Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-23

has reached the conclusion, stated in
letter 10 the commissioner of Indian
affairs. that the order ought not TO be
made, and that those persons who are
now engaged in teaching in govern
ment schools as members of the gov
eminent civil service. and who are
wearing the garb. should he permitted
to remain in tile service and while dis
charging their duties TO wear the garb.
l concur in this view, and the order
as revoked will not be revived
The secretary of the interior goes
into a very full discussion of the
whole history of the conditions sur
rounding the teaching in government
| Indian schools. II is evident that at
/ first the government gave very little
care or attention to the teaching OF
/ Indians. and was quite willing to &C
cept the services OF any religious de-
nomination engaged in missionary
work which would take charge of the
! education OF Indians and give them
sectarian teaching. and we all should
be most grateful TO those denomina-
money and the effort not only to edu-
cate. but to instill moral and religious
| principles in the young Indians who
were wards OF the government.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION SEPARATE
After a time, however, it evidently
became the policy of the government
itself to assume the burden Of the edu-
cation of the Indians and 10 direct
what it should consist in, and it is evil
dent from acts of congress that il was
and is the settled intention of CON
gress that the general education of the
Indians shall be secular and non-sec-
tartan and that their religious instruc-
ton shall be separate annd left 10 the
vclition OF the Indians and to the care
Of the denominations TO whose com
munion they belong. But in this trans
itiOn state, in which the Indian youth
are being transferred from sectarian
TO government instruction. the ulti-
mate purpose has not always been
strictly held in view, and il has been
a frequent method to transfer a whole
school, previously under a Protestant
or Catholic denomination, to govern.
ment control, and to include, in the
transfer. all the teachers who had been
engaged in this work in the sectarias
schools and 20 incorporate them as a
whole and as individuals in the elias
sified civil service Of the government
The transfers thus have often been eff.
fected by he governments renins
= denominationsl schools and taking
over the whole plant and the teachers
as well. II appears that out of 2 ZOO
, teachers in the Indian schools there
are 81 who wear a religious garb and
who are regularly classified mem bers
: OF the government civil service TIC
direct them 10 give up their religious
garb would necessarily cause their
leaving the service because of the
vows under which they have assumed
that garb.
The secretary OF the interior holds
as a matter OF congressional policy
that all orders hereafter made should
be directed toward securing the sec
ular and non-sectarian character OF
teaching; that this Is the evident Dur
pose OF congress from its legislation
He holds. further. that the wearing o,
distinctive religious garb is not, al
claimed by some before him. a viola
ton Of any constitutional Limitation,
In respect 20 religion; that II does no
violate the freedom OF religion: tina
7 1t does not constitute an established
; religion; and II does not prevent o,
impair the separation OF church anC
state. He sustains this view by ref
+ erence 70 the authority Of a well con
0 sidered case decided by the suprem,
court OF Pennsylvania He therefor,
y finds that to allow the present mem
oers OF the civil service who wear
: distinctive garb 10 remain in the ser
( vice until such time as their servic,
may end. either by resignation. SEP
:. aretion for cause. disability. or b,
y death. Is not forbidden by existing Law
or statute. and that while the metho
or transfers was a mistaken one. III
circumstances surrounding them cor
stitute an equity in favor of those VIII
= are now in the service and are wea,