admitted to the hospital during the year. Vital statistics show 21 births and 10 deaths in the villages of Nulato, Kaltag, Koyukuk, and Louden since July 1, 1916. I recommend that an addition, including an operating room, be built to the hospital, also that a cabin be built or rented for the treatment of advanced cases of tuberculosis. I recommend the expenditure of a small sum for the purchase of enough lumber for two toilets and the digging of two drains, also that several barrels of lime be furnished to be used in whitewashing and to be sprinkled about the town in the spring.

REPORT OF DR. F. H. SPENCE, BARROW.

(Presbyterian missionary employed by Supt. Shields to visit coast villages.)

Soon after the U. S. S. Bear left here last year an epidemic of grippe prevailed for five or six weeks; nearly every one in both villages had it. It was a busy time for one doctor with 500 people to look after, most of them sick. Some of our supply of medicine for a year was three-fourths gone when the epidemic was over.

At the request of Walter C. Shields, superintendent northwest district, I made a visit to Wainwright in March, where I was almost as busy as when here, and even more successful. Cases came from the reindeer herd, from Icy Cape, and Point Franklin. One very interesting case of eye strain from Icy Cape has since come up here to be with me longer, and is improving.

I am glad to be able to say we are not troubled with trachoma here. We have many cases of snow blindness and conjunctivitis, some of them very severe, but where we can obtain the active cooperation of the patient the result is good. A few cases have resulted in a scar and consequent partial loss of vision because of neglect of treatment. Attempting to alleviate pain by cutting is a custom among these people. One woman lost her sight because she had a native make a deep incision over the eye for pain, and I did not learn of it until the sight was lost. We are trying to put a stop to this, but the old "Devil doctor" dies hard.

During the year there have been 28 births and 17 deaths. Seven of the 17 I never aw or knew they were sick until they were dead and buried. All of the seven were at the upper village at Point Barrow with which there is no good means of transportation. When I go up there it means six or eight hours out of the day. Last summer when we had the epidemic and so many were sick here it was not possible for me to take care of those here and those at the Point, so I had them bring the worst cases down here. Because the people in the upper village have not had the advantages that the people have here from your bureau they do not realize the value of human life and are careless and indifferent. There were eight deaths there this year, and only one had any medical attention.

A subauthorization of $50 to be used for food to be given the sick has been a great help during the year in many cases.

During the year I gave a stereopticon lecture on tuberculosis, assisted by Mr. T. L. Richardson, the teacher, using slides furnished by the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. I also gave three talks on tuberculosis, based on "What You Should Know About Tuberculosis," prepared by the above society and distributed by the Bureau of Education, Alaska School Service. given numerous other talks on hygiene and sanitation. Last week Mr. T. L. Richardson also gave a talk on the above subject.

I have also

SECTION 3.-REPORTS BY TEACHERS.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SCHOOL AT KIVALINA, ON THE SHORE OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN.

BY H. D. REESE, TEACHER.

We arrived at Kivalina on September 16. Had we been two days later we very likely could not have gotten from Kotzebue until after the freeze up, as storms set in the day after our arrival and continued the rest of the fall.

We discovered that the school supplies for the year were not here. A native informed us that the steamer could not land them because of storm, that it had taken them north, reshipped them, and that they had at last been landed at Point Hope. Some natives volunteered to go after them. They got ready two skin boats and crews, but three weeks passed before the weather indicated safety for setting out on the trip. Because of severe storms they were four weeks in making the trip. They experienced

a very rough voyage, and were compelled to land their cargoes and make camp many times. At last on the 5th of November, with the temperature 15° below zero, they arrived here. Winter had already set in in earnest and several hard blizzards with plenty of snow had overtaken them.

About the middle of October the natives began coming in from up the river where they had camped for the fall fishing. School was opened on October 16, and was in session until April 20. The migration to the whaling grounds forced the closing of school at that time. The total enrollment for the term was 53; the average daily attendance, 29. Every child of school age in the community and several adults were in attendance. In previous years children between the ages of 3 and 6 years were enrolled. We enrolled only three under 6 years of age. We did not believe it in any way advantageous to the small children to attend school in a room already crowded and with only one teacher. The very small children retard the progress of older pupils. Neither did we enroll any of the married people, as we did not consider schoolroom work of value to them, their duties at home preventing their attending a sufficient time to learn reading or any other subjects taught in regular school work. The attendance of pupils who lived in the village could not have been better.

The school is the center of their social activities, and there is no other place in the village where they can all get together. The weather along the coast here is not favorable for outdoor play, so the schoolroom is the place where the children and young people wish to be. In fact the only way we can keep them out at any time is to make hours during which the schoolroom is not open to them. They enjoy and take a lively interest in school work.

Our people are scattered over a wide region. During the past winter only 10 cabins were occupied in the village, while 11 houses were occupied at the reindeer herds and 6 others on the coast and rivers from 12 to 40 miles distant from the village. Two of the reindeer camps were 35 miles each and one about 70 miles from the village. There are but few children in these outlying cabins and they get to school from one to two months each year.

With the increase of reindeer and number of herds more people leave the villages for the deer camps. Surely the reindeer camps are the proper places for the homes of the herders and their families. But this presents the problem of keeping the children in school a sufficient length of time each winter. The houses at the village are so small and overcrowded that it is not advisable to have these children move in with the village people. We expect that next winter a couple of the reindeer families will live in the village and keep these children.

All the young people in the community can speak, read, and write the English language. The children of school age have a sufficient knowledge of English to converse in that language. The past winter two pupils reached the sixth grade

and nine the fifth grade. To assist the pupils in getting a better understanding of the English language, we did two kinds of language work. One was the keeping of diaries. Diaries were kept by third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Diary writing is an excellent form of language work, as it compels the pupils to think and express their thoughts in English. The pupils like diary writing and there is much rivalry in each grade to see who can write the longest and best diary. Some of the pupils are very good diarists, and record not only incidents of the day but their thoughts and opinions as well. They try to use in their diaries the new and big words which they learn in their reading lessons. Sometimes in order to work in some big word the language used to express the thought is far-fetched. Nevertheless it is very good practice and is a great assistance in teaching the pupils to write and speak better English. The other form of language work was the writing of Eskimo folk stories. This work, too, was taken up by the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Some days each pupil would select an old story, write it and read it in class. Sometimes one pupil would tell the story in the Eskimo language and the class would write it in English. To vary this work occasionally an English story would be translated and read in Eskimo by a pupil and the others would translate back into English. Then the twice translated version and the original would be compared. Sometimes much hard thinking is done by the pupils in order to get the most suitable English word. They like this work very much and it is a rich field for language work, as there seems to be no end to the number of old Eskimo stories. However, many stories can not be used, as they contain parts which are obscene in thought and words. This sme objection makes it impossible to use in this work the Eskimo songs. For the small children we made in school the reading charts used. An advanced pupil made drawings and other pupils with the assistance of the teacher made sentences suggested by the drawings. A pupil would then print these sentences. To add a little zest to these sentences sometimes an Eskimo word would be put in. The children read these sentences with vim and they quickly learn them.

A branch of work in which we got good results was sewing. Fourteen girls did regular work in this branch. In regular class work 28 dresses, 12 aprons, many handkerchiefs and towels were made, 17 pairs of mittens were knit, and much lace was made. Besides this the girls and women made many articles of clothing on the school machine, of which we kept no record, as it was not regular school work. At first neat cutting, fitting, and sewing did not count for much with the girls; new material and colors were everything. Untidy seams and fittings were done over until care was practiced.

In cooking, all girls who were large enough were instructed in making bread, biscuit, and doughnuts. Nearly all the women of the village can make bread, but it is not much in evidence owing to lack of flour and poor facilities for baking in their homes. The school girls often bake in the school kitchen for the village people. Biscuit making is the favorite way of using the flour. The school girls display their ability as cooks to the people of the community by preparing and serving a Thanksgiving Day dinner. Thanksgiving Day rivals Christmas with our people, the chief celebration being a big dinner. The dinner is prepared and served at the schoolhouse and the entire community is on hand to do it justice. The food is furnished by the natives and all kinds of native foods and white man foods which can be procured are in evidence. Usually a reindeer for the occasion is presented to the village by some native. Last Thanksgiving the girls made noodles and stewed them with the meat. They also baked bread and biscuits and made doughnuts. Then the women brought all kinds of native foods, which they prepared at their homes. Especially favorite dishes for the dinner are muktuk (whale skin) and berries mixed with oil and reindeer fat until foamy and then partly frozen (Eskimo ice cream). All natives vie with each other in displaying their capacity as eaters. This is a social event anticipated all the year.

The workshop is a great boon to the village. It is in use nearly every day throughout the year. Sleds, kyaks, stoves, tables, chests, stovepipes, ice picks, spears, fish traps, tinning, and all manner of things are made. The village council takes care of the shop and makes an effort to see that shop and tools are used properly. This, however, is not an easy task to do, as the natives are very careless in using tools, and good tools do not remain such long. It is surprising, though, to see the good workmanship the natives accomplish with poor tools. The lumber sent for the shop work is still at Port Hope. So we had nothing but a few boxes for the schoolboys to practice on. They made of these boxes chests for themselves, also a chest for each of the large girls. The shop has never been completed. The walls are but one thickness of lumber and every blizzard puts much snow into the place. It is also hard to keep it warm.

Enough shingles are here to cover roof and walls; nails and building paper were put on last December's requisition. If we get these materials we can complete the shop, and thus save much fuel.

The bathroom is a source of much enjoyment and help to the pupils. Every Friday afternoon and evening the girls bathe; every Saturday afternoon and evening the boys bathe. The other people of the village bathe occasionally, but each one can not bathe often. It is impossible to melt snow and ice with our limited facilities to make sufficient water for the whole village to bathe often. Even to get sufficient water for the school children and three or four of the adults each week, we begin to melt snow Monday morning and keep at it all week. A limited amount of laundry work is done each week in the bathroom. This work we limit to the young people who are in attendance at school.

Some people frequently requested at first to do the family wash there, but because of the small amount of room, we loaned them tubs and told them that the family wash must be done in their homes. Even with the young people we permit them to wash their clothes in the bathroom rather than encourage it. The fact that when they wash clothes in the bathroom they usually take a bath in the water first may give some idea as to how water is valued here. It takes much fuel to melt the snow and ice, and fuel is a very valuable and highly prized commodity here. Also, our supply of coal directs our policy in connection with school, kitchen, and bathroom.

The School Republic has been in successful operation here for several years. The large number of young men and young women in attendance at school is a very favorable condition for its success. The officers consist of president, vice president, judge, two peace officers, two health officers, two commissioners of work, and a truant officer. The officers, with the assistance of the teacher, make the rules for disciplining the school. The peace officers look after the enforcing of these rules. The commissioners, with the assistance of some pupils, whom they choose each day, look after all janitor work. The truant officer keeps the daily record of attendance and looks after all absentees and cases of tardiness. Not only is the School Republic inculcating the principles of self-government and community betterment through working together, but it is a great assistance to the teacher.

The village government is conducted by five councilmen, a peace officer, and two health officers. These officers are chosen by an election in which all the people vote. The council meets monthly and discusses questions for the common good and passes such ordinances as are needed. The health officers are women. Their duty is to

inspect the houses every Saturday afternoon. The peace officer informs the people when they are violating an ordinance. The peace officer is a new addition to the village government. We thought there was room for such an officer; we also thought that something new might revive interest and add a little life to the village government. It must not be supposed that the village council has an easy time in governing the village. The councilmen have their troubles. One of the topics brought up at every meeting is "The people no honor the council." Of course the teacher must direct the council and uphold its authority.

Through the council the teacher does much of his village work and settles disputes arising among the natives. Such disputes do not always remain settled, however, and may come up two or three times for settlement. The village council is especially helpful to the teacher when he wishes to introduce something new and which he thinks the people may not take to very well. He has the council to pass it as an ordinance, and then he explains the helpfulness of such an ordinance and puts it up to the people that since it is an ordinance of their own village government they are duty bound to uphold it. The village council is a step in educating the Eskimos to direct their own affairs and to follow leaders of their own race.

Looking after the sanitation of the village is one of the duties of the village government. With this in view the council laid and collected a tax of $2 on each house, which is to be used in paying for cleaning up the village this spring, taking care of the village well, and draining a pond in the center of the village. This work will be done as soon as the snow and frost are all gone. The refuse is to be gathered up and burnt. Also, an ordinance was passed forbidding anyone starting a rubbish pile in the village after this spring clean up. All such rubbish must be put on the ice of the sea or lagoon. The health officers inspect the houses every Saturday afternoon. The floors must be scrubbed and everything orderly before the officers make their call. In previous years these officers were appointed by the council, but the ones appointed last spring for the past year would not serve, because, they said, "The people not much honor the health officers." To give the health officers more authority we had all the people come to the schoolroom and elect two health officers. These officers say that the people "honor them."

All the houses of the village are igloos built of driftwood and sod. They are all built above ground, have floors, ventilators, and are well lighted, but they are too small and crowded. Lack of wood for building and fuel is accountable for this. One fire must suffice for as many people as possible. To get any quantity of wood it is necessary to go from 15 to 25 miles. Even at that distance the amount of wood to be had must be economized in order to last through the winter. Last winter the driftwood was cleaned up along the beach and considerable seal blubber was burnt with it. This wood should be collected in the fall and hauled by boat. This is not always possible, as it is the fall storms which bring in the drift, and these storms sometimes prevail too late into the early winter to permit the hauling of wood by boat. This was the case last fall. Though the scarcity of wood makes crowded house room, the effect of this crowding is somewhat counterbalanced by the outdoor life led by the natives. They take to the tents early in April, scatter over the country and remain so until late October. This practice of tenting and roving for half the year is favorable both for health and acquiring a livelihood.

The village has no fresh water supply in summer. It is on an island with the ocean on one side and a wide lagoon on the other. An attempt has been made to solve the water supply by digging wells. These wells are shallow, being only about 6 feet deep. It is useless to dig them deeper because that is the frost limit and there is no water below the frost limit. Thus only surface water drains through the loose sand into the wells. Last fall, in spite of the unusually rainy weather, both wells were dry. This need inconvenience no one but the teacher, as the natives may just as well camp away from the island where they can get to the fresh water.

There was about the usual amount of sickness among the natives during the past year. A disease went through the village last fall and early part of the winter. The same disease was at Kotzebue last summer and was pronounced enteric fever by the doctor there. No deaths resulted from it at our village but two people had it very severely.

Two deaths occurred during the year. One was that of a man about 45 years of age, who died from the effects of syphilis. His was a chronic case. The other was that of a little girl who died from the effects of burns received last spring. She was in the