Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-06-20
INDIAN PROGRESS IN THE WEST.

He Should be Educated.

He Should be Educated.
Mary Atwood Harding in Country
Gentleman-It is customary for the
western ranchers to ridicuie the inter
est and sympathy always shown by
travellers in the Indian. But the IN
tuition OF the tourist-called by the
residents superficial observation-is
right. whereas the resident, taking note
mostly OF their weak points and max
ing no allowance for their past mode
OF life and their present environments,
judges his red brother too severely.
No uncivilized race answers as readily
and creditably TO education as the red
man. One has but TO recognize that
they need stimulation and guardian
shin 10 solve the difficulty of the In
diar's lack OF ambition and his So
called Iaziness. As has often been
observed they are but grown-up chill
dreu. They are about as ignorant or
the value Of money as they were in the
DAYS OF selling their land. when they
had Il TO sell. for yards of calico and
a few hatchets. II does not seem pos
sible that they can ever be made COM
mercial people, but something must be
done with them in that line. They can
net live a life apart-it is not for their
good: they must make part of the ma
ton. Some one must labor with them
along the lines in which they are de-
flcient They are keen in some ways
that will serve them well when they
come to compete and mingle with the
whites. Watch an Indian as he In
tently studies the face of the person
with whom he is talking. He is judg-
ing his character.
Why should the Indians be other
than they are? Why should they be
ambitious and wish to live after our
methods when no attempt is made TO
convince them of the desirability Of
such a course2 Where the attempt has
been de-cOnscientiously and with
.understanding-the result has been
satisfactory.
II is possible TO trace the evolution
Cf the Indian. One has but TO study
the changes going on under western
ewes along with the old usages and
STYLES OF living even now prevailing,
making comparison easy. When Cali
fornia was discovered. the native In
idans were found TO be OF the lowest
type. and in different sections of the
state. in Arizona and in New Mexico,
the Indian can still be found with no
ideas beyond mere living, and filthy. liv-
ing at that Then there are those re-
siding in the vicinity OF white people
who dress in a halfway decent man
T. ner. sell baskets and pottery. and have
a glimmering of the desirability or
progress. Another class are the de-
scendants Of those whom the Spanish
mission priests labored with while
they possessed the country. They show
the effects Of faithful but restricted
methods. No ambition or energy re-
suits. Then come the Indians of the
letter reservations who have the beau
ties CT Nature about them, acres that
they call their own. attractive school
houses and intelligent agents. The
agents. instructors and matrons, IL
they do their duty, will show the par
ents what effect decent surroundings
and good example have without intel
\ lectual knowledge. They will impress
upon the children the comforts and
success to be gained through educa-
I ton. and instill a desire TO enter the
busy world and compete with others.
Last come the pupils of the big govern
ment schools. who have almost all the
advantages of the public and boarding
schools. and whose appearance and
attachments silence all criticism.
Given teachers who realize that life
is spiritual and the mind can form II,
and the Indians nature now un-
u ~ 90 -gv