Evening journal., 1903-11-09
SCHOOL LIFE IN TENTS
Scheme In Arizona to Build Up
Health Of Delicate Boys.
OUTDOOR WORK MIxBDwITHsTUDY

Hunting and Camping some of the
Features OF an Institution which
Is Called a "Prepv school In the
Open.
Prep" school in the open-each
young fellow possessing his own tent,
horse. seven dogs. if SO inclined; study
punctuated with hunting and camping
trips TO the mountains, mines, Indiap q
reservations, steer tying and branding
contests. prehistoric ruins and the big
horse ranches, almond orchards and
orange groves that are marked features
Of the Salt river valley, Arizona-this
is the latest addendum to the popular
desert camp life which is proving such
a boon to people who need the outdoor
living to build them up. says a dispatch
from Tucson to the st. Louis Post-Dis-
patch.
Boys temporarily disabled by over
zeal in study or athletics; pale, weak
and anamic, yet anxious to keep up
their class work, have found an al
fresco school life where development Of
Drawn goes on with that OF the brain
an attractive and delightful prescrlp-
tlon for "how to get strong and be
cOntented while getting so.
One of the young fellows, just out OF
high school. who went last year from
the east profited so well by his years
experience in self reliance and the abil-
ity to fend for himself that at the close
Of the school year in May last he started.
with only his saddle and pack horses
for company. for the long overland trip
across the desert. through the range"
country and over the Rockies TO Den
yer. cooking and caring for himself on
the way. He returns this fall-brown,
robust keen witted-ready for another
year that will fully re-estnblish his
health and at the same time finish his
| preparation for one Of the eastern col
leges.
The mise en- scene Of this queerest Of
schools is an interesting one. 1t is
situated on the very edge Of the desert,
near the little city of Mesa, which was
first reclaimed from purely desert
about twenty-five years ago by the
Mormons, who were the pioneers in
opening up these pleasant lands to civ
uization. On the east are the Super.
stition hills. around which cluster so
many Indian legends and so many tales
Of lost mines OF toward the north
rise the Mogollon and San Francisco
\ ranges, and in the distance Four Peaks
looms up, whose snow clad SUBMITS
are the rancher's weather bureau
which he consults to ascertain wheth.
er the valley is to have a plentiful sup
ply Of water. Nearer by is the red
Mountain of Mcdowell. where Genera
Crook and his followers fought and
finally overcame the wild Apaches, anC
to the south Twin Buttes and the dis
tant hills Of Sacaton.
For the boy with Archaeological or eth
biological predictions this section OF
. fers a fascinating field for private ez
ploration and study. In every direction
rise well defined prehistoric mounds
filed with countless pieces of pottery
broken to be sure. but with colors an,
, patterns perfectly bright and clearly
defined; shell and bone amulets. arrow
. points of obsidian and flint. bits o
turquoise. charred corncobs and ston'
implements galore-all relics of tina
skillful industrious. provident race tina
dwelt in southern and central Ari2on,
centuries ago, but vanished. leaving NJ
history Of where it came from or thu
cause Of its disappearance. Here, too
are the pictured rocks, their color
still as fresh as when the prehistoric
{ artist depicted on these tables OF stone
strange birds and animals long since
: extinct.
3 Five miles away lies Los Muertos
the fields Of the dead. partially un
earthed by the Gushing expedition ir
1889. This was one OF the largest OF
these ancient cities whose population
prior possibly to the pharaohs or Ro
, man kings. has been estimated at more
than G5.OOO. All about in the deser
{ are the ruined corals or stock pens II
which the llamas and other animals o.
the inhabitants were kept, while thu
} irrigating canals still in use are th'
splendidly built prehistoric ones, sim
ply cleaned out and repaired by thu
thrifty ranchmen of today.