The Nome nugget., 1929-04-13

Polet relative to the activities of the Chamber of Commerce in hav- ing much needed legislation for Seward Peninsula enacted, he stressed the conservative and con- structive methods of the Bureau of Education and in doing so review ed the Bureau activities from the time when the world wide atten- tion was called to the utilization of the Reindeer as a draft animal, for food and the hide for footwear and clothing, in fact furnishing al- most all necessaries for the com fort of the inhabitants of Alaska. That attention was called in the year 1897 when the whalers were frozen in the Arctic ice pack and the memorable trip of the Bear with Lieut.. Jarvis was made.
 The story in detail can be found in government reports.
 MT Thomas Lopp who at that time was teacher, proved his ability in handling reindeer and later was made head of the Bureau in Alaska which position he held for many years, but MT Lopp for while was under the erroneous impression that the reindeer herds would solve the Ma tive question, but for the finding of gold and the consequent rush of the whites here, put q new phase on the matter and the reindeer while of vital importance ceased to be the only factor in the evolution of the Eskimo.
 The Native has a strong mechan- ical bent and to develop the best that is in him and to make of him an active asset he should be principally educated along these lines. his secular education should be secondary.
 When the Bureau of Education first took hold of the Eskimo his requirements could be filled by native products. Today. it is a different matter, Take away the products of the whites and the native problem would cease. for in d year he would fad it difficult to exist. He uses the white mans rife and traps to hunt. instead of the bow and arrow, the white mans axe instead of the jade or stone, the white mans tools in stead of his own primitive instru- ments. the white mans food and clothing stuff and so on down the line. He cannot manufacture the implements and products through climatic and other reasons but must depend on our products until such time as he has learned thru vocational training to utilize and turn into commercial channels the raw products of the country.
 MT. Polet continued. the work of the Bureau is to be highly com mended, the work that they are doing is wonderful. but they too in teaching have had to learn and the experience gained has undoubt- edly placed them in a better posi- tion to educate them
 Before the ancients could chisel out the cuneiform system of writing upon the everla asting granite or cut hieroglyphics up- on slabs of stone, they had to learn how to make tools to do it, So it IS self evident that mechani- cal training comes before secular and in that the Bureau erred When they tried to remedy the error the places for their training schools were not wisely selected
 The recent action of the Grand Jury, continued MT. Polet, and its endorsement by the Chamber of Commerce, the Nome City Council, the Native Brotherhood with it's sister auxiliary. relative to the con- demning of the present Bureau school building. for it's unfitness locally and general unfitness. and the offer of the Common Council to give to the Bureau it's choice of locations anens tho wav