OCR Text |
Show The following table shows the increase in average attendance of Indian pupils during a series of years: TABLE 3.-Numlmrof Indian sohoola and avwoge attendance from 1877 to 1894. 1 I I I .yml,licschoola sttsnded byIndian children inaloded iu the average attenasnoe bnt not in the nomber of aohools. f This does not inoluaefour Eastern Cherokee aehools disoontinued dnrinq the past year, bnt to be resumed this vear. COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE. The course outliued in my last report relative to obtaining pupils for nonreservation schools only with the voluntary consent of their parents or near relatives has been strictly adberedto. No children have been forced to attend schools away from their reservation homes. This policy, adopted by the office last year, was enacted into law by Congress at its last session in the following item of the Indian appro-priation act: SEC. 11. That no Indian child shall be aent from rsnr Indianreaervationtoa school hnjoud the Srate or Territory i,. wltirh Raid 1aaers:8rio~i~1 *ilu:rre<lw irl~ourr he roi-untnrp consorer ~f fhn farhe!. or motlr,.r uf n u r l ~a: llilcl, i f eillter c,irhcvnarr. l iving, and if neither of then, are living without the volnntary consent of the next of kin of auch child. Such consent sllnll he mode before a e agent of the reservation, md he shall send to the Cornmissioner of Indian Affaira his oertitice.tte that snohconsenthea been voluntarily given before such child shdl he removed from such reservation. And it ahdl he i~nlswfnflo r mr Indian agent or other employ6 of the Crovornment to ipdnoe, or seek to induce, by vithholding rations or by otller improper means, the parents or next of kin of any Indian to consent to the removal ofany Indian ohild beyond the limits of any reservation. The effect of this policy, wbich is well understood alnong all the ,Indians, has been only salutary, and the result which was anticipated, vie, that it would ultimately increase the attendance a,t nonreserva-tion schools, has already begun to be realized. Thereport of the super-intendeut of Haskell Institute at Lawrence, Kans., contains the follow-ing : With a capacity of 500 there has been an average atteodanoe far the year of 4903. Formerly s, verylsrge percentage of our pupil8 Game from the Oneidas of Wisconsin, |