THE
CHEMA W A
AMERICAN
13
on them selves the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. T o do th is
requires a system of schools and an organization capable of accom plish
ing one or both of two conditions, ( l ) to fit the young Indian people to
earn a living or m aintain them selves am ong th eir own people or (2 ) to
do the same th in g away from the reservation home and in com petition
w ith their w hite b rethren.
" T h e In d ian needs a school th at will fit him as fully as possible for
th e life of his im m ediate fu tu re and the changed conditions th at m ay
m ark his rem oter fu tu re. T hey should accom plish this as quickly as
is com patible w ith thoroughness.
Io our Indian schools a large am ount of productive work is neces
sary. T hey could not possibly be m aintained on the am ounts ap p ro
priated by Congress for th eir support were it not for the fact th at the
students are required io do th e w ashing, ironing, baking, cooking,
sew ing, to care for the dairy, farm , garden, g ro u n d s, buildings, e tc .—
an am ount of labor th at has, in the aggregate, a very appreciable m one
tary value. T h is plan requires the Indian stu d en ts to work half a day
and to attend class room exercises d u rin g the other half of the d ay . W ith
studies properly adjusted to th e stu d e n ts’ m ental statu s, and w ith non-
essentials and all useless repetition elim inated from the courses, this
condition is not a handicap to th e stu d en t. Indeed it has been dem on
strated in schools for w hites th a t pupils can com plete a grade a year
e \e n when tak in g academ ic w ork but half a day and doing vocational
work d u rin g the other half of the d a y .”
It is the belief of I)r. Eliot and other em inent scholars and educators
th at our Indian schools are in a position to offer an industrial train in g
equal to if not superior to any other system of schools in the U nited
States. Ind u strial train in g m ust have behind it th e practical applica
tion based upon actual necessity. A thorough u n d erstan d in g of th is ne
cessity. should stim ulate am bition to a response th at should carry In
dian youth, as a class, to the lim it of its capacity. T h is is th e o p p o r
tu n ity w hich it is desired to have our In d ian schools offer to every In
dian boy and every Indian girl in Am erica to-dav.