The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-12
Miss Reefs Report On the Indian
Schools.
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
REDSKINS SHOULD BE TAUGHT
HOW To WORK.
Indian Girls Learn Housekeeping
and the Boys Become Farmers and
Artisans - Many Tribes Are
Strongly Opposed to Education
Few Graduates Return to Old Life.

Washington, Dec. u.-Niss Reel, super
intendent of Indian schools, in her an
nuas report, makes a strong plea for the
industrial feature of educational work
among the Indians. Miss Reel, who was
formerly land commissioner as well as
superintendent of public instruction for
the state of Wyoming, is the frst woman
who has been at the mead OIL the govern
ment Indian school service. In her report
The government has upon it's various
reservations about $50 day and p0arding
schools in which there are over 20V0
teachers employed. For these teachers
several Institutes We're held last summer
and fall. in some of the western states.
the majority of which the superintendent
conducted, inaugurating number or IN
novationS, chief among winch are the re-
quiring of actual work to be done IN the
teaching of sewing, cooking, house work,
etc. Garments were made by the teach
ers who are required to teach sewing in
the schools, and matrons and nurses were
shown how to take the ration list pro-
vided by the government ana prepare
wholesome and varied bill Of fare Tor
every day in the week; physicians con-
ference was held and nurses instructed
how to use small remedies. Manual train
ing was also strongly emphasized.
1.-THE government has not as yet
adopted compulsory measures Tor the
education of the Indian children, and the
fact is that the dark-skinned sons OF the
readily. Some reservations Withhold the
rations until the parents place their chllu-
rem in the schools and, so strong is the
opposition to this that in many cases
they have held out against it until their
families were on the verge OF StarVaton
But this feeling is not general, and DUR
ing the past year the attendance per-
centage was very fair.
In the reservation schools the work IS
divided between The hours of study and
industrial duties. The girls are taught
aside from the common school prancnes,
boys farming and the ordinary industrial
arts. Besides these reservation schools
others teach the higher branches of the
graduated a large number Of their pupils.
of whom but comparatively few have re
turned to their old manner of living, while
the great majority are making gooa CIT AT.
Improvement, and the aims of the young
Indian must be made higher; he must be
brought into touch and kept in contact
with our civilization. Where tribes OF
Indians have been surrounded by a good
class of white settlers. the debasing eff
fects of camp life have been ended.
1.-The placing of Indian boys and girls
at service in families of farmers, al
though for a few months only-the girls
instructed in the practical economy OF
the family life, the boys in farming,
gardening, stock-raiSing, etc.-haS met
with abundant success at Carlisle, where
the plan originated.
Industrial education and the necessity
of furnishing employment for the Indian
student uDon his return from school are
dwelt upon. Compulsory education and
more attention to manual training are
strongly urged,
II desire to emphasize the statements
of numerous Indian educators, that IN
dustrial training should have the fore
most place in Indian education for it is
the foundation upon which the govern
ment's desire for the Improvement of the
Indian is built. The consensus of opin-
ion of the superintendents, at the last
summer schools, shows that too little at
tention is paid to this field of labor and
it was insisted that larger facilities for
workshops and teachers be provided, thai
this work upon which the civilization Of
the race depends may not suffer.
industrial training should be in a line
with the work that students will find on
their reservation, and should tend 10
teach them to become self-supporting
The backbone of an education is the abil-
ity to do something. A large majority
of the Indians must labor with theiI
hands, and the methods adopted should
be those which teach him how to dc
that, and to enable him to understand
existing conditions and to adapt himself
to his surroundings"
Miss Reel also pleads for industrial ed
ucatinn for young women, on the theory
that when you civiliZe the wife, you
civilize the home and that sewing
cooking and a course of economic house
keeping shall be leading factors in every
Indian girls education.