Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-12-29
INDIAN SCHOOL EXHIBITION.
Fine Program Successfully Carried Out
Last Night by the Children Before An
Appreciatiye Audience,

hppI6CldIlVo huuleuCt'
Some SO or 20 to~wnspeople went out
to the Indian school last night in at
tendance on the holiday exhibition
given by the pupils and they We're very
much pleased with their trip, to say
nothing of the impression on theil
minds of the fact that those Indian
children are susceptible of such a civ
Liking as white people have not beer
wont to credit them with. The large
hall was comfortably filled with the pu-
pills, instructors and employees and the
visitors, and the general conduct of the
exercises showed manifestly enough
that these children are fully capable of
entering into the enjoyments and intel
ligence of the children of the Anglo
Saxon race.
The evening opened with the regular
ly prepared program, as follows: Mu-
sic by the band; drill by Is little girls;
chorus by Is selected pupils; recitation
by Miss Ollie Walker; Brownie chorus
by selected ensemble of Is voices; dia-
logue, "Courtship Under Difficulties
selection by the orchestra; recitation
by Miss Mary Price; piano duet by two
Indian girls; scene in Cuba during the
late war: vocal duet, two Indian girls;
a fishing scene, comic; pickaninny cho-
rus by six little Indian girls; selection
by the orchestra. The band music was
by the military band organized from
among the Indian boys, and they tool
hold of their work as though they en-
joyed it. If there were funds to meet
the expense, it would be profitable to
double the size of the band and put
the boys under a special course of in
struction with a view to performance
Of an high order of music such as the
concert bands of the country are play
ing. If the Filipinos can play the
most difficult music in their concert
bands, there is no reason why the
American Indian should not be suscep-
tible of the same development. The
orchestra, while not so far along as
the band, demonstrated the fact that
the Indian can be made to appreciate
stringed music and do well with proper
teaching. The drill by Is little girls
was given in a pleasing unison that
would have taken any military eye and
was another eye-opener for the visit
ors. The choruses We're deservedly well
received, the Brownie chorus especially
capturing the house. There We're Is lit
tie girls acting as Brownies and the
vim and cuteness with which they act
ed out their parts spoke worlds for the
capacity of the Indian child to enter in
to the white child's fields of activity.
The ~pickaninny chorus vas very cute,
and the visitors enjoyed it immensely.
Then the dialogue of courtship under
difficulties was another excellent piece
of characterization hat showed the In
dams ability to enter the histrionic
field and do well. The Rotations by
Misses Walker and Price reflected
great credit both on the speakers and
their instructors, and We're duly appre-
ciated by the audience. The piano duet
to, was most pleasing to the audience
and the vocal duo, also, was deservedly
well received. The boy who acted the
fishing scene entered fully into the
comic spirit of the number, and the
scene in Cuba showed that the two boys
who acted it appreciated the fact that
there We're some comic scenes in the
late war as well as more sorrowful
ones.
One thing was made manifest that
has not been appreciated before, viz.
that the Indian has capabilities of eX-
preston as well as anybody. The ex-
cellent character of the school admins
tration was evident, and it could be
easily seen that the guiding hand in the
conduct of the school was directed by a
mind of high order, and one that fully
comprehended the difficulties to be met
with in educating the Indian, and how
these difficulties could be the most sue
c~essfully overcome. There is no doubt
but that the Santa Fee Indian school
can hold it's own with the best Indian
schools in the country. After the on
clusion of the exercises, there was a
fine collation. served to the visitors by
the employees Of the institution, and the
visitors We're fully equal to the occa-
sion.