The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-08-30
INDIAN SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT
Contests in Waffle Making and Dish

Washing bv Girls.
In the extreme nortneastern part OF In
dian Territory is what is known as the
Quapaw Indian agency. AT this place on a
hill overlooking Lost Creek Valley is the
United States school for Indians.
In this school are the children of the
remnants of the tribes of Wyandotte, Sen
eca, OTTAWA, Modoc. Quapaws.
Pcor.as and Miamis, to the number of
100. The school was established many
years ago by the Friends church. 1t has
always been, says the Kansas city Star. a.
place where the hand as well as the mind
was trained, even after it passed from the
control of the Friends to the United States
government.
At the commencement exercises this year
instead of a brilliantly lighted auditorium
a platform built under the trees was the
scene of graduation. Hattie Wright and
Yvette Spencer gave a demonstration of
the art OF table setting. This was followed
by Ruth Stevens and Rella Baldwin, who
showed how to make Waftles. The stove
and waffle irons were on the platform,
and the waf.ieS were eaten after they were
made, When they had Finished Eva John
son and Esther CrotZer washed the dishes.
giving verbal instruction in the manner ii
should be done.
Mabel Spencer and lIffe Walker gave an
exhibition of that most abused of ali arts,
bread making, and they had excellent sue
cess, even though they We're under the
eyes of 200 critics, many OF them house
wives who had been making bread for
many wears. This was followed by a dem
onstration of the way to do a family wash
ing by Daisy Human and Ida Spicer.
"From the mattress up was an exhibit
ton of how to make a bed correctly. The
bed, the pillows, pillow slips and the bed
clothes We're at hand and put into place
with swift, sure touches by Myrtle Walk.
er and Ida Schr!2npser, Indian girls
trained as housekeepers as we'll as in Lit.
e%rature.
WheS it came to the boys the most in
teresting exhibition was the hitchfns con-
test. There were three pairs of contestants.
Each pair of boys had a wagon and team.
Upon a signal the boys unhitched the
horses from their wagons, took the har.
ness off. tied both horses with halters to
the wager wheels, then harnessed up and
hitched the horses to the wager again
and started off. The contest was exciting
and close.
The pair of boys winning made the re-
maTzable time Of two minutes fcr the en-,
tire performance, and the next pair was
only q half minute behind. The boys had
been trained to the work and their speed
and dizziness were a revelation to their
fathers, who had been taking thirty min.
utes for the am work all their lives. This
was followed by Charles Clark, who gave
q practical example of how to transplant
cabbage and tomato plants. He had the
plants and< the soil on the platform with
him.
There are no more pupils in the school
now than there We're ten years ago. The
Indian children attend well. The indus.
trial work particularly attracts them. The
Indian must have something for his hands
to do or you cannot keep him in school.
The school owns and conducts its farm
and garden, gives attention to stock
breeding and gardening and has its own
carpenter shop. built by the students. The
school Management attempts to divide lit
erary and industrial work about equally
in the school curriculum.