saws and 2,000 Seminoles. In addition there are in the territory 18,500 freed men and 200,000 whites. Missionary zeal availed itself promptly of this new field for its efforts. Substantial boarding schools were erected, more particularly by the Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists. Much good radiated from these centers of civilization. In due time, however, the Indian authorities began to make appropriations for these schools. Ultimately, they took entire charge of them. Unfortunately, administrative affairs were largely in the hands of whites who, by intermarriage or bribery, had been adopted into the tribes, and there came over the schools, as well as over all other public interests, the blight of extreme partisanship and nepotism which rapidly degraded them in character and efficiency. In 1898, therefore, the government at Washington found itself compelled to come to the rescue and to assume supervisory control over the affairs of all these tribes except the Seminoles. Under the act by which this was done, the conduct of the schools and orphan asylums in the four tribes involved was placed under the direction of a "superintendent of schools in Indian territory," appointed by the secretary of the interior. Under him there is for each of the tribes or nations a "supervisor of schools," whose duty it is to inspect the educational institutions in his district and to assist in their organization and conduct. The superintendent reports to the commissioner of Indian affairs at Washington through the United States inspector for the Indian territory, who is his immediate superior. The initial report of the superintendent shows that there are in the four tribes 24 boarding schools, with an enrollment of 1,758 pupils, and an average attendance of 1,480, taught and cared for by 234 employees at an annual expense of $236,824. This does not include 363 neighborhood schools, in which more than 10,000 children are taught at an annual expense of $113,380. In character and equipment, however, these schools are very poor. STATISTICAL TABLES TABLE 1-Number of Indian schools and average attendance from 1877 to 18981 Some of the figures in this table as printed prior to 1896 were taken from reports of the superintendent of Indian schools. As revised, they are all taken from the reports of the commissioner of Indian affairs. Prior to 1882 the figures include the New York schools. a Indian children attending public schools are included in the average attendance, but the schools are not included in the number of schools. TABLE 2- Enrollment and average attendance at Indian schools, 1897 and 1898, showing increase in 1898; also number of schools in 1898 TABLE 3-Annual appropriations made by the government since the fiscal year 1877 for the support of the Indian schools 2 Three schools transferred to the government and contracts made for two schools which were paid by vouchers in previous year. 3 Thirty-one public schools in which pupils are taught not enumerated here. 4 These schools are conducted by religious societies, some of which receive from the government for the Indian children therein such rations and clothing as the children are entitled to as reservation Indians. |