New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-01
BY HENRIETTA RODMAN.

and animals, and almost nothing about
people. There are old-fashioned
book schools, intended to develop
thinking machines which will function
effectively as wage-esrners, parents
and citizens.
But they don't, so we have DIS
carded them in some places, notably
in Alaska, Gary and The Bronx.
Life as il is lived to-day is taught
in the Alaska schools, according TO
Mr.. william T. Lopp, superintendent
of education of the natives Of Alaska.
EVERY teacher in the Alaska
schools Mr. Lopp says in his report
to the United States Bureau OF Edu-
cation, "is a social worker. She studies
the conditions under which the natives
are living and makes it her business
to prepare her pupils to meet these
conditions and improve them
They are real people, the teachers IN
Alaska schools. One of them reports:
"The village is composed OF group
OF igloos on a small knoll, the whole
presenting the appearance Of a bee
hive. The natives are very dirty and
the igloos indescribably so. There are
very few stoves in the igloos, and the
natives have little Of what might be
considered property.
"The village is foul with filth that
has been accommodating for years, and
scattered about among this filth were
the remains of dead dogs. We secured
some kerosene, and some natives and
burnt most of the filth
One of the district superintendent
was making a tour of inspection Of the
island schools, when storm came up
and his boat sprung aleak. This is
his story:
"A little after 6 the water began TO
come into the hold rapidly, and though
we began to bail with four buckets
the water gained, and we could not
find the leak. We tore out the lining,
but still could not find the leak, so
we concluded the schooner had opened
I'M about the keel and decided that our
only hope lay in heading her for the
mainland and by hard bailing keep
tho water down so that the engines
would run.
"After three hours Of the hardest
work the water flooded the engines
so that they stopped. Realizing that
a dory could not live in such heavy
sea. we put all the gasoline tanks and
other light material into the hold ana
fastened down the matches, hoping
that the schooner would keep ahoat
until the sea would go down.
"a little after midnight, rising on
big sea, the schooner capsized, and we
had 70 take to the dory, which was
unusually light and only 10 1ee'
long In launching the dory the COM
mass and all our provisions Except
little raw bacon) were lost
Fortunately, in capsizlng '"e
scbooner did not sink, and realizing
that il would float we hastily pulled IN
behind it and used it for breaK"a'er
for two nights and day.
FINALLY the storm quoted down so"'e
n,hat and we left the shelter OF the wreck
and without compass. headed in the
direction where we supposed the lana
20 he After pulling for two more
DAVIS and nights we finally reacneu
land. having had no water and nothing
% oot hut raw bacon. We had oeeh
tborouphly drenched all the time
The ability to meet serious emer-
oerc;es and to perform special services
not usually expected OF teaeher'
naLss the Alaskan public school teacn-
"a very different sort Of person from
ma his soft city colleagues.
SUPERINTENDENT Lopp urges that each
sohool shall be supplied with the ma
terials for a model igloo, so that the
bows NAV have practical Industrial
work which will prepare them TO ouliu
ho,+or shelters against the Arctic WIN
+ors than their fathers have had
In the arithmetic classes plans we're
drawn for igloos and their cost hgured
at local prices. The work Of the lower
o1osses was supplemented by comput-
IN. the cost of sending fox SKINS 10
seattle by nail, as well as figuring the
vs,ue Of bear skins, whalebone' ivory
and such other products as the natives
ship to the States.
The cost of living is figured at local
prices and compared with the cost Oh
good advertised in catalogues from man
order houses in the United States. In
this way the Esquimau boys and girls
learn to known the materials OF CIVIL
cation.
eve want the children TO learn to
think about their own problems" says
Mr.. Lopp, "to understand their envir-
onment. For this we should have
readers written for Esquimau children
by some one really familiar with Esqul-
mau life, and dealing with 1t in an IN
teresting and Illuminating way, so that
the young people may build upon their
knowledge of conditions as they are
ideas of better conditions.
Trapping is the chief means Of in
come for the native of Alaska. The
fur bearing animals of Alaska are ex-
tremely valuable and their preserva-
ton is important. During the past