The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-04
INDIANS At SCHOOL.
They Are Natural Musicinas. Fond or EsEitsh
Names and Good Clothes.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.

From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
A recent visit to the Phoenix Indian school
California, was a revelation IN some TO
spects. The writer has known the Pima In
dams on their reservation as a fierce, sui
len, obstinate and cruel lot Of savages. with
a record second to not even the hpaches for
horrible butcheries of white settlers. and u~nspeak-
able barbarities upon their enemies in warfare.
1t WAS therefore a surprise: to see over $50 Of
tho boys and girls OF these desert savages como
marching into the chapel with military precis-
ion, dressed In handsome, neat-ftting garments.
wearing linen shirts, and with their hair
brushed with as much nicely as that OF a city
dude.
But the surprise did not end there. When
the opening hymn was announced ono Of tho
apache hsrI Indian w; E,rl 8 that hat d ten month"; snniS BE- SSf ore
ing the writer the hook, asked in good Eng
Some OF them sing splendidly, and Prof. Hall.
the snPerintendent OF the school says they are
ones have learned to play the organ. and with
the French harp they WIN make m Average
S'sS & sH1 tho % as%dtaTS T plays %'s' the piano aoF Very rA' we'll.
having picked the Accomplishments, up with
out any instructiiGn, This Indian is " j. peS6a ad
learned the English language and acted ASIAN
ipterpreter from that time III the opening OF
since remained. He discarded his Indian name
and assumed nm English one, and in the three
years mas acquired u kpUi EHRIISH
He Ia OF medium size. rather dark, hut with tho
appearance of u student. lie has done much
to induce his people TO adopt CIVILIZATION, ana
Is, OF course. q warm friend of the school:
An advantage hero Is that the boys and girls
are in clo.e proximity 10 their relatives and
friends, and ale allowed 10 visit back and forth.
which could not be the case In a foreign school;
This is OF d.. he dyantaGc, for the ,oducatedi
children lifting their parents. brothers, ana
sisters tend to raise them in the plane OF ciyili-
cation. and the change ON tho observation dur
ing the last year Is marked, Tho hoy 5 are al
lowed to 20 homo two "ttEs in The summer,
and several are allowed 10 go and assist in
planting the crops. " hen they lcav Va the school
, they are gwen their Indian clothes, but they
never iail Ia rctUrn wearing better or at leaso
more expensive clothing than tho school: fur
nishcs them,
Al times the Indian boys arc allowed to work
on the fruit farms adjoining III" school,. and
they are given their wages 10 spend as they
plea Q. They usually invest them In clothing.
and Some OF them have extensive suits. ,Ihey
do their work we'll, and their labor iS preferred
to that OF the McNicans. When they arc ouu
working this way they not only earn tho wages
This idea of the industrial branch OF tho
school IL tho conception OF rtrof. f.ich.
His theory is that it is Impossible, TO- take
Il savage and 50 educate him in letters
and science that he viii be able TO successfully
tako hold Of any OF tho higher branches IN Ire.
or, in other words, tl"t II Is Impossible 70
make a Crock professor out OF a half-naked
made good ~citizcns, ahln 10 rt d and write, and,
more than ell, to support themselves by ulnnK
the soil. After Tho point Is reached they WIN
rise higher themselves and OF their own molina
ton, until the last instinct OF the savage VAL
4 have disappeared :