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or a room in the farmer’s or doctor’s house. Even if one has no official responsibilities for the children, one hears the noises and in case of illness or any excitement feels called upon to respond.
Hours of Service. In boarding schools it is, of course, more or less inevitable that employees be on duty fairly long hours and that they be subject to call at any time. Announcements of Civil Service examinations ought always to mention this fact, so that it may be understood in advance. Every effort should, however, be made to work out a schedule of reliefs, so that insofar as practicable each employee gets the equivalent of one day’s rest in seven and has an opportunity, if he or she desires, actually to leave the school or the agency, The number of employees should, if necessary, be increased enough to permit of this relief. At schools or agencies not in close contact with outside communities, continuous duty and the necessity of being limited to exactly the same little group of people day in and day out, always eating the same kind of food at the same table with the same table mates, produces in many persons a peculiar kind of nervous fatigue likely to bring out their worst rather than their best and to cause friction. One wise superintendent lays particular emphasis on the importance of an attractive and varied employees’ mess, because his experience indicates that many of the embarrassing difficulties between employees have their origin there. Everyone is more or less familiar with the critical attitude that one generation has toward another and even under the best of circumstances it is difficult to bring about mutual respect and understanding between the elderly women with Victorian standards and new teachers, young and vivacious, with the standards and styles of the youth of today. It is not surprising at some schools and agencies to find this situation accentuated by the constant and almost inescapable contacts. This situation increases the importance of one day’s freedom in seven.
Provision for Recreation. This same situation also increases the importance of provision for recreation. The radio, the phonograph and the motion pictures have materially helped, and it is a pleasure to note that at many jurisdictions provision has been made for motion pictures which are attended both by the Indians and the employees. The regular daily program at the boarding schools, is, however, too full and too long. In other sections of this report