The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-12-13
THE PROGRESS OF THE INDIAN.

etudy. The last few years have seen
wonderful transition in many instances
from the untutored savage to the intel
ligent, ambitious scholar and graduate
of our government schools. THE CHRoN-
IcLE publishes today letter written by
an Indian b1y at tn" Carlisle Indian
school in Pennsylvania. Accompany
ing the letter is an explanatory note
from one of the teachers at the Siletz
reservation, which reads as follows:
SILETz, Dec. 10, 1895.
EDITOR CHRONICLE:
The enclosed is a specimen of what
the Indian can be intellectually. The
letter is from Siletz boy (Jose Adams)
now at the Carlisle training school in
Pennsylvania, to his cousin, Siletz
girl at this agency, and as he intended
it for nothing more than a letter OF
friendship, know that such destina-
tion was farthest from his thoughts
when he wrote it; but I am so interest
ed in the welfare of the people with
whom l have been living during the
greater part of the past two years that
think the production too remark kable to
remain for her observation only. She
has kindly consented to let me send it
to you for publication.
The letter itself is a remarkable one,
and shows how the Indian mind is TAX
ing hold of ideas that few years ago
were beyond its reach. The interest
which the writer takes in football simply
goes TO prove that he is like the other
young men of his generation. The let
ter is neatly written, correctly spelled
and as single bit OF evidence of the In
dams progress, is satisfactory one.
The CHRONICLE is glad to publish it.
CARLISLE, Pa.
DEAR COUSIN: If I remember right,
/ received your letter not long after l
had written you. l was real glad to
hear from you, as 1 am always glad to
hear how you are and others there.
am at present kindly pressed a little
in my studies on account of reviewing
what we've gone over during the term
and preparing for the fall term examina-
ton. Then it is I often remember the
old home away out to the land of the
setting sun, where, perhaps, if 1 had
heen, would not have to rack my
come only when / feel depressed and
cornered, which do not think danger
GUS, for after rejecting little. it would
give additional vigor and determination
to peruse the subjects more definitely.
1 am glad to say that l am well, al
though 1 had little attack of cold and
some pain in the side, which caused my
absence for at least week.
Our band has re-organized, and is
making fast progress. Our foot ball
team is now disbanded. The last game
was with the New York City Y. NJ. G.
A. team on Manhattan field in New
York, Our boys defeated the team by
a score of 16 to 4. We were very sUc-
cessful in that line. The papers praise
our team, and the team of red men will
in a few years be the champion of the
collegiate foot ball contest of
America, which we now hope and cher
ish. The boys fret played the Penneyl-
vania college at Gettysburg, defeating
them in fair contest, and then played
the athletic club of PIttsburg and de-
feated them by large score; then ac-
cepted the scheduled contest from the
University of Pennsylvania, and were
defeated on Franklin field in Philadel-
phia by a large score; but exception.
The team of the U. P. is one Of the
strongest teams in American colleges of
today, so that we did not expect to win,
but only to give them hard battle for
the victory. So it was, the Philadelphia
papers declared, the strongest team the
old William Penn sons ever faced. Our
next game was at New Haven, Conn.,,
with the Yale University, the grandest,
largest and Oldest college in America.
Out OOy6 hGE0 again O6dUen, bnlS
time by small score. Then a game
with a local Y. M. G. A. team at York,
Pa. where our boys gloriously defeated
the York by the Overwhelmingly score of
AZ to 0. Then came Bucknell Univer-
sity, in which we were again thrashed,
but not bad. So that this years season
of foot ball contest for Us ended with a
good move towards gaming foothold on
the American soil as an equal with all
nationality of the civilized world which
we have long been deprived Of
People begin to know Indians as be-
ings not only capable of attaining the
attire of civilization, but also competent
in all respects of further bettering the
intellectual functions, which are so es-
sential in this age of the world. am
an enthusiast in the line of promoting
the idea of your abilities. am fully
aware of the fact that thousands of peo-
pie think Indians as whole are only
set of animals with no reasoning power.
We, the better class of that inestimable
race are diving to see the day dawn
when we will be recognized as part of
people who have a voice in the law
making and welfare of the community.
Excuse me, dear cousin, we can only
hope that we will fool and Illustrate the
idea by showing ourselves as we are
now doing.
Miss M. S.. Barr, the head nurse,
sends her love to you. She is in every
way nv adviser and helper; one to
whom l can safely say / look to as a