The Jersey City news., 1906-03-10
Liberal Policy Has Peen
Adopted By the Govern
ment In Educating Poor
I.o
PREPARING FOR CITIZENSHIP
EIGHT OF THE NINE MISSION
SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN ARE,
CONDUCTED BY THE BUREAU
OF CATHOLIC INDIAN MISSIONS

adopted by the government in its educar
fional treatment of the Indians. says the
Washington correspondent of the New
ark Evening News" The work Of the
public schools is ably supplemented By
the numerous mission schools maintained
in Indian communities by several church
denominations. In the Indian Territory
this policy finds its extreme in the fact
that there are numerous public schools
for Indians and none for white children.
This is one of the flaws in the system
that viii be cured by Statehood for Ok
lahoma
The largest governmental institutions
are the non-reseryation boarding schools.
which are outside the Indian reserya-
tions. There are twenty-five of these,
with an enrolment last year of $3.50 pu-
pills. The largest is the school at Car
isle, Pa. which had an enrolment of
l coo young Indian pupils. On the res
eryations the government maintains nine
ty-tllree boarding schools, which last
year had an enrolment of II ,402 pupils
and an average attendance of 10000.
The day schools, though. are the out
posts of Indian civilization. It is through
them that the ideas of better living, bet
ter morals and batter habits are carried
directly home to the old people of the
tribes. just as the day schools of our
States and cities make home missionaries
of the children of our alien inha abianfs
There are 139 of these government day
schools among the Indians, and they had
last year an enrolment of 1880 and an
| average attendance of 3.271 The dis
crepancy between the enrolment and att
tendance in these schools shows strongly
the disadvantages under which educ
tional work among the Indians $ carried
on The old Indians. unedueated them
selves, do not readily comprehend the
value Of education for their children. aud
when they do understand it in some de-
gree, cannot readily be made TO raiiize
the necessity for regular attendance al
school.
Contracts are mode by the government
for the education of Indian children in
nine mission schools, of which eight are
conducted by the Bureau of Catholic In
dian Missions and one by the Board of
Lutheran Indian Missions. There were
935 pupils IN these schools last year, for
whose instruction the government paid
| $102, ,TSO. In addition to these contract
mission schools, 1858 Indians were en-
rolled in thirty-nine other mission board
ing and six-day schools conducted by re-
Hgious organizations. While the indus
trial features of the mission schools are,
usually, less prominent than in the gov
ernment schools, and more effort is spent
in religious and UNCONVENTIONAL instruc-
ton, the mission schools are encouraged
by the Indian authorities as doing good
work.
OF the ffty-four mission schools. in
cluding the contract schools, thirty-six
are maintained by the Catholic Church.
FIVE by the Presbyterian. four by the
Episcopal. three by the Lutherans and
one each by the Reformed Presbyterians,
Congregationalists Evangelical Luther
ans, Methodists and Baptists. The two
other schools included in this classifca-
ton, and maintained by contract and
voluntary contributions, are the Lincoln
institution in Philadelphia. where there
are forty-fve Indians enrolled, and the
Hampton Normal and Agricultural In
stitute, at Hampton, Va, which last
year had 125 Indian pupils enrolled
There has been considerable coptro-
versy over. the government contracts for
Indian education in sectarian schools.
The agitation against this system Of pub
lie aid to religious denomiational irst-
tutiops was so widespread that the apr
propriations were cut off and the con-
tracts discontinued in 1901 The Indians
themselves. however, wanted the contract
plan continued, and last year it was re
established, the money to pay for tho
instruction being taken from the trust
fumes of the tribes for whose education
it is used. As it is now. the Indians are
really paying for their own instruction il
these denominational schools. out Of tbe'l
own funds. 50 that there isn't much rea
sonable grounds for objection.
S~
TO CURE A COLD IN oNEDAT