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Show tionof the rising generation, leaving the churches free to prosecute with reneved vigor their legitimate work of establishing and maintain- , ing religious missions. By this harmonious and yet separate activity of the Government and the churches all of the Indians will eventually . , be brought into right relations with their white neighbors, and be pre- i pared for the privileges and responsibilities of American Curistian citi-zenship. , - S U X ~ B YOF IMPROVEMENTS ATTEXFTED. I In addition to the ordinary routine work of the offlce, the points to which I have given special attention during the year havebeen thefol-lowing : The improvement of the personnel of the service.-Wherever it could be ~ done without too great hardship I have endeavored to remove those who were immoral, incompetent, inefficient, or unfaithful. No one hae I been discharged on account of politics or religion, and in no single instance except for the improvement of the aervice. I have steadily refused to remove those who were performing their duties satisfaotorily. . In making appointments I have, so far as it lay in my power, endeav-ored to secure persons of good moral character, having special fitness for their work, and where mistakes have been made, I have not been slow to correct them. Allow me, in this connection, to recognize heart. , ily the cordial support given to me in this matter by yourself and the President, and also the painstaking efforts you have both pot , . forth in the selection of Presidential appointees. The elmation of the schools.-A great deal of thought has been . to this subject, and the schools have been visited and inspecte I with a, care and thoroughness hitherto unattempted. The work accomplished by superintendent Dorchester will appear in his report on page 246.. Large and careful expenditures have been made in repairing and en-larging school-houses and providing them with proper eqoipments, and ' new ones have been erected where most urgently demanded. A new ~ and carefully revised system of rules, including a course of study, hahas- been drawn up and a series of text-books determined upon (see Ap. pendix, pages'oxLv1 and CLXI), A work of this kind is beset with ~ many difficulties and necessarily proceeds slowly, but when once accom-plished is enduring. Thehedmelopment of indwtries.-Great improvements have been made . , '' at the Government schools in this important direction. Competent in- I struction is given to boya in blacksmithing, broom.making, carpen-tering, dairying, farming, fruit culture, harness.making, printing, tailor-ing, tinsmithing, shoe.making, stock-raising, wagon-making, and wheel- . wrighting j to girls, in all the ordinary duties of housekeeping. The , work accomplished among the older Indians in teaching them the arts of agriculture are discussed under the head of Indian farming. The imprmemerbt of the sanitary seraice.-There is a widely prevalent, but very mistaken, notion that the Indians, children of nature, are a |
