Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-12
CONTRACT INDIAN SCHOOLS.
Commissioner Morgan's Instructions to supt.
Dorchester ss to Their Inspection.

C0mmissioner Morgan's Instructions tn Suu<
Dorchester ss to Their Inspection.
The following important letter of instructions
has been issued by Indian Commissioner
Morgan to Dr. Dorchester, the superintendent
Of Indian schools:
Hereafter in your work Of inspection YOU
will visit the contract schools and subject them
to the same thorough inspection which YOU do
in visiting government schools. Let your re-
port be comprehensive and thorough. covering
all the points Of buildings, equipments. in
struction, course of study, food, clothing.
discipline, &c.
Make special inquiry into the character and
qualifications of the employees especially with
reference to their ability to use English fuently
and as to whether they require English to be
course of study in those schools with the course
of study provided for the government schools,
| and point out any defects or any superiority
which You may discover in it.
1t is the purpose hereafter to promote pupils
from the contract schools to government
! schools wherever it is found that the course of
study lie defective the facilities for industrial
training are venting or for other reasons
pupils cannot receive az good an equipment for
| life IN the contract schools they can in the
government schools, and desire that You will
in MI cases whore you And that it would be to
| the manifest advantage of pupils In contrac.
school to be transferred to some governmen nj
school Of a higher order that you will give the
name. the age, sex, residence OF the pupils, and
recommend the school to which they should be
| transferred, giving your special reasons why
| the transfer should be made.
The question Of industrial training, which
you have 30 properly emphasized in your an
nual report, grows in importance as L consider
tins matter. and my attention has been called to
the fact that in MANY Of the contract schools
there lisa lack OF proper facilities for giving the
necessary industrial education.
wish you would make special point Of
| this when you visit these institutions and il
you find that the facilities are not provided
and that tho authorities in charge of the
schools are unwilling to make provision you will
call tie attention OF the 9fIce to the fact, and
| make such recommendations concerning q
| transfer as may seem to you best
My attention has also been called 70 the fac,
| that in many OF the contract schools there are
pupils who only by courtesy can be called
| Indians, having little no Indian blood IN
| their veins. 1t is desirable that tlis matter
| should be carefully investigated. and would
| suggest that you require of each superintendent
OF the school that you visit q list Of the names
| Of the pupils with their residences, and SO far
| as possible, their tribal relation and then
parentage, and you will doubtless be able by a
personal inspection Of the pupils to determine
whether they are or are not indians. In case
you find that they are not Indians, and con.
l
| government to educate, you will call the at
| tention of the office 10 the fact and also call
| the attention OF the authorities in charge Of
| the school to the matter.
| You WILL Of course, give special attention to
| the moral and religious training of the pupils
| and make any suggestions to the office in the
way Of commentator or criticism that you
may find necessary.
Think it would be especially desirable also
for you to examine the text books in use in
these schools and see whether they are adapted
| to the purpose. The criticism has been made
| frequently that the kind of training that In
dams are receiving in these institutions is not
OF q practical character and that the sort OF
| learning which they get does not fit them for
| the stern and hard life to which they are des-
| tined on their return to their reservations.
While of couse it is no part of the plan Of the
Office to interfere with the distinctive religious
teaching in these institutions, nor to in any
wise hamper them in their missionary work, i,
is important that the practical education OF
these pupils in the way of fitting them to earn
living shall not be neglected, but that they
shsl receive chat training which shall prepare
them for the competitions Of life.
The statement has come 20 me in a great
| many forms of late that persons connected
with contract schools are using their influence,
directly and indirectly against the goyernme n,
schools on their visits to reservations, advising
| Indian parents not to send their children to
government schools. advising the pupils not to
| attend government schools, and in some case
harboring those that have ESCAPED from gov
eminent schools within their confines.
You will say, distinctly and emphatically,
| to all persons connected with contract schools
that whenever it ia found by this Office tina,
those IN charge Of these schools or those whom
| they send to reservations to procure pupils o.
| those who are in any wise directly connected
with these institutions are using their influence
| against the government schools by advising
pupils to stay away. by advising parents IL
| withhold their children, by advising agents to
| not cooperate with the government or in any
way, directly or indirectly, that they will be
held strictly responsible for il, and if the ne
cessity comes upon the Office, which hope
will not, the Office will not hesitate to annul the
contract with such institutions OF learning
Whenever you visit a contract school you are
| at liberty to exhibit this letter to the superin.
| teudent in charge in order that he may know
| precisely the object Of your mission ard the
| spirit in which you come, and also the orders
| OF the Office under which you are at work.
The whole purpose Of this order Is TO secure
| a higher degree of efficiency in all the schools
| that are supported in whole or in part by the
United States in order that the large outlay Of
money which is now being made FOR the educa-
ton of its Indian wards lnay not be wasted but
may accomplish its benefcent end.
CONDITION OF THE INDIANS