The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-25
MORNING JOURNAL WEDNESDAY,

the government exercises over them,
 they are not directly under the super vision and care Of the government as our government schools are.
 My own idea about. Indian education Is that the Indians need very much more work in the line of special eduea- ton and training; manual and indus trial education. Of course. that is to certain extent foreign 10 the object of the private denominationai schools. have been hoping that the government Indian school might assume more and more the feature Of being a training school or an industrial school. carried on with the idea and purpose Of en. abling the Indian child. who is educat- ed in the government school. to earn q living and to learn how 10 work In con nection with learning the letters and the rudlmentary branches Of educa- ton. deem 1t very much more essen- tlal that that should be done than that the Indians should be educated along the lines of n common school education simply and entirely.
 To do that the government should control all the schools. As l said. that can not be to any extent the purpose of the denominationaI schools. These are established with kind of missionary object and missionary enterprise. to convert the children rather than to educate them. Just as long as that goes on. the education of the children will not be that which Is best adapted to make them citizens and to enable them to take part with other citizens In the race of life.
 l am glad to observe that very many Of the denominations of the coun- try are adopting this idea with regard to Indian education. I believe that the government schools can be best adapt ed to teaching the Indians those things which 1t Is necessary they should learn in order to become self-sustaining and useful members of society. It does very little good to educate the Indian child above and away from the sur roundings to which he or she must be relegated when his or her school life closes.
 When the child thus educated goes back to his or her place among his or her associates. then he or she must adopt the customs. manners. and, so far as such a word can be used in con- nection with the Indian. the aspira- tions of the other Indians, or life is to be made a burden to them. So. looking at 1t in whatever way you will. from whatever standpoint you will, the de- nominational schools are, in my judg- ment, a hindrance to the civilization of the Indian; and the first great ob- ject is. civilization, and giving them such an education as will enable them to make their way in life. This is not new talk; this is not a new doctrine. It has been repeatedly affirmed here. 1t has been repeatedly affirmed by In- dian commissioners and by secretaries of the interior, and yet in some way the system of contract school goes on, and the tendency all the while is to the en- largement of the system rather than to the diminution of 1t.
 Therefore I think it is very proper that we should express in some way on the pending bill the determination of congress to reduce the contract school system as rapidly as 1t can be done without leaving the Indians without the means of education at all, and to sugstitute in place of the contract schools, as rapidly as can be done, gov ernment schools under the direct care and supervision of government officials.