The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-04-03
MANY new ways
TO AID ALASKANS
$4,000 Native People in Arctic
Zone Need Everything but
Refrigerators.
70 VILLAGES HAVE SCHOOLS
Teaching Hygiene in High Attitudes,
Cooperative Stores, and Raising
Reindeer-Each Teacher a
e, Social Worker.

Misunderstanding educators have
spoken of what education ought to do,
I'M have propounded theories the bur-
den Of which has been that education
and life should be synonymous, n
part of the United States has been ex-
periencing such an ideal in actual
practice. In Alaska each schoolhouse
is a social center for the accomplish
ment Of practical ends. Many of the
buildings, in addition to the recitation
room, contain also kitchen, quarters
of the teacher, and a laundry and
baths for the use of the native COM
munity.
Every teacher is a social worker.
Every district superintendent, in visit
ing his widely separated schools, must
travel vast distances by sled over the
frozen, trackless wilderness. FIRE.
quently he must risk his life. on treach.
erous, tempestuous waters in u native
or small power boat. He must
endure the violence of the northern
storms, the rigors of the arctic winter,
and the foulness of the native huts in
which he must often find shelter.
Directed by Bureau Of Education.
This work is carried on under the
supervision of the bureau of education,
n the details of current operation
are reported upon by William Humil-
ton. He tells that there are in Alaska
approximately $4,000 natives in viii
lagos ranging from 80 or 40, up to 300
or 400 persons, scattered along thou
sands of miles of coast line and on the
great rivers. Some of the villages on
remote islands OF beside the frozen
ocean are brought into touch with the
outside world only once or twice q
year, when visited by a United States
coast guard steamer on it's annual
cruise, or by the supply vessel sent
by the bureau of education.
Many Of the settlements have no reg.
ular mail service and can COMMUNE
cate with n another and with the
outside world only by occasionally
passing boats in summer and sleds in
winter. During eight months Of the
year all the villages in Alaska, with
the exception of those on the southern
coast, are reached only by trails over
the snow-covered land or frozen rivers.
In spite Of the difficulties Of the
problem a United States public school
has been established in each of sew
enty villages. In many instances the
school is the only elevating power in
the community.
tuberculosis, pneumonia, rheuma-
tism, and venereal diseases prevail to
an alarming extent in many Of the
native villages, and in it's endeavor to
safeguard the health of the natives of
Alaska the bureau of education main
tains hospitals in five important cen
tiers. 1t employs physicians and nurs-
es, who devote themselves to medical
and sanitary work, and provides medi-
cal supplies and textbooks to the
teachers to enable them to treat minor
ailments and intelligently to supervise
hygienic measures. There are exten.
sive regions in which the services of
a physician are not obtainable. Ac.
cordingly, 1t often becomes the duty OF
a teacher to render first aid to the
injured or to carr for a patient
through the course of a serious illness
Supervise Cooperative Store.
Another duty of the teacher is to su.
pervise the cooperative store which is
owned and managed by the natives
who deal in everything but refrigera.
tors. Strange to say, the government
Of the white nan has to protect the
native from the white man himself