The Nome nugget., 1920-04-24
NOTES FROM THE 'H"f UNAIAklEET SECTION
Unaiakleet. April :. 1920.

Eskimos is to the point, as 1t shows the weakness of system that deals with then as if they were morally re- sponsible for their acts, instead of recognizing the fact that they are "un- moral" and to be dealt with from tha. standpoint.
 It Is true that there are married Eskimo who are all that could be de- sired from the moral viewpoint. But lit is not because of their high moral conceptions. Rather it is because they are well mated. have common interest in their children and in their community life.
 The GaAlier relations of the 'Es- kim6 wEN the whites were not such as to improve their morals. It is only within the last thirty years or so that any attempt was made to edu- cate them. And then only by a few isolated missionaries. far from their home connections. One need not be the "oldese inha bitant" to remember the beginning of the present educa- tional system. Yet they the natives. arc expected to grasp to the fullest degree. the beauties of our moral code, to know and observe our laws and stand forth imbued with the attributes of a civilization that it has taken us superior" whites thousands of years to evolve. And this from race that is not classed by the high brows as possessive of the highest grade of aboriginal mentality. It is really ex- pectng to much of them.
 The question is: How can the Es- kimo as he is, be changed into the Els kimo as We would have him? He goes to school, he learns to read and write, etc: he goes to church and hears the Gospel read and has it explained 10
 him at Sunday School by more or less capable evanselists. But follow him to his home and you will find that in most instances his teachings are left outside the door with his waterboots is true that he now has Il cabin" in stead of an "igloo.'' a few articles of has but one or two rooms at most anl, n mainy cases more than one family ren and adults sleep in the one room and all of natures functions are thcrF performed Likewise the gossip of the town. good or bad. is bandied, be fore the children as if they were not there with eyes to sek and ears to hear. As d result. it does not talk them long to learn to practice ut |; very early age what they are com pelled to see and hear by reason of the crowded conditions mnd,r whic' they live.
 The nurses and wives of the mi. sionaries have taught them somothina about hygiene and morality and the intelligent natives with f;rmilies real : ize the need of larger houses and sep arate sleeping apartments.
 But" they say. we cannot afford to buy lumber and we have not the time to whipsaw it. It takes all our time to make q living. But if we had a sawmill. We could run it on the CO., operative plan. in the same way We build our schooners. and We could soon have comfortable houses with plenty of room in them, besides hav- ing lumber for other purposes. We coult take our surplus lumber north and trade with the Eskimo for the things we need"-in word, create an industry that would add to the wealth of Alaska and give the natives the right to be proud of their self sustaining qualities. in addi- ton to granting them an opportunity to develop the morality the bible teaches.
 Frank Waskey. when delegate to Congress. took this matter up in Washington and 1t received the stamp of presidential approval. Our local solo9's took it up in Juneau and the idea was given the approval of the students of sociology. The subject has also been frequently discussed in the columns of the Nome press. Yet here 1t is again. like the mythical ghost that would not down.
 Give the natives means to learn the way to build better houses and teach them how to take care of them. Develop. them along industrial lines tthe hammer and chised were in use long .bsfpre the alpl,abep and time and moral teaching win do the rest.