REPORT OF SCHOOL AT PIPESTONE, MINN. PIPESTONE INDIAN TRAINING SCHOOL, SIR: I have the honor to report to you the workings of the Pipestone Indian School for the fiscal year 1898. Attendance. There have been 123 pupils enrolled during the year. The average daily attendance is 100.4. During the year there were 7 runaways, all of whom were captured and returned within a couple of days. Health. The health of the school has been remarkably good. There have been no epidemics of a serious nature, and but few cases of severe illness, all of which readily yielded to treatment. Literary work. The schoolroom exercises have been quite successful, and much improvement is noticeable in all the grades of the school. A fair amount of supplementary reading has been done by the pupils in addition to their regular schoolroom work. Desirable books have been furnished the pupils, and their reading has been looked after by the teachers. Pupils who expect to become teachers have been reading on that line in addition to their regular work. Two of the pupils who had completed the eighth grade have attended the public schools in Pipestone during the year. They have conducted themselves in such a manner as to win the confidence and respect both of their teachers and classmates in the public schools, and in the final examinations stood well toward the head of their classes. Industrial and farm work.-The industrial work of the farm has been productive of good results. Quite a large amount of produce has been raised and a large supply of vegetables for the use of the table. The dairy has furnished a large supply of milk and butter, and we have had a good supply of eggs from the poultry. At this time the crops on the farm and in the garden are looking well and promise an abundant harvest. Last winter an ice house was built and filled with ice, which is a material advantage to the cooking department. A hand-mangle has been added to the laundry equipment and lessens the fatiguing work materially. A cream separator has been added to the dairy and is a valuable addition to the equipment. Drainage.—The drainage is excellent and the sewer is in good condition. Gaslight.-The gas plant has given the best of satisfaction since its installation. The brilliancy of the light and the ease of operation are items in its favor. Buildings. The great need of this school at this time is more buildings. But with the appropriations already made, I trust the buildings will be completed during the year. Employees. But one employee has been transferred during the year, and that was upon request. They have been faithful and earnest in their work and loyal to the school. The success of the school is largely due to their united efforts. Thanking you for the cordial and courteous support I have received, I am, respectfully, DE WITT S. HARRIS, Superintendent. The COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. REPORT OF SCHOOL AT FORT SHAW, MONT. FORT SHAW SCHOOL, MONTANA, August 16, 1898. SIR: I have the honor to forward the sixth annual report of this school. The school increased to more than 300 pupils last year. The old school building was remodeled and increased in size so that it is more convenient and commodious. The work was improved in nearly all lines. There was one weak place in the employee force which made the entire work harder. I refer to the position of disciplinarian. It is one of the most difficult positions to fill, and by some mishap a 17-year-old Indian boy was sent to take charge of 180 boys. His influence was nil, which was a vast improvement over that of the man sent to succeed him. During the past year we have seen in the manual training work the advantage of a systematic course steadily followed. We have a large number of very creditable pieces of wood carving done by small boys of 11 or 12. They have taken the knife work, have kept up the course in drawing, and easily followed the course of wood carving. Their doing any kind of woodwork is simply a question of growing large and strong enough. They are growing into the principles of a universal trade. I have been struck with the facility with which they take up and use any kind of tools. For instance, two tailor boys are during vacation plying the carpenter's trade. To see them at work one would suppose that the particular thing in which they were trained. All lines of industrial work, both for boys and girls, have been carried out systematically and with a definite end in view. It is the first year we have been able to carry out fully the plan of organization of that office. The matron had entire oversight of lady employees engaged in industrial work with the girls. The manual training teacher had general oversight of industrial training of the boys. The principal teacher had charge of schoolroom work. The entire employee force formed an association and met one evening per week to read papers prepared and have discussions on them. The subjects were of vital interest to the workers. A better general idea of the work was secured in this way, and at the same time the workers were keeping up their own education. Among the subjects considered were sanitation, discipline, amusements, educational value of different branches of industrial training, school management, educational value of drawing, training in gymnasium, music as an educational factor, and nature study. An employee would take some branch of a subject and write a paper. Then there would be a general discussion. The work of the school could be greatly improved by a few improvements, as a steam-heating plant, electric lighting, barn for horses, machinery for laundry, and hospital building. It would be comparatively easy to secure 400 or 500 pupils for the school if facilities would admit them. The COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. W. H. WINSLOW, Superintendent REPORT OF SCHOOL AT GENOA, NEBR. INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, GENOA, NEBR., September 20, 1898. SIR: In compliance with the rules and regulations for the Indian service, I have the honor herewith to submit my annual report of the school for the fiscal year of 18.8: The attendance during the past year has exceeded that of any of the previous years, being made up of an excellent class of boys and girls, who have shown by their efforts that they realize the benefits to be derived by the opportunities offered to secure an education and have taken a great interest in everything pertaining to their advancement. I sincerely hope that the day is not far distant when the sending of solicitors to the different reservations for the purpose of inducing pupils to attend the nonreservation schools, and who are subject to the extortions of persons acting as interpreters and rendering other assistance, will be abolished and other and less expensive means afforded for the securing of pupils for the nonreservation schools. The health of the pupils during the past year has been very good, no epidemic prevailing, which I think in a great measure is due to the excellent sanitary condition of the school. The schoolroom work has been successfully carried on, and the work will bear comparison with that of the preceding years. The industrial departments have taken no backward step from any of the preceding years, and an examination of the work as carried on will show that marked progress has been made all along that line. The work as carried on in the harness and shoeshop and carpenter and tailor shops has been more extensive than any of the past years, and the interest in the industrial departments is increasing from year to year. The great need is more shop room to accommodate those that desire to take up the trades. Quite a large line of work from the industrial departments has been placed on exhibition at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha, Nebr., which has been highly complimented for the superior workmanship which it displays. The crops upon the farm and garden have exceeded that of any of the previous years, and an abundance of vegetables from the garden and a large supply of potatoes from the farm has amply repaid for the labor placed thereon, and has afforded a sufficient supply for all table use for the pupils. The general farm crops, such as hay, corn, and oats, have been sufficient to supply the needs of the school stock, and the outlook for the present year is equal to that of the last. All in all, the school farm has not only been made instructive, but self-sustaining to the school. The water supply of the school is unexcelled, being furnished by the Genoa Town Company. There is always an abundant supply for all uses, and the pressure is sufficient for ample fire protection, as was shown by the extinguishing of a very large fire which had secured a strong foothold in the attic of the boys' dormitory building during the past winter, caused by the explosion of a lamp: and had it not been for the excellent water system a large portion of the plant would have been destroyed. The sewerage is very good, but should be extended to a more distant point for the opening, and for which I have made a request for an appropriation. Now grounds have been laid out on the school campus, new drives and walks made, and trees planted, looking forward to the further extension of the plant, especially in the line of a suitable building for schoolroom purposes, of which the institution is sadly in need, and I trust that at the coming session of Congress there will be an appropriation set apart therefor. The improvements and repairs for which appropriations have been made have been pushed forward as rapidly as possible. Appropriations for the completion of the steam-heating plant and the installation of an electric-light plant have been made for the fiscal year of 1899, and I trust that ere long the danger of fires from the use of stoves and lamps will be a thing of the past. An appropriation for the general repair of the school hospital has also been made and, when completed, will make our hospital both convenient and comfortable. There is great need of a new warehouse for the storing of the large quantity of supplies furnished for the use of the school, which should be made fireproof from the exterior and built in a good, substantial manner for the safe-keeping of all supplies shipped to the school for its general use. When such a building is completed, the building which is now in use for wareroom purposes can be utilized for the use of shops, for which it will be ample in size. Other needed improvements for the school have been given in another communication upon the recommendations for improvements and repairs for the fiscal year of 1900. All in all, the work of the school has been carried on as efficiently as that of previous years; yet I am sorry to state that at the closing of the school year the perfect harmony which has so long prevailed at the school was disturbed by a visiting official, whose efforts were to make employees feel that his authority was superior and that the Indian service was a place to have a hilarious time, whether the work was efficiently carried on or not, and the formation of cliques against the superintendents, all of which I am pleased to note that your Office does not approve of, by the removal of such officials from the service. In conclusion. I desire to tender my sincere thanks to your Office for the cour teous treatment I have received and the prompt attention to all business matters pertaining to the school during the past year. I am, as ever, very respectfully, The COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. J. E. Ross, Superintendent. REPORT OF SCHOOL AT CARSON, NEV. INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, Carson City, Nev., August 31, 1898. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith the annual report of this school and of the Walker River Reservation for the fiscal year 1898: SCHOOL. I have been associated with this school something over four years, and during that time, and especially the latter portion of it, I have had ample opportunities to observe the effect of its workings, both upon the pupils and their parents and the Indians in general, who have in any way to deal with the school. I can not truthfully say all the pupils who have had the advantage to be enrolled in the school have accomplished satisfactory results, for there are a few who have not; but I attribute this to two causes: (1) They were enrolled at too advanced an age and had already the habits of life fixed, and no amount of teaching could, considering the character, change them to any appreciable extent for the better. (2) Among the number of pupils with whom we have to do it must be expected that some have neither the ambition nor natural inclination and ability to attain the satisfactory results which others reach with like advantages. This class of pupils, however, is limited in number: while, on the other hand, the most part of our pupils have made a very commendable advancement along all lines tending to a better future. In regard to the effect the school has had upon the Indians, they are more impressed with it and what it has done for their children; and this is especially true of the Washoe tribe and that portion of the Pah Ute tribe that has not been hampered by reservation life. I find that each succeeding year it is easier to procure pupils for the school, and this year I was surprised at the small effort it required to replace those transferred to nonreservation schools of the second class and others dropped and placed in white families, numbering in all twenty-five. The kindly feeling toward the school is very evident. Still, I do not wish to convey the impression that prejudice against it is entirely eradicated among the tribes, but it is, however, materially softened. Shortly after the close of the school 18 pupils were transferred to Carlisle and Phoenix. Four years ago this would have been impossible, while at the present it was accomplished with comparative ease. In the use of the language I have noticed somewhat an improvement. With teachers striving ever so diligently, this improvement must necessarily be slow, as, all Indian pupils have learned to speak in their own tongue before entering school. This language is guttural and agglutinative in structure, and to learn a new language, spoken with the vocal organs in an entirely different position, and with a structure, which if not complicated, is entirely new to them, is a task not accomplished within a few months, or years even. Still, I am of the opinion there would have been a more marked improvement in this direction had the teachers given more attention to phonetic drill in their language exercises: but to accomplish this requires, on the part of the teacher, much patience, a considerable energy, and a deep interest in the work, which qualifications, it seems, all teachers do not possess. However, the results accomplished in the kindergarten during the past year can not be surpassed. The teacher in this department has displayed all these characteristics, and the children's improvement is an evidence of what energy, knowledge, and the proper spirit displayed will do. In vocal music and drawing our pupils did very well. They were given regular class instruction in these departments, and the advancement made is very commendable. It requires slight energy on the part of the instructor to arouse an interest in the Indian child in music and drawing, as they are children of nature, and the most of whom possess the perceptive to a high degree; and herein lies a tendency to make a hobby of these things to the exclusion of the cultivation of the reflective faculties-a hobby displaying itself somewhat in our school the past year, and especially as to music being carried too far in the day exercises. Without any attempt to produce special samples for the occasion, we exhibited at the close of the year articles from the various departments, and while the display as a whole was very good, I do not think it was up to the standard of former years. The work from the culinary department, however, was good, and this fact has led to many applications for Indian girls as servants to white families. Attendance. The average attendance for the year is 144. Owing to the vacation months the average attendance for the first quarter is materially reduced, and as we can not accommodate a number greatly in excess of 150, it is difficult to hold the average for the year up to 150 pupils. The total enrollment is 182; the highest average for any quarter is 152, and the lowest is 128. Industries. I am still able to report the same unenviable condition of our industrial department. However, there is a likelihood of our being able to erect shops this fall, as we have an appropriation of $3,000 for buildings and repairs. We have very poor facilities for mechanical instruction; still, we have sufficient to demonstrate its feasibility and the further fact that our Indian boys can learn well the use of tools if given an opportunity. The industries for the girls-sewing, laundry work, cooking, and general housework-are well organized, and in these departments little if any improvement can be made. The work of the sewing department for the past year, exclusive of mending, etc., follows: Farm. Our farm, like most farms in this vicinity, comprehends considerable barren land. We have approximately 280 acres, but we farm 100 only; not that more can not be brought under cultivation, but, as all crops must be produced by irrigation, we have not the water for more land. The precipitation in the mountains last winter was very slight, resulting in a scarcity of water for irrigation purposes this summer. This scarcity, together with the additional shortage by theft, has done our crops much damage. The first crop of alfalfa was fair, but we had no water to irrigate the second crop, and had it not been for the generosity of the ranchman below us, who gave us quite a quantity of water, all our crops would have suffered, and some did as it is. We are entitled to 19 per cent of the water from the stream from which we irrigate and are second in right, while a ranchman, ninth in right, farther up the stream, is entitled to 24 per cent of the stream; still he manages to irrigate about 60 acres of land, taking at times, to my knowledge, 30 per cent of the water. On the 22d instant I brought suit against this trespasser, and while the matter of fine has not been fixed, he has been adjudged guilty. From an educational point of view, our pupils are learning considerable in the way of caring for crops, the care of stock, etc. We have authority from your office to purchase fertilizer, and each year our boys haul from Carson from 140 to 175 loads. This serves the double purpose of an object lesson to the pupils and the production of much better crops. The approximate production of the farm this year is as follows: Water supply. The water supply for irrigation purposes I have already mentioned. That used for domestic purposes is provided by means of a well, or rather reservoir, 10 by 22 feet by 14 feet deep. Within the past year we deepened this 4 feet. While we were never out of water, there were times when the supply was somewhat short. The subsoil is quicksand, and by driving a curbing 4 feet deeper than the original curbing we have an abundance of water; at least, we have not been able to exhaust it with our steam pump. The water is very pure, and does not seem to be impregnated with alkali to any extent, if at all. Band. So important a feature is our band that it deserves to be treated under a special caption. Its influence, both upon the pupils and their parents, is no small feature in producing a condition of contentment that is very encouraging. Every pupil in the school seems to take a deep interest in the band, and on such occasions as we participate in public exercises at Carson there is sure to be a large turnout of Indians to hear their children play, and they often come to me and ask when they will play again in Carson. Sanitary. The sanitary condition of the school is excellent. All our closets are connected with a cemented salt-glazed sewer, and all other sewage is conveyed by this sewer a distance of 1,400 feet from the school, thus avoiding any possible danger of contaminating the water supply. Other than a stubborn epidemic of eczema, the health of the school has been good. Conclusion. I wish to thank your office for the kind consideration it has extended to me and those of the employees who have so materially aided in the advancement of the school. WALKER RIVER RESERVATION. Reservation. This reservation is much like most of the land comprehended in the Great Basin-large in extent and poor in resources. It contains 318,815 acres, and of this vast tract about 1,100 acres are farmed, and from 7,000 to 10,000 acres additional could be brought under cultivation by building a dam in the Walker River and constructing an irrigation ditch from 5 to 6 miles long. It will require the services of one other than a novice to determine the cost of this improvement, but I am of the opinion it can be done for as little as $12,000, and if this body of land is to remain an Indian reservation it should be done, for there is not sufficient land under the present ditch to support all the Indians who claim this reservation as their home. Again, if this land could be cultivated, tracts could be allotted to Pah-Ute pupils from this school who have made the requisite preparation to work it. I am of the opinion the plan to water additional land here is feasible; but occasionally there will be a year when there will be a shortage of water. The present is such a year. The precipitation in the mountains last winter was very slight, and |