Page:LewisMeriam-TheProblemOfIndianAdministration.djvu/96

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Foreword
69

some instances he checked up on the diagnosis of tuberculosis, he watched examinations, treatment, and operations for trachoma, and examined cases previously operated, and he was present at clinics for venereal disease. At all jurisdictions visited he inquired into the matter of records of work done and into the accuracy and completeness of mortality and morbidity statistics. At schools he not only inquired into the strictly medical work but also inspected the dormitories, the kitchen and dining room, and the dairy herd, and gave special consideration to the diet and the preparation of the food. At most of the meals served at the schools during the visit of the survey staff, some member of the party was present despite the early breakfast hour.

Visiting Schools. The specialist on education devoted himself primarily to visiting non-reservation boarding schools, reservation boarding schools, day schools, and public schools having Indian children. His contacts were primarily with superintendents, principals, teachers, and day school inspectors, and with the Indian children in the class rooms. He also visited Indian homes and attended Indian councils to get first hand impressions of the school problems from the Indian point of view.

Visiting Farms. The specialist in agriculture sought out primarily the school and the agency farmers. At the schools it was generally a simple matter to visit the farms, the dairy barns, the horse barns, the hog pens, and the poultry houses and to attend the class room work in agricultural education. On the reservations the problem was to get out on the Indian farms to visit the Indian farmers in their homes, to inspect their fields, stock, barns, and equipment, and io discuss agriculture with them. Often this meant days of riding about the reservation, generally with the local farmer as a companion. The superintendents and the farmers were invariably told that the desire was to see not the best or the worst but a fair sample; some good, some bad, but perhaps more just average. The most practicable general procedure was to take a given route and to visit all along the way who were found at home. Sometimes unquestionably superintendents and farmers were eager to show the best, and equally unquestionably others were anxious to show the worst, but in general they caught the spirit of the survey and visited farms as they came. Occasionally special trips were made to see someone who was