The San Francisco call., 1899-07-18
HUMAN NATURE
BOUND IN RED
Miss Ledyard'S Idea of
the Indian.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES. July r-'Indian ma
ture is human nature bound in red"
This quotation from well-known
writer was included in a paper that was
read this morning by Miss Mary Ledyard,
superintendent of the Los Angeles kinder
gartens, before the Indian teachers con-
vention at the Normal School Auditorium
The meeting was opened with prayer by
the Rev. Mr. Lippincott and a musical
programme formed a pleasing prelude to
the opening session.
Miss Ledyard's paper dwelt upon the
necessity of placing the little Indian chill
dren in the kindergartens. She drew at
tentton to the fact that the same degree
of advancement could not be expected
from the Indian child, taken only for a
short time from the reservation, as from
the white child that had been born and
nurtured under conditions of the highest
civilization. Said she:
1t has been said that the Indian race is dying
out, but the fact remains that we have 25O,OOO
native Americans on our Indian reservations.
Can Indians understand and appreciate truth?
By their fruits ye shall know them In one
year 624 Indians belonging to Congregational
missions in Dakota gave SlS56 for carrying the
gospel among their countrymen. At one Of
their last missionary societies they planned TO
Crows
The people of California should have a spe-
cial interest in the education and the elevation
OF their Indian neighbors.
Here Miss Ledyard spoke of the early
treaties with the red men of America and
OF the relation between the red men and
the white men of the West and said that
the profit of CiViliZing the Indian was not
only for the savage, but for the civilized
man as we'll
THE Indian is q creature of appetite" :"
she continued, "and is limited by customs
growing out of aboriginal experiences.
We change his surroundings and increase
| his temptations unless we give MIN the
restraining influence of a Christian edu-
cation"
The speaker said that, excepting certain
| degraded tribes, the capabiltty of the In
dian to learn civilized ways was beyond
doubt. Many had taken up land and a
large number paid taxes. AT least 1SO 900
were Self-suppOrting.
Miss Ledyard said that the cost of car
ing for a civilized Indian was much less
than that of caring for a savage Indian.
and for that reason alone 1t paid to edu-
cate Indian children. The child, she be-
lieved, should be given all possible in
struction that would lead 1t into life
of brighter civilization. Therefore It's edu-
cation should begin in the kindergarten,
so that its earliest impression might come
from the school where the ways of civil
lied people were taught
Miss Estelle Carpenter of San Francisco
spoke of the necessity of teaching music
to children.
Music" she said, touches the child's
nature as nothing else can. 1t should
| be taught for the sake of the control
which 1t gives over the voice, if for moth
ing else"
The conference was divided into sec
tions this afternoon and the different
studies that are taught at the Indian
schools were discussed
Among the prominent persons seated on
the platform this morning were Commits
sioner Edward A. Allen, superintendent
of the Indian schools at Albuquerque; c..
H. Asbury, Major R. H. Pratt of the Car
Isle School and DR.. Gates. president Of
the Board of Indian Commissioners.