OCR Text |
Show school superintendent to make, before the expiration of each year, an estimate of the number and character of the students to be enrolled for the coming ear Through it, also, the children can be more care-fully and exact$ graded, and each class will be enabled to work more as a unit and in consequence make more steady and rapid progress at a much less expense of time, labor, and money. -- THF: OUTING SYSTEM. ! 1 respectfully recommend that an attempt be made to ut into effect " in every nonreservation school in the United States the 8 arlisle outing system, as introduced and successfully carried on by Major Pratt. Following the maxim that " contact with civilization civilizes," Indian boys and girls hire out to good white families durin a portion of the school year. Besides acquiring a command of the English language, a knowledge of business, and seeing the practical application of every rinciple learned in the class room, they are brought under intelli ent bhristian influence, where daily they come in contact with high i f eals and examples of right .living. Though but a small number be put out rts a beginning, their going will o?en the way for the placing of others, and this contact with good white civilization will be of inestimable value to them. Mr. A. J. Standing, assistant superintendent of the Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania, says that Indians are appaling to us to lend a helping hand to lift them from their low estate to a higher plane of living and intelligence. To this appeal our Government hsa responded in 8. liberal manner, prompted by the dictates of humanity and self-protect~on,r ealizing that a dependent opulation *nust ever be a burden, and that to educate to self-support and citizenship tie depend-ent Indian is not only justice hut good policy to the State. With this end in view there have been put in operation agencies, many and various, for the accomplish-ment of the desired object, among them that system of training which now stands at the front known as the "Carlisle outing system " than which there exists in my judgment, no other civilizing agency so potent'in its resulta and possibililies. By this system is meant that polley of the Carlisle school which requlres that its students shall spend a period of one or more years of their school life away from the school in selected white families, under the supervision of the school, receiving cur-rent wages for their services, and attending a public school four months or more dur-ing the winter, thus gaining experience in practical self-support and an induction into civilized family hfe not otherwise attainable. What does this do for the Indim boy or girl? It gives a command of the English e, a knowledge of family life, of business methods, of farming, machinery, $ E C k , and above all the consciousness of ahilityto make a living in anycivilized community; of not being a dependent, but a valued member of society, and a factor in the lahor market. In short, it gives the three essentials of the education needed-the knowledge of the language, the skill to labor, and the "courage of civilization." CHARACTER BUILDING. ' The problem of Indian civilization moves toward solution. Most transformations are gradual, and the principles deep in human nature underlie them. While we who immediately supervise the 5choo:s realize the magnitude of our work, we do not feel that the whole burden rests upon us. The gradual freeing of the Indian from the reservation system is throwing more and more of the responsibility on him, and, as another has stated, what he "most needs is not so much a protector as a friend." To meet this want all persons whom official or Christian duty has placed in touch with him must bear a part. |