The American Missionary — Volume 37, No. 4, April, 1883Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 37, No. 4, April, 1883
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
We believe that those who read in this number of the Missionary the
communications from Capt. Pratt, Gen. Armstrong and Prof. Riggs
may ask with good reason, Why not develop at Santee an industrial
school for the Indians, of like character to those at Hampton
and Carlisle? Already fair beginnings have been made. As will be
seen by a cut published herewith, we have good grounds, several
attractive and suitable buildings, with other improvements. By
an examination of a map with reference to the location of the
different Indian tribes, it will be found that Santee is accessible
to seven tribes, numbering over twenty thousand souls. The railroad
systems of the vicinity are such that no great difficulty or
expense would be experienced in bringing students together. The
tribes speaking the Dakota language number more than those speaking
any other Indian dialect on the continent. The churches already
established among them, with a membership of 847, are in full
sympathy with the Santee school. No difficulty is likely to come
from a lack of students, as already the institution has during the
present year been obliged to turn them away for want of room.
[Illustration: SANTEE NORMAL TRAINING SCHOOL.]
Mr. Thomas L. Riggs, who collected a company of Indian youth for
Gen. Armstrong’s school last autumn, reports that he could have
secured several times as many, if he had been seeking students for
Santee. The variety of industries that it would be desirable to
promote would be limited only by the wants of the people in a new
country. Carpentering, blacksmithing, shoemaking, broommaking and
basketmaking, are trades that well might receive early attention.
It would be no part of the plan to interfere with the religious or
normal school work by the more general introduction of industrial
training. We believe that Christian nurture is promoted rather
than retarded by attention to industrial pursuits among students,
when wise oversight is given for the sake of useful achievements.
The plan of locating the students in cottages, so that each home
may have a quiet and healthful influence upon the untutored youth
from wigwam life, is already inaugurated, and can be extended to
meet all emergencies. The land at the agency is controlled by the
government, but no difficulty is anticipated in securing all that
may be needed for the use of the school. Scholarships may also be
had in numbers and amount sufficient to warrant preparations on a
large scale for a first grade normal and industrial institute. It
is the purpose of this Association to weigh carefully the above
considerations, and if found practicable, to develop at an early
day a training school in Nebraska that shall be equal in its
facilities and enterprises to the demands of the new era in the
progress of Indian civilization.
* * * * *
ASPECTS OF THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
BY HON. CARL SCHURZ.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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