The Irish standard., 1914-04-25

VO0N0N0A0eNNN,NAX~N'
Especial Correspondence to The Irisl
Standard.)
Defense of the Catholic India'
Schools.
Apropos of the present outburst o
bigotry against our Catholic Sisters
in the Indian Schools, it is a pleas
ure to recall the words of the lat,
Senator George G. Vest of Missouri
q non-Catholic, relative to them.
Some years ago, when bigotry wal
rampant and the professional politi
clans covered before the mouthings O.
that despicable organization, the A
p. A., Senator Vests voice was hearG
in the halls of the national legislature
at Washington in manly defense of the
Catholic Indian Schools, and demand
ing fair play and religious tolerance.
Catholics in particular owe him q
debt of gratitude, and as long as the
American love of fair play will last
the name of Senator Vest will be low
ingly and gratefully remembered.
The following extracts are from
one of his most striking speeches on
the question of appropriations to the
contract schools:
Il have said that am Protestant.
l was reared in the old Scotch Pres.
byterian church; my father was an
elder in it, and my earliest impress
sions were that the Jesuits had horns
and hoofs and tails, and that there was
a faint tinge of sulphur in the cir
cumambient air whenever one crossed
your path. Some years ago l was as
signed by the Senate to duty upon the
committee on Indian Affairs, and 1
was assigned by the committee, of
which Mr. Dawes was then the very
Jealous chairman, to examine the In
dian schools in Wyoming and Mon
tana. l did so under great difficulties
and with labor which could not now
physically perform. visited every
one of them. l crossed the great buff
falo expanse of country, where you
can now see only the wallows and
trails of those extinct animals, and 1
went to all these schools. wish to
say now what have said before in
the Senate, and it is not the popular
side of this question by any means,
that l did not see in all my journey,
which lasted for several weeks, sin
gle school that was doing any educa-
tional work worthy the name of edu-
cational work unless it was under the
control of the Jesuits. did not see
a single Government school, especial
ly these day schools, where there was
any work done at all.
Something has been said here
about the difference between enroll
ment and attendance. found day
schools with 1900 Indian children en-
rolled, and not ten in attendance, ex-
cept on meat days. as they called it,
when beeves were killed by the agent
and distributed to the tribe. Then
there was full attendance. found
schools where there were old, broken
down preachers and politicians receiv.
Ing $1,000 a year and house to live
In for the purpose of conducting these
Indian day schools, and when 1 cross
examined them, as did in every in.
stance, l found that there actual at
tendance was about three to five in
the hundred of the enrolment. l do
not care what reports are made, for
they generally come from interested
parties. You cannot educate the
children with the day schools"
The Senator then showed how thor
oughly he had studied the question by
explaining the strenuous attempts
made by the early Jesuits, Father De
Smet and companions, to educate the
Indians in day schools. He told how
they were obliged to abandon this plan
after 20 years, and adopt the one
which they have made so successful,
that of boarding schools.
"The Jesuits have elevated the In
dian wherever they have been al
lowed to do so, without interference
of bigotry and fanaticism, and the
cowardice of insectivorous politicians,
who are afraid of the A. P. A., and the
votes that can be cast against them
in their districts and states. They
have made him Christian, and,
above even that, they have made him
a workman able to support himself
and those dependent upon him. Go to
the F1athead Reservation in Montana,
and look from the cars Of the North
ern Pacific railroad, and you will see
the result of what Father De Smet
and his associates began and what
was carried on successfully until the
A. p. A. and the towards who are
afraid of it struck down the appro-
priation.
go through this reservation and
look at the work of the Jesuits and
what is seen? You find comfortable
dwellings. herds of cattle and horses