The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-11-18
INDIAN SCHOOLS.
THEIR NUMBER, DISTRIBUTION,
CHARACTER AND WORK.
Boarding and Day Schools-End Of
the Contract System-Public
Schools-An Industrial
Training.
{ CCORDING to the.New York

~ CCOhDlNt TO tnes NEW 1OrR
"A Sun the school at Carlisle,
~ Penn. is the Oldest and most
famous of a set of Govern
ment training schools for Indian
youth established away from the res
ervations. 1t was opened in 1879, and
has accommodations for 800 pupils,
with an actual enrolment at the last
returns of 80o, and an average attend
ance of TAI. In addition, there were
the outing facilities, or the places on
farms and in shops, which can provide
for hundreds more.
A few months after the Carlisle
school was opened, smaller ons fol-
lowed at Chewana, in Oregon. In 1884
came four more, at Chilocco, in Okla
homa; at Genoa, in Nebraska; at AL
buquerque, in New Mexico, and at
Lawrence, in Kansas. This last, the
Haskell Institute, with an enrolment
OF 59l pupils, is next in size to Car.
Isle. Then others followed at Grand
junction, Col; Santa Fe, Fort Mo.
jave, Carson. Pierre, Phoenix, Fort
Lewis, Fort Shaw, Perris, Flandreau,
Pipestone, Mt. Pleasant, Gowah, Wit
'tenberg and Greenville.
There are now twenty-one such
schools, not counting the Ramona,
which was in operation for a part of
last year, and they have total capac-
ity of 5145, with an enrolment of
50S5, and an average attendance of
4461. The recent additions ale Wit.
tenberg, Wis, and Greenville, Col. ,
which were leased from their owners,
who had given up contracts with the
Government, nearly the same force oi
employees being used.
A leading characteristic of these
schools is industrial training, which
enables the Indian pupils to learn how
to support themselves by their labor.
A commercial course has been added
during the last year to Haskell Insti.
tute. ....
Another and still larger class of
Government schools is the reservation
boarding schools, of which there are
seventy seven, all but a few west of
the Mississippi. Some date back to
the sixties, but the greater part have
been founded during the last quarter
of q century. The one OF greatest
capacity is at Fort Totten, $50, while
those at Fort Yuma and Fort Lapwal
can accommodate $50 each, the
Cheyenne, in Oklahoma, 200; the
Usage, 1S0. and so on. There we're
enrolled in these schools at the
last account S4S9 pupils, with an aver
age attendance of 1869. These reserva.
.tion boarding schools usually give
both mental and industrial training,
and are described by Secretary Brown
ing as "the back Bone of the Indian
educational system, "whose 'inauence
in uplifting the tribal Tie around them
is wonderful" An endesvor is made
to enlist the sympathies of the parents
by visits to the schools. -
A third system, that Of the day
schools, rounds out the Government
plan. "These," says the Commission
er, "are situated IN the heart of the
Indian country, and the smoke of the
little schoolhouse mingles with that Of
the tepee. The young and the old
Indians ARE daily brought into con-
tact with the teachers, who represent
the white mans civilization. The day
school is ss much an educator of the
father and mother as of the child. "
The teachers are expected, in fact, to
give part of their time to instructing
the older Indians in domestic economy
and the little arts that make home
pleasant. OF these day schools there
are 124, all but eight of them on res.
ervations, and they have capacity of
4424 boys and girls. MONDAY lunches
are provided at many OF them, and a
limited industrial training is given.
There is fourth set of schools,
which have been most useful in the
work of Indian education, but whose
days are now numbered. These are the
institutions established by churches or
religious bodies, and known as contract
schools, from the fact that the Gov.
ernment pays certain amount for the
Indian children educated in them.
These institutions have cost the Gov.
ernment less per pupil than its own
schools, because they have private
foundations and sources OF pecuniary
supply, and thus can afford to put
only o part of the cost Of maintenance
upon the Government. They have
been in existence many years, and
reached thei, climax, so far as appro.
priations were concerned, in the fiscal
year of 1892, when S6ll,570 was ap-
propriated for them. This amount
fell off the following year, and in 1895
reached only $463,5O5. A policy was
begun of reducing steadily appropria-
tions for such schools and substitut-
ing more Government schools.
We have total of 223 Government
schools and fifty.four contract schools.
But to these must be added sixteen
known as mission boarding schools,
which are conducted by religious 60
cieties, some of them receiving the
rations and clothing which the chill
d1en are entitled to as reservation In.
dians. This makes grand total OF
293 Indian schools.
The total Indian population, oct.
side of the New York Indians and the
Five Civilized Tribes, was, according
to the census of 1896. taken by Com.
missioner Browning's Office, 177,235,
out of which there were approximately
$4,000 children of school age. As
%, 393 of them were enrolled, this
makes about sixtE.one per cent.