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it was pauperizing and lacked any appreciable educational value.^[1] Anything else done for them in a way that neglects educating them to do for themselves will work in the same direction. Controlling the expenditure of individual Indian money, for example, is pauperizing unless the work is so done that the Indian is being educated to control his own. In every activity of the Indian Service the primary question should be, how is the Indian to be trained so that he will do this for himself. Unless this question can be clearly and definitely answered by an affirmative showing of distinct educational purpose and method the chances are that the activity is impeding rather than helping the advancement of the Indian.

The Probable Duration of Special Work. Probably no question is more frequently asked than how much longer must special work for the Indians continue. The argument runs; the government of the United States has been working at this job from the very beginning and something was done by the colonies even before that. The aggregate expenditure has been enormous. When is this expenditure going to stop? The suggestion has even been made that the survey staff should attempt to say with some definiteness how many years it will take to wind up the Indian business and to hold forth a definite date as to when the public may look forward to marked reductions in appropriations for Indian affairs.

The answer of the survey staff to this question must be distinctly disappointing to those who seek definite statements in years. The number of years will depend in no small measure on how effectively the work is done, for special work with or for an individual Indian will be necessary until he can by his own efforts maintain himself in the presence of white civilization in accordance at least with a minimum standard of health and decency. Until he reaches that development he continues a problem either for the national, state, or local government or for private philanthropy.

Some people seek a single mass criterion to give the answer, such as “When they have all been educated,” using education in its narrow sense as meaning when they have all been to school. Unfortunately the facts are apparently against all mass criteria. The question of whether an Indian is able to maintain himself by his