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Show REPORT OF THE COXHISBIONEB OF INDIAN AFEAIRS. 113 The educational life of this nation has had its ebb and flow through the past half century. At times progress and wise policy were the rule, when their institutions of learning flourished, only to languish after awhile by neglect and inefficiency of management. Prior to the passage of the Curtis law the schools of the nation were declining; incompetency, inefficiency, favoritism, and fraud at times marked the official control of educational matters. The action of the Secrehry of the Interior in establishing a directing control of their system has awakened the nation to a realization of the low state into which this great branch of their work had fallen. A new school board has been formed, whose character and standing are the antitheses of their pred-ecessors. They seem willing and anxious to correct abuses and improve methods. A higher standard of ability and morality among .teachers has been set and the supervisor of the nation has cooperated with the tribal authorities in securing employees on meritorious qnaliications. Under orders of the Department, all school warrants for this nation are registered and indorsed by the United States supervisor as having been regularly issued for legitimate purposes before payment, and in his report he says: I have looked carefully into the character and quality of service rendered or goods furnished and have generally found the money has been prudently expended. It is also said the officers and teachers are willing to cooperate for the benefit of the service, and appreciate advice, suggestions, and guidance. The 124 neighborhood schools are in session twelve weeks in the fall and sixteen weeks in the spring, making seven months' term for the year. The seminaries are in session nine mouths in the year. An important change has been made in the system, which is the aboli-tion of a winter vaoation, which formerly extended through the mouths of January and Febrnary. The following table shows the enrollment, average attendance, etc., at the schools of the Cherokee Nation for the past year: TAELE 29.-hllmmt, awage attendance, dc., of schook in Cherokee Nalion, Ind. T. .. d e .............................. ra --. colored ~ i g shch ool.. ..................... 46 1 u 1 Total ................................. 4; I24 nneishborhood 8chaol8 .................. 1- 3,2 Male Seminary ........................... Femsle Seminary ......................... Ornhan Ann ---- Total ................................. / 4 , s s S ( 2,5211 ........ 1 7 6 , 1 3 5 1 7 - Creek Nation.-The status of the schools of this nation so far as Federal control is concerned is similar to that of the Cherokees. 6266-8 |