
tribal life.
THE MESSIAH CRAZE EXAGGERATED.
"The so-called Messiah craze of which so
much has appeared in the public prints is, so
far as the Indians whom have visited are con-
cerned, greatly exaggerated. There is wide
spread, vague hope. mingled with q trembling
expectation and faint desire that better day is
dawning for them: that great dclivercr is to
free them from some of the embarrassments and
limitations forced upon them by the advancing
civilization, for which they do not vet feel
prepared. and possibly to restore some Of the
old conditions to which they look back with re-
greet Many of them. howe %er. fully realize that
the buffalo gone forever that the old conditions
can never return. and that they must adjust
themselves as fully and as speedily as may be
10 their new environment. Mingled with this
material and religious Messianic hope is the
recollection Of many of the cruelties which they
have suffered at the hands of their cOnquerors
and a desire to be avenged of their wrongs.
THE PRESENT POLICY THE PROPER ONE.
"The present policy" continued the COM
missioner, ''of the government of breaking up
gradually the Indian reservations, alloting
lands III severalty. .extnguishing the Indian
title. destroying tribal relations. dealing with
the Indians in their individual capacity, absorb
ing them into the national life as American
citizens and giving to their children an En-
glish education is founded in good sense is
dictated by the spirit of humanity. and requires
only to be faithfully, intelligently and per-
sistently carried out to secure the desired end.
Enough has already been accomplished to show
that the plan is entirely feasible.
Il have seen nothing whatever to shake my
faith III the effectiveness and final triumph Of
the present system Of government schools. The
work should be carried forward rapidly and
vigorously until ample provision has been
made for all Indian children OF school age and
there should be at once Il compulsory law,
which will enable the commissioner of Indian
affairs, wherever 1t may be necessary to force
attendance at school. This will seldom be re-
Qulred. but the fact that he has the power to
compel attendance will be sufficient to in
sure the filing of the schools.
GOVERNMENT BETTER THAN CONTRACT SCHOOLS
Il studied carefully both the government
schools and the contract schools and. while I
know that comparisons are odious' and NAV
be suspected, possibly. of partially, l think it
due simply as matter Of justice to say that no
better work Is now being done for these wards
OF the nation, on the whole, than that which
is done i'll the government institutions. I
would not withhold credit from the contract
schools nor would undervalue their work in
the slightest degree. but il is due to those who
are working faithfully. intclligently and
efficiently III institutions established and main
tanned by the national government to say that
their work If not surpassed elsewhere. In no
single instance has any contract school which I
have visited even prOfessed to afford to its
pupils the variety of industrial training which
Is provided for in the government schools and
in several of them the lack Of industrial train
ing was painfully apparent.
GOOD WORK FOR THE MISSIONARIES
81 wish to bear emphatic testimony to the
good work wrought by devoted missionaries
and to express the earnest wish that the
churches would extend this work bv sending a
large number Of earnest, intelligent and indus
trious workers to establish missions and to
bring the Gospel within the reach of these be-
nlShted people, who as yet know little of true
religion and who have vague superstitious and
false notions OF God and His truth. especially if
earnest Christian women could be sent out to
| teach Indian women how to ameliorate their
condition. how to keep house and how to make
homes. Such missionaries could bring COM
fort and stimulus into unhappy blank lives,
would raise the tone of morality and home life
throughout the reservation and might save
from downfall and wetchedness many bows
and girls returned home from distant schools"
TO ENCOURAGE EDUCATED INDIAN CHILDREN
Gen. Morgan, in speaking of the Indian chill
dren who have been educated away from the
reservations, said that it would be good plan
to encourage them upon their return to their
homes in order to prevent them from lapsing
into barbarism. He favors an appropriation of
SO 600, to be expedned by the Indian Office 30
as to supply these returned pupils with tools,
horses and judicious help in pursuing some
civilized occupation.
PARTISAN POLITICS IN THE SCHOOLS.
81 think it not too strong a statement to
make" Gen. Morgan observed. when 1 say
from facts that have been brought to nv per-
| sonai attention that the chief hindrance in the
| development of the Indian schools heretofore
| has been the offensive and needless intrusion
into their management Of partisan politics
| Men, and women, too. wholly devoid of any
single qualification for such work and simply
as a reward for party work, either by them
| selves or their friends, have been employed;
and it goes without saying that such appoint
ments have worked evil, and only evil and that
| some Of the schools that were supposed to be
for the elevation and civilization of the In