Weekly Chemawa American., December 20, 1901, Page 8, Image 8

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CHEMAWA AMERICAN.
Superintendent Mis5 Estelle Reel.
Miss Estellb Rkel, of Wyoming, en
joys the distinction of having received the
only appointment bestowed by the present
administration upon a woman. She is the
superintendent of Indian schools for the
United States, and travels, constantly,
over the length and breadth of the land
visiting schools, and organizing and estab
lishing innovations, iu the line of manual
training, on the various reservations. Miss
Reel is young and enthusiastic, and has
force enough for several woman; but no
more than she needs, however, in her work
of inspiring the red man to better living,
and a greater degree of industry. She tra
veled twentyfour thousand miles last year,
more than half of the distance by stage
coach.
"My work is simply the extension of the
work already done in the government
schools and shops," she said, in speaking of
her experiences among the Indians. "It re
quires the utmost persuasive power, aud
plenty of devising and original thinking,
to do the work laid out for me. The fact,
that I have accomplished something in the
West is apparent.in comparing the life of
Indians who live within a night's ride of
Chicago with that of some who live iu Ore
gon. The former are in as barbarous a con
dition as they were when America was dis
covered. Much of my work is far from be
ing technical education. The girls must
be taught the rudiments of home-making,
and the boys, the trades, so that they can
take their place in civilization. When I
find a school excelling, I carry, its work a
round to show to some other school, and in
that way inspire all to good work."
Miss Reel's success is a strong argument
in favor of her sex occupying the high
places among the ranks of educators. Ex.
The Phoenix School.
During the past four years the Phoenix
school has grown until it is second in im
portance in the United States. It is beau
tifully located and splendidly equipped.
The grounds are exceedingly attractive
and restful. The good people of Phoenix
are proud of the institution and loyal and
friendly to its management and methodst
aud they ought to be.
This school is now one of the city's most
valuable assets. It is a gilt-edged, inoOTie
paying property, and its greatest value lies
in the fact that its income is derived from
outside sources. Ic brings to the city now
money foreign money that could not be
reached in any other way. It does not
compete with any other institution or in
dustry. Its prosperity is helpful, not de
structive, to other industries. The great
sum of money spent every year for its
maintenance goes into various channels of
trade; many thousands are received by
the two railroads centering here. Olhnr
thousands, and the greatest part of the
whole amount, are spent in the purchase
of goods handled by our various merchants.
Thousands are also spent by the Depart
ment in the purchase of many articles from
eastern contractors, all of which should
and could be tpent in Phoenix. If our
delegate to Congress would take up this
matter and personally interest himself in
securing concessions in this direction from
the Department, which he could very
easily do by mining hintnelf p -pular with
the mmagement, a very large share of the
vast appropriation tor the scho l could be
spent right here in our midst. There s
hardly anything purchased by theDepart
ment in eastern markets that could not be
purchased in Phoenix for less money,
Native American.
For the diood of the Indian.
BOSTON, Dec. 5.-At the annual meeting
of the Women's National Indian Associa
tion resolutions were adopted urging that
the whole Indian population be absorbed
into the body politic, and that the pay
ment of the tribal funds be made only to
individual members of tribes, and that the
education of Indian children and youths
be carried on in schools assimilated s fur
an cin u instances permit to the schools of
the American school system with the ad.
ditional industrial training adapted to their
needs.