The Washington times., 1901-08-19
THE INDIAN SCHOOL SERVICE.

One of the needs OF the Indian school
service has been a uniform course of
STUDY IN order that each school should
Know what to teach, and that pupils
| transferred from one Institution to an
other could be properly graded. Several
attempts have been made to fill this want.
Dut until the present time nothing on an
elaborate scale has been accomplished.
MISS Estelle Reel. National Superintend-
ent of Indian Schools. has now i'm the
hands of the printer a course which has
been pronounced by those who are an
thority on such matters, to be the best and
strongest ever devised for the peculiar
educational system of the Indian Office
The course treats of thirty-one subjects
and aside from the literary branches IL is
particularly strong along industrial lines
and embraces a course in agriculture,
baking, basketry. blacksmithing. earpen-
try. cooking. dairying. engineering, garden
ing, harnessmaking, housekeeping, laun-
dering, printing, painting, sewing. shoe
making, tailoring, and upholstering.
As the majority of the Indians will have
lands and prefer an outdoor life, they
will depend to a great extent upon the
soil for their livelihood Great stress Is
therefore. laid upon the Importance of
useful trades that everyone should know
In order to conduct farm economically
and successfully. Pupils finishing this
course Will be fitted to take charge OF the
allotment the Government has given them,
to shoe their horses. build their houses,
barns and fences, mend their shoes. har-
ness and implements, all of which is very
necessary. as many miles often separate
L. tfny
A thorough course in domestic science
and domestic art is also outlined and the
girls are fully trained in all that is re-
CURED to make them economical and in
dustrious homemakers.
Miss Reel is endeavoring to revive or
preserve the art of basketry, and has
Incorporated in her course chapter on
this work Basketry has been carried
on from time immemorial by various
tribes. and few people have reached the
perfection attained by the Indian in this
Industry. 1t is an art not learned in a
day, and Miss Reel is endeavoring to pre-
serve it by placing the old Indians. who
alone understand it. in the schools as
Instructors Thus will the old people of
the tribe be made to feel that they are
not useless, and the business of basket
knowledge to push the sale of products.
Will open another avenue toward making
the Indian self-supporting
During Miss Reels three years expert
e'ice do superintendent OF lHuidn SCHOOLS
she has spent a great deal of the time
in the field acquainting herself. by per-
sonal observation. with the needs of the
Indian and of Indian school service, and
the course now in preparation will en-
body the IDEAS cleaned from this prac-
teal experience, together with the views
of the various superintendent and Indian
workers of the United States, many of
whom have spent a score of years in the
work. and will demonstrate the sound
ness of her desire to become acquainted
with the work in all its details before
attempting to place on paper rules for
the guidance of teachers and others EN-
pioyed at the schools. This is the first
course of study in book form. and the
most comprehensive ever prepared for
the Indian schools.