Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-28
WHITE MANS CHANCE
That is What the Indian is to
Have.
GOVERNMENT POLICY
TO EDUCATE HIM AND MAKE HIM
sELF-sUPPoRTING.
School superintendent Instead of
Agents-Civilizing Processes
Learning English.

Learning English.
The governments new Indian policy Is
designed to effect mutual benefits to Poor
Lo and the pale face. In the first place,
the days of the Indian agent have been
numbered, and his authority is being grad
ually vested in the school superintendent
In the second place, rations and other sup
ports or gratuties are no longer to be given
to able-bodied, young and middle-aged red
SKINS Rather than treated as paupers,
they are now to be assisted in obtaining
work.
The school superintendent already being
substituted for the Indian agents, hitherto
appointed mostly for political purposes,
must be bonded. They are appointed
through civil service examination and their
tenure is during good behavior. Statistics
show, on the other hand. that the average
length Of service of Indian agents Is only
three years and four months, and expert
erce in the past has proven that the policy
of practically every new agent has peen
to inaugurate new methods. not given an
opportunity of thorough trial before the
expiration of his four years term and the
swearing in of his successor. Ihus nave
occurred series after series of experiments,
| the chief sufferer by such frequent changes
being the Indian himself.
Each agency is to be subdivided into
small communities, the seat of government
| so TO speak-of each being the government
| training school of the locality. The heads
| of these schools become the legates OF the
| Great Father in Washington. Each SUI
perintendent will have a less number OF IN
dams to control than an agent, ana Is
therefore enabled to give more undlvldeu
! attention to the Indians surrounding ms
| school. Each Indian, therefore. Is under
| the watchful eye of one permanent rune
| tionary of the government from the time
| he is born until school begins, throughout
| his entire schooling on the reservation anu
| after he returns home to work OUT ms oWi w
| destiny His education is therefore TO De
| continued on his own farm or in her own
| home.
Rations for Inf1rm Only.
| Small rations of flour, beef and salt are to
| no given to the aged and infirm Indians
only. BY the issuing of regular rations
| the payment of annuitfes and grass
| funds" the government hitherto has re-
| moved the red mans incentive TO WORK
| 1t has given him that for which the white
the black and the yellow man has had TO
| toll early and late. Says w. "A. jones'
| commissioner of Indian affairs:
| There are only two phases or the IN
| dian question:: One, that the American IN
I dian shall remain in the country as sur
| yiyal of the aboriginal inhabitants, STUDY
| of the ethnologist, toy for the tourlst,
| yagrant at the mercy of the state and
continual pensioner upon the bounty of
| the people. the other that he shall be edu-
| Gated to work, live and act as reputaoIe
| moral citizen. and thus become se1-sup-
| porting useful member of SOCIETY,".
| Our picturesque aborigines are decreas-
! ing at the rate of 21s per cent per decade.
| There now are only about 26OooO lett WITH
in our boundaries, exclusive OF Alaska
| These are costing $S50o,OO0 year
So, SOC, 900 for schooling. -.
| The FiIipinos have made more progress
lin in Si
| guardianship than did the Indians IN me
| first century of our national history, Inc
| early missionaries were the first lndian
| educators About 1852 two Indian youths
| were maintained at public expense at the
| College of William and Mary, in virginia.
| To assist in the educational work OF the
missionaries, small pubic approl,lId ti ION.
| were made as far back as 17!5 and even
| before the revolution After that strug-
! gle one of the first treaties MADE WIN
the Indians provided that the United states
| should employ one or two persons TO keep
| in repair certain mills to be built for the
| Indians and to instruct some young men OF
| the Three Nations in the arts of the miller
and sawyer. Later from time to tune vari-
| Gus appropriations were made. but it was
| not until 1876 that a continuous system OF
| appropriation for an Indian school service
was inaugurated The next year III people
were employed to teach the Indians. To-
day the force is about 5000
The Civilizing Process.
The process of converting wild Indians
into Industrious citizens is to be further
ifaproved by Commissioner Jones through
nav rules which will provide for the start
ing Of all young children directly at the
40 day schools scattered about on the
reservations and erected near the various
Indian camps. Each day school Is under
a man teacher whose wife. ofhciaily known
as "housekeeper," supervises the domesuc
elevation of the girl pupils. From the
dav schools, the young Indians are to be
advanced directly to the 81 reservation
boarding schools, also near the CAMPS
where the Indian parents live and where
they can see their youngsters often. These
reservation day and boarding schools arc
irclueed under the small community plan
OF bringing also the adult red man into
| c-cser contact with the white teacher
n atron farmer, mechanic, etc. employed
at The boarding schools.
| Remaining in the reservation boarding
school until the sixth grade, the young
Indians fit for higher education are to &c
directly to the twenty-six non-reserva-
ton boarding schools, situated far from
the reservation and near our great CEN
tiers of population. The largest OF these
non-reservation boarding schools Is thai
at Carlisle Pa, with an enrolment OF
more than 1000 Indians. Both types OF
!: boarding schools employ. besides super.
intendents, matrons, assistant matrons
Industrial teachers, sc. Under the pres
ent system too many children are ap-
| pointed directly to the boarding schools
| whereas SuCn advancement Ut
gradual and in the nature of promotion.
Indian Teaching Indian.
; About $4,000 pupils are enrolled in the
. government schools of different cate.
. gories Their teachers and instructors
: are appointed through civil service. ant
. among this force are now included %;
Indians, drawing salaries above $500
!: Twenty of these serve as clerks. one as
physician, thirteen as diSciplinari anS
sixty-nine as teachers, forty-two as ma
| irons and housekeepers, and many others
as assistant matrons, nurses. seamstress
. es, laundresses, industrial teachers cook:
and bakers farmers, blacksmiths and car
penters, engineers, tailors shoe and har
ness makers, gardeners and dairymen.
: The school buildings represent an in
. vestment of $6,O0000O, but the majority
are dilapidated, many of them abandoned
. army posts. The day schools near the In
. | dian camps are growing in Importance
| their success depending upon the gradua
. advancement of the parent whether he o.
. | she will encourage the youngsters to tax,
. the first plunge into citizenship ant
: higher civilization. These day schools ar,
: seen at their best on the Pine Ridge an,