The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-01-26

S-SAA +ANN~ N~S
contrary, as a matter of fact. For instance, it
may be cited that, generally speaking, the Indian
girls of the present give far less thought to
fashions In dress than do feminine members OF
the white race. Similarly they are not exercised
over suffrage and they do not place such stress
on the development of musical accomplishments
But, on the contrary, the twentieth century In
dian girls are devoting their energies to a mas
terry of cookery and sewing and the other essen
tials of successful home-making to which, in the
estimation Of some old-fashioned folks, the white
girls of the period are giving all too little atten-
tion. At the same time, many of the red-skin
bellies are not content to ignore the social accom-.
~plishments which are supposed to enhance the at
tractiveness of modern young women. Accord
ingly at the indian School at Carlisle. Pa. and
other large institutions of this kind We find the
daughters of the forest crowding the classes in
music, painting, drawing, dancing, modern attn
letics, etc, and even behold these descendants OF
the sayages developing marked dramatic ability
in amateur theatrical entertainments OF various
kinds.
Every person is forced to admit of the wisdom
and benefits of the white mans education" for
some Indians. The remarkable life stories OF
some of the self-made Indians who have, after
acquiring the white mans book learning, adopted
the white mans mode OF life, amply attest the
success of the transformation In individual cases.
There la, however, and perhaps always will be
a difference of opinion as to the wisdom OF at
tempting to fix the Anglo-Saxon standards for
the entire rising generation Of Americas native
tribes. Oddly enough there seems to be more
widespread belief In such a policy for the indian
girls than for the young men of the tepees.
We say, oddly, because when new conditions
have confronted an uncivilized or semtctviiized
people 1t has usually been the men who have &C.
customed themselves to the new order OF things
more readily than the women. In the case OF
most Indian clans, however, the women have
proven more amenable to the e~xactions of the
new life wherein seems to lie the only salvation
of the entire indian life. Various reasons have
been advanced in explanation Of this, one OF the
most plausible being that 1t han not been as dif'
fcult for the Indian girl to forego such pleasures
as she enjoyed in her old life as 1t has been for
the young brave to foresake the excitement OF
the chase and the c~arefree nomadic life and to
settle down in a fixed habitation with the irksome
monotony OF the white mans life. Also. 1t Is I'M
possible to overlook the influence exerted by the
example OF the considerable number OF Indian
women who have married white settlers In Okia-
homa and other parts of the west,
Even at the outset OF her career In the conVen-
tional environment OF the age the indian girl mas
many advantages over her brother who COM
pletes his education at the same time. 1t not IN
frequently happens that a young man OF indian
blood graduates with honors from some indian
school only to find no opportunities awaiting him
commensurate with his ability. Small wonder
that in some instances the young men re-
vert to the ideals and mode OF life OF their fore
fathers. The indian girl, on the other hand. can
be sure that when she finishes a school course
that includes domestic economy there Is a place