Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-07-24

uTtSsts Hlhut IN pain style. Will Diut
duck suits for Sundays, Their hair
is neatly braided. usually in two
plaits. being very thick. and tied with
bright ribbons. The material for the
clothing is furnished by the govern
ment and is made up at the school.
There is a resident tailor assisted by
indian boys who are learning the
the girls. white she teaches them, in
urn. the art OF sewing.
Late ia the evening. which was Sat
iIdav. patty of Indians. the par
eats and relatives of some of tha chill
l'ep, visited the Fort. breaking the
iltnfe of night by their strange sing
.ng and monotonous music 1t Is not
uncommon for the Indians to visit
their children at the school. especial
" The Navaios. and they are enoour
aged to 20 So in order to gain their
good will aud secure larger attend
inoc of little ones for instruction Dur
ilg visit to the Kitchen where every
thinG Is spotlessly neat and clean, the
COX told us that as many as twenty
Navajo visitors have been at the
school at one time. pitching their tents
outside the grounds and remaining
four or FIVE days. taking their meals
in the dining room with the children.
They are very fond of wheat bread
and meat. especially mutton and
gravy. and eat heartily. The Indian
children are obedient and easily man
aged, doing everything they are
told. as far as they understand. Those
who are fun blooded Indians are much
easier to manage than the ones with
a mixture of Mexican blood.
At 6 o'clock in the morning bugle
blast sounded the morning call, re-
minding one of an army post. The
boys and girls do all the work in the
school buildings. The little white
beds in the long, airy dormitories are
all made by their occupants, whether
boys or girls. and everything looks
very neat and clean. Different chill
dren are detailed for the different de-
partments of work. The large boys
help on the farm and the girls In the
house. When there are not enough
large girls to fill the needs in the
kitchen boys are required to take
the vacant places. Children of both
sexes are sent out each year, well
equipped to earn a respectable living
in families. on ranches, and to take
up various branches of handicraft.
the chapel services are held at
1890 on Sunday morning. They are
entirely non-sectarian, and consist of
singing and "A little talk to the chill
dren The chapel is not large nor
richly furnished. but it is comforta-
bic and supplies the needs. Mr. Da-
Wis, the disciplinarian, leads the sing
ing. the organ music being furnished
by one of the lady teachers. sev-
eral familiar hymns were sung from
the Gospel Hymn Books, the lager
Indian boys joining with interest alt
zeal Mr.. Preston. the gardener,
talked to the children. taking a text
from the New Testament. and explain,
ing it in simple way which the
Youngest could understand. The chill
dren were very quiet and attentive
during the services. and when they
! were over. marched out in military
order. 1t was very interesting to
watch the faces and study the features
of these sons of American soil. and
try to predict what their future will
be. Some of them. doubtless. will
go back to their tribes, to their wig
vans and blankets and paint, forget
ting in large measure their early train
ling. Many Will continue to progress,
i,lt uft of lna
Union. worthy OF the government that
has educated them and fitted them to
take their places in the progressive
life of the world.
There is big hospital connected
with the school and trained nurses in
charge. Two children are at present
in its wards, one only slightly i'll, the
other boy of or s years seriously
| i'll of typhoid fever He is a deli
cate little fellow, and though every
effort is being made to restore him
to health his recovery is very doubt
| full. The Indians are inclined to be
consumptive. They understand the
disease and give up to it, making no
effort to throw it off When an In
dian child falls prey to any illness,
however slight, he loses all energy.
and can only with great difficulty be
aroused to take any exercise or do
anything to assist toward his own re-
oovery
Fort Lewis was formerly an army
post. and the old barracks and Off
cors' quarters are still in use for
school buildings. giving the place a
military appearance. few new
houses of brick, well ventilated. with
all modern conveniences and accom-
modations. have been recently erect
ed, and the instructors are hoping that
more will be put up in the near fu-
ture. Many of the Old army terms,
such as barracks. mess, quarters, etc,
are still used at the fort The grounds
are large and well suited to the needs
of the school. The teachers resi-
dences are substantial and comforta-
bile. though simply furnished. and
many have gardens and flower beds,
giving them a cheerful and homelike
appearance. Most of the teachers
are now away on their vacations, a
months leave with pay. being allow
ed by the government.
IL