STRETCHING THE CONSTITUTION 269 



lies. At the present time the Sisters at this school possibly 

 number eight. 



In 1877 the Benedictine Sisters were employed by the go\ 

 ernment at the school at Fort Yates, Standing Rock Reserva- 

 tion, N. D. This school still remains a government school 

 and there are less than eight Sisters employed there. 



About twenty years ago Mother M. Katherine Drexel built 

 a boarding school building at Elbowoods, Fort Berthold Reser- 

 vation, N. D., but the school was never opened. The Indians 

 continually clamored for a Sisters' school. The Indian Bu- 

 reau because of lack of money could not accede to their wishes. 

 In 1909 the Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs visited 

 Elbowoods and the Indians appealed to him. As the Bureau 

 could not support the school, the Assistant Commissioner be- 

 lieved the conditions justified the employment by the govern- 

 ment of Catholic religious as teachers, and in 1910 the Bene- 

 dictine Sisters started a boarding school at Elbowoods and 

 this on September i, 191 1, was covered into the government 

 service, and they are still serving as government employees. 

 They are seven in number. 



St. Patrick's Mission School at Andarko, Oklahoma, was 

 burned in 1909. Father Isidore Ricklin, O. S. B., the Su- 

 perintendent, spent a year collecting funds to rebuild; among 

 the contributors was even Mr. Andrew Carnegie, whose atti- 

 tude to sectarian schools is well known, but who appreciated 

 the good work done by it. When the school was rebuilt, a 

 government school in the vicinity, known as the Riverside 

 School, was destroyed by fire. The government authorities 

 then thought it good policy, instead of rebuilding, to make 

 use of St. Patrick's School by making it a government insti- 

 tution. Accordingly on December i, 191 1, the property was 

 leased by the government and the personnel of the institution 

 taken over as government employees. They, according to 

 the Indian office, number nine. 



The Catholic Mission Day Schools at Odanah, Red Cliff 

 and Lac Courtes Oreilles, in Wisconsin, taught by the Fran- 

 ciscan Sisters, were leased by the government, and the teachers 

 covered into the government service. They number six in 

 these three schools. 



The Catholic Mission Day Schools at Jamez, New Mexico, 

 with two Franciscan Sisters, and at San Xavier, Arizona, 



