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Show BEPOBT OF THE COMbfZSSIONER OF INDEAN Al?FAIW. 7 and protects their rights-in fact, he stands ready at all times to serve their interests as occasion demands. His duties, therefore, like thorn of a conscientious teacher, are without boundary, although he does not lose sight of the fact that he is to instruct and encourage the Indians in a specific direction and arouse them to independent effort. At such of the smdler agencies as are not provided with a farmer these duties form an important part of the work of the superintendent. What the farmer does for the Indian men the field matron aocom-pliihea for the Incliin women. She visits the Indian women in their homes, giving them counsel and encouragement, showing them how to keep their houses clean and orderly and make them more attract-ive; how to prepare and serve me&, make bubutter, care for ?ilk, etc.; how to care for their children and the sick; how to cut, make, and mend garments; how to wash and iron, and do the innumerable other things which present themselves in the life of e. housewife. Besides, she is expected to exert her iduence'to improve their moral welfare and to impress upon the pamnts the importance of educating their children and training them to lives of industry. The value to the service of conscientious employees of this class is inestimable. The industrial training on the reservation of which the farmer and the 6eld matron are the dynamos, together with the stockman, tho carpenter, the blacksmith, and many others, I regard as a matter of the first importance. Bringing this work to the highest possible state of perfection now will save thousands of India- from economic death and the other deaths which follow. I am, thervfore, organizing and pushing this work in every possible way. FARMING. Farming, sometimes combined with stock raising, is the chief in-dustry at many agencies, and that commendable progress has been made along agricnltural lines is evidenced by reports from superin-tendents. At the Volcan Reservation in California every family cultivates a few acres of land, some of them having fine fields of grain. They a11 own homes, and many have small herds of cattle. Dairying is carried on by one family, which derives a considerable income therefrom, and two other families are making preparations to engage in dairying in the near future. At the Lummi Reservation in Washington there has been continual and marked advancement along agricultural lim. Many of the In-dians are deriving entire support from farming and have supplied themselves with all necessary equipment for the work. The farmer in charge of the Swinomish Reservation in the same State says that the fanning done by the Indians in his district will |