The first of these was erected at Cheyenne, Laramie County, during the winter of 1867-68. The attendance at that school varied at first from 75 to 100 pupils, of ages ranging from about four to fourteen years. Subsequently the number of pupils attending this school was considerably reduced, in consequence of the opening of a parochial school by the rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The total number of children under fifteen years of age who should attend school in Cheyenne, will be at present about 200. Originally a male principal and female assistant teachers were employed at the Cheyenne school. After the opening of the parochial school one teacher was found to be sufficient. "The second public school in this Territory was established during the summer of 1868, in Laramie City, Albany County. The attendance at this school did not, I believe, at any time exceed 40 pupils of the primary class, as indeed were most of those in Cheyenne. "The Cheyenne school-house was built at the expense (mostly by subscription) of the citizens of that city alone, but a deficiency of about $1,000 for the payment of the building having accrued in the spring of 1868, the school-house, and indebtedness too, were transferred to the county, since which time it has been a public school, under the laws, first, of Dakota, and at present of Wyoming. The Laramie school was established under the law of Dakota. "In this (Sweetwater) county no public school-house has yet been built, or district organized. During the summer of 1869 Mrs. Robert Barker opened, in this city, a private, or rather a public school, with a charge of $1 per week for each pupil. The attendance at her school was 20 regular scholars during the summer. "This year a parochical school was established here by the Episcopal rector, and a private school by Miss but neither of them was well attended, although children seem to be as numerous as ever. So it might almost be said there is no school of any kind in this county; and as yet no steps have been taken toward the establishment of schools or organization of districts. "The total population of this Territory will not exceed 8,000, of which there should be about 600 attending public schools daily. This county alone should have at least 150 old enough to attend school and too young to work, which latter seems to be regarded by too many parents as the chief end of man and the main object of boys. The educational interests of the Territory are generally neglected, either from indifference on the part of parents, or an avaricious disposition to make the propagation of children return early profits, or their superstitious dread that a little learning is a (more) dangerous thing for their sons and daughters than blasting in a mine, driving an ox team, or taking in washing, and marrying early. I believe that, in the cause of education, the Territory of Wyoming is behind all other States and Territories in the Union, except, perhaps, Alaska. "Regretting that the above could not be made more satisfactory to myself, and of more importance to your department, I remain, "Your obedient servant, "General JOHN EATON, Jr., "Commissioner of Education, Washington, D. C." "J. W. WARDMAN. A letter from A. B. Donnelly, esq., dated Rawlins Springs, July 8, 1870, gives the following information respecting the schools of Carbon County: "Population, about 3,000; school population, 400; average attendance at schools, 200; number of schools, 2; number of teachers, 2. There is not one public school within the limits of the county, the two schools referred to being entirely private enterprises. The financial condition of the county has rendered it impossible, thus far, to spend money for school purposes, but it is hoped that when the taxes are collected a small amount may be spared from the fund set apart for district court and other purposes. The revenue is very small, as real estate and improvements are not very valuable, and the only tax levied is upon the property of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. There is very little income from fines, which revert to the school fund in cases of misdemeanors, because of the laws being pretty generally observed." List of school officers. Dr. J. H. HAYFORD, ex officio superintendent of public instruction, Laramie. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT. Laramie County, J. D. Davis, superintendent; post office, Cheyenne. Table showing the date of organization, area, number of acres of land now surveyed, and the estimated amount of school lands in each Territory. Area, 577,390 square miles. Population, (about,) 30,000. No information in regard to any schools has been received, and it is not known that any now exist within the Russian purchase, whose population, according to Mr. William H. Dall, from whose recent work, "Alaska and its Resources," all of the following matter is taken, is: "The first school was established by Shelikoff, in Kodiak, to teach the natives to read; the traders were the teachers. The second school was also in Kodiak, and the pupils received instruction in the Russian language, arithmetic, and religion. A few years after a similar one was opened at Sitka; but until 1820 it was very poor. In that year a naval officer took charge of it until 1833, when it fell into the hands of Etolin, who made it quite efficient. In 1841 an ecclesiastical school was opened in Sitka, and in 1845 it was raised to the rank of a seminary. This, as well as the other schools, was in a very bad condition. In the latter pupils received instruction in the Russian language, religion, arithmetic, geometry, navigation, trigonometry, geography, history, book-keeping, and the English language. "In the ukase of November 1859, a plan for a general colonial school was approved. It was opened in 1860 with twelve pupils; eight of these were educated for the company's service, and four were the sons of priests. A few day scholars were admitted free. After five years' study the company's students were obliged to serve the company for fifteen years, at a salary of $20 to $70 per annum. (It is to be hoped that the announcement of these facts will enlighten those philanthropists who have declared, since the purchase, that the United States were depriving the natives of the advantages which the company* had afforded them of a free education. The only free schools in the Territory were those of the missionaries, and in them were taught little beside the religious observances of the Greek Church and the art of reading the Sclavonic or ecclesiastical characters.) The annual cost of this school was $5,800. In 1862 it contained 27 pupils, of whom only one was a native. Only nine studied navigation. In 1839 a girls' school was established for children of servants of the company and orphans. In 1842 it had 42 pupils; in 1862, 22 pupils. The instruction was principally in sewing, washing, and other house-work. In 1825 Father Veniaminoff established a school in Unalaska for natives and Creoles. In 1860 it contained 50 boys and 43 girls. A school on Amelia Island in 1860 had 30 pupils. The priest at Nushergak in 1843 had 12 pupils. A school-house was built on the Lower Yukon, but there were no pupils." INDIAN TERRITORY. This Territory, which has an area of 68,991 square miles, is peopled with a number of tribes of Indians living on reservations. The condition of education among these tribes is described in the article on the "General condition of education among the Indians," on pages 343-344. GENERAL CONDITION OF COLORED SCHOOLS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU, JULY 1, 1870. By the courtesy of General O. O. Howard, Commissioner of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, we are enabled to include in this report a summary of the general condition of the schools under his supervision, up to July 1, 1870. In submitting his tenth and final report, embracing a period of six months preceding the above date, the Commissioner states that, although nominally the report is only for the above named period, it includes two-thirds of the usual school months, and therefore gives substantially the results of the whole year. The long vacation closed on the 31st of October, but the opening of the schools was delayed, in many cases, for the gathering of the crops. After the Christmas holidays all commenced, and by New Years were in full operation. The reports are not as full as those of the last year, on account of changes in the superintendents; but a much higher average attendance is shown than for the preceding year, with a higher grade of teaching. The aggregate of schools, teachers, and pupils reported remains nearly as large as ever. It would be much larger if the work done by the States themselves were included. The character of the education of the freedmen is in every respect higher than ever before. "The whole race is recovering from the effects of slavery; in all industrial pursuits, in moral status, and intellectual development even the adult population is rapidly marching on."" More than 247,000 children gathered in the various classes of schools the last year, "under systematic instruction, have been steadily coming forward to a cultured man and womanhood, and the majority to assume, with credit to themselves, the front rank of this rising people. Their influence will be normal, formative, and enstamp itself upon many generations." But the report, "though closing an office must not be understood as recording a finished work." "This Bureau has only inaugurated a system of instruction helping its first stages, and which is to be continued and perfected." It is "only a yet pending experiment." "The masses of these people are, after all, still ignorant. Nearly a million and a half of their children have never as yet been under any instruction. Educational associations, unaided by Government will of necessity largely fall off. The States south as a whole awake but slowly to the elevation of their lower classes. No. one of them is fully prepared with funds, buildings, teachers, and actual organizations to sustain these schools." "With sorrow we anticipate, if the reports of superintendents can be relied on, the closing of hundreds of our school buildings, sending thousands of children who beg for continued instruction to the streets, or what is far worse to squalid, degraded homes to grow up not as props and pillars of society, but its pests." "The several States will ere long, we hope, come nobly forward, in duty to their children. They cannot afford to leave those in ignorance who are so soon to be upon the stage of action." * Russian Fur Company. STATISTICAL SUMMARY. From the statistical table we obtain the following summary: Schools, day and night, (regularly reported). 2,039 638 2,677 Total... Teachers in day and nights chools, (regularly reported)... Total.... Pupils in day and night schools, (regularly reported). Total..... Sabbath schools, (regularly reported)....... Total.... Teachers in Sabbath schools, (regularly reported).. Total.... Pupils in Sabbath schools, (regularly reported).. Total..... Total schools of all kinds.. 2,563 737 3,300 114,516 35, 065 149, 581 1,108 454 1,562 4,907 1, 100 6, 007 74,502 23, 250 97,752 4, 239 9,307 247, 333 Individuals are often duplicated in our aggregate of pupils in the different kinds of schools; we refer to previous explanations of this fact. The total amount of teaching, however, is accurately represented by the number of pupils we have given. Schools not regularly reported have been watched and encouraged with all the care possible. The total number of regularly reported schools is not as great as in the corresponding months of last year; but such schools were, in general, much more largely attended, the total attendance being only six pupils less than last July. In our report of that date the opinion was expressed that we had, with the means in hand, obtained the maximum of attendance, and by the result of the present half year we find this prediction verified. The average attendance, however, is larger than ever, being 91,398 to 89,396 last year, or 794 per cent. of the total number enrolled. This average has, during the five years' existence of the Bureau, gradually increased from the first. The freedmen sustained wholly or in part 1,324 of the above regularly-reported day and night schools, and own 592 of the school buildings. The Bureau has furnished 654 buildings. There are 58 per cent. of total enrollment always present and 55 per cent. always punctual, showing that pupils are no less persistent in educational efforts than formerly. The advancing standard of scholarship, from year to year, is seen in the following comparison with the corresponding half year in 1869: We also report with great satisfaction that the number of high or normal schools, and of industrial schools, have largely increased. Of the former, 74, with an attendance of 8,147 students, and the latter, 61, with an attendance of 1,750, have been in active operation. Our efforts, by normal school instruction and other methods, to obtain colored teachers for their own race are proving successful. They, for the first time, predominate in our present report, white teachers being 1,251 in number, and colored 1,392. The advance of these people to such places of responsibility and reliance upon themselves has been one of our first endeavors; in its realization the future is full of promise. It will be also seen that the freedmen have, during this half year, paid for their schools $200,000-a larger amount than ever before. One evidence of the same tendency to self-support and independence. EXPENDITURES. Whole amount of expenditures by this Bureau for schools from January 1, 1870, to June 30, 1870, inclusive: From appropriation fund: For repairs and rents for schools and asylums, and salaries of school superintendents and agents By benevolent societies, churches, and individuals, (estimated) ..... By freedmen, (estimated) Total... We are able to say, before going to press, that since the first of July large sums have been paid for schools and school buildings, all of which would make the above total "by the Bureau" larger than in any previous six months. GENERAL CONDITION OF EDUCATION AMONG THE INDIANS. The Indian tribes and bands resident within the United States are directly under control of the General Government. Its authority over these scattered communities, within the limits which the policy so long followed in relation to them has assigned, is complete. The General Government is the protector and guardian of this race. They are regarded as its "wards." At least such is the theory. In the progress of the nation changes are rendered necessary in the application of this theory. Learning our duties more clearly through the terrible events of the past decade, we are realizing the mistakes that have been made, as well as the obligations resting upon us. Nothing seems more settled, as a question of national policy, than the obliteration of such distinctions as excluded from the privileges of citizenship a large body of the people on account of color. How soon the Indian shall become a citizen is a question for others to consider. But the conclusion is inevitable. Either citizenship or extinction seems to be the Indian's destiny. What, then, is our duty? Clearly to prepare them for an intelligent acceptance of the position. We should be incited to a systematic effort for the education of the Indians in our midst, not alone from a realization of the fact that experience has dearly taught that it is cheaper by far to feed and teach than to fight and slay, but from the higher motive of fitly preparing them for the duties of citizenship. Individual ignorance is a curse. That of communities is a degradation to the people who permit its continuance. We have faced that issue so far as the negro is concerned, recognizing that the millions spent under the supervision of the Freedmen's Bureau have been well invested in preparing the freed people for the citizenship they now so honorably enjoy. The returns it brings are already recognized in the form of permanent peace and national integrity, as well as in moral progress, social order, and material benefit resulting from the stability intelligence gives to general prosperity. Another problem is before us in this question of Indian education, more difficult in some respects than that which we have partially solved, which lies partially in the character of the people with whom we must deal, but far more in their isolation, peculiar situation, and the system under which they now live. To properly comprehend these difficulties it is necessary to ascertain the facts that bear upon them. In this spirit a careful summary of the reports made to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, so far as they relate to the question of education, will aid the formation of intelligent judgment. |