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Show 54 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. by the best equipped Government schools is suflicient, if it can ht! made to rewh the great body of Indiau youth, to work so completes change in them that whether on or off the reservation they mill enter upon s new career and show themJelves in iucreasiug lumbers able t'o fight life's battles successfully. Education in its broad sense bas made the A~l~ericapueo ple what they are to.day, and education in the same sense must Bt the Indian, if he is ever to become fitted, for participation in our civilization. GROW'L'H OF ANNUAL AIaPROPRIATIONS. The necessity of education for the Indians has grown in the public mind year by year, and has found expression ill increasing appmpria-tiona for this purpose by Cougress. Tho growth of them appropria-tions is shown in the following table: TABLE 1.-Annual appv~~priationws ade By the G o v m n ~ msti nce the Jisoal p a l l a l i for support of Indian schools. . 75:OOO ..... 135 000 ad roo 675: 200 902 800 1 lo~'065 1~211~415 1,178,816 1,348,015 1.3% 568 1,843, WO 2,291,660 It will be seen from this table that for fifteen years there has been a very rapid advance in the anlonot of money appropriated, and this great increase has not only expressed the will of Cougress but it has been folly and even enthusiastically indorsed by the people in general. In nothing regarding this Indian questiou is there a more absolnte agree-ment of public opinion than as to the necessity and desirability of ex-tending the work of education iiutil it shall be adeqtrate for the trainiug of all available Indian youth. The eEoorts ofthe office during my administratwn have been directed to the study of the defects of the scheme of e(1ucation which had grown .up largely without system, and to the elimination of such evils as had gathered about it and the perfecting and extending of the scheme. The development of the school system has kept pace with the increase of appropriations. Schools already established have been enlarged and better equipped; new schools have been established; the attei~danoe has rapidly increased, and in all respects the system has been grwtly improved, and the Government Indian ~choolsa re now enlering upon |
