Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-11-08

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and then the water is so alkaline as to
be actually poisonous; further data
wanting; teacher, Miss c. f. Hosmer.
Zuni semi boarding school. This is
the only school plant owned by the gov
ernment and is sadly in need of repairs
and improvements. The hygienic con-
ditions are very bad. Present enroll
ment, 72; average attendance, 401;
probable increase, 100 per cent; school
population, 235; teachers, Miss Elmira
r. Gleason, Miss Ethel T.. Gregg, Miss
Fannie j. Dennis, Miss Ella p. Dennis
| In April last a supervising teacher
was authorized by the department, and
Charles +. Burton, of California, was
appointed at a salary of $S40 per annum
A new school has been authorized for
Nambe, and new schools are recon-
mended at Sandia, Santa Ana, Picurz
and Tesuque, to be started by October
of this year; also, the sub-agency for
the Jicarillas should have a boarding
school with 800 pupils capacity. New
school houses are advised because the
present buildings are unsatisfactory
and hard to keep in repair, and the con-
ditions obtaining at not few of the
schools above enumerated are such as
decency calls to remedy. The agent
recommends monday lunches for the
children, which has proven success at
the San Idelfonso school. A house
keeper is also advised that the girl pu-
Ip !,
of cooking and general housekeeping.
Then there is d necessity not to be over
looked, viz, teaching adult Indians in
dustrial pursuits that they may be-
come self supporting, and not remain SO
dependent upon the government. Ar
present the Indians know only blanket
weaving and basket and pottery max
| ing. Many of these goods are very
beautiful, some of the blankets bringing
$3.50 each. A number of the Indians are
skillful mechanics and their labor is
sought after on the railroads to the ex-
clusion of Mexicans. But the greatest
civiizers are farming, stock raising
and horticulture, and a little intelligent
encouragement and assistance will
prove wonderful help.
Returned students are a perplexing
subject The government must educate
great many of the Indians so that
their educated influence will overbal-
ance the uneducated, or else give up in
despair. AS long as there are Indian
villages of an uneducated and unpro-
gressive people, just that long will
there be myriads of Indian children to
take off and educate and then turn back
into the slough of despond. Put farm
ers and housekeepers and matrons and
compulsory education into the Indian
homes, and these undesirable condi-
tions cannot last many years. Mission
aries are doing good work among the
Pueblos, especially along medical, re-
ligious and industrial lines. But partic-
ularly are physicians needed, as the In
dams are suffering from some sort of
epidemic almost constantly. The In
dans are learning that the white mans
medicine is superior to the witches
cauldron of their own medicine man. So
they will heed now white doctors. The
report states that the greatest percent
age of death rate among the Indians is
due to syphilitic consumption; and
were it not for the many deaths due to
this and the number of incipient lives
strangled before birth the Indian would
increase more rapidly than they are now
decreasing. The agent recommends ap-
pointment Of five physicians for the va
rious pueblos in his agency.
The Jicarilla sub-agency is at Dulce,
N. NJ, PIG miles from Santa Fe. The In
dams receive rations at stated periods,
and while they do some agricultural
work. it is not much to their advantage.
ed last year, and such industry should
be encouraged by providing the Indians
with presses, and the government ought
then to purchase hay from them with
which to feed the agency stock. While
the sub agency lands have been allot-
ted the confused condition of the pa
pers has resulted in only IA per cent of
the homes being delivered, the other So
per cent being filed away in the clerks
office. These Indians are furnished ra-
tions to about one-third the amount me-
cessary for their support. The reserva-
ton is unfit for agriculture unless irri-
cation is provided; and under the pres
ent conditions, the Indians will never
become self supporting as they have no
resources from which to live. Two
laI ;cc;n a,,ia work.
ing on this sub-agency, doing excellent
work, holding weekly religious services
and encouraging morality in every way
possible.
Fourteen miles of new road have been
built and IL miles of old roads repaired
by the Indians. Fifteen bridges have
also been put up. Then there is an In
dian court composed of three judges,
who have, during the year, Jailed u In
dams for drunkenness, and 13 others
have been punished for various crimes
and misdemeanors. Two Indians have
been punished in the Territorial courts
for housebreaking and cattle stealing.
Some way should be devised to break
up whisky selling, which is carried on
to an alarming extent. Indians trading
in neighboring towns are able to get all
the whisky they can pay for. To reme-
dy this the agent suggests that trad
er be placed on the reservation to sup
ply the Indians with everything they
need, and then the Indians should not
be allowed to go off the reservation
without consent of the clerk in charge.
The Jicarilla Apaches have no edu-