Fifty Thousand Indian
Children In Public Schools
“Indian Leader”—Haskell Institute
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“We have 50,000 part-Indian
children in the United States,”
says Dr. W. Carson Ryan Jr.,
Director of Education for the
Indian Service, “who are in the
public schools and whom we
want to.help to stand on their
own feet and learn to get along
with their neighbors.”
“Indian education in the
United States has to deal with
two main groups of Indians,”
Dr. Ryan says, “a larger group
•of comparatively little Indian
blood and culture, and a small
er group, mainly in the South
west, with really significant
survivals.
“To many of us the first group
seems to have lost almost every
thing that is Indian, though
the ethnologist would probably
say that there is more survival
than appears at first sight. In
any case, this is a group with
certain treaty and other rights
and a long history of suppres
sion, both cultural and econ
omic, that has ^bout run Us
course. A rural situation here
exists not greatly unlike other
backward rural situations in
external appearances, but curi
ously complicated by racial
elements and the attitudes of
whites. The Indians in this
group include the several thou
sand in Wisconsin, for example,
whom the Federal Government
long since ‘let go,’ but who are
still far from adjusted to mod
ern life, and the remnants of
tribes in Louisiana, never offi
cially recognized by the Federal
Government, whose mixture in
cludes just enough Negro blood
to constitute a special local
problem.
“For these part-Indians the
Government has felt the best it
could do was to encourage rapid
commingling with the rest of
the population; hence, the pub
lic school attendance of 50,000
children of Indian blood this
year, more than half of all In
dian children attending any
school.
“It is true that Government
Indian boarding schools still
hold a considerable number of
Indian children, even in areas
where the public schools have
been willing to take them in. In
the public schools the Federal
Government has usually paid a
tuition rate for Indian children
who were ‘wards’ and also for
a good many others whose ward
ship has become rather tenuous,
to say the least. This tuition
i ate ordinarily amounts to about
half the cost of schooling and
has been paid on the theory
that the existence of untaxed
Indian land causes a reduction
in the tax resources available
l'cr school purposes—a principle
that has been generally accept
ed by Congress and has worked
exceedingly well in some places.
Under this arrangement, which
exists in more than two thou
sand school districts, the Fed
eral Government has not at
tempted to any extent to fix
standards or dictate the kind or
cuaility of education, the result
being, of course, that the In
dian children take potluck with
ether Americans, suffering un
der typical rural school condi
tions a little more than their
white neighbors, perhaps, and
profiting correspondingly when
an enlightened local community
makes a really good educational
provision,”
WASHINGTON'S INTEREST
IN ALASKA
-X
Spring calls thousands of men
to work in the fisheries of the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Preparations for the pack are
quite as extensive as in the best
years of the past. Leaders in the
industry say that more than
100,000 workers in all will be
employed throughout the season.
It is at this time of the year,
too, that call should be coming
from the forests and the lumber
mills, which, in ordinary condi
tions would give work to many
more thousands.
Right now is a good time to
take a look fore and aft. The
Alaska salmon run is expected
to be up to normal; the Puget
Sound run nearly so. There is
no reason—unless the salmon
have one privately in mind—
why the well-regulated fisheries
of Alaska should not furnish a
huge dependable supply every
season. The outlook on Puget
Sound, after this season, may
not be so good; the run here de
pends upon the natural hat
cheries of the Fraser River.
Senators Jones and Dill, at the
instance of^ Governor Hartley,
prevented ratification of the
salmon treaty between Canada
and the United States which
would have made that source of
supply secure for all time.—
TIMES.
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BANK OF HYDER CLOSES
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Recently the Bank of Hyder,
Hyder, Alaska, voluntarily closed
its doors. In some circles in Ju
neau and elsewhere in Alaska
the question is being asked
“What was the Bank Examiner
under Treasurer Smith doing
that the depositors were not
protected. Mr. H. I. Lucas, can
didate for auditor to succeed
Cash Cole, incumbent and also
a candidate, is one of the terri-r
toriai banK examiners.