The herald., 1893-12-26
AT SOBOBA'S SCHOOL.
THE MODEL RESERVATION FOR
THE INDIANS.
Miss Noble Really Rules the Little VII
lage-A Quaint Newspaper Pub
lished by the Children who Are
Under Her Charge.

San Francisco Chronicle: Helen
Hunt Jackson made Soboba. and Sobobs
will interest everybody who has read
Ramona. 1t was due to her efforts that
the government put there a school for
Indian children. Mrs. Jackson speaks
OF the village as lone of the very oldest
OF all" lying at the foot of M cunt San
Jacinto and two miles distant from the
enterprising town of that name.
Miss Mary Noble, the present teacher
OF the school. lie the real ruler of the
reservation. To her all disputes are
referred. She is the arbitrator OF their
petty quarfels. their Judge, their doctor
and their confessor. l doubt whether
any woman in the United States holds
80 unique a position.
The majority OF Californiens hardly
know whether there are Indians in the
State, and If they possess the informa-
tion could not place their residence !;
therefore the idea of young woman de-
liberately selecting work which prac-
tically cuts her off from advance ment in
her profession and condemns herself to
life OF more or less exclusion, Ia nll the
more surprising. But Miss Mobiles
heart is in her work. These Soboba
children do not represent to her so many
small and stupid pieces of human Drift
wood. They are to her flesh and blood,
with minds to be lifted out of Indian
| darkness.
She is not the pedagogue holding
school in school hours-but the whole
village OF SoDoba 10 her school. The
young man who makes wine, and who
geta drunk and abuses his family, is as
MR. nh hnr I'd hn A. al fnk
who lsps her letters. No letter regard
| ing their affairs ie ever sent out unless
the captain has duly consulted with
Miss Noble. The tribal differences are
brought before her for adjudication, and
the matter must indeed be q grave one
| il it has to go before the Indian agent.
Teachers are not sangune as to the re-
suits of the day-school system for lp~
dians. In their opinion the scholar
must be far removed from all home in
| huence, or else the example set by the
teacher 10 lost. Perhaps this is the diff
| ficulty at present, for the older genera
| ton, which had no school advantages, ia
yet alive, and the squalor and morale Of
their lives 10 certainly not elevating. In
time, perhaps, this evil will be over
come, but still the day schoolfis dis
tinct advantage to the Indian, as it
servesas feeder to the schools OF tech
nique, like that at Perris, where trades
are taught.
What most particularly interests us in
this school work is the publication OF
newspaper called the Soboda News,
written by the children. The managing
editors are Jose Juan Jauro and MARI
sno Silvae, withe six associate editors.
Ths Sobobs News deals strictly in news.
1t is temperate In tone and boldly un-
furs its flag In the cause Of temperance.
The paper Ia edited and prepared by the
children OF tue school, and the iliustra-
trations are drawn by one of the smallest
of the boys, who believes in pictorial
journalsn, as is evidenced by q fgurs
accompanying an account OF an exciting
rabbit hunt. With paper which oal.
assume SO bold tone On matters Of
public interest there is hope that in-
temperance will be eradicated in Sob.
bs. This 10 how the youthful editors
deal with the eubiect.
",rhe Soboba News is going TO fight
againat alcohol and intemperance. Ne
think that wine should not be used even
in village like this, for it makes the
people give all the money they have for
wine. Wines are often made here n
Soboba. Those that make wine ought
to be arrested for making it and selling
it and getting all the money from one
who mas little money for his coffee and
-four. Our officers should aoe about
this. Il is time that something il done
abont it, for every budy is talking about
our people at Sobobs. Our people could
dry their grapes for winter, when all
fruits are gone."
JoHN HAMILTON GlLxoUg.