Refer in reply to the following:

44391/95 Supt

Department of the Interior,

OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF INDIAN SCHOOLS,

Washington, November 1, 1895

Capt. R. H. Pratt, Supt.,

Carlisle school, Penn.

Dear Captain Pratt:

I am in receipt of a letter signed by Levi St. Cyr, Robt. J. Hamilton and Elmer B. Simon, of Carlisle, addressed to the Superintendent, inviting him and Mrs. Hailmann to attend the dedicatory exercises of the addition to the gymnasium, on November 15th.

The Superintendent is on an inspection tour through the west and will not return to Washington before the 1st of December or possibly later. He has left me in full charge of his office and I am virtually Asst. Supt, attending to all the work, making recommendations, answering correspondence, etc. When the Superintendent is in his office all correspondence passes through my hands first and I look over all reports and give him my opinion of their contents, so that in nearly all matters I flatter myself to think that he puts confidence in my opinions.

Since seeing you the last time I have taken unto myself a wife. I was just wondering why I could not represent the Superintendent at your exercises on the 15th. Of course I could not make as instructive a talk perhaps, or indeed would not in any way be the Superintendent, but I would be his representative. I could

[1895 Nov 1]

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take notes and perhaps would see some things which you would like brought to the Superintendent's personal attention outside of these exercises in the way of additional facilities, or possibly I could interest the Superintendent along certain lines of action which you could thoroughly explain to me.

I would like to run up to Carlisle, say for the days of the 15th, 16th and possibly 17th and bring my wife. I can easily get detailed from the office providing it is under the same conditions as the gentlemen offer the Superintendent, that they meet the expenses of myself and wife, and I think I would in almost every way represent the Superintendent.

I should be glad for you to consider the matter and perhaps speak to the gentlemen who addressed the letter to this office and if they approve of the idea I would be pleased to receive an invitation at your convenience and theirs.

I trust that I am not presuming upon your kindness when I mention this matter. Were the Superintendent here and he found it impossible for him to accept the invitation of Mr. St. Cyr and the others I am quite sure he would recommend me to your favor as he did at the graduation exercises.

Very truly yours,

for the Supt. Indian Schools

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P.S:

I might add that Mrs. Hailmann is just engaged with the or-
ganization of her new Kindergarten Training School, that her time
is fully occupied and that it would be out of the question for her
to accept the invitation, I think, even though you should desire
her to come without the Superintendent.

I enclose an excerpted copy of the Superintendent's letter
to the Commissioner in which he assigned to me the work of his
office during his absence.

Department of the Interior,

Washington, October 26, 1895

Copy)

The Honorable,

Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Sir:

"I have left my office in charge of Mr. Hillis and have as-
signed to him work which in addition to new matter that may come
in from day to day will keep him constantly busy during my ab-
sence. I shall keep him posted from week to week and have left
instructions with him to send to me abstracts of all Supervisors'
reports, and to keep me advised of all transfers and appointments,
as well as of all other matters of which I should be informed.
I would respectfully request that you afford him all reasonable
facilities to carry out my instructions."

X X X X X"

Very respectfully,

Washington, November 8, 1895

Capt. R. H. Pratt, Supt.,
Carlisle, Penn.

Dear Captain Pratt:

In the event that you have not yet replied to my letter to
you of a few days ago in relation to my attendance at the dedi-
catory exercises of the addition to your gymnasium, to be held on
the 15th instant, I would say that I have just had an interview
with the Commissioner. The Asst. Commissioner will be out of the
city and the Commissioner will therefore be unable to attend in
person and he informs me he wrote you to that effect. He further
says that he would like for me to represent the Superintendent and
says my detail will be arranged and he requests me to write you
to that effect. At the same time he expressed the hope that you
would extend to me the same conditions as the gentlemen mentioned
in my former letter extended to the Superintendent.

In case you wish me to represent the Superintendent and the
Office, if you have not already written, please wire answer at my
expense.

for the Supt. Indian Schools

Department of the Interior,

Washington, November 9, 1895

Capt. R. H. Pratt, Supt.,

Carlisle school, Penn.

Dear Capt. Pratt:

Your letter of the 7th reached me on last mail yesterday and I hasten to answer it this morning.

The pride of the boys in their new gymnasium is warranted.
I see clearly now that it was more to please the boys that you
sanctioned their inviting the Commissioner and the Superintendent
to attend the dedicatory exercises, while at the same time they
were going down into their individual earnings perhaps to pay the
expenses of the trip. Certainly I would not wish them to do this
for me and so of course your explanation is perfectly satisfactory
to me. Truly the boys, and the girls also, have reason to feel
proud of Carlisle school and of its splendid facilities, and more
reason to be proud of their Captain Pratt through whose wonderful
adaptability of means and ability to create come these splendid
facilities of their school.

I thank you for your interest in my behalf and trust I shall
have the pleasure of again visiting Carlisle at the graduating ex-
ercises.

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deep regret at not being able to meet them today and of not being
able to attend the exercises in dedicating the new gymnasium.

We sincerely trust that we may see you at your Commencement exercises in the spring.

I return herewith the tickets which you so kindly sent me.

Again thanking you for your kindness and with best wishes for
your school from both myself and Mrs. Hillis, I remain,

Very respectfully,

for the Supt. Indian Schools.

Department of the Interior,

Washington, February 20, 1896

Capt. R. H. Pratt, Supt.,

Carlisle school, Penn.

Dear Captain Pratt:

Your letter of the 16th in relation to my attending your
graduating exercises came duly to hand and to say that I was sur-
prised is expressing it mildly. Had the little question of doubt not
arisen in the office I presume I would have made my preparations
for the trip only to be greatly disappointed just the day before
the trip was to be taken.

I do not consider myself selfish and had you mentioned the
matter of limited transportation I should not have given the
matter another thought and would gladly have yielded what prospect
I might have of the trip to some other person in the office who
had not visited Carlisle, but since you left upon Superintendent Hailmann
and myself the impression that Mrs. Hillis and myself were to
form a part of the Washington crowd it was difficult for me to
reconcile your attitude while in the office to that you assumed
in your note.

Naturally I would not now wish to urge a different action on
your part than that set forth in your letter and in the event, as

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you assure me now, that your transportation is to be quite limited, or that your number of guests will, by other reasons, be greatly increased this year over last, I only too willingly give way for persons who have not visited Carlisle, and at the same time I will take occasion to thank you for your kindness to me last year. On the other hand it may be that a number of the Members of Congress and Senators, or other friends of the "cause", who expressed to you a desire to visit Carlisle at this time, may for various reasons find themselves unable to go at the last minute, and it is in such an event that I would ask you kindly to remember Mrs. Hillis and myself. I will add that if you succeed in furnishing us transportation we will not trouble you for our entertainment.

The Superintendent will not return in time to attend your exercises. He had instructed me - assuming the while that my going was assured - to make inquiries of yourself, Prof. Bakeless and other instructors, -literary and industrial,- as to the individual qualifications of the members of the graduating class, as well as to give him my own estimate of each, to be used in considering possible applications for positions hereafter. This was one reason why I had arranged to stay a day or two after the exercises. Just at this time, however, I do not think I would be justified in pay-

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ing all of my own expenses however much I might desire to take the trip, and if, as the time approaches, the prospects are no better than you assure me they now are for transportation, I shall have to be content by availing myself of another and later opportunity of visiting Carlisle.

Thanking you for past kindnesses, I am,

Very respectfully,

Office Supt. Indian Schools.