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Show 'tain, N. Dak. ; one on Warm Springs, Oreg. ; four on Colville, Wash. ; and one on Stockbridge, Wis. About a dozen more are in contempla-tion, and may be built next summer in order to be ready for the new scholastic year. PUBLfC SOHOOLS. The coeducation of whites and Indians in public schools conven-iently situated has been encouraged. Contracts are made with the county authorities whenever they are willing to admit Indian chil-dren into their schools, the Office paying for the privilege a certain sum based on the average attendance. Notwithstanding the induce-ment offered, only a slight increase in the contract number has been made during the year. This may be accounted for partly by the timid-ity of the full-blood children and partly by the prejudice of the whites; the reports indicate that less trouble exists with reference to the mixt bloods. There still remains, however, in a good many places, a de-cided disinclination to open the white schools to the attendance of Indians of any blood, even where they are regularly counted in the State scholastic census. In order to obtain information concerning public schools in the Indian country as a basis for future action, a circular was addrest to our field staff on the subject, and the replies, when briefed, present this general view : ' 1. Thirty-two agents and superintendents report public schools on their reservations, or near enough to be attended by Indian pupils- The reservations reporting the largest number are Fort Lapwai, 125; Cheyenne and Arapaho, 77; Sisseton, 35; Rosebud, 30; Osage, 20; Santee, 20; Winnebago, 15; Sac and Fox of Oklahoma, 8. The total number reported is 446. 2. Some of these schools date back as far as twenty years, but a large number have been established within the last five years. All were established by the State or local school authorities. Permission was usually obtained from the Indian Office before a school was placed on a reservation, but this does not seem to have been done in all cases. 3. The public schools in the Indian country are supported by taxes and State or Territorial funds, with one exception-at Osage, Okla.? they are maintained by public subscription and tuition charges. School funds are, as a rule, apportioned to each district on the basis of the scholastic population. Nonreservation and nontribal Indians almost invariably are counted in the census of the local scholastic population. Of the reservation Indians, in most cases, only those are counted who attend the public schools; but on a few reservations-as at Cheyenne and Arapaho. Rosebud, Santee, Seger, Yakima, Sac and Fox of Oklahoma, Winnebago, and Fort Lapwai-all are counted indis-criminately. In such instances, it appears to be the aim of the public |
