Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-11
LITTLE INDIANS
ALL RIGHT IN 2 RS
Reading and Writing No Trouble,
But Arithmetic Entirely Too
Much for Them.
PROGRESS IN CIVILIZATION
some Adults In Washable stiii Prefer
Tents Ia Ilouses-i'arnlng
Operations.

| Washable Is a little Indian village
Of about 200 Inhabitants situated In
the extreme northern part of the
state, few miles south OF Portage
IN Malad valley, the population being
| made up OF farmers and hunters;
| most of them Christians. but with an
| occasional inhdel, according to w. IL.
| Gibbs and his son j. Edward Gibbs
who were in town on business this
week. the latter having been teacher
the past three years at the indian
school
some OF the children show re-
markable aptitude in reading and
writing" said Mr.. Gibbs. they read
wei, and when II comes to writing.
white children OF a similar age would
have a time TO lead them. But
arithmetic proves a serious stumbling
block: even the simplest problems In
subtraction and division are too much
Tor them, and II Is almost impossible
to get these things through thef
heads They are sometimes quite
bright In addition. however. There are
about 35 OF the Indian children, rang
ing I'm age from to 25, In attendance
at tho school. Their conduct Will COM
pare favorably with that Of whites.
''The adults seem to have no knack
whatever in caring for their sick,
which gives Bishop George NJ. Ward
no end of trouble as II did Moroni
Ward. the first bishop called To look
after the natives In this village.
HOW They LIVE.
'"They have many comfortable
houses: some are kept well painted,
and with neat carpets on the floors
Others still cling 10 their primeVal
tents and really believe even IN
that rigorous climate the tent men
are the most healthy.
They own their individual farms,
which they keep fenced and pretty
well cultivated. owning their Plows,
harrows, harry esting machinery ana
even cooperative village threshing
machine, These large machines they
formerly had operated by white men.
but Of late years they have foregone
this expensive white luxury and now
operate their harvesters and threshers
independent of their supposed superior
brethren.
Even where they understand Eng
fish perfectly II is difficult matter
to get them to talk u. Not only the
older Indians, but the children cling
tenaciously to their mother tongue,
Some of them can talk good English,
but in spite of this they VIII persist
in falling back on Indian when they
desire to express their thoughts.
'In character they are not dissimilar
to the whites; there are some lazy
and some energetic: the lazy ones. OF
course. not proving as successful as
the more strenuous characters.
SUCCESS IN FARMING.
",rhis year the Indians have plant
ed probably near 100 acres OF sugar
beets. which viii be harvested and
hauled in their own wagons TO the
Garland sugar factory down the valley
on the Bear river. They have plant
ed considerable wheat and barley.
most OF which Is dry farm stun. They
will raise considerable lucern hay this
season They are about as successful
farmers as the average white man
under similar conditions"
Some years ago the writer visited
this Indian village OF Washakie, then
boasting a dozen or more comfortable
little new one. two and three room
houses, built by sympathetic whites.
who desired 10 protect the natives
from the winter blasts But In every
instance he found the Indians occupy
ing a rudely constructed tent beside |
each house. while their horses and |
cows made the best kind OF use of |
the houses which had been turned |
into stables.