﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SEEVICE. 
  77 
  

  

  Summary 
  of 
  native 
  inhabitants. 
  

  

  Number 
  native 
  inhabitants 
  last 
  census 
  110 
  

  

  Increase 
  by 
  births 
  during 
  year 
  9 
  

  

  Decrease 
  by 
  deaths 
  during 
  year 
  2 
  

  

  Total 
  native 
  population, 
  June 
  30, 
  1914 
  117 
  

  

  SCHOOLS. 
  

  

  While 
  schools 
  have 
  been 
  maintained 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  for 
  the 
  

   instruction 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  children 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  the 
  results 
  have 
  

   proved 
  far 
  from 
  satisfactory. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  certain 
  influences 
  

   which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  beyond 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  to 
  re- 
  

   strain, 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  indisposition 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  themselves 
  to 
  acquire 
  

   an 
  education, 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  constant 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  personnel 
  of 
  

   the 
  teachers, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  laxity 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  such 
  matters 
  

   bound 
  to 
  exist 
  in 
  such 
  isolated 
  communities 
  as 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands. 
  

  

  On 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  an 
  eight-months' 
  term 
  constituted 
  the 
  school 
  

   year 
  1913-14, 
  continuing 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  April, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  149^ 
  

   school 
  days. 
  Instruction 
  was 
  furnished 
  to 
  26 
  boys 
  and 
  16 
  girls, 
  rang- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  age 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  15 
  years. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  instructions 
  in 
  the 
  primary 
  branches 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  

   English 
  education, 
  efi^orts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  inculcate 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   practical 
  affairs 
  of 
  daily 
  consequence. 
  Special 
  efforts 
  were 
  made 
  

   to 
  interest 
  the 
  pupils 
  in 
  local 
  geography, 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  region, 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  its 
  inhabitants, 
  and 
  their 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  half 
  of 
  1914, 
  extensive 
  repairs 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  school 
  

   budding 
  and 
  a 
  building 
  formerly 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  gun 
  house 
  was 
  converted 
  

   into 
  an 
  auxiliary 
  school 
  building. 
  The 
  faU 
  term 
  of 
  school 
  in 
  1914 
  

   began 
  the 
  first 
  Tuesday 
  in 
  September 
  with 
  an 
  enrollment 
  of 
  59 
  pupils, 
  

   by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  65 
  were 
  enrolled. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  English, 
  words 
  

   exclusively, 
  was 
  insisted 
  upon. 
  A 
  process 
  of 
  tanning 
  hair-seal 
  skins, 
  

   bird 
  skins, 
  and 
  the 
  fragment 
  of 
  fur-seal 
  skin 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  mask 
  

   has 
  been 
  developed 
  and 
  taught 
  to 
  those 
  most 
  fitted 
  for 
  such 
  work. 
  

   A 
  method 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  worked 
  out 
  for 
  preparing 
  the 
  throats 
  of 
  fur 
  

   seals, 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  beautiful 
  and 
  peculiarly 
  grained 
  leather 
  may 
  

   be 
  made. 
  Basketry 
  work 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  undertaken, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  na- 
  

   tives 
  have 
  taken 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  this 
  subject 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  an 
  

   industry 
  of 
  some 
  economic 
  importance 
  may 
  be 
  developed. 
  

  

  On 
  St. 
  George 
  Island, 
  for 
  the 
  school 
  year 
  1913-14, 
  the 
  term 
  

   began 
  September 
  1 
  with 
  an 
  attendance 
  of 
  25 
  pupils 
  — 
  13 
  girls 
  and 
  12 
  

   boys. 
  This 
  number 
  included 
  aU 
  the 
  children 
  between 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  6 
  

   and 
  16 
  years 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  The 
  school 
  was 
  closed 
  on 
  April 
  24, 
  ses- 
  

   sions 
  having 
  been 
  held 
  on 
  151 
  days. 
  The 
  teacher, 
  also, 
  gave 
  instruc- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  older 
  native 
  men, 
  in 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  working 
  ropes, 
  maldng 
  

   fish 
  nets, 
  tempering 
  and 
  working 
  steel, 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  turning 
  

   lathe. 
  

  

  