New-York tribune., 1907-12-15

history, so far as the fast vanishing remnants
will permit No other agency is equal to the
task, and what is not done by the present gen.
Grafton of students must remain forever incom-
plete.
THE work already accomplished by this bu-
reau since its foundation is valuable and i'm
portant, and its researches, if properly carried
out will form the greatest body Of information
regarding the history of man in the primitive
stages of his development that the world
ever possess, for primitive conditions in all parts
of the world are being rapidly swept away, even
in the remotest regions, by encroachments Of
the advance guard of civilization. 1t is believed
that the work now being done by the bureau
since IL cannot be repeated. must grow in value
with the flight of years. and few publications Of
the government will be enduring and re-
main so long valuable source of historical and
scientific information those embodying the re-
suits of our Investigations"
! The researches of the bureau are, however,
not the first governmental investigations among
the Indians. As early 1875 the Secretary Of
War appointed Leonard s. Shaw deputy agent
to the Cherokees with instructions TO study
their language and home life and TO collect
materials for an Indian history Thomas JEFF
ferson, in planning the Lewis and Clark expe-
dition of 1s04-'06, instructed Lewis to make ex-
tensive Investigations among the Indian tribes
with which he came in contact. Jefferson and
Albert Gallatin both published accounts of per-
sonal observations The Rev Jedidiah Morse
was commissioned by the President in 1920 10
ascertain for the OF the government the
actual state of the Indian tribes of country.
| Over half century ago the Smithsonian II
stitutiOn published as the first volume Of its
Contributions to Knowledge" a work the
| Ancient Monuments Of the Mississippi Valley
by Squier and Davis. and UP to the time of the
founding of the bureau of ethnoIogy the institu-
boI vlrI n 81
and archaeology.
| Before the orga nization Of the bureau Con-
gress had given substantial aid 10 the puhlica-
ton of Schoolcraft's voluminous work on the
| Indians, and various representatives of the war
| Department had visited and reported on the
tribes and monuments in various parts Of the
West. The Hayden survey of the territories
had examined and described many Of the elr
and pueblo dwellings and had published papers
on the ethnology of the Mississippi Valley
Major j. w Powell. chief of the survey of the
Rocky Mountain region, the first man TO explore
the Grand Canyon of the Colorado had accom-
plished much among the tribes OF the South
west and had begun a series of publications
known as Contributions to North American
| Ethnology" II is observed, however, that these
early studies were generally disconnected. and II
remained for the bureau 70 systematic the WorA
and to verify and round out the matter IN sueh
\ a way as to make it Of real and permanent
| value.
| In 1889 Congress recognized the Importance
of Investigations among the tribes by establish
| ing the bureau. the operations OF when were
placed under the supervision of the Smithsonian
Institution. Major Powell was selected by fro-
fessor Baird. secretary of the institution !"
organize and conduct the bureau Ine ne"
director found before him diversified held anu
began TO classify the tribes and the various su0-
jects relating 10 them means OF deciulns
Just what part of the task should be undertaken
| by the government. The vast extent OF lne
work will be realized when 1t is stated li-''
scattered over the country from the AtIlhuc ~
the Pacific and from the Gulf to the Areu
Il Crntinnsd