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Show 414 REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF INDIAN SCHOOLS. CARLISLE SCHOOI,, PENNSYLVANIA. This school has an enrollment of over 1,000 pupils. The '' outing system," thru which many of this number are laced in good homes in the surrounding neighborhood for part of t f: e year, has been ex-tended. At the school the girls are given practical instruction in sewing and general housework, and when they have completed the course most of them are capable of taking charge of a small house-hold. Additions have been made to the equipment of some of the shops, which has improved the facilities for giving instruction and turnin out completed work. The class mom and industrial teach-ing is iecoming more closely correlated. At the Carlisle commencement native Indian music was success-fully played and sung, and an effort was made to carry out your directions as given in the following circular letter sent to superin-tendents: . The Office desires the schools to have practical demonstrative work by grad-uating pupils made a leading feature of the commencement exercises. This plan has been suceessfnlly carried out by a number of training schools. At the commencements of the Tuskegee Institute, for example, a boy brings his tools upon the stage and performs a piece of mechanical work in the presence of the audience, explaining the process as he goes along. A girl illustrates and expounds in like manner a branch of domestic industry in which she has heeu trained. The same plan is carried out, to a greater or less extent, at Hnmpton. It is suggested that the example of these two so noted schaols could be fol-lowed to advantage in arranging for the commencement exercises at your school, varying the nature of the work shown so as best to bring out the acquirements of the pupils and exemplify the methods of'instmction, espe-cially along industrial lines. In class essays or papers at commencement, pupils should be encouraged to talk about conditions at home and to tell how they hope to better these con-ditions when they return. For example, if a boy expects to cultivate his allotment, have him tell something about what kind of a house or bnrn he would build, how he would lay off his land into fields, the farming implements he would need, and the kind of stock he would select, or otherwise how he would conduct his farm. Grain or vegetables migbt be brought in and the various processes of growth illustrated as far as practicable with the seeds, then the young shoots, then the matured plant, and finally the ripened prod-uct. The boys might talk about the trades they are learning, the demand at their homes for good carpentry, blacksmithing, etc., and what they expect to do wlth their trades when they have mastered them; the girls of what has been taught them in such arts as sewing and cooking. One year at Tuskegee ! a girl talked about butter mnking, showing the actual work of skimmiug, churning, etc. i The school officials at Hampton are very particular about the dress of the students, tho only plain materials are used. Frequently a class will select a I special color. One year the girls wore a tan shirt waist cotton suit, another year they had blue and white stripd print, always neatly made by tlrem-selves. The OWce deems it essential to the best intereats of the Indian school serv-fce that the annual commencement exercises shall be of a practical rather than a mere rhetorical character, and we hope you will take tlle matter up in i arranging the program for your next commeucement PINE RII,GE RESERVATION, SOUTH DAKOTA. 1 I The boarding-school plant was in fairly good repair, and cemknt walks were being laid. The class-room instruction showed improve i I ment over that of my former visit, and teachers were endeavoring to make the work practical. The matron's department was unusually 1 ! I |