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Show REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 23 This table is instructive by presenting in tabulated form the progress of Indian education through nearly a quarter of a century. In 1877 there were 3,598 pupils (out of apopulatiou at that time of about 189,000 under the control of the Indian department) regnlarly attending the institutions established for their benefit. There are now, twenty-three years later, 20,522 boys and girls in attendance out of au enrollment of 25,202. The Indian population from which these are taken is 181,000. If the past quarter century has been thus productive in educating these young Indians, it may not be an optimistic view that the future will produce the same results under the present system. While the population has remained stationary there has been such a steady increase iu the number being educated that there is warrant for the opinion the next quarter century will witrless uot a diminution of the &'Indian population," but an extiuguishment of '<Indian tribes." In their stead, it is reasonable to presume, there mill be a large increase in the loyal, truly American-born, educated citizens of Indian parent-age, ready and willillg to accept to the uttermost the privileges and all the grave respolirribilities of American citizenship. CHAEACTER AND CONDITlON OF SCHOOL PLANTS. There are some who feel that because they themselves or their fathers attended a little district school built of logs in a rongh, uncouth man-ner, and strong aud sturdy men morally and intellectually were devel-oped in such an institutiou, the same character of school should be established for the Indiau. These persons forget that in a great majority of instanoes pupils in those days went from the walls of the log cabin to a comfortable fireside and o111y spent a brief number of hours at the school building. The Indian school is entirely different; it is a home for the pupil, and therefore, an effort is made to make it preseut, as far as possible, the comforts of a well-ordered household, so that it may arouse a latent ambition to emulate that which it can he seen the white mall obtains by thrift and energy. Unless the evi-dences of "something better" are placed before a man he dl1 rarely ever wish to rise above the level on which he is placed. In the developnlent of the various buildings for boarding schools, extending over a period of years, much thought and study have been devoted to their arrangement so as to perfect them in convenience, sanitation, and adaptability to the peculiar conditions and require-ments incident to the education of and caring for Indian children. Modern systems of heatiug, ventilating, plumbing, and lightiug, in so far as thqse could be introduced with the often limited amount of funds available, have been installed in the new buildings and in many of an earlier construction. Where conditions permit, the heating is accom-plished through the medium of steam or hot water plants, either from a central station or by individut~ml automatic boilers placed in the base-ments of the various buildings, aud by the direct and direct-indirect |
