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Show XXXII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. vations already provided with boarding schools. They are practically district schools located among settlements of Indians more or less re-mote from the agency, and needing the influence in their midst of some employ6 who can supervise their farming, honse-building, and other practical interests, as well as teach their children. A few day schools hare been disoorltinued and five have become boarding sehools. There are now 117 in operation. The value of thc day school is measured 108s by the actual aclvancement. of its pupils in books, than by the influence of tho teacher orer them arrd their families, and by its im-portance as a recruiting station for candidates for boarding schools both on and off the reservation ; children who cannot be induced to go away from home to a boarding school will stray into a day school which is close at hand ; and afterwards, wheri their minds are awakened, will gladly accept the better opportunities offered them. Irregularity of attendance is a sore discouragement to the teacher; but this earl be fargely overcome by the attraction of a lunch served t,lie pup& daily and prepared with their assistance. The organizing of a sgstem of day schools is meeting with favor among experienced agents who have large agencies, and desire to place all their Indians a,s speedily as possible under some sort of educational influence. In this way only can the terms of the treaties with the Sioux, Chey-ennes, and Arapahoes, Kiowas, Comanches, and Navajoes be fulfilled. Training sc1~ools.-No one can read the reports of the Carlisle, ~ a h p - ton, and Forest Grove training ~choolsw, hich will be found herewith, on pageslG1,165, and 180, withont being impressedwith thegrowing interest and value of the work they are doing, and without wishing that it might 1)e increased four fold. Xach school has exceeded the number for which appropriation was made, and they have enrolled respectively 390,109, and 151 pupils. At each training in indu>trial and meclranical art,s has been kept in the foreground, aud the acquiring of habitsof faithful con-tinnous work has been the point most strenuousl~in sisted upon. The success attained is fully attested by the huluber and value of the arti-cles manufactured in the workshops for the nse of the schools, and also by the fact that at Carlisle and Hampton they propose to furnish ihr the various Indian agencies during the current tiscal year 2,000 pairs of shoes, 3,350 dozen articles of tinware, 22 dozen bridles and halters, ancl 450 sets of harness. During the year Carli~leh as sent 10 spring wagol~s to Indian a,gencies. The details of the work in tbese schools have beerr given in previous reports and need not be repeated here. Their stand. ing and importance are now so fully recogui7Rd as to need neither explanation nor defense. They have been visited and inspected by mmell and women from all parts of the country, friendly and unfriendly, criti-cal and lenient, enthusiastic and skeptical. The verdict has been nni-form that these schools should be continued and enlarged, and other similar ones established. 21 visit to either of these schools will remove the most obstinate prejudice agaiust Indian education. |