Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-15
Representative Reed Discusses the
Education of the Red Man.
MUST RAISE UP 4 WHOLE TRIBE
Their Development Must Be
Gradual and Progressive.
AN EFFECTIVE SPEECH

ternOon, which held the ABSORBED ATTENTION
OF the members for some time. The In
dian appropriation bill was under consid-
GRAFTON and members were giving their
views Of the problem of Indian education.
when Mr.. Reed of Maine took part in the
discussion. He commenced with apparently
no intention OF making a long speech. but
as he proceeded he warmed up to the work
and before long MIR. Reed was engaged in
delivering. in an extemporaneous way,
what proved to be profound essay upon
the Indian question He held the House
spellbound during the course of his re-
marks. and at the conclusion was loudly
applauded by both sides of the House and
the galleries. Mr.. Reed said:
Mr.. Chairman, the path toward truth is
said TO be across line of approximate in
accuracy. and possibly that may be our
pathway to the truth with regard to Indian
p education. / desire to contribute some of
the views which / entertain upon the sub
tect, which l think may possibly be of use.
i nave listened to the remarks OF the dele
gate from Arizona (AIr. Smith and of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Nr. Mahon),
and although they seem TO be at swords
points. yet venture to say that there is very
little real difference between them. They
are talking of different subjects and of diff
ferent effects, produced by different courses
of action.
Must De Uniformity of Thought and
Action.
Internationally the education of the In
dian may be carried to a point which. in in
dividual cases. will fit him for association
with the citizens of Pennsylvania or Of
Maine or of Massachusetts, and II he STAYS
with the citizens of those states he will
undoubtedly be very much improved in his
status. and the country will have the bene-
If he Is educated beyond the reach of the
tribe to which he belongs and goes back to
that, tribe, he meets great principle not
of Indian nature, but OF human nature
which is exemplitled among US at all times
and on all occasions; that is, the demand
for uniformity of thought and action. The
human race has a sort of instinct which
obliges 1t to keep together. and it will not
let any Of US stray very far beyond the gen.
eral sentiment
The man is a very bold man who today
wears very bright red necktie. and the
man who twenty years ago had worn one
would nave been in great danger of per-
sonal assault (-aUShter.) The world Will
not stand anything except general uniform
lty. A savage tribe is in precisely the same
condition. 1t does not appreciate a grad
uate of the Carlisle school, and it does not
appreciate anybody who is much more ele-
vailed in social life than il is. Hence the
problem. so far as the educa ton of the tribe
is concerned, is the raising of the whole
u,
single member of ii a good deal. do not
Gaze how high a man is raised above his
community, II he goes back to 1t he will
soon be brought down to it's level of thought
and action This is a principle of human
nature so widespread and SO inherent in the
race that it must be respected, and the
more you respect IL the more sensible will
be your course of action.
Must Get Them Up Little by Little.
Now. our newspapers are the palladiums
Of our liberties. We all understand that.
But our newspapers would lose their force
At once If they undertook to be too far ele-
waited above the people. They have to be
within reaching distance. 1t is the same
with all other educational means employed
In this world We have got to get people
HD, little by little. and in order to get
them UP at all we have got to get them all
Up We have got to stop very often, for
Instance. in politics. in order to get our
Democratic party UP to the point for i new
departure LauShterJ And it would be
impossible Cor an advanced republican to
go amongst a very backward democratic
community without being very much low
cred in his moral tone before he got out
of il. II he continued to Live with them.
Oaughter)
Now, that is an Illustration which You
will all understand 1aushter). and which. if
you will apply it to the subject under dis
eussicn will. i think. reconcile in very
many ways the apparently opposing views
OF the delegate from Arizona Chr. Smith)
and the gentleman from Pennsylvania tMr.
MahonJ. The gentleman from PennSylva-
mia is arguing about the fitness of The edu-
cation which Is bestowed upon the indians
ut Carlisle for certai-i purposes. Unques-
tionably he is right a-out that, AMI we
should all be glad to the aborigiles Of
this country assimilate themselves with US.
But when you come to take tribe. which
cannot be separated and distributed. and the
question is about the education of that
* no those "a :
is with US. They must pass over the same
road that we passed over. We did not ar
rive at our present condition of civilization
by leaps and bounds. On the contrary, we
went AT snairs pace. because We had to
lift everybody all the time.
An Identical Problem In the south
why, you are having that identical
problem in the education of the colo-ed peo-
pie Of the south When southern colored
boy spends three or four or five or six
hours In school. and then goes home to his
parents. who have not had the advantages
OF that education, they are very likely to
feel that he is a little bit uppish in his way,
and unconsciously they try to push him
down. So il is with regard to the Indians.
Why, recollect how it was when we were
boys. how we used 10 criticise our compan-
ions who undertook to be a little more edu-
cated than ourselves, or to wear their
clothes little more in the style of grown
people. 1t is u fact and a principle that
runs through human nature.
Now, IL seems 70 me that the inevitable
deduction from this is that while II may be
proper TO take individuals and educate them
TO be distributed among the community. IL
Is also equally true that the best method of
reaching the Indian question is to have
those schools which commence with matters
nearest 70 their present thought and gradu-
ally lift them UP through Industrial means.
until they all begin to realize and under
stand the advantages of the change. and
when they all OF them come to- this under
standing. which Is necessary for progress
each one supported by all the rest, then
they will all come w gradually together,
and very soon will find them fit to be
citizens OF the United States, for that Is
not necessarily very high standing. II
only requires that men comprehend what is
necessary for laws TO govern themselves
Now, IL seems To me that these are sound
principles. and that ii is worth while for us
70 apply them TO this question. which is
before US. For my part / should be will
Ing TO spend a good deal Of money for an
education Ike that. for while they have got
TO go over the same road we went over
while they have got to pass from their pres
ent condition. which was ours centuries ago
they can. thanks to their surroundings. go
over the road in much shorter time than
we went over II. and by taking them All
together We shall get them there much more
quickly than IL We undertake q sporadic
education. CApplause)
What does the gentleman think of the
education of teachers in eastern schools To