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Show hard conditions and the Indians on their native heath. His conclusion was that great things could be accomplished for the savage red man in a more favoil~bleat mosphere. This conclusion was afterwards devel-oped in the "outing system" at Carlisle. This plan is only a superior way of carrying out the ideas of the early settlers at many points on our coast. They declared it to be their purpose to induce the Indians to give up their wandering life in the forest, acquire a knowledge of the English langnage, and adopt the white man's custob. The train-ing of Indian youth in the households of Puritan families was one method suggested to change the life of these savages. In 1618 the Virginians, with similar intention, proposed "to bring the native chil-dren to the true religion, morality, virtue, and civility," and the first legislative assembly directed that every plantation holder should pro-cure Indian youth by just means for this purpose. In 1621 it was reported by the Puritans at Plymouth that- If we had means to apparel them and wholly retain them with us, they would doubtlas in timeproveserviceable to God and man. And if God sends us means, we will bring up hundreds of these children both to 1;qbor and learning. Thus, as in a circle, has the Carlisle school come back to the point established by the fathers in a system of education for the descendants of those Indians who first met the European on this continent. An important feature connected with this plan is the banking system. Each student has a bank account and the school keeps a careful record of every deposit and withdrawal. The habit of thrift and an idea of the value of money are thus practically inculcated. The boy or girl will also learn how to keep accounts, and learn the value of time and labor as well as money-something of which the Indian in his native state has very little conception. A dollar earned by his own exertions acquires an interest to the boy that a hundred given by the Govern-ment can never possess. The Indian does not naturally have fore-thought or thrift to provide for the rainy day. When the pupils return to the reservation or, as it is earnestly hoped they will, go among the white people, they carry with them tangible evidence of the value of work. As a rule this "saving" is appreciated, and not promptly thrown away, as is usually the case with the few dollars of annuity money given by the Government. The one elevates; the other degrades and demoralizes. Wherever practicable the "outing system" is being inaugurated, and will prove elsewhere as well as at Carlisle that the best system of civilizing Indians is "mixing" them with the families of white citizens in their homes, in their shops, and in their fields. OOMPIJLSORY EDUOATION. There has been an increase in the number of pupils at the various boarding schools during the past four years of over 4,000. The recrnit- |
