Red Moon Called Me: Memoirs of a Schoolteacher in the Government Indian Service Page: 55
xii, 211 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.View a full description of this book.
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RED MOON
Aftermath
AFTER Miss Goings left, the agent moved up to the school to take
charge, but he had separate living quarters for himself and family.
They did not take their meals at the "mess." Mr. Williams, a
young man from Missouri, came to take Miss MacKenzie's place,
and a Mrs. Morton, with her small son, was appointed matron to
the girls. Good Miss Spencer had left some time previous to the
investigation.
The absolute monarchy had toppled. A new regime had begun.
What rare good fortune had come to us at last. Now things would
run along smoothly and happily, and we would work harder than
ever for the success of the school. So we were thinking. And then -
behold! Russia with the Czar deposed! Mexico after the iron rule
of Diaz! Chaos! Anarchy!
Before we had realized what was in the making, a general de-
terioration had set in - and so quickly, too. Some of the employees
began to behave in a manner certain to bring discredit on us all.
Chief among these were the two LaSalle girls and some of the new-
er members of our mess. The big, well-constructed barn burned
to the ground, along with much grain and hay, most likely set on
fire by some of the boys or employees smoking there - something
they never would have been allowed to do under the old regime.
On his part, Mr. Winton, the agent, always a weak man, began
to court the favor of the Indians by allowing parents to take their
children from school and keep them out long periods of time. This
noticeably ran down our average attendance upon which appro-
priations for running the school were based. To make up for this,
Mr. Winton was suspected of padding the rolls.
The pupils returned from these long visits at home, dirty,
lousy and sometimes sick from irregular living and underfeeding.
The new matron was unable to cope with this condition. In the
old regime, pupils were never allowed to go home for extended
visits during the school year, and when they returned, even from
short periods at home, they were thoroughly overhauled for ver-
min before being permitted to mix with the other pupils. It was
soon glaringly apparent that there was now no firmness nor dis-
cipline anywhere, in the school or on the reservation at large.
Esther and I tried to perpetuate the nice dining room service
we had known, buying and using our own personal silver, keeping
flowers on the table along with clean linen and good dishes.
Faithful Saw Yu kept up his excellent cooking and serving, but
some of the old employees and many of the new thought that all
55
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Red Moon Called Me: Memoirs of a Schoolteacher in the Government Indian Service (Book)
Memoirs of Gertrude Golden, sharing her experience working as a teacher within the Government Indian Service. The book details her experiences in Oregon, Fort Yuma, Oklahoma, Rapid City, and more.
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Golden, Gertrude. Red Moon Called Me: Memoirs of a Schoolteacher in the Government Indian Service, book, 1954; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1013927/m1/87/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .