The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-13
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

collection of baskets gathered by Miss
Estelle Reel, Superintendent Of Indian
Schools. during a trip through the South
ern Indian reservations she has just COM
pleted, is remarkable because Of the beau
ty Of form, design. and Coloring that the
individual pieces present. The collection
is almost entirely the work of old men
and women-not of the scholars now be
ing taught in the schools. Some of the
specimens are evidently of great age, per
haps fifty or seventy-five years old, and
a majority We're made certainly not less
than twenty-five years ago So fine and
smooth in texture are they. so closely
are the strands woven, SO accurately are
the designs carried out that the art Of
discriminating and decoration seems to
have been completely mastered by the In
dian. Each piece Of work has upon 1t
designs which have a special meaning,
and almost every mark is a symbol with
some relation to the social life of the red
man.
Not content with tllz simple beauty they
could obtain by weaving into the texture
of the basket primitive forms, the In
dams have in some of their more beauti-
full productions resorted to the use OF
feathers. The most common decoration
with feathers is made by weaving in with
the strands Of grass the brighter plumage
of birds in such way that the upper
rows Of the basket are covered with
gay cOIOred fuZZ- In the more deliberately
made pieces feathers are used in pro-
fusion and completely cover from view
the woven part of the basket, making It
appear almost like the breast Of bird
The baskets are beautiful for their form
as well as the splendid workmanship Of
the weaving and fine decoration.
Discriminating of this sort is confined
almost entirely to the old Indians who
have never attended the schools The
agency schools do not teach the art, and
in fact have looked down upon it, pre-
ferring to give the time to the study of
algebra and Latin. Miss Reel is now en-
deavoring to work a change in these
methods, and to have some attention Civ
en- in all the schools to basket-making.
She hopes to get old Indian squaws, who
are adopts in the art, for teachers in the
schools, and in this way TO perpetUate the
natural art of the nation.
Miss Reel is preparing an exhibit of IN
dian school work for the meeting Of the
National Educational Association at De
tTOIt in July She has many specimens Of
drawing and water color work that bear
out in their excellence the statement that
IS work also from the domestic depart
meHts of the schools. including lace and
embroidery TWO remarkably fine pieces
Of embroidery in the form Of CentrepieceS
were made in Phoenix, Ariz., and were
intended to be presented to Mrs. Mckin-
ley had she been able to visit the school
there They viii form part of the exhibit
ton at Detroit
An auction sale is being held in the
northwest corner lawn of the Interior De-
paTtment. On the grass are spread out
in most conspicuous and unordered IA
shIon an assortment of articles great and
small that would puzzle even a profess
siJuaI junk dealer to think of some use to
which many Of them could be put. The
piles Of old things are partly the result
of the years wear and tear and bTeakage
in the entire Interior Department and
partly the result of the moving Of the
Land and Indian Offices to the building
across the street, which began a couple
of years ago The process Of removing
papers and furniture, books and files has
gone on steadily during the two years.
and now the shelves, and cabinets. which
are empty, are being put up at auction
The opportunity is ripe for all sorts Of
bargains, and the man first on she field
viii be able TO pluck many valuable
pIuns. IF you have a leaning toward the
collection Of ancient furniture you viii
find much that is desirable there. You
viii have ample opportunity to invest in
revolving chairs. which are possessed OF
only three legs where they originally had
four and are minus both bottom and
back spring rollers and screw Piled up
in a heap in one curner~Of the lawn are
half hundred Of these. and you can have
your pick probably for moderate price
Ordinary chairs which are minus rungs
and legs are IN another pile. a tempting
spectacle for the auCtiO3-baTgain hunter.
Desks, in all stages OF cdlapidation, type
writer desks. TOll-t0p desks. fiat-tOp desks.
and desks with no tops at all, are stand
ing about ready 10 be pat up for sale. If
you have any need for q secondhand wa
ter cooler that has long since passed its
period Of usefulness by reason of its be-
II.S lcaky and rusty. You can MI that need
q hundred times over