The Chemawa American, June 09, 1920, Image 4

S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E C H E M A W A A M E R IC A N , JU N E 9, 1920
T he In d ian Service has been aided by sincere and
sane criticism , for w hich it is g ratefu l, but its work is
too often seriously im peded th ro u g h m isrepresentations
to the public by speakers and w riters of superficial
know ledge or excessive zeal, and w hat is more u n fo r­
tu n a te , bv selfish ad v en tu rers of both th e w hite and
In d ian races who are chiefly concerned for personal
gain and who seek a condition th a t would enable them
to profit at the expense of those who, if unprotected,
w ould be duped bv th eir clever rapacity. T hese go
to the people, perhaps w ith im posing testim onials,
and w ith ready-m ade resolutions to be presented in
fluent and picturesque rhetoric, probably followed by
a collection to cover “ necessary ex p e n ses.” T hey
should meet w ith a conservative reception.
T he
public should be led by no one to draw conclusions
from less than careful and im partial inquiry.
T h e Indian is m oving forw ard. H e is progressing
num erically. H is population is greater th an at any
tim e in the last half ce n tu ry . H e is im proving in
health and know ledge of how to keep well. H e is
accepting hospital facilities th a t have been m ore th an
doubled in the last seven years, as show n by an in ­
crease of 10,000 patients treated an n u ally . H is m edi­
cine men are retirin g from practice. F ifty thousand
Indian fam ilies live in perm anent hom es and take an
interest in san itatio n . T h e women are becom ing
better housekeepers; their babies are better cared for,
ami infant m ortality is decreasing.
T h e In d ian s are grow ing in know ledge and general
intelligence. T h ree-fo u rth s of th eir children eligible
for attendance are enrolled in som e school, federal,
sta te or m ission. N early tw o -th ird s of their entire
population speak E nglish and about one-half read and
w rite E n g lish . T heir gain in the use of civilized
speech has been rem arkable in the last seven years.
Too much has been said about Indian school g ra d ­
ates going back to the blanket. Any assum ption that
m ore than a negligible percentage of such stu d e n ts
are non-progressive is u n w arran ted . In some instances
w here pupils not long in school have retu rn ed to
backw ard home conditions the results have been d isa p ­
pointing but by no means an en tire loss. If these boys
and girls carry no more than a speaking use of E nglish
into homes still under the th rall of barbaric ignorance,
they have started a lifting force and planted im p erish ­
able seeds of civilization. C onsidering the effect of
previous environm ent, h ab itsan d prejudice, the school-
train ed In d ian com pares favorably w ith th e average
w hite stu d en t whose hom e su rro u n d in g s as a ru le are
generally to his advantage.
T h e I n d ia n ’s progress is too frequently m easured
by his garb. W e w ant the Indian to cut his hair and
w ear citiz e n ’s clothes. We urge him to live in a
w hite m a n ’s house, but if he does not entirelv and
prom ptly respond in all of these respects it is not
proven th a t he is not a progressive m an. Som etim es
young men retu rn in g from our schools to the reser
vations resum e certain outw ard form s of tribal fashion
as a m atter of expediency or social deference to th eir
elders, but th eir activities show w hat they are; th e ir
farm ing, th eir stockraising, and th eir desire to have
th eir children go to school, are the best evidences of
th eir progress.
Recent careful investigation show s th a t th e product
of the Indian schools is so generally successful and
of good stan d in g , that the conclusion is overw helm ­
in g ly against auv adverse criticism ot the g o v ern m e n t’s
system of In d ian education.
T h e w ar service of 10,000 young In d ian s bro u g h t
them d istin ct educational value in a b etter use of E n g ­
lish, g reater self-confidence, respect for a u th o rity ,
and disciplined in d u stry th a t will add stren g th and
ch aracter to th eir citizenship.
T h e social and dom estic life of th e In d ia n s isstead ily
im proving. M arriage by tribal custom is notably
g iv in g way to legal rites. A t present th ere is hardly
m ore th a n one-fourth the d ru n k en n ess am ong In d ia n s
th a t prevailed ten years ago. T h e m issionary w orkers
have been a pow erful aid. T h eir num ber am ong th e
In d ian s has doubled since 1900, w ith a corresponding
increase of churches and ch u rch atte n d a n ts.
T h e In d ia n ’s in d u strial progress is especially n o te­
w o rth y . T h eir individual funds on deposit have in ­
creased in the last eight years in excess of $20,000,000.
D uring th at period they have expended for homes,
barns and m odern farm im plem ents $18,000,000 and
have added $13,000,000 to th eir capital in livestock
T h e In d ia n ’s transform ation from a gam e h u n te r and
w anderer to a settled land-holder and hom e-builder is
everyw here evident. N early 37,000 In d ian farm ers
are cu ltiv atin g alm ost a m illion acres, 47,000 are e n ­
gaged in stockraising and th eir livestock is w orth close
to $38,000,000. T heir last y e a r’s incom e from the sale
of crops and livestock was ap p ro x im ately $14,000,000.
T he In d ian s are dependable w age-w orkers. T h eir
annual earnings in public and private service exceed
$3,000,000. T h eir num ber receiving ratio n s and
supplies not paid for in labor has decreased one-half
in the last seven years.
T h ere are not m any defenders of the earlier p roc­
esses of treaty m aking and treaty breaking, b u t the
co n stru ctive plan, followed now for nearly a third of
a c e n tu ry , of allo ttin g the In d ian s land in severalty,
of conducting hospitals and schools for physical and
m ental b etterm ent, and providing them guidance in
th e productive use of the soil and its related industries,
if not a perfect one, is the best plan yet devised for a
dependent people and is am ply justified by results.
Sincerely yours,
CATO SELLS,
C om m issioner.
( O v e r)