West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-06-27
OPENING OF AN INDIAN SCHOOL.
Special corrosposd,.s ofrus ARGUS
LAKEsIH, SAS DIEGO co. CAL.

Special corrosposdo.e ofrus ARGUS
LAKEsIH, SAS DIEGO Co. CAL.
june ~, 1895.
Perhaps some of my Preston friends
know what an excitement the opening
ri new school creates in the rural
districts of old Preston ten fold more
/ Is the occasion exciting and novel
among the Red Skins OF the California
mountains. 1t is thing some OF them
may have heard of, but il is considered
by them white mars invention and
may result i'm good or evil, and they
approach with awe IL not fear.
A month ago / was ordered by the
Department 10 go into the Cuyamaca
Mountains, about fifty miles uorthwes.
OF San Diego and open an Indian school
in house just completed. The In
dians arc different tribe from the
desert indiana and speak different
language. They are commonly called
the Diggers from their habit of living
ON roots.
After drive of 10 miles up q canon
from Lakeside, my nearest postoflice,
ANo'hNA VIC NtlOOt lOuNt, u frame.
nicely finished, located in n grove of
live oak. through which flow crystal
stream, leaping play fully from rock to
rock. The birds sang welcome from
the trees. IL took several days TO get
the furniture in place. In the mean
time sent word TO the chief, the cap
tain and police to have all the children
in school on the next Monday.
On Monday morning about o'clock
they began to come and continued to
do so until 9, until the house and yard
were full of men, women, children.
crying babies and fighting dogs,
seated as many rs IL was possible and
the remainder stood up. some looking
in at windows and doors with as much
expectancy as If there was to be n
n circus. When order was restored I
opened the performances by a short
talk to the Indians, through an inter
prefer, stating the object of the school,
what ! should expect of the children
and parents and what they may expect
of me, and stating that did not intend
to promise anything that I'did not i'm
tend TO fulfill, and wished them to do
the same with me. The Indians all
responded, "weno, weno," which is
Spanish for good" The chief. captain
and police each had their speech, and
long ones they were, but all OF them
expressed their JOY at getting n school,
and said they would do their part in
hnitNinn al lone A.. .
dren all came well dressed and clean.
Their promise has been fulfilled TO The
letter. Yesterday the police was here
and he saw one boy with dirty shirt
and at once went TO him and'told him
TO have his mother wash it before he
came back.
The Captain inohis talk said that
must not expect too much of the chill
dren at first, as they knew nothing of
school work, and that some OF them
would be bronchos with me for a while.
As all Indian men like to talk on
public occasions. L gave permission,to
any one after the officers were done, and
they responded nicely, just like an old
fashioned experience meeting" The
Indian man is never at loss for some
thing TO say, for if he runs out, he
commences right over again. The
greatest difficulty with the teacher in
starting school is to keep the Indians
with their vivid imaginatious, from ex-
pecting too much, and when it is not
realized, feel that their hopes are all
dashed 20 the ground.
There was one incident which | re-
GREETED very much, from the fact that
the Indians believe the air full OF spir-
its, both good and bad, and il one gets
sick it is the evil spirits doing it. A
man who had eaten a hearty breakfast
and comic to school, and with the men.
tai excitement and sitting still for a
few hours, his stomach refused to do
its work and be became very sick with
! cramps in his stomach and went out
and after had dismissed with a song
II being noon, / found him in great
agony on the grass in the yard. gave
him some Pain Killer and the medicine
man laid him on his back, pulled up
his shirt from his stomach and began
with his big fsts TO knead his stomach.
pressing down with all his might. lie
finally got well enough to- be moved in
wagon TO tho nearest house and was
next day able TO go home
have 30 pupils, some coming from
z TO miles, riding their ponies over
mountains SO steep and rocky that few.
not accustomed 20 IL, would undertake
IL under any circumstances, and not
/ one absence the FIRST month. There
/ arc few white schools OF which as much
/ can be said. The children are more
/ restless and self willed than those OF
! more Advancement.
The Hermit
T.. +. THOMAS.