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Show exceeding their course of studv. and still further because no definite sjstem oftransfers has yet been inaugurated in the Indian schools. It shall be my aim to gradually and steadily remedy these hindrances, to adhere more and more strictlv to the nrouosed nian. and to devise and to carry out a just and satisfactory system of trhsfers. Text-hooks.-In working out the details of the course of study it became necessary, on the one hand, to find for the Indian children more suitable books than those heretofore in use; on the other hand, to sug-gest modi6cations in the methods of work. Readers.-The first. of these objects offered many difficulties, both in the selectiou of regular readers and in the selection of supplemental reading matter. In order that the child's mind may assimilate what-e ~ e irn struction and inspiration the reading books may afford, it is needful that the child's experience and surroulldings should afford facts and points of resemblance to whatever new matter the books may bring. Amajority of readers and supplemental readingbooks,although they contain much that appeals to the mind of the child brought up in the midst of full-grown civilization, contain comparatively little to stimulate and attract the mind of the voune Indian whose home sur-riundings 11aee1 1er11to nvbell very rcnnhlp iS:), tllc arts of' civiliz'I, t I'o n. For this reusoli it w;ia decided to se1ec.t a series nf re1111t.rw~ hi1:ll b;~~c . s its selections largelv unon the observatio~a~n d love of nat,ure. and which, ~ o n s e ~ u e non~klv~er,y~ p age, affords points of contact with the child's experience and finds the opportunities for illustration in the child's surroundings. For the same reason the supplementary reading matter is selected at first almost exclusively on the side of nature study, progressing gradually, but not on that account less positively, to the domain of history and literary arts. For details I have the honor to refer to tbe appended "Course of work and text-hooks adopted for Indian schools," which forms a part of this report. It will be noticed that in the.sn@plementary reading matter the dav ~choolsh ave 6 books devoted to nature studv and o~llv 3 to and literature, whereas the reservation" boarding schools have, for the 6 books devoted to nature studs, 13 devoted to other subjects, and in the uonreservation training schools 30 volumes 011 other subjects accompany 'i books on nature study. Such a conrse might not satisfy schools located in highly cultured communities, but it nreuares the Indian voutb thorou~hlva nd solidlv to enter SIICII ~ I I I ~ I I I I ~ aI nI d~ ~to~ ~gr<am kradually a n i t il;rely into fi~il fello\\.ship with the best. (feoc1.:111hva nd h16torv.-For similar reaaonR. the text-l,ook (:ourso iu geograPh$ Gas been rediced in extent but mcr&sedin intensity. Dur-ing the day school period the work in geography is largely incidental; during the reservation school period it is confined to Frye's Primary Geography, and during the nonreservation school period to Butler's Elementary Geography. Similarly, the text-book course of American History is limited to Monteomerv's Beginners' Amerioan Histors; but, as wacindicated above, thEsuppiemeniary readi~l~eonrneanbrdabbn n: dant ~[~l~or touiftoier su ~llin~iteedx tension on the solid Ijaais thus pro-vided. Syllabuses of work.-In order to secure the modifications in tbemeth-ods of work needed for the successful conduct of the Indian schools, I am, under the direction of the Honorable Secretary of the Interior, pre-oarine arinted directions for the teachers. in the shane of svllabuses. 6ear iGon the different subjects of instruckion. ~ w o > fth ese, one on the subject of language work and the other on the subject of number |
