Morning journal and courier., 1894-05-23
SCHOOLS FOR RED CHILDREN.


ssIndian Education'' the Theme at the
Spring Meeting OF the Women's In
dian Association-Dr. Dorchester,s
Address.
At $3.50 yesterday afternoon, at United
church chapel, was held the annual meet
ing of the New Haven branch Of the Wo.
mems National Indian association.
The president, Miss N. E. Ives, opened
the meeting by reading selected verses from
Isaiah. The invocation was given by DR..
Daniel Dorchester of Natick, Mass, the
speaker of the afternoon. The society's
annual business was then disposed of, res
olutions being also presented in memory
of Mrs. Worthington and Miss Davenport,
the ASSOCIATIONS first president.
After the reading of interesting letters
from different Indian mission stations, DR..
Dorchester began his address. The audi
ence, composed largely of ladies, listened
for an hour and half to many interesting
statements as to the progress and present
condition of Indian schools.
DR.. Dorchester is an experienced Indian
educator, having been over four years su-
poIlQG6uQSuG OIL 1uulou sSuOO46 uu6C1 L IC6'
ident Harrison.
Speaking of the various schools, he said
that among the earliest was the school In
Ohio for the Wysndottes, founded In 1922.
In the east the chief schools are the Lincoln
institute at PHILADELPHIA, the Carlilse
school, also in Pennsylvania, having 900
pupils, and the famous Hampton institute
In Virginia. In Wisconsin there are ten
schools grouped about the Rad Fern res
ervation, while there Is also large school
at Hsrbor Springs, Michigan. These repre-
sent merely few of the 291 Indian
schools, most of which. are west
ern schools the speaker indicated by
pointing to their position on a large map
and describing their peculiarities. Among
the best attended were the schools of
North and South Dakota, where there are
4, 600 pupils out of an Indian population
of 26, 000-one scholar to every six inhab-
itants The New Mexican Indian seemed
to be placed in the most uncivilized envir-
onment. Through the reservations in the
different states and territories the
speaker graphically touched upon his trav-
cling.
Within the last few years the increase in
appropriations has bsen enormously great.
This governmental aid with the entrance of
the churches into the work has had much
to do with the rapid development. Besides
the many schools and missions under
Protestant direction, there are schools I'M
der the control of the Roman Catholic
church, the Friends and the Unitarians.
l. OF the different kinds of Indian schools,
there are the contract schools, for the sup
port of which the government stipulates to
pay certain sum per capita for the sup.
port of each Indian. These schools are
A. IL 49, h. 81,
But the contract system has fallen into dis
favor and the leading churches are now
refusing to make governmental contracts.
OF training and industrial schools the
government has twenty -seven, the Carlisle
school being the largest.
There are twenty six boarding schools on
the Indian reservations.
OF day schools there is large number.
| Scattering children are cared for in white
| schools.
To all public training schools DR.. Dor
| chester gave his approval. But he is
strongly in favor of having all schools on
| the reservation and thus do away with the
| leap from the civiliz I'd to the wild state the
Indian has to take who has been educated
/ away from home and then returned.
"Apply the lever to the base of heathen-
| ism and ssvsgery; you do not lift SO fast,
but you do something for the common
mass"
The speaker mentioned number of
| highly elevated Indians to prove their in
| tellectual capabilities. Their fine accom-
| compliments at carpentering, sewing
and growing produce at the different
i schools also demonstrates their ability to
become able workmen.
l "The future is bright. The Indians
| have passed the psriod of decline. They
are now not roaming, but on reservations
| within reach of civilization"
Dr.. Dorchester's remarks make this
years meeting Of tee New Haven Indian
| as ,ciation one of it's most helpful. The
l object of the Women's National Indian Is
! ISOLATION is two-fold. Flist,it ia to inform
| the public regarding the needs, capabilities
| and progress of our native Indians and In
duce governmental aid. Second, it is to
| send helpers to reside among the Indians
and thus labor for their instruction aud
| elevation. Many efforts have been put
| forth for the last fifteen years in behalf of
honest Indian legislation, and much good
has resulted. In regard to the efficiency
l of the work of thess noble women Senator
Dawes has said: "The new Indian policy
! of government was born of and nursed by
the women of this association"