THE CHE MAW A AMERICAN
5
tailed shop and laboratory manuals, with the. non-essentials omitted.
Most of our vocational classes are in great need of suitable manuals for
class use and guidance. One-half of most texts used in Indian schools
is not needed, while industrial texts suitable for our vocational work
are hard to find. The peculiar advantages of special bulletins are fresh
ness and adaptability.
5. Correspondence instruction. Correspondence instruction is now
given by hundreds of schools even the strongest and largest univer
sities are offering courses. Many correspondence schools are in exis
tence and their work is proving a success. One school has over 100,
000 graduates and over 300, 000 have completed special courses. The
fact that these schools are supported wholly by tuition attest their pop
ularity. These things demonstrate clearly thatcorresponence instruction
is practical. The reading courses now required by the Indian Service
are good, but a thoroughly organized course requiring more extended
and thorough study and instruction would be better and more practical.
Strong men and women, in and out of the service, should give courses
bearing directly on doing the things needed in the service. This in
struction could include every grade of work, from superintendents down,
and accomplish a great work in unifying, inspiring and developing
the working force of the Indian Service.
6. The survival of the unfittest. The betterment of the Indian is
undoubtedly the great desire of both the Indian Department and of the
Civil Service this question is too self-evident to even admit of argu
ment. Indian work has unquestionably greatly improved under the
regulations of the Civil Service Board and to remove the Indian work
from under this Board would be a national crime. But in our opinion
the regulations of this Board should be changed in certain minor par
ticulars so as to meet some or all the suggestions already made. The law
of nature provides for "the survival of the fittest' ' and this is the desire of
the Civil Service Board, but in practice it gives the "survival of the unfit
test". This strong statement calls for explanation. For illustration we
will suppose all employees are classed as either excellent, fair or poor.
What is really done is performed by the excellent. These are either pro
moted or are tempted to withdraw from the service. If only one-third of
the new force taken in are excellent, one can readily see that the service
soon becomes filled by fair or poor unless they are discharged or forced
out. But the law which was intended to retain the excellent also
retains or protects the fair and the poor. Hence the salvation of the
system depends on doing one or both of two things, namely, improving
the class of workers being taken in, or making the work more attractive
for those now in the work. This has been the aim of the suggestions
in this article. .