Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-10-24
SCHOOL MAN
MAKES PLEA FOR
MORE AID
Declares That Indian Schools
More Than ANY Public In
stitution Need Government
Support.


liis leased ssise 70 lssenlsss ggusaia.
Mohonk Lake, n. ", Oct 2f.-Thc
American Indians need schools more
than any other form 90 government
aid, said ohm y. Brown Of MuskOsee,
Oklahoma, today In an address IA th4
Lake Mohonk Conference Of FRIENDS
Of the Indians and other Depondcr,
Peoples Mr.. Brown IL supervisor
OF the United states indian service,
in charge Of Indian schools among
the Ave civilized Tribes"
His address was a plea for larger
government appropriation and i de-
scriptiOn OF his work. Al the outset
he asserted that all members OF the
five tribes under his supervision are
civilized" The average Indisn, he
said, Ia no more savage, even IN his
native state: and the word aavapa'
Is generally misused IN It's relation 20
Indians.
There are twelve boarding seheoB
In the i've tribes said MI. brown
with total capacity OF about 100
pupils. We have contracts with mis-
sion schools for 900 additional. There
Is but one small school In tho Chero-
kee nation, with a capacity OF IS pu-
pills.
Special stress has been laid Ia our
school rooms on the teaching OF land
values and uses. Inquiries were made
~ all older pupils as 10 the acreage.
location, value, adaptability and pres
ent use Of their allotments The i'm
formation az first was aimos nil. the
ignorance OF the pupils being start
ling This led 20 systematic inquiry
and some astonishing disclosures. Ia
structlon on these lines followed. val.
liable assistance being given our
schools By the field officials of union
agency The lighting Of land graftcrs
and dishonest guardians Ii not the
work OF the schools. yet the schools
In seeking 90 teach pupils as 20 their
lands have unearthed many cases so
pitifui that the superintendent simply
had 10 turn them over 20 the agency
officials and strive 10 forget them Ia
order 10 continue the work OF prepnr-
ing the children to resist future on
slaughts.
Our young state. 81 which the old
Indian Territory IN part Is not
ready TO take up the burden of edu-
eating its fuliblood Indians In east
ern oklahoma, outside our progress
slve towns and cities. the compulsory
education law - not enforced with
white children. much less with In
dams. Neither state constitution,
statute nor decision OF the supreme
court will put into our public schools
tho real Indian who needs Il most.
Al.
on which such law must depend FOR
enforcement.
1T should not be understood that
no Indians in eastern Oklahoma at
tend public schools. or tho 10000
enrolled Indians who attended pun
lie schools sometime during the year
1at2-t9i3, nearly one-haii were Of
this restricted class. our estimate is
that during the same year there were
approximately 1890 Indian children
Of school age who attended no school
There were some hundreds. probably
thousands, OF others whose attend
nnco was SO short end 80 Irregular ms
90 DO negligible. II may safely be-
asserted that very few full.bloods at
tend public school regularly. Why
do you ask? ] will tel you why: The
Indifference OF the local school 0iii-
clals, the dlfidenco OF the child, ana
the inheroat dinicultles In rural
schools. There are many exceptions
hut the causes assigned do operate
and for generation must operate 90
keep hundreds OF Indian children out
OF school,
1.-THE demand 10 bo released from
] ltar
large proportion of the enrolled mem
bcrs OF tho FIVE tribes. Is Just de-
mand Their money Is being used
for school and other purposes against
their wishes, and that held in trust
draws rate OF interest which could
be doubled Ia oklahoma. They are
as competent 10 manaao their husi-
ness as We are, or i not, are willinR
60 take the responsibility and pay me
price " they fail. They will not be-
come charge against the govern
ment so let them be- free, even though
We must be q little crude In arriving
az the amount due them,
al would pay every competFnl
member every cent due him, cst.mal-
! ing his share iu th. mineral wealth.
! of tho tribe, even though we cannot
! do q with mathematical oNnetnoss.
/ We hear too much about thines which
! need 20 be done but which cannot oc
/ done. We are too slow and too tlmid,
IL have been speaking Of the COM
! potent members of the several mae
lions. but am thinking az the same
time of the restricted members Win
| whom the work of government ohi-
clals properly III concerned. our
schools must nov Doc ipened on equal
terms TO all children OF enrolled In
dlans The once who need the schools
most are the restricted members--the
| Il-bloods.-yet those are the Hast 90
request tho enrolment Of their child
rem OF their own initiative. hevome
teh pressure for places IN our indian
schools by eliminating the compctenis
and we get az our real educatlona,
problem. We get 20 the boys ana
girls who need us