--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, Edward H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 4 published: 1909-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Anderson, Edward H., "What of the Red Man," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 4 (February 1909): 291–294.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1204unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1204unse start_page: 291 end_page: 294 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1204unse publication_year: 1909 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # What of the Red Man WHAT OF THE RED MAN? BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. Ever since the middle of the seventeenth century when the "Indian Apostle," John Eliot, established his towns of "praying Indians," in Massachusetts, there have been attempts by the Americans to educate the Red Man. Eliot's efforts were ably seconded by John Stockton, of Massachusetts, and Eleazer Wheelock, of Connecticut and New Hampshire. It has continued with more or less success until the present day. The teaching of the Indians was first under church denominational control, financially aided by the government, but since 1893 the churches have gradually withdrawn from participation in government aid, leaving the schools either private or completely under government control; and Uncle Sam is very good to the Indians. There are at present about two hundred fifty Indian schools in this country with an enrollment of about 25,000 pupils. The schools comprise day-schools, reservation and non-reservation boarding-schools, industrial training-schools, and contract-schools. The industrial training-schools number ten, located as follows: Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Chemawa, near Salem, Oregon; Chilocco, Oklahoma; Genoa, Nebraska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Lawrence, Kansas; (the Haskell Institute), Grand Junction, Colorado; Santa Fe, New* Mexico; Phoenix, Arizona; and Fort Shaw, Montana. These schools, in the scope of their work, and in equipment, excel in a high degree. The school at Phoenix, shown in the cut, is located on 240 acres of land a short distance from the city. The government has spent between six and seven hundred thousand dollars in buildings. £h -F» There are between six and seven hundred Indian boys and girls in attendance, gathered from some twentyfive tribes who dwell in various parts of the surrounding country, especially in the southern part of the territory. The child of the wild Apache and of the timid Indian of the plains here associate together, and, under the careful tuition of Uncle Sam's teachers, become reconciled to each other, so that they often intermarry. They receive lessons from books onehalf a day, and then in industry the other half, the idea being to prepare the Indian to earn his living in the White man's way when his education is finished. To this end, large shops and work houses are provided where the boys learn all kinds of handicraft. The girls are taught domestic science- They are dressed in spotless white-and-black uniforms. They comb their hair and tie their braids neatly with red ribbons. Some are bright and intelligent, others very sqaw-like. A year or two at the school changes entirely the new student, in both looks and conduct. The girls make splendid servants, and the demand for them can with difficulty be supplied. Children enter the school at any age from six to twentyfive years. At first the government was compelled to gather them up and force them to school, but now there is scarcely room to accept the applications that come voluntarily. The children are graded according to age, and live in fashionable and beautiful dormitories which the girls are required to keep in spotless order. Saturday is parents' visiting day, and the paternal Indians come from all about, in all kinds of wonderful"rigs." It is remarkable to note the contrast between the visitors and the visited; and really astonishing to see the children take to the dirt with their parents who lounge in groups on the bare ground or on the lawn in the shade of the palms. Boys and girls nicely dressed, and ranging in age from eight to fourteen, have been seen to throw themselves on the ground and roll with glee in the dust and sand; while older ones stand, one imagines, longing for the opportunity, but refrain in deference to their new education and the white man's 194 IMV HOY I'M EXT ERA. ways. Some reply quickly and brightly when addressed, but others are surly and refuse to answer questions. At PapagO, the Indian village near Mesa, there are nearly two hundred Indians who are Latter-day Saints. (.Hiite a number of their children attend the Industrial school at Phoenix. Whether or not Uncle Sam shall succeed in perpetuating the race of the Red Man and making of him a civilized character remains to be seen. Rut this fact is clear, there is no example in the history of the world where a nation has provided and cared for its conquered aboriginal inhabitants as the United States is now doing with the remnant of her conquered race. Salt Lake City, Utah.