OCR Text |
Show &PORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF INDIAN SCHOOLS. 483 started every human being out equipped with all the elements of man-the elements of greatneas. And he does not maroon the Indian's soul, for all th' Indian needs, as Oommiasioner Jones has aptly said, is to be given a white man'hhance. I want theIndianexhibit tospeak formeitalready speaksfor itself. Theexhibit and the model Indian school show in the most practical way poaaible the progress the Indian is making and the rapid stride4 he is taiiing toward civilization. The model school will show that the young Indian is being instructed not only in the ordinary English branches, but in the practical industrial arts, which will enable him in adult life to be self-reliant and self-supporting, and by consequence agood man and sgood citizen. Etsciency in the Indian aervioe.-Dr. John T. Doyle, secretary, U. S. Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C.-Since the methods employed in other schools need adaptation to fit them to the teaching of Indians, the subject of Indian education has problems which are peculiar to itself. Out of the deliberations of this congress of Indian educators come improved methods of instruction, appropriate text-books, unity of effort., and an organized system of education. As I have been identified with the cause of civil-servlce reform, I presume I shall be expected to speak to on n the relations of that reform to Indian educstion. The character of InJan xcation depends upon the characterof the teaebin force,and it is thereforefunda-mental that those appointed shall be capable and of ood character. The method of their selection should be designed to this end. $0 obtain suitable employees, particularly at remote places where the surroundings are not attractive, is very diffi-cult, but vital. Then, too the qualifications required are unusually varied. The inherent difficultieiin the way of securing employees for the Indian service are much greater than in almost any other service. The law requires that the serv-ice shall be recruited thmugh free, open, competitive examination, and there is, therefore, the widest possible field for securing employees, irrespective of arty, creed, or personal influence. In view of thepeculiar conditions existing in thePndian serv-ice, persons selected for all positions, w~ t hth e possible exception of physicians, should haveteachingability, as thepurposeof their employment is essentially that af instmc-tian. The examinations are designed, therefore, to test the knowledge of the com-petitor and to determine as far as possible his abilit to impart instruction to others. They are m ~ d aes practical as possible, and are rnoiified from time to time aa expe-rlence requ~res. Previous experience is $ven consideration in some of these exami-nations, and in the noneducational exam~natianist constitutes 60 per cent, while the elements of age and physical condition constitute the remainiua 40 per eent. The pro ress that 1s being made in civilizing the Indian is largely due to the effi-ciency of k e teaching force. As a result of your individual efforts aa teachers and yo"r missionary zeal the Indian comes out of his isolation and sava ry into aasimi-latlon with his white nei hbom. From being a menace to social or%= he becomesa contributor to it and is atsorbed into the civilization of the Republic. We have but to witness the wise and good work that you are doing for the eleva-tion of the Indian to see how ready hss been his response to your appeal to his moral nature. That response has been greatest where our sympathies and labors have been strongest. Your work has proved that tge Indian will advance in civilization by methods which will win h ~cso nfidence. One of the reatest forces in the betterment of the Indian bas been the raising of the standard 07 the civil service and the retaining of faithful employees in office. We now have a systemenforced to the end that the persons appointed in the Indian work shall be possessedof integrity, the requisite de ee of knowledge, of experiencr, and of administrative capacity, sympath for the ~n%an,ande nthusiasm in the \vor.lc of teaching. Where the lives and vel&re of human beings are at stake it is vital that those put m charge shall be honest and capable. The outlook in the Indian work is full of hope. The service has been largely taken out of politics, abuses are being remedied, and the Indians are making steady progreys toward civilization and self-sup ort The noble missionary efforts of Chrishans, men and women, have prevented' the entire destruction of the race, preserved its nativearts and crafts, and directed the forces of civilization against nomadicand law-less tendencies. It rests with you to carry on this work. What's in a namel-Miss Emily 8. Cook, Office bf Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C.-"I don't think Indian names are hard to remember," said a,pewly arrived doctor on one of the Chippewa reservat;ms ovpr thirty years ago. What do yon call that Indian standing aver there?" Mo d j e whnce," was the re ly, "and the one who can not say it correctly by supper time shall bring the water &r the mesa." The doctor unhesitatingly agreed, but it was he who humbly carried the full water pall three hours later. Nevertheless, he persevered, until' such names were readil memorized; for on that reservation Indian names, as a rule, have been retainedq |