Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 183, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1913 — WOMAN BIRECTS ALL INDIAN SCHOOLS [ARTICLE]

WOMAN BIRECTS ALL INDIAN SCHOOLS

Miss Rael th* Highest Paid Em. pl*ye* of Her Sox on the Government Rolle K AN AUTHMIH M TRIBE 3 •ho Manages Ml Institutions —Daughter of Choctaw Chief Raises Chickone—Has Prise-Winning Poultry Farm in Hor Baek Yard. Miss Botello Reel, Superintendent of Indian Schools, Is too highest paid woman in tho Government service, drawing a salary of |B,OOO a year. She was appointed to tho Government position in II9S and Is «n authority on every tribo of Indians in North America. That women are equal to Government positions of extraordinary importance has been proved in the case of Miss Reel. Although she is a Native of Illinois, Miss Reel has spent too greater part of hor life in Wyoming. She served as district, county and State Superintendent of schools In Cheyenne, Wyoming, but before she obtained tho last position she was compelled to overcome enormous opposition. The politicians out in that part of tho country were not anxious to see a woman in tho State superlntendency and every obstacle was pieced in the way of hor election. Finally it was pointed out that the law required tho State Superintends qnt to auction off certain tracts of Government lands to prospective lessees, and that this could not bo dono by a woman. Miss Reel said that was a small matter and toat she was equal to IL She was elected te toe o®eo finally and later proved hor ability as an auctioneer by successfully carrying out this part of tho State Superintendent's duty. Miss Reel speaks none of too languages of tko Indians over whom she has control, but has boon signally cucoessful in her administration. She has Ml schools, aggregating an attendance of 16,184 pupils. In addition Ip those students there are 2,488 employees, 671 of- whom are Indians, under management This branch of its Service costs tho Government more Ban 18,009,001 a year, and Miss Reel ip toe administrator of tho appropriaBon.

She is aa experienced horsewoman, and la tho course of the year is comsoiled te ride hundreds of miles on horseback aad la stage coach to the various reservations,, many of thorn heing groat distances from the railroad and only accessible in this way. Miss Reel is a skilled politician, and be* participated actively in several Presidential sampaigns. She is a fine speaker, and has not only appeared many times on the stump, but has cast her vote at too polls out In Wyoming, whore women have that privilege. There is a fair hold at Washington for women to assort their ability and independence la toe world of achievement, and Mias Reel’s case is by no moans the only one where a woman has proved hor claim to recognition. Nor work among tho Indians is retested in tho accomplishments of the Stover Indian girl who is not in the employ of the Government, but who fives in Washington, hundreds of mile* away from hor people’s homo out on the plains.

Sophia Prltehlyn is the daughter of ■ Choctaw chief and is a princess of her tribe, but she lives in Washington in > modest little home at No. 1104 Sixth street, Northwest, the back rrd of which has been converted into poultry “farm” and she has more Mian three hundred prise winning sin-te-soeab brown Leghorns which have on Hue ribbons In Madison Square Sarden, Boston, Baltimore, Hagers>w> and practically every other city to the East where large poultry exhlWts are hold. For twenty-five years Peter Prltchhm was chief of his tribe to the Far West Me spent most of his time In Washington looking after the Intertoto of his people before the Governmeat It was while here on such a fetation that he mot and married a Washington woman. Sophia Prltchtars sad her brother, Lee, were the tolldren of this union.

The fiitlo Indian princess has always been devoted to birds and chickrand her notable success in raising an average 100 prise winners a Soar is largely duo to her love for tem. She names all her chickens for Indians of her tribo, sad spends practleeily her entire time in the back yard gs her home looking after their wellbro. Her coops are built compactly, tat with every ofite for the comfort gs her "birds,” each one of which knows the Indian girl’s voice and qpmos to her with a word. The little Lofkeras light on her heed, shoulders end and she has Invented a “dhlokon language,” to which she talks to them as she would to children. Mies Prltehlyn rises at dawn to took after her prise beauties and goes to bod soon after she has soon them safely to their coops.