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Show REPORTS OF AGENTS IN UTAH. CIVILIZATION. In civilhation, so intimately connected with industry, if not absolutely dependent upon it, whilst Bdmitted tobe very slow, we think their progress is p d u a l and perceptible, as mani-fested by their disposition to adopt more and more the dress and habits of civilieed life, and the giving up of many of their barbarous custom during siokoess, and at the dmth of my of the tribe. EEALTX. There has been more siokness among them thsn last year; at least mare has come within my knowledge; perhaps from the growing disposition to report the cases, and to obtain remedies from the arent. Still it is next to impossible to aecurstnly ascertain the amount of sicknesa or the number of births and desths. Must of the diseases are of a chronic charae-ter. Consumption is superioduoed by their semltg clothing, poor shelter, and general ex-posure during the winter and spring. Venereal diseases in their various stages are also qnite prevalent, and from the peculiar remedies and trestmentnecessary,neeessitate the em-ployment of a physician aud hospital provisions. I cannot too earrtestly recommend that ravision be made for both these items, both on the scare of humanity and justice to the fndians and employ6s. The Departmant,as well aa all well-wishers to the indians,insist thst the best class of employ& be secured: but suoh cannot be iuduced to remain while their lives %re exposed both to accident and disease, without any Evdlable adequate reme-dies or skillful treatment. SCEOOL. The school alluded to in my last report has been iu o erathn since October Isst. The house for its aooommodation, then in process of ereotion,ga;? been so far completed ss to be oompsratively oomfortable, thongh not eeiled or plastered. A portion of it is fitted up for the residenoe of the agent and his family, the bdanoe for school purposes : and for present dsm%n&, so far as instraetionis concerned, is all that is required. With slight irlterruption the soh001 has been open during the year, and though it has not folly met our sntioipationn, it has perhaps aeeomplished % much 8% could reesonahly hbve been expected. It has steadily crown in fwor smonn the Indians, and those who have availed themeelves of its advani&r iwvc. eousi~leringih cir irregular a!rl 1111 !n-e, made C O U I I I I E O ~pr~og~r~e1~8 . Tllo wholr number of Iudilxn 1.0~asa rcndint !nore rr lrs.; during !Lo ear 1s t \ ~ w ~ l ~ - f i sTal .e numbrr wrms sn,all nnljnr ru manv. lrut n.ben it is con~idcm:I 1h.n tbe rlildren urr under no kind of retrsint or eor?ipulaion,-liut are left free, exeept in s very few eases, to come or stay away, it will uot appeer eastrange that so fsw attend: and especinlly w h e ~ iita romem-bered that the farms and lodges are located from tbres to six miles from the agency, and, further, thst when the Indians leave to hunt or visit, their children must bs taken along. No gids have hitherto been induoed to attend, older Indians laughing at the idea pf eduoating pis.T hey, as an evidenos of their interest in the school, ~ometimesp ropose to leave their oys w.~ t hus , bot we h v a no way of oaring for them at present, sod of course decline to t a k t~he m. I n ordsr to aeoure the best xresults from our school, we mnst have soother build-ing. for boarding and lodging purposes, with separate apartments for bays &nd girls ; also apartments for s matron, who should be employed to take charge of the establishment. The children should be instroeted not only in ordinary school-studies, but also in those mstters 1 which are calculated to fit then, for providing for their own comfort mud support in future. The adoption of this plan with us wrould require additional meaus; but Ism satided it is the only way in which Iedim schools ean be made to produce the best results, I there-fore earnestly recommend that we be enabled to adopt the plan abovoindieated. For a more detailed account of the operations of the school, I refer you to the teacher's report here-with. MORALITY AND RELIGION. The former being an outgrowth sod dapendent upon the strwgth and purity of the lat-ter, can hardly be said to exist. Whatever of religion they mny have once had exists in s weak and modified form of anperstition prineipdiy among the older ones, and exercises s very slight control over their sotions under ordinary eircurnstauaes. There is, indeed, a belief in a Supreme Being or Great Spirit, who controls both in the uatursl world and in the sffairs of men; also a belief in the existence of evil spirits, to whom are attributed dl malizn influences. But it is on17 in times of meat afffiotion and sorrow that their relieious notidun .xppcnl. tu ererriso rxnp iifltlurnvo or co~Grdl t.\dr their nc:ios*, awl rheu uot aii,;.ayo in u beupl i c~~wra y. Tl.ev are, to H very greal L.XI.III, ereatllres of :appel:w arnd irnpulhu. Peirirl>oer,. a* ~rirlml ost n i Ihtr llc~~n.ahnm ilv, is n rnnrkelci.nmrteriitic. Inr~lrual lfeeti<.o even between members of the same femili, seems except in rare eases to exercise little influenee over their treatment of each other. For their boys, indeed, they seem to have e de ee of it, but for the aged, often for tho sick, ma generally for the women, or squaws, o l r m young, this deltghtful principle of our common nature seems wanting to an alarm-ine extent. Chsstitv and a sense of oblieation to the marrime relation. exceot to a limited ex?ent, are 1amenta61~w anting. Polg&my, sas with most-barbarous tribe; or nations, exists, though to a less offensive extent thsn formerly. All the benign influences and 8 |
