The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-12-16
EDUCATING THE INDIANS.
sgsfIrS Ri0iy,i,0 10 SNOW ~
TUE ~ fHUIST
Ssrmrr savage. see the sspstiofit' owe"
h. Idscation , Ns'sIo'' rspre''
women Elevated a.. wsii q. Wen Iar'"'
Inin narhaII.n Nrhnnl GIadnatra

Los AyarLIs. cat. boo ID.1hs Naval
indian who died recently r"Ar dnllup, y NJ
and was found to have hcguoHthod Oh Do.
estate, consisting ~ wood Hrd sheep valued
At 92, ono, Tor tho .st,husamcu on III" Navajo
ssssr ation 81 n FREQ medical dis.cfssfy
which ho Intended Hs an nla IN 81 uneuishihs
cruel abor ginnl sIperautio0s In the trbs
has by this bcquost demonstrated "a many
white people tho de.rco ~ CiyIllIHfion That
some Indians In the Southwest hsvo attained
Tbis Navajo. John Boar by name. whs a iull-
bloodsd Indian. a grandson ~ the nsfcc old
sub-chief chavez. who led tho SayaJos when
they mu-srcrcd the white settlers IN San
Miguel Valley In northern New Mexico In
the autumn u 1864 lie VAS one of n dozen
children whom HE 'nther died his mother
and her half naked children ventoycr toward
Fort Wingute to live In a canon An Indian
agent at the fort observed tho boys bright
face and persuaded the squaw 10 let him
u party Of other Indian children
20 the Government school 1T Carlisle. Pa.
The Navajo hoy went last under the name
OF Um-kn-allo. but he was called John Bear
at Carlisle. Al the age u 10 he returned to
the reservation. a clearly. fine appearing,
tall. straight and ambitious young Indian
with n white mans education. The old
Indians received him coldly. and when It was
found that lie knew scarcely a word Of the
trlba tongue lie was a pariah among the
NavaJos. 1t Is a long story how for a con-
siderable time lie sought an occupation among
white men. but In vain. Notwithstanding his
zeal and education, and how 10 finally sue
ceeded and became tho most prosperous
Navajo Indian In ,estern New Mexico.
His chance came when lie rot q Job as vaqurro
for the big Valencia Cattle Company. He
worked hard and praCti ed his lessons ~
thrift. In a few years lie had a bunch 81
cattle Of his own. lie bought and sold molo
cattle and alwavs at a profit Less rrovident
Navajos sold him little punches - cattle
when they were hard up, and In half a dozen
years John Bear was a prosperous nan
He inherited q share Cf the Navajo rcserva-
ton. and. turning bis cattle into money.
invested II In n flock Of sheep In tine he
became an authority on grades Of wool in the
Navajo country. He kept a set Of account
books. had a bank account at Gallup. and did
business carefully. lie gave $1,000 a few
years ago toward building a new school on the
reservation. He provided for tho support
OF his aged mother and looked after the wants
OF the largo families belonging to his sisters
and brothers scattered over tho Navajo
reservation. lie was striker with pulmonary
disease a year ago. Al lie lay III In his cabin
he studied how his fortune might best bone
Mt the Navuos. the tTloai surersutons
seemed TO him the most serious barrier In the
way OF civllizinG the trlhe SO he beeueathed
al his estate Tor a iree inehosl dispensary.
which should combat the bsliof In witohcraft
And In devils as the causes OF disease
Perhaps there IL no subject more discussed
AMONG the white settlers IN the indian country
n - A.. H. .L. - a -. -4-N-
than the education OF lndian boys and girls.
Many sensible, hohest' patriouo cItlzens
living In New Mexico ana Arizona regard the
EDUCATION OF lnolan children according to
the white mans methods as worse than use
less The Government schools, say these
oriuo'. 0unht an lnolan youth Tor any use
fulness whatever. Nineteen Indians out Of
twenty lapse back into baroarism because
and clothes won't take the nature
out OF a true Indian. A graduate from Car
Isle. HASKELL. Phpnix or Albuquerque Is an
object OF contempt on the reservation. He
ls simply an edu Gated dude there. too clean
and civilized TO associate with his dirty.
and ignorant fellows. Besides.
his education units him for the hard. un-
pleasant manual labor that Indian laborers
do for white folks"
On the other hand. there are as many more
white settlers. equally sensible and practical.
who praise the splendid work OF educating
Ihe Indian youth. as now conducted In the
Indian schools. They point out how the
Pueblo tribes have become more moral owing
10 the teachings OF returned Government
school graduates; how the Navajos have
become a wonderfully thrifty people instead
the restless. sang Iinary tribe OF a genera
non ago because OF the leavsnina influence
lmons them OF young men and women from