The Nome daily nugget., 1911-03-28

'SiS pei'ahihS " theSe government
wards as we'll as the reindeer of Sew
ard Peninsula, delivered a most inter
esting and instructive lecture at the
Congregational church Sunday evening.
to very intelligent and apprcciative
audience.
Space vii not allow of publishing
the lecture in toto, but the following
salient points should prove interesting
to our readers who didn't have the
pleasure of attending the lecture.
THE government education of Alas
kan natives, the brown men of the
North dates from 1854 The Russian
government had a hundred years be-
fore given a charter to a company.
which provided for the education of the
natives or Eskimos as we call them, in
Southeastern Alaska. The company
established school at Sitka. but the
attendance was limited to the natives
who were to be employed by the com
pany working under the charter. This
great Industrial school was discontin-
ued about twenty years before the
transfer OF Alaska to the United
States.
I'm 1854 the first civil government
legislature for the territory of Alaska
was passed by congress and this act
provided for the care of Eskimos and
also made provisions for native
schools Secretary Teller for whom
Teller up on Grantley Harbor is named
appointed Sheldon Jackson who had
been doing most excellent work in
Southern Alaska to take charge of this
work. To Sheldon Jackson is due great
credit for the able manner i'm which
he carried on the work OF native school
building for contrasted with the work
of 1854 to 1890 when there were only
two native schools. one at Cape Prince
of Wales, the other at Point Barrow, to
the rs schools at the present time. and
YOU can get some Idea of the good
work that has been going on.
There is not a native village north
of the Kusk okwim river where a native
school is really needed but what has
been provided. Today we have one
hundred teachers devoting all their
time and energy to the up-building Of
the Northern race. We have thirty
by no less an architect than the one
who designed the Congressional Ii
hrary at Washington
In the education of the natives we
can say IL is divided into two distinct
classes. Industrial. or self assistance
being first and protection second. In
dustrial education being along the lines
of teaching the simple wards OF the
government 10 lay up for a rainy day
as il is often termed. Putting up fish
in the summer for winter consumption.
looking ahead for another day and not
living just in the present moment.
Il received during the present winter
copies OF the menu cards for Xmas
dinner given at the native schools and
they contained everything from native
cranberries to wairus meat, which is
one OF the principal meats OF the Eski-
mos.
I'm the Industrial schools trades are
taught boat building being one OF them.
The natives of Unalakleet exceiling in
the art OF boat construction. At Point
Barrow Eskimos have been mining the
Wainwright coal mine for a few years,
they mine the coal TO use at the mis-
sion, and are now using II for domes-
tic purposes.
They are being taught TO trade up
on more advantageous bases, for the
time has past when a loose bunch of
bright calico can purchase n CORE
spending pile of whale bone, which
am told has taken place in the past
On Out VI tiic 49,
some of the mission schools write
every year 10 Montgomery Wards for
their catalogue. and when the trader
asks too much for their goods i'm ex-
change they refer 10 the same article
in the catalogue and tell the trader
him cost too much'-but they never
send TO the mailing house for goods.
that may come In time
"The government holds a protection
over the Eskimos. and OF all other
wards. such as the Indians in the
states and natives in the islands ac-
quired by the United States in the
war with Spain. the Alaskan Eskimos
are the only wards that the govern
ment has never had 10 take up arms
against.