The daily morning Alaskan., 1901-11-15
A SHOCKING
 CHARGE
Child Marriage Is Practiced
 In Alaska
Presents As Piiful Picture AS Evsr Camo From Heathon India Botrothais Arc Even Made In Infancy Days

Frances II. Willard. a native of Alaska. Nho Is we'll known has written an inter estiny letter concerning Alaskan boys and girls In school. which Is now Issued ln lcaflet form by the literature depart mcnt of the womcn's Board Of Home Missions of the Presbyterian church. Fol lowing are extracts:
 "ln no other place In Southeastern Alaska is there gathered SO large a num- Der If native children as may be found in our training school In Sltka. The Sit ka Training School is familiar name ln tho homes of many Christian people In the United States
 "lt costs about NOO to feed. clothe. care for and educate an Alaskan child at our school Many of the pupils here arc or phans. or arc those whose parents are not capable of caring for them. The In lustrial Training School Is more than It's namc implies. it K an orphanagc and res cue home as we'll. During the days when Uitchcraft was openly practiced by these people. time after time were children res cucd by the school from the hands Of their tormcntors or would-bc murdercrs
 
 law of succession. as practiccd by the Nloskans. presents as pltiful a picture as our foreign missionaries find in India. Sometimes children are betrothcd In in- fancy. and marriages are contracted early which are cause of much misery among these people Not lnfrcqucntiy the young girls seek protection. and find it. in our school
 "An thc pupils over 10 or i2 years of age attend school a holf day only. The schoolrooms are in the girls hall Last Winter. Co make room for the primary .ulc. the boys sitting room was con v,rtcd Into schoolroom. There are about iso children here. 70 of them being -irls The majority of the pupils are small The industrial shops are small and cau accommodate only a lmltol number at time. There are between eight and tcu boys in thc carpentry class. Thcso roys do an the repairing and building that Is done here Tho boys make all the shoes for the school.
 ''Icsidcs the instruction that they rc- c,lys in the domestic science kitchen. the girls take turns in working In their own kitchen. Herr the food ls cooked on such D mammoth scale that the Knowledge rUucd Is ot li''lc practical value. To supplement- this two girls are chosen eve -y month Co assist In the teachers kltch- cn. 10 Is hero that the girls get heir real working knowledge of cooking. House keeping is a sort Of Instinct with women and girls in general Not SO with the rcal Alaskan woman. This K not to be wondered at In their own homes they do not even wash the dishes, if thcrc are my. Usually the meal is contained In one pot or vessel. The family. old and young. dogs and an. seat themselves on the floor in ring. with the pot in the center. and. each armed with spoon. proceed with the serious business of cat- Ing According Co Alaskan etiquette, it Is .mnnlitc Co laugh or talk while eating. The meal finished the spoons are thrown iu a pot. the pot left on the floor by the fire. until such time as it win he needed again. when it may bc washed or not as suits the pleasure of the cook pro tenn. often the father or other male member win do aI the cooking. As the family live us1ully in one room, dirt and refuse accumulate rapidly. and very little at- trmnt is made at houscclcaning.
 Not long ago missionary had occa- sion Co visit the homes of some of the more civilized Tllngits at sitka. In one house the family was not at home. There was young woman there, however. who informed the missionary that "thc people in here are not clean. They think they arr. if they sweep their house out after ihc dirt has accumulated SO that it has fo bc shoyclcd ont | worked for white woman who made me wipe the chairs every day. when couldn't see any dirt on them Now I call that clean. These people arc not clean" So housekeeping and cooking is % hard science for our si-ie The rcnl forte of the Alaskan wo- man is sewing. She can become and is an cxu,rt needle woman. From the delicate bead embroidery to the fashioning of garments they are a success. Our girls ,.ut and sew their own dresses and aprons They lil,c this kind of work.