CHAPTER XXXIII.

REPORT ON EDUCATION IN ALASKA.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

BUREAU OF EDUCATION, DIVISION OF ALASKA, Washington, D. C., June 30, 1895. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following annual report of the general agent of education in Alaska for the year ending June 30, 1895:

There is in Alaska a school population of from 8,000 to 10,000; of these, 1,030 were enrolled in the 17 day schools sustained by the Government. In addition to the Government schools, the missionary societies of the Moravian, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, Congregational, Baptist, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic churches sustained 24 schools with an enrollment of about 900 pupils. Of these latter, threefourths were industrial pupils; these were clothed, housed, fed, and taught at the expense of the societies."

St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea.-V. C. Gambell, teacher; enrollment of pupils, 52; population, barbarous Eskimos; mail, once a year. On the 15th of September, 1894, the revenue cutter Bear steamed away from St. Lawrence Island, leaving our two missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. V. C. Gambell, shut off from all communication with, or sight of, the civilized world for the next eight or ten months, as they then thought; but on October 2d a whale ship, which they vainly hoped would anchor, steamed close along the shore. When Mr. Gambell found that it would not stop, he hurried some natives into a boat, and, waving a coat to attract attention, rowed after it. The captain, secing this, turned about and came back, taking Mr. Gambell on board. They had been in the Arctic over winter and were on their way to San Francisco, but hearing that the Gambells were on the island, had sailed near, so as to give them a chance to send letters or to afford them any help they could. After Mr. Gambell left the steamer and returned to their island home, their complete isolation began.

The school room is under the same roof and communicates with the house; but a new outside door allows the pupils entrance to it without going through the house. The school opened the first Monday of November, 1894. The whole village was excited over this event. They are like one large family. Being separated from the main land by so much water, they rarely mingle with other Alaskans or Siberians, and, of course, intermarry constantly, so that everybody is related to everybody else, and the interests of one are the interests of all. So the opening of school would naturally be common talk. The pupils, ranging in age from 16 years down, are principally boys, the girls being too shy to go. The men were anxious to go, too, but it was thought best not to have them with the boys. Mr. Gambell had been apprised of the fact that the native language was very difficult to acquire, and this he has found to be the case. He teaches the children English, and they are as apt at learning as the average pupils in our schools. He writes, June, 1895, that the boys have learned enough English to be able to make themselves understood and to understand almost anything he wanted to tell them. They are particularly quick in arithmetic, as far as he has taken them, and specimens of their penmanship that he sent home are really remarkable. One exercise was copying on paper and reading short sentences written on the black board. After only a month's teaching they could read at once sentences containing words that they had learned. The men visit the school frequently, and are very much pleased to hear the sentences read. They sit breathlessly attentive until a sentence is read, and laugh heartily when it is rubbed out. When a boy hesitates, and fails to recognize a word at once, the men grow excited, and say, "oo-hook, oo-hook," an exclamation they use to their dogs when the want them to go faster. Some of the men try to write and make figures, but they do not succeed so well as the 15-year-old boys. In March, Mr. Gambell writes: "The boys are getting along well. They like number work, adding correctly and rapidly columns of five figures, some of them never making a mistake. Many of them know the multiplication table to the 'elevens.' I let them do so much of this because they like it, and I think they have more confidence in themselves and use

the English they know. They read well in the First Reader. I have used the phonetic method of teaching reading." They are fond of music, and learn the school songs readily. The whole village has learned these songs, and they can be heard at almost any hour of the day or night.

Teller Reindeer Station.-Teacher, T. L. Brevig; enrollment, 56; population, Eskimo. There are in the native village about 60 persons under 21 years of age. With but three or four exceptions, all of the children under 15 and over 6, have attended school with greater or less regularity. The discipline has been very easy to maintain. The teacher complains of lack of application and concentration with the pupils. Perhaps his difficulty is want of a common language, as the teacher does not understand the Eskimo and the Eskimos have not yet gained a sufficient knowledge of English to understand it.

Unalaska.-John A. Tuck, teacher, and Miss Mattie Short, assistant; enrollment of pupils, 39; population, Aleut. Good progress has been made during the year by the children in the practical acquisition of the English language. The greater part of those who have been under instruction for three years or more not only read, write, and speak, but do their thinking in English. In geography good work has been done, especially in drawing and interpretation of maps. The children encounter their greatest difficulty in mastering arithmetic, hence more than usual attention has been paid to their training in that subject. Many of the older pupils have fully conquered the four fundamental operations so as to be fairly rapid and remarkably accurate in their work. One girl has progressed well in mental arithmetic, and handles quite complex operations in fractions with ease and readiness. The attendance during the year has been mainly from the pupils in the Methodist Mission Home. Last spring a large and comfortable schoolhouse and teacher's residence was erected at an expense of $5,000. Before it was occupied, during the prevalence of a severe gale, it was blown from its foundations, and the school as in former years is still kept in a rented building. We trust that another season will see the Government building repaired and in good shape for use.

Unga.-O. R. McKinney, teacher; enrollment, 40; population, Aleut. This school continued from September without interruption until Christmas, when it was found necessary to close the house a few days for repairs. Through January and February the entire school population of the village was enrolled. During March an epidemic of sickness closed the school again for three weeks. Rapid advancement was made in reading, spelling, writing, and hygiene, and moral lessons. In these studies they made better progress than the same class of children in the States; they did not prove so bright, however, in aritmetic, although one class finished both decimal and common fractions during the year and reviewed the subjects in other books. The teacher has been encouraged by the special interest which the children take in the school. They never seem to tire of it, and often ask why they can not have school all the time. Over against this encouragement is the discouragement of much drunkenness in the community without any court of law to control the community. The most atrocious crimes can be committed and the perpetrator be allowed to go free.

Afognak.-Mrs. C. M. Colwell, teacher; enrollment, 38; population, Russian Creoles. During the winter a school of the Russo-Greek Church was opened in the village, Almost all of the inhabitants of Afognak are members of the Russian Church, and as the church officials insisted upon the children attending the church school half of each day the work of the public school was materially interfered with.

The natives of this region are exceedingly poor, and in order that some of the poorer children might attend school the teacher provided them with clothing.

Kadiak.-C. C. Solter, teacher; enrollment, 56; population, Creoles. The attendance during the year has been unusually good, some days the schoolroom being too small to accommodate all those wishing to attend. The teacher also reports increased regularity of attendance. There was a notable absence of the larger and older pupils, they having dropped out to go into business; one of the boys has secured a clerkship with the Alaska Commercial Company. Special progress was made in penmanship, composition, writing and drawing. Greater progress could be made if the pupils spoke English at home; but in their homes and out of school they hear nothing but the Russian language; as a natural consequence very few of the smaller pupils comprehend enough of English to understand what the teacher is saying to them. Singing continues a great attraction in the school. At the close of the school year an entertainment was given to a crowded audience of parents and citizens generally. The children performed their parts well, eliciting many expressions of commendation from the audience. As intemperance is so rife in nearly all Alaskan communities it is a source of special gratification to the teacher that the school children have all signed a promise not to taste any intoxicating liquor of any kind until they are 21 years of age. They show much pride in being called "temperance boys and girls," and sport their blue ribbon badges. A suitable woodshed has been constructed during the year in connection with this schoolhouse.

Haines.-W. W. Warne, teacher; Miss Fanny Willard (native), assistant teacher; enrollment, 64; population, Thlinget. The past year has been one of progress and the best of the four years that the present teacher has been in charge. This is largely due to the increased number of children in the Presbyterian Home. Experiments have been made with fair succees in raising garden vegetables and opening up a small farm.

Sitka, No. 1.-Mrs. G. Knapp, teacher; enrollment, 37; population, white-American and Russian. The opening of a parochial school in connection with the Russian Church and the ever changing population of the town caused a considerable diminution in the attendance at this school. A kindergarten was conducted for the white children-American and Russian-during several months of the year.

Sitka, No. 2.—Miss Cassia Patton, teacher; enrollment, 180. Several of the adult natives have been as anxious to learn to read and write English as the children, and as most of them had to work during the day, the teacher gave them instructions after school hours As usual, the spring migration to the fishing grounds carried with it the majority of the children.

Juneau, No. 1.-S. A. Keller, teacher; enrollment 54; population, white. The schoolhouse during the year has been repainted and refurnished, new sidewalks were built to and around the schoolhouse, and pure, clean water conducted to the building from the city waterworks; also a small sum was spent in draining the marshy, swampy school ground and removing some of the stumps. The work should be continued on the playground until all of the stumps are removed and the ground thoroughly drained. The school itself has received more than usual sympathy and encouragement from the people themselves. The pupils are reported as bright and intelligent beyond the average. The winter being unusually mild, the regularity of the attendance of the primary class was better than ever known before; at the same time a large percentage of the children between 6 and 14 are still very irregular, and the teacher, in common with all the other teachers in Alaska, pleads for some law obliging regular attendance. At present no school in Alaska has advanced beyond the ordinary grammar grade. There are some pupils, however, that wish very much to continue the high-school work, and the hope is expressed that in time a high-school department may be established which shall draw advanced pupils from other sections. There is also great need for a primary teacher, Juneau having 40 children of the kindergarten age.

Juneau, No. 2.-Miss Elizabeth Saxman, teacher; enrollment, 50; population, Thlinget. During the year a comfortable building has been erected in the neighborhood of the native village. Here, as in several other places, the children of the Mission Home (Presbyterian) were the most regular in their attendance. The branches taught were reading from chart to World Reader, history, language, arithmetic, hygiene, geography, writing, and spelling. A small stock of kindergarten materials supplied the teacher proved of great service. Among the pupils was a middle-aged man who was so anxious to learn to read that he was always present at school whenever he was out of work. His diligence and zeal, although not accomplishing much for himself, was an inspiration to the children.

Douglas, No. 1.-L. A. Jones, teacher; enrollment, 42; population, white. During the winter an epidemic of scarlatina interfered very much with the progress of the school.

Douglas, No. 2.-Miss F. A. Work, teacher; enrollment, 26; population, Thlinget. This school consisted principally of children who were in the Friends' Mission Home. The pupils seemed anxious and willing to do anything required by the teacher, and while very bright in reading, writing, etc., seemed very dull in mathematics. As the Friends are proposing to establish a school the coming year for the native children, the Government will next season transfer this school to the neighborhood of the Treadwell Mills, where provision has been made for the erection of a suitable schoolhouse and teacher's residence.

Fort Wrangel.-Miss Anna R. Kelsey, teacher; enrollment, 61; population, Thlinget. During the previous vacation the well lighted and ventilated schoolroom had been further brightened up by a fresh coat of paint, adding much to its attractiveness to the children. The school has a moderate supply of apparatus, embracing physiological charts, maps, globe, numeral frame, unabridged dictionary, etc. A small supply of kindergarten material furnished the teacher has proved a valuable assistance. As at the other schools of the place, a Christmas entertainment was given the pupils. Much complaint is made of irregular attendance, many, even of children of 7 and 8 years of age, being kept from school to attend the native dances. A spirit of emulation, a desire to stand well in their classes, which has sprung up helped to secure good progress.

Klawack.-Miss Anna R. Kelsey, teacher; enrollment, 50; population, Thlinget. Owing to the smallness of the appropriation of Congress, this school has been closed for several years, and was opened during the present summer only during the vacation of the school at Fort Wrangel; but little more was accomplished than to keep up

a lingering hope in the minds of the population that some day they may be able to have school facilities for their children.

Jackson. Mrs. C. G. McLeod, teacher; enrollment, 80; population, Thlinget. From year to year decided improvement is seen in the influence of the school upon the village. During the past year for the first time sufficient progress had been made to grade the school. The children are also showing a greater anxiety for education than formerly. A mother said to the teacher with regard to her 8-year-old boy: "What is the matter with Powell? He did not formerly care much for school; now he seems hungry for it, and frequently when the family breakfast is late, goes without his breakfast rather than be late at school."

CHURCH MISSIONS.

Cape Prince of Wales.-American Missionary Association (Congregational), Mr. and Mrs. William T. Lopp, missionaries; enrollment, 142, population, Eskimo. Upon the murder of Mr. H. R. Thornton, on August 19, 1893, there being no way of communicating with the outside world and securing another missionary, the station was suspended. In August, 1894, Mr. and Mrs. Lopp, who had been previously associated with Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, reopened the station. The past year has been the most successful and prosperous that the station has ever had. The total enrollment of the school was 142, and the average daily attendance during the school year was 108. In addition to the general exercises of the schoolroom, Mrs. Lopp conducted private classes of the advanced pupils and instructed the girls in knitting and sewing. In the fall of 1894, the Government gave the station 119 head of reindeer. During the past spring 78 fawns were born to the herd, of which 71 lived; at the present time the herd numbers 171. The reindeer were cared for by one experienced Siberian and five native Eskimo boys, ranging in ages from 14 to 19. Until April these herders lived in a log house 7 miles north of the village, and since then they have lived in a tent. The winter was unusually severe, and on several occasions when blizzards were raging the herd or parts of it were lost; but when the weather cleared up the missing ones were always found. Early in the winter of 1894 the natives seemed much interested in religion, so much so that a letter was sent to the Swedish Evangelical missions on Norton Sound inviting some of them to visit and help conduct a revival meeting. They responded by sending, in March, the Rev. David Johnson, who held special meetings for several weeks, with the result that a number of the Eskimos renounced their heathenism and accepted the religion of their teachers. Committees from a number of native villages have applied to Mr. Lopp to provide them schools.

SWEDISH EVANGELICAL UNION MISSIONS.

Unalaklik.-Missionaries, Rev. and Mrs. A. E. Karlson, Mr. David Johnson, Miss Hanna Svenson, and Miss Malvina Johnson; population, Eskimo; enrollment, 64. This is the central station on Norton Sound.

Golovin Bay.-Native missionaries, Rev. Angust Anderson, Rev. Mrs. N. O. Hultberg, and Mr. Frank Kameroff; enrollment, 49.

Yakutat.-Missionaries, Rev. and Mrs. Albin Johnson, Rev. K. J. Hendrickson, and Miss Selma Peterson; enrollment, 60; population, Thlinget.

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL MISSIONS.

Anvik.—Rev. and Mrs. J. W. Chapman, Miss Bertha W. Sabine, and Dr. Mary V. Glenton, missionaries; population, Ingilik. During the year a new church building has been erected, and also a schoolhouse with accommodations for a few girls as boarding pupils; 3 girls were received as boarders during the winter. School was kept 173 days, with an average daily attendance of 16. Great prominence was given to instruction in English, with frequent translation exercises of native words into English and English into the Ingilik language; also the daily work has been first reader, reading chart, blackboard exercises, writing on slates, and translation exercises.. During the three winter months Mr. Chapman took some of the older boys and gave them additional lessons outside of school hours. They can read at sight any simple English, write a clear, legible hand, translate fluently, and express themselves clearly in writing. A few of them are beginning to talk considerable English. A number of the psalms and hymns have been memorized by the school. The boarding girls take great interest in housework. Margaret, 10 years of age, makes excellent bread, biscuits, boiled rice, cleans fish or grouse, and keeps everything about the kitchen neat and bright. The day pupils among the girls do not make the same progress or take the same interest that the boys do. During the year Dr. Glenton has done much to mitigate the suffering of the people from disease and to teach the younger portion of them more attention to sanitary laws. Their language is the Ingilik. One of the teachers writes that the great trial of their work is not so

much isolation from the world with but one mail a year, nor the long, dark days of the Arctic winter, nor the severe cold, 40° below zero, but the three months of mosquitoes in summer, beside which the other annoyances become pleasures.

St. James Mission, Fort Adams.-Missionaries, Rev. and Mrs. J. L. Prevost, and Dr. Mary V. Glenton, medical missionary. The work at this station was suspended during the year while Mr. Prevost was East securing a needed rest.

Point Hope.-Missionaries, John B. Driggs, M. D., and Rev. H. E. Edson; enrollment, 86; population, Eskimo. The advancement of the children, while somewhat slow, has shown an improvement over preceding years and the question has not so much been how to secure the attendance of the children as to give attention to the number that come. This speaks well for the interest of the children, as the schoolhouse is more than a mile from the nearest residence, and a 2-mile round trip to school and return in that Arctic climate is no small journey.

ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONS.

The foundation of these missions on the Yukon River dates from 1886. The priests entered the Yukon Valley by way of Juneau, and first settled at Nulato, where a small day school was started. In 1888-89 a new site was selected lower down the river, and called Holy Cross Mission. This is situated about 350 miles from the month of the Yukon and is known on the map as Koserefski. Four sisters of St. Anne arrived, and a boarding school was started, which has proved to be most satisfactory. Soon about 40 girls and 30 boys were collected; several of these were very young, some only 3 to 4 years.

The majority of the pupils remain all the year; only a few of the children of traders go to their homes during the vacation season. With the increase of pupils extra help was needed and seven more Sisters were sent up.

The girls are taught how to sew and to make their clothing, and are also instructed in their native fur work, bootmaking, etc., by an Indian woman who has been with the Sisters from the start. The Sisters cultivate a large garden which produces potatoes, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, and carrots. Experiments with other vegetables are made, and a large variety of hardy flowers have been raised with great success. The priests have also an extensive garden--this year one entire acre has been planted with potatoes. Timothy has been introduced, and its prospects are most favorable. The garden work is carried on entirely by the children. The natives of the neighboring village begin to show some little interest in gardening, but as yet none have acted on our advice to attempt a garden for themselves. They have coined a word meaning "big leaves," by which they designate cabbage, and are yet resting after this first agricultural effort. As an object lesson for them, we transplanted a number of wild raspberries and currants to a corner of the garden, and hope to improve these fruits by cultivation.

The children are taught to read and write, and the simple rules of arithmetic. They all, as a rule, write very beautifully, and also readily learn drawing. English is always spoken, and in a very short time there will hardly be found a village on the Yukon where a few English-speaking young people are wanting,

In connection with the boarding school at Holy Cross there is also a day school. This is held in a separate building, and is for the children of the adjoining village. The average attendance is about 30, and a number of women come very regularly. These receive a lunch of bread and tea in the middle of the day.

Innuit School. Last year a school was started in the Delta region for the benefit of the coast Eskimo. Four Sisters have charge, and the routine, etc., is carried on exactly as at Holy Cross. There are two villages situated about forty-five minutes' walk from the school, and the children come with great regularity. Only a few as yet have been admitted as boarders, for experience teaches that it is better to keep them for a while on probation as day scholars. The Eskimos are most devoted parents and very loath to surrender their offspring. When, little by little, they see the benefit their objections fade away.

Russo-Greek Church.-The Russian Church has numerous stations along the southern coast of Alaska, with one on the Nushagak River, one upon the Yukon, and one at St. Michael.

MORAVIAN MISSIONS.

Bethel.-Missionaries, Rev. and Mrs. John H. Kilbuck, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Helmich, Miss Mary Mack, and George Nokochluch (native) and Miss Philippine King; enrollment of pupils, 32; population, Eskimo. The school work was recommenced July 21, and was carried on very much as in previous years without any special changes or incidents to mark its even course. A special Bible class of the oldest boys was organized, who read the English fluently and translate readily into the native language. They are to be trained as catechists to visit and preach in villages when the white missionaries can not go. At the same time the missionaries form themselves