Weekly Chemawa American., February 14, 1902, Page 8, Image 8

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chemAwa American;
(Continue from first p"p.)
teach, by precept and by example, a re
aliza'ion of the right way of living, a re
alization of the dignity and of the nohilny
of labor.
The system of Indian education has
radically, changed of lt years, from
theory to practice, from head to hand
or rather, head and hand, tcr the
fundamental idea in to 6. the Indian for a
proper (.ccunution of the lund which is his
natural birthright. Tim modern m H hod
of Indian education consists of three dis
tinct yet inseparable, stages. The first of
these is the day school, thecounterpurt of
the district school. The day school ia lo
cated upon a reservation ai d hither come
the young children daily, returning home
in the evening. Many children come from
a distance and therefore a Jgoon lunch ia
provided for Uiem gratis and this is util
izpd a means of leaching the prepara
tion, cnokinit and nerving of plain food.
The chief function ot the day school Ib to
collect children from the campa and vll:
iages; to familiarize them with t lie very
rudiments of an education; to accustom
them gradually to at least the first stages
of the inevitable transition; to teach them.
English and to give them at least a good
start in a primary education. During all
of this time the home lift of the child is
uninterrupted and it not infrequently hap
pens that the child is an unconscious mis
sionary in bin home and teaches at night
to his elders the lessons which he has
learned through the day. It must be
admitted, however, that these little
at missionaries, like others, find laughter
and scoffing and ridicule plentiful enough
at times. In the course ofa few yearsit bap
pens thut the child has grown, physically
and mentally. It has outgrown the scope
and the sphere of its day school. It has
readied the second stage and Is ready to
be sent to tit reservation hoarding school.
Here t ho child is. taken from his home en
tirely but not away from his reservation.
He sees his peopla and they oe him, but
it Is less ofteu than before. He now goes
to live in the reservation boarding school
which hrcomes, for the lime being, his
home. Here his surroundings are entire
ly different. He ia furnished bed and bed
ing; he is furnished light and fuel; lie is
furnished food; and when he is ill he is
furnished medicines and medical attention,
Hre he advances along the educational
highway and here he is added florae in
dustrial training. One-half of the day is
given to the Behool room and the other to
the shop and the garden. He is taught to
be useful to himself with his bands as well
as ids head, and, no far as Is possible, he
i urged to aid In the general work for the
general good. When he has profited to the
fullest extent of his stay in the reser
vation boarding school, he has reach,
ed th3 third and lait stage and is read?
for the non-reservation boarding school.
The schools of this class are comparatively
few because they are very large and very
expensive. At such a school an Indian
boy or girl oan learn almost any trade by
serving an actual apprenticeship at It
while also advancing in class room work.
The famous Carlisle school represents the
very hitrhest type of a school of this class.
The Chemawa school near Salem, Oregon
ia another very fine schnol of this class.
At Chemawa a boy can learn to be a baker,
a bhoemaker, a harnessmaker, a steam
engineer, au electrical engineer, a paint
er, a carpenter, a brick mason, a farm
er, a stock man, a blacksmith, or almost
any nf the commoner trades. A girl can
learn to be a mi rue, a seamstress, a tailor,
a teacher, a cook, a laundress, or any one
of the many similar occupations. At the
non-reservation schoo' the child is taken
away completely from reservation life, sur
roundings and influences. Through these
three stages the child is led gradually and
surely, without any sudden or shocking
transitions from ignorance to education,
and from barbarism to civilisation. And
tbts, in brief, is the whole sum and system
and method of Indian education.
CHA8. MILTON BUCHANAN,
Superintendent of the Tulalip Indian A
gency, Everett Daily Herald.