Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1899-04-22
SATURDAY, APRIL q.
the OUAPAW SCHOOL.


An invitation the present week to
visit the Government schools seven
miles southwest of Baxter wac re.
ceived and accepted. Accordingly
Wednesday morning aboutso'c
the friend calling for me with
faithful steed, we were soon driving
south in the direction of what has
been known as the Quapaw Mission.
In due time we reached the end OF
our journey and the fret person we
met was a Baxter girl. We en-
quired for the superintendent and
found that he was In the field Civ.
ing directions about building q
fence.
AZ our friend was anxious to wis.,
q the kindergarten department, We
began our inspection 10 the pri-
mary room. There we found q
Hoosier, but not of the "Hoosier
School Master" kind. Her name
10 Miss Gertrude Bachelor. We
found her to be q perfect lady, cul-
tured and usiug pure English. She
was educated in her own state Uni
versity; then prepared herself in
the professional department for
specialist az kindergarten teacher,
her work was perfect-she is what
Professor Aggasiz used to call one
of Gods teachers.
The next department We visited
was Mrs. Lamar's room. She 10 no,
only q scholar, but q general, and
could be an orator equal to Henry
Clay-and of his style. Mrs. La
mar was educated Ia st. Louis.
where for 80 many years, Harris,
now at the head of our Bureau of
Education, president. She lie lady
of both broad experience and cul.
ture. Here we found two new
features In the Indian school. The
Kausas City Star 10 received about
noon and during the intermission
Mrs. Lamar culis from il all the I'M
portant news and on opening
school the current events of each
day in the worlds history 10 pre-
sented in the most fascinating
manner. The second new feature
wac literary society meeting every
two weeks conducted In accord.
ance with parliamentary rules and
regulations. This work would put
to shame the young peopleia many
larger places. ~ i;I,LHJ ~ >cJti
The third room was under the
charge of Miss Carrie N. Darnell,
another teacher of culture and 'ex.
perieuce. She was educated al
Baldwin, Kan, and then took a -four
year course at the State Normal al
Emporia. She has taught eight
years in the government service.
Prof. Lamar has made several
improvements during the short
time he has been at the head of the
institution. We would first note
that during all the years of the
school there has been no shop
where a board could be planed or
where a broken bolt could be
mended without going seven miles
to Baxter. His first work was to
improvise ut a very trifling ex-
pense both a carpenter shop and a
blacksmith shop. Another import
ant feature of the school empha-
sized by Prof. Lamar 10 the great
fact that no people can become
civilized without industry, hence
oue-half of their time 10 spent In
educating the hand and the other
half the mind. The habit of in
dustry is without a question the
most important habit a boy or girl
can ever form and this thought to
made visible every where In the
program of the school. Many other
schools might learn q few lessons
from those Indian children. There
was no careless work allowed upon
the blackboard; there were no dirty
blackboard or states; there were no
floors carpeted with waste paper
thrown there by the pupils; there
was no chewing gum found In all
those schools; every pupil was
clean and neat and had been taught
good manners.
The shades of night had mantled
the city when we returned but II
was q day of JOY we'll spent.