The Opelousas courier., 1898-02-05
INDIANS AT SCHOOL,
They Are Natural Musicians, Fond OF
English Names and Good Clothes.

English Names and Good Clothes.
A recent visit to the Phoenix Indian
school, California, was o revelation in
some respects. The writer has known
the Pima Indians on their reservation
as a fierce, %sullen, obstinate and cruel
lot of savages, with q record second to
not even the Apaches for horrible
butcheries of white settlers, and I'M
speakable barbarities upon their enc
mics in warfare. 1t was, therefore, a
surprise to see over $50 of the boys
and girls Of these desert ssvages come
marching into the chapel with military
precision, dressed in handsome, neat
fitting garments, wearing linen shirts,
and with their hair brushed with %
much nicely as that of a city dude.
But the surprise did not end there.
When- the opening hymn was an
nounced, one Of the Apache Indian
girls that ten months befope was run
ming wild on the desert south of the
Gila, readily turned to the number,
and, handing the writer the book,
asked in good English if he would not
take part with then Some Of them
sing splendidly, anf Professor Hall.
the superintendent IF the school, says
they are natural rrusicians. Several
of the younger onas have learned to
play the organ, and with the French
harp they will make an average city
gaRin ashamed of himself. Hugh
Patton, n of the monitors, plays the
piano very we'll having picked the &c
complishment Up without any instruc-
ton. This Indian is a popularity In
Indian life. Some years ago he had
learnedthe English language and act
ed as an interpreter from that time till
the opening of the school, which he
entered, where he has since remained.
He discarded his Indian name and as
sumed an English one, and in the
three years has acquired a good Eng
lish education. He is of medium size,
rather dark, but with the appearance
of a student. He has done much to
induce his people to adopt civilization,
and is, of course, o warm friend Of the
school.
An advantage here is that the boys
and girls are in close proximity to
their relatives and friends, and are al
lowed to visit back and forth, which
could not be the case in a foreign
school. This is of double advantage,
for the educated children visiting their
parents, brothers and sisters tend to
raise them in the plane of civilization,
and the change on the reservation
during the last year is marked. The
boys are allowed to go home two
allowed to go and assist in planting
the crops. When they leave the
school they are given their Indian
clothes, but they aeve fail to return
wearing better or at least more ex-
pensive clothing than the school fur
nishes them.
At times the Indian boys are al
lowed to work on the fruit farms adj
joining the school, and they are given
their wages to spend as they please
They usually invest them in clothing.
and some of them have expensive
suits. They do their work we'll, and
their labor is preferred to that of the
Mexicans. When they are out work
ing this way, they not only earn the
wages, but they learn to depend uTaa
themselves.
This idea of the industrial branch
Of the school is the conception Of Pro-
fessor Rich. His theory is that it is
impossible to take a savage and 80
educate him in letters and science
that he will be able to successfully
take hold of any of the higher Eranck-
es in life, OF, in other words, that tits
impossible to make a Greek professor
out of a half-naked savage. But he
does argue that they can be made
good citizens, able to read and write,
and, more than all, to support them
selves by tilling the soil. After tha
point is reached they will rise higher
themselves and of their W inclinas
ton, until the last instinct of the saw
age will have disappeared.-St. Louis
Globe-Democrat.