The Portland daily press., 1899-01-10
NELLIE TWO BEARS.
Education OF an Indian Princess and
her Relapse into Barbarity.

St Paul, Mimi, Jan, A man who
has had wide experience in trying to
make the Indian civilized by education.
and who is not hostile entirely to the
ideas inculcated at Carlisle and Hampton,
has this to say about the fate of the
youth who forget their teachings and be-
come savages again:
ut is our belief that the educated
yout his should not be sent back to their
people to aid In educating them into
white mems ways, because they fail ut
terly and always in TO doing. We are OF
the opinion that the boys and girls OF
Indian blood should have homes found
for them in the Eastern and Middle States
where il course of few generations they
would be- absorbed. II separate allot-
ments of lands to the Indians generally
is a good thing, segregation OF the tDdi-
viduni and removal from nomadic life
altogether would be better.
when asked to give reasons for these
beliefs we point to the Apache Kid, TO
the history Of scores OF Pupils from
famous schools. to the conduct OF gradu-
ates during the ghost dances and mt
Wounded Knee. to the rovertal to barbar-
ism of hundreds Of women who bau
special educational and domestic ndvant-
ages by the eohoois, to the misery Of inter
marriages between educated lnoiaiis and
whites, and TO the lack Of evidence of the
working of the alleged leaven of educa-
ton in leavening the lump of aboriginal
ignorance. inhumanity and unthritt
"One instance of complete return TO
aboriginal manners, mode of thought and
disgrace OF living which came within my
knowledge may serve TO point moral
When years old, Nellie Mat -nopah (Iwo
Bears, daughter of the principal and
hereditary chief of the great Sioux tribe
known as the Lower Yanktonais, was
sent, Ter father ooncurring, to "A Catholic
school In st. Joseph. Mo. She was a
bright girl, with other claims than birth
to the title of Princess, and rapidly nc
quired good knowledge not only OF
english, but OF French, while in needle
work and house ifely gifts she displayed
an aptitude that oheered the hearts of the
gentle sisters, her teachers, and led them
TO hope that arrived Pat woman's estate
Nellie would well repay their care and
toll by the influence she would exert
among her people.
when she reached the age Of Is, and
af ter more than eleven years In the con-
vent, and among the whites flor she was
not allowed, foI reasons that seemed good
to visit her people during her education
Nellie was told that the time had come
lOr ner 10 repay tno slhtSrS anu prlcses she
loved for ali they had dons for her behalf,
and that hereafter she must live with her
own kindred and seek 10y example and
preoept to wean the from their savaRery
10 proper modos of living. The young
woman wept bitterly. pleaded hard to be
allowed to stay In the convent as teach
or, pointed out how distastefut the coarse
life OF the tepee would be to one who
knew so we'll the amenities OF life, and
urged, further. that from what she knew
OF her tribe. she would not be welcome
should she try TO induce them 10 adopt
the customs Of the whites But her tt ach-
ers were firm, and properly 50, since II
had been u condition precedent with her
father--an enlightened chief. so far as his
on environments would permit-when he
permitted her to gu to ot. Joseph. that
when she had completed her course OF In