OCR Text |
Show COMMISRIONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 53 Gmwth of Indian education (excluding Indians in New York and Indian Territory): Pupils enrolled in 1870.. ................................. 3,095 Pupils eeorolled in 1880.. ................................. 7,240 . Pupils enrolled in 1890 ................................... 17,477 Pupilaenmlled in 1903.. ................................. 28,411 Concretely the ability of the Indian of to-day to engage in civilis~d pursuits and his skill in the arts and crafts of our own race are shown by various articles made by Indians. A model hay balerwith patterns for castings made by a Potawatomi; 'model wagon and harness, bed-steadandfurnishings, wheelbarrow and haprack, full-size uniform suits for boys and girls, besides shoes, brooms, a tool chest, blacksmith tools, and other samples of work in wood, iron, and leather. The furniture of the exhibit was made by pupils in Indian schools, chairs, settees, table, tabourets, mantel, bookcase, and an arched grill, not omitting the work of little fingers in sloyd, nor the display of fine drawnwork, embroidery, and lace. Art ability of a high order is shown in the four oil paintings of Indian life loaned by Miss Angel Decora, of the Winnebago tribe, who took the art course at Smith College and afterwards studied under Howard Pyle. She also made the design for the mantelpiece. The intellectual training given in Government Indian schools, its practical application, and the ability of the Indian to assimilate the 'Lbook knowledge" as well as hand skill of the white race, is shown by the cases of schoolroom papers from 18 hoarding schools and sev-eral day schools, which give the actual work of pupils, most of it uncorrected, from kindergarkn through the eighth grade. The schools represented in this exhibit are Cantonment, Chiloeco, Crow, Fort Berthold, Fort Lewis, Fort Peck, Fort Sill, Genoa, Grand Junction, Haskell, Leech Lake, Morris, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Seneca, Shoshoni, and Tongue River. Far from the Government Building at the other end of the ground near the Administration Building is another Indiin exhibit much larger and far more interesting and important, for there " still life" gives place to action. For the Indiin exhibit at St. Louis, Congress, by act of June 28,1902, appropriated $40,000, and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to cause to he assembled as a part of the Louisiana Pur-chase Exposition- Such representatives of the different Indian tribes and such exhibits fmm Indian agencies, schools, and archives as he may deem adviaable or uecesasry to illustrate the past and present conditions of the Indians and the Indian tribes of the United States, and progress made by such in education, art, and industry, and the methods of education and government, and such other mattem and things as will fnlly illus-trate Indian advancement in civilization. A supplementary appropriation of $25,000 was contained in the act of April 21, 1904. |