Evening journal., 1897-11-02

benefit upon the nation. He enjoys
the confidence OF the Secretary Of the
Interior. to whom he is directly re-
sponsible, and rightly for he is one Of
the most enthusiastic and single-heart-
ed departmental chiefs in the Territory.
Thirty-nve Alaskan Schools
According to the latest national re-
port there are thirty-flve schools In
Alaska, Of which sixteen are main
tanned entirely by the United States,
and nineteen are controlled by
churches and benevolent societies. Two
Of the latter are supported in part by
this Government, FIVE by the Russian
Imperial Government, four by the Pres
byterian Board of Home Missions. one
by the Board Of Missions of the Prot
estant Episcopal Church, one By the
Roman Catholic Church, one by the Sis
ters Of st. Ann, one by the holy Synod
Of Russia, one by the American Branch
of the Swedish Free Mission Society,
one by the Swedish Evangelical Union
and two by the North American COM
mercial Company, in accordance with
a clause in its charter.
The Government public schools are
situated at Carmel, Douglas city (2),
Fort Wrangell. Holy Cross. Jackson,
Juneau CO, Kadiak, Kiliisnoo, Klawak,
Metlakahtla, this city (2), Unalaska
and Unga; the parochial and mission
schools are at Blagovestchensky Christ
Church Mission, Holy Cross. Huna,
Haida Mission, Tununuk, Sitl1a. Ju-
neau. Metlakahtla. Kadiak (2), st
George, St. Paul, UnalaklilS, Voznesen-
sky, Yakutat and minor points.
Rudiments Only Are Taught.
English is taught, Of course, at al
the Government schools, as well as the
missions subsidized by the Commits
sioner Of Education. and one of the in
dependent Russian schools. but the Ian
guage of the Car is favored by all th'
missionaries of the Russian Church
and is a powerful obstacle to the in
PRODUCTION Of good old Anglo-Saxon
Unless some educational genius devise
a plan to obliterate the harsh guttsfal
of the Russian tongue from the mind
of the natives II will take a long tim
TO make English the universal Ian
guage throughout the length an,
breadth of Alaska. This last shoul
be accomplished as speedily as possi
BILE, for unless it be done it will be har
to make the Indians and Eslimos real
ize that they are the children of Uncl
Sam.
Thlfngits Learn Easily.
The Thlingit learns English easil!
for he has in his native vocabulary a
the difficult sounds of the Anglo-Saxo
tongue, such at tr. ing and hard an
soft tn. Perhaps the only exception
the Copper River tribe, which is reall
a distinct race, the result of intermal
riage for many generations betwee
Thlingits and Eskimos. Formerly tn
tribe was placed by ethnologists wit
the Eskimos, but of recent years tf
Indian blood has become so much mol
conspicuous as to make it properly
J subdivision of the Thlingit family.
! Even In the Government schoo
; nothing is taught but the three RS.
: little grammar and geography to bot
} sexes; painting, carpentering, coope
! age and shoemaking to the boys. al
l sewing, cooking and general domest
2 knowledge to the girls. The schoo
2 aim at civilization rather than de-
learning. and no attempt has be-
e made to introduce the higher educ
tion, save that the pupils OF one scho
3 have learned enough of music to ha
a pretty good brass band. 1t is asto