Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-09-22
WARDS OF our UNCLE SAM
Agent NOrdstrOm's Observations Re-
specting Progress of Puebl0s
and Jicarillas.
A REAL RED HOT TAMALE REP0RI
Facts That Will Possibly Open the
Blinded Eyes of the Descendants
of the New England Witch
Burners.

Captain Charles E. Nordstrom, of the
United States army, who succeeded jor
John l.. Bulls as agent for the Pueblo
and Jicarilla Indians, with headquarters
at Santa Fe, has submitted his first an
nual report to the commissioner of In
dian affairs, and the New MEXICAN cor
daily thanks him for advance sheets
thereof. The report is decidedly warm
document, replete with hsignifcant facts and
figures, and possibly may open the eyes OF
the virtuous people of Massachusetts and
Connecticut, where witches were roasted in
ye olden time, to the fact that the trans
planting of the Indian from New England
into the "wild and woolly west" has not
exactly made an angel out of him.
Touching the number of Pueblo In
dians the report says: "a few weeks
prior to the close of the year, census
blanks we're sent to this Office, accom-
panied by a letter, directing that, an
accurate census Of all the Indians Of this
agency would be taken, for submission
with the annual report. Considering the
magnitude of such an undertaking, one
would naturally expect that these instruc
lions would have been accompanied by
the means to carry it into effect, but
search failed to discover anything more
substantial than words, which at the con-
clusion of the letter, were as follows:
"As no provision ia made in the act for
any extra expense connected with this
census, you must not incur any"
"Wlthout money, it is simply impos-
sible to take any census, accurate or 9th
erwise, of the Pueblo Indians. The for
mula which has been stereotyped by use
in past years, can therefore, only be re-
peated here: Total population, 1886;
males over lo years of age, 2,7ol; females
over IA years of age, 1861; children be-
tween 6 and 16 years of age, 2,323.' Un-
der natural conditions, by which is m cant
absence of epidemics, there should have
been, during the years since this census
was taken, an increase in these figures;
but whether slight or the reverse, have
no means of knowing.
81 have endeavored to supplement the
above statistics with respect to the num-
Der of school children in those pueblos,
where schools are located, by requiring
the teachers to take an accurate in
ventory of them as possible. These re-
ports show that there are in the pueblos
of Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna,
San Juan, Santa Clara, San Felipe, Santo
Domingo, Pahuate, Taos, Za and Zuni,
l 1,34O children of school age. This leaves
~, L1oo tad fcr md 1ra
no note of the children belonging to the
above named pueblos in attendance on
the various industrial and boarding
schools, throughout the country.
"In this count Zuni pueblo is credited
with 347 children of school age. Owing
to the generally scattered condition of
this tribe, at this time of year, many
families being what may be called out of
town. attending to their crops, it was
not practicable to obtain the correct
figures, and those given may be consid-
cred under, rather than over the correct
ones. l am informed, by those entirely
competent to give an opinion on the sub
ject, that there are between 400 and 500
children, in the Znni pueblo. Between
IS and SO of these attended school
spasm odically.
"Sinoe the date of the last annual re-
port of my predecessor, Major John l..
Bulls, all contract schools, with one ex
ception, have been abolished, principally
by absorption, into government day
schools, 30 that now there are 13 day
schools, and one contract school, attached
to, and under the direction of this agency
"The school plant at Iuni, formerly
conducted under the auspices of the
Presb Yterian board of home missions,
has, during the year, become the property
of the government, by purchase, and may
be said to be the only school, worthy the
name, attached to the agency. The Gu.
periority of this school is due to greater
numerical, and more oonstant-or rather,
less inconstant attendance, than obtains
in the other schools. This again, is due
to-not to desire on the part of the
children to acquire learning-not wish
of the parents, to see their children OBJ
tanning an education, but to the fact that,
in this school the scholars are furnished
a noon day lunch, pretty substantial
meal, and at the beginning of each school
term, a very good outfit of clothing. And
even with these incentives, the average
during the quarter ended
with the year, was but fraction over SO
per cent.
an nrru