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P r in t e d a t C h e m a w a , O re g o n , a n d D e v o te d to th e In te r e s t s o f In d ia n E d u c a tio n
Vol. X I X
Wednesday, February 21, 1917
HONORABLE CATO SELLS
Recently there came to our notice an article which
has been given much publicity in the newspapers of
the country in which Honorable Cato Sells is most
favorably compared with William Penn in regard to
his justice and fair dealings with the Indians of the
United States. The American wishes to say that our
Commissioner of Indian Affairs has all the spirit of
Penn for justice and fair dealings for the Indians and
other qualities which history has not recorded of Penn.
For nearly five years Judge Sells has exercised his
every resource in behalf of the Indian and has taken
steps tor the advancement of the Indian unknown to
Penn. He has not awaited an opportunity simply to
deal fairly and justly after a case presented itself, but
has anticipated matters and has shaped affairs so that
the case never came to light, or if it did, it came as he
wanted it to come—fairly and justly and for the pro
tection and well being of his Indian wards.
His heart and soul are dedicated to the work of ad
vancing the Indian people and their interests. That
has become a passion with him—an obsession which
dominates him in all things. We doubt if he is fully
conscious of the influence which he possesses for good,
as an organizer, as a diplomat, among thousands un
der him. We affirm that he cannot be conscious of it
all, for the rule with humanity is that little is said
where much is thought—it is true in this case. Com
missioner Sells’ influence and indomitable will power
is felt and recognized by the entire Indian Service in
the uplifting of the school and agency work, as well
as the Indian race in general. All in all we do not
think it is fitting to make a comparison between Wil
liam Penn and Cato Sells.
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
It is said that Gladstone, the great English states
man, always carried a book in his pocket so that no
unexpected spare moment could slip by unimproved.
This fact makes us think that if so great a man as he
thought it necessary to improve his mind with study,
how much more necessary it is for us to use our spare
moments for our intellectual improvement. We are
likely to make the excuse for not trying to improve
ourselves by reading and studying that we cannot find
time. But we always do find time for the things that
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we really want to do, and none of us are so busy that
we cannot take a few minutes, or even an hour, each
day for self-improvement. Every bit of such study
ing that you do will add just that much to your value.
There is still nearly half of the school year left to
us, so let us have the determination to use just as
much of it as possible on our self-improvement. There
is plenty of material at our hands to do this, and all
we need to do is to make use of it. There is nothing
more surely lost than loss of time. If we lose money,
we may make more; if we lose friends, we may get
others; but if we lose time, we can never get it back
again, for “ yesterday has gone, tomorrow is but an
expectancy; there is no time for us to act but in the
living present.”
If we plan our work rightly we can find time for all
our many duties and for recreation besides. Often at
the close of what we considered a very busy day, we
feel that we have not accomplished very much, and if
we then make an examination of our work, we find
that a great deal of our time was lost because we did
not have a definite plan or system. On other days,
when we have followed a definite plan, we have easily
accomplished more than we expected simply because
we did our work systematically.
DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALITY
Observation has shown at Chemawa and elsewhere
that in the training of the Indian youth individuality,
both in thought and action, is essential in their de
velopment, and we do strive to inculcate this quality.
However, when such individuality is developed to any
marked degree it is oftentimes misunderstood, and in
a certain way the student suffers criticism and fre
quently persecution. Why is this?
It would seem that those interested in the work would
be broad enough to tone down in a charitable way that
which might seem beyond bounds, yet not to crush
the individual. Though the act might sometimes ap
pear officious, where the student is only endeavoring
to stand out for himself without any thought of being
impertinent or discourteous, such an individual needs
patient guidance and friendly encouragement. Pu
pils will not succeed if they are all run through the
same mold. They must have opportunity and assist
ance to develop that essential quality of individuality.