26
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
Wadsworth has the happy faculty of making each student think he has
as mnch interest in each particular case as the parent would have if on
the ground. But as occasions requires he can be harsh in words. But
such occasions do not arise once in a blue moon. The pupils all love him
and obey him. Not in the entire school has he today one wayward boy
or girl. The influence, the surroundings, are so uplifting and congenial
that no youngster in his right mind could think of going astray.
Of course boys and girls are somewhat the same the world over no
matter what the blood that runs the machinery of their lives. And those
red brothers and sisters of ours are no better and no worse than a high
average. Their chief fault is a desire to overdo the playing stunts and
thereby be short on the studies. Even this infrequently happens. As
to the punishments meted out for infraction of the rules, there can be no
corporal punishment of any sort. Congress prohibits that. So some
thing milder and more soothing is adopted. For instance, the day I was
there two girls played hookey. They were reported "sick" and sent to
to the doctor. He sentenced them to go to bed and remain there 48 hours.
A boy had four dermerit marks tor the week and he was sentenced to work
t iree hours extra in the garden. For some delinquencies, the student
is not allowed a permit to leave the grounds, for others he or she can
not attend the weekly entertainment. But let it be said that there is
less devilment there than in any large school I ever visited. In fact, I
do not see low one cou'd gather up from the four quarters of the coun
try 643 pupils from any walks of life and have that many young women
and young men as has the Chemawa school. I wish to set that down
as strong as possible and have those students read it and ponder over it
and feel prottd over it. Then let them again resolve, as no doubt they
have done before, that they are going to make themselves useful and
respectable citizens of their country."
Continuing farther the writer says:
"It is supposed that each child sent to Chemawa is to receive training
in some special occupation, the principal one among the boys being that
of a farmer. But in the agricultural course is included a working knowl
edge cf such as stockraising, dairying, gardening, carpentering, black
smithing and harnessmaking. Then these trades are taught separately,
as are tailoring, shoemaking, painting, engineering, steam and electric
work, plumbing, baking, printing and laundering. Indeed, about every
occupation you see pursued in a small city is represented by skillful in
structors at Chemawa.
"The girls are taught primarily to become housekeepers, so domestic
science, or housewifery, which seems a more expressive word, is the
foundation upon which the teachers begin. But there are various spe
cial branches, such as trained nursing, stenography, typewriting, book-