Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
A CLASSROOM AT HASKELL.
CAPACITY FOR LEARNING OF THE
HALF AND FULLBLOODS.
The Different Meanings Of Words in
the English Language Trouble
the. Students-Manual and
Industrial Pursuits.

Haskell institute is southeast of Law
renee. and just outside the city limits. 1t
Includes Tour large stone buildings, three
OF them dormitories. the fourth a school
house; and numerous shops.
II Is In the classroom that the visitor. If
ne Is one of those people, and their name
Is legion, who look upon the half civilized
lhdian as a very embarrassing species of
human being. has an excellent opportunity
to reconsider his opinion. Here is his
Chance for a closer scrutiny of the human
lace. with its varied expressions. UE-
douDtedly there is as much, or more, va
riety IN the features of the white mans
children. but with the Indian, accustomed
as We are to make one face typical for all.
this difference of aspect is much more
Immediately noticeable.
AS inc visitor faces forty or fifty pupils,
some dressed in the somber blue of the
government clothing. and some exhibiting
the native taste for bright Colors in vivid
dresses and brilliant red neckties and hair
ribbons, he finds much food for thought.
lie might easily fall to wondering If the
facial blankness of one of the high cheek
pohed, sunken-eyed sallow-skinned Indian
girls expressed An equal Darkness within;
OF Ii the quick eye of d little tawny-haired.
rough-skinned halfblood was really an in
dlcatlon of the mental alertnesS it suggest
u anu, IIudily. IL these TWO conditions
would justify him in the conclusion that
the degree of intelligence among the In
Giahs IS COMMENSURATE to their degree of
Whlte blood. In reality 1t is the opinion of
one of the Haskell teachers that the full
FLOODED Indian has 4 much brighter mind
nan one OF the mixed blood. but is not so
easily taught. Owing to his originality, he
QoeS not SO readily repeat, parrot-like, the
lessons assigned him.
In one of the classes at Haskell institute
is Peter" Peter is no myth, but a full
GROWN man. with q Wife and child in the
territory. whom the government is support
ing while 1t educates the. head OF the
sits at the head of the class and makes a
point OF keeping before ii the main features
Ut the lesson: He is very formal; and al
Miss Sarah a. Brown. one of the best
known teachers at Haskell. Miss. Brown,
may ask a question:" or Miss Brown.
III a really enviable conciseness of state
ment. AS an illustration of his method. the
Rro%n e.: In the languaEs class Miss
plain to these supplemented people that an
English word may nave two meanings and
be equally, correct in either one. As an
lamp she took the word oracle" eX-
planning that it meant either the place
where prophecies are given forth or it
meait those brophecles themselves; Alter
apparently sufficient explanations. the mat
Ter was dismissed. but not for good. When
the class had assembled the next day,
Peter. in all his dignity. arose and said. in
his clear. staccato enunciation:
Yes, Peter"
well for us to talk it over among ourselves,
to decide here for ourselves. so as TO avoid
confusion, Just what we mean by that
what We are going to mean when we use it.
whether we mean the place where proph-
eSies are given out. or whether we mean
In the inability to grasp the twofold
meaning of an English word lies one of the
difficulties in the way of the Indian educa-
ton. To his one-mindedness the complexi-
pIieable. His IDEAS. also. lose aH'G much Of
their native freedom and grace when
the following composition is an example
of one Indians attempt to express his own
ideas through the medium of a language
not his own. The writer has long since de-
parted for his native plains and his
blankets He wrote:
Let the government stop helping the
Indian. He will see that to help himself
is far more better and more drawer than to
be help all the time. He has gone far
enough in education to prognosticate the
know that We are torturing the government
with our slowness and monotony struggle
for education. If you want to have it con.
tinue why don't you get a Santa Fee speed
on YOU. Why for this land sake don't you
know that such diversions are the very in
said by one of the Indian boys. It's a good
thing / don't have to study hard. as l
don't have to pay a cent Is that why they
have the Indian schools? Does the gov
m require each one of us to say
such a remark? l say with the utmost
luminosity in such a remark. let the gov
m do stop educating these people of
the forest, M the person or the maker of
that remark will get the most benefit by
most hardest study in his lessons. because
the government stops this business
every Indian boy will have to stand upon
his own moccasin heels for education.
Say, dom you know it's very hard work
for these good people to teach the In
dian? Better stop teaching them. because
they are slow to recite and easy to get to
extreme Observation-Disclosures. Sure. let's
stop educating these Indians before these
teachers themselves become slow and
Observation-Disclosures.
Another saying is Let every man bear
his own burden And I will say let every
Indian bear his own blanket. How proud
We would be If We strive and struggle for
with our own accord. Our motto
would then be. .Veni. vidi. vici.' 1 came, l
saw. 1 conquered"
Haskell institute is an industrial as well
as a grammar school. The butcher.
baker and candlestickmaker" receive quite
as much attention as the normal students.
and do much of the practical work of the
school. Shoemaking. dressmaking and
tailoring are learned in the making OF the
clothing worn by the inmates of the school.
Laundering and baking are taught in thel