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Show REPORT OF THE 00BfXlSSIONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 7 old and young. The Indian is gregarious, and that plan turns a natural tendency into the civilized colony idea. INDIAN SCHOOLS AND THEW. PERSONNEL. There were 257 Indian schools in operation during the fiscal year, of which number 91 were reservation boarding schools, 26 were non-reservation boarding schools, and 140 day schools. There were enrolled in all of these schools 24,857 pupils, with an average attend-ance of 20,816. For the proper care of the children of these several schools there were employed during that period 2,282 persons, of which number 111 were superintendents. All of these people have either been in the service for a long period or have been appointed through the medium of the classified Indian civil service. As a general rule, in the boarding schools the immediate conduct of the pupils is committed to matrons, rtssistant matrons, industrial teachers, etc., and at the day sch?ols a man is enlployed as a teacher, while his wife occupies the position of housekeeper. These persons are appointed upon merit, and while out of so large a number of per-sons connected with the service there are some who are not properly qualified for their positions, yet it is believed that the proportion of the disqualified is very small in comparison with the whole number. For the general supervision of these schools five supervisors are appointed, and the whole field is divided into districts. They visit every school in the district assigned them from one to two and three times eaxh year, going thoroughly into the capability and effective industry of the personnel of the school, the chamter and e5ciency of thc superintendent, and the moral conditions pertaining to the institu-tion. Aside from these inspections there are five special agents, as well as sewn inspectors, who look into the general conduct of the schools. These officials from time to time make reports of their inves-tigations and conclusions. The moral condition of the schools is of supreme importance, and supervisors are especially charged to look into it at every school visited. Whenever a supervisor or other co'nscientious inspecting o5cial has reported that the morel tone of an Indian school was not good the superintendent or some employees, or both, have been relieved. Such occasions, however, are very few compared with the number of schools and the number of employees. In a general report upon the condition of Indian schools to the Department United States Inspector James McLnughlin, who has for thirty-two years been continuously connected with the Indian service in various capacities, said: I regard the efficiency of the Indian schools a4 steadily advancing, and themfore a comparison between the conditions now and the conditions five, six, or more 7ea.m ago as manifestly improved with a marked onward and upward tendency. |
