here is no form of assistance, no form of
empowerment, equal to the gift of a good education. It is
my personal belief that most forms of aid to the indigent, to
be effective, must be underpinned with a strong educational
component. The notion of self-help is empty when applied
to individuals who do not possess basic literacy. The aim of
charity should coincide with the Jewish concept of Mitzvah,
which is to say, an act of kindness which helps an individual
attain the inexhaustible resource of autonomy.
Red Cloud Indian School, an institution administered by
the Jesuits and the Lakota people in southwestern South
Dakota, promotes "an education of the mind and spirit,"
with a demanding curriculum the goal of which is to
achieve 100 per cent student enrollment in post-secondary
education—a goal Red Cloud continues to reach with
resounding success. Graduates populate the Ivy League
T
HYLAND
