Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-07-15
RAMONA INDIAN SCHOOL.
The Good Work That is Being Carried
On at This Excellent
Institution.

On the first of the present month Supt'
Elmore Chase entered upon the 9th year
of his superintendency of this school and
the latter on the 9th year of its existence,
he having been placed in full charge of the
school both. educationally and financially
for term of years.
The work of the school has been going
on very quietly, no Indian inspector hav-
ing been directed to inspect the school
for three years. The reports of Supt.
Dorchester have brought supplementary
mention from the Indian Office. The
school is now working out the first
quarter of It's session of the new fiscal
year during the present month, when the
children will 60 home for two months
vacation. A few will remain for tho pur-
pose of "cuting'in private families. Tts
school will reopen October l. August
and September seem to be better months
for vacation than July and August. The
parents are not willing to spare the
children much before October. The con-
tract for the new fiscal year allows the
full capacity of the school, fifty. The
average attendance for the first quarter
will not be less than forty-eight, two less
than the maximum average.
The leading feature of the school is the
practical education of the girls in domes-
tic work. This is done by methods and
appliances which can be used in their
own homes in the present state of civil
cation. Cooking, sewing, mending, max
ing garments, washing, ironing are all
done by the girls, and such assistance in
washing as the boys give with the wash
ing machine. Cooking is branch of
work very fascinating to the older girls,
and they take to it with great alacrity.
A professional teacher of cooking from
the latest cooking schools of the east will
have charge of this department. The
bill of fare for each week calls for diff
ferent class of food each day, and this
give variety and interest to the cooks in
the work.
For the boys the industrial work COM
prises farm chores, such as the care and
feed of COWS, horses, fuel for the house.
hold, farming Of ten acres, cutting and
hauling wood, gardening, shoe mending
and poultry raising, and simple car
pentry. The poultry raising is as much
for the girls as the boys, and is a source
of income. The school has brought to
the city the finest pen of barred Plymouth
rocks, for practical poultry raising, that
can be found in the states.
The boys labor is most of it produc-
tive, tho lack of water has given smaller
returns than will be given hereafter.
The school has signed contract with
the water company for the irrigation of
ten acres, which are now under cultiva-
tion. The land about the school ia ex
cellent for vegetables and for fruit.
Vocal and instrumental music has been
among the branches taught. An exhlbi-
tion of this department will be given at
the close of the term, consisting of
ii over cantata by the girls, songs hy the
boys, flute, violin, organ and piano solos,
duets and trios.
Many improvements will be made in
house furnishings and new features added
to the girls industry. The English Ian
guage is the only language spoken by the
school, and no school excells this in the
perfection with which it is used by the
pupils.
The superintendent will, in the fall, for
the first time take the field to raiso funds
for the memorial.