Читать книгу: «The American Missionary. Volume 49, No. 04, April, 1895», страница 3

THE SOUTH

TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI

BY PRES. F. G. WOODWORTH, D.D

The chartered schools of the American Missionary Association, though doing an essentially similar work, are yet strongly individualized. Tougaloo University is emphatically the black belt plantation school of the Association, located in the country, in the midst of America's darkest Africa, touching that by far most numerous and important class on which the future of the negroes mainly rests—the plantation negroes. Forming the bulk of the colored population, least tinged with white blood, they are at once the most ignorant and the most hopeful class. Within seven miles of Jackson, the State capital, on the Illinois Central road, easily accessible, not only from Mississippi, but from large regions of Louisiana and Arkansas, it draws pupils from a wide area and sends its trained teachers and graduates to a region still wider. Its location is healthful and one of beauty, and, removed from town distractions and temptations, it is admirably situated for efficient work. The school was established in the autumn of 1869, and the early reports show a surrounding region which in its drunkenness, fighting and iniquity, is quite in contrast with the present condition of affairs. Five hundred acres of land were purchased and with them a fine mansion (page 125), then not many years old, intended for the finest plantation house of the State and built for a bride who came not. As the illustration shows, it is a handsome structure—the only one with any decided architectural pretensions in the place. It served at first for school rooms and dormitory purposes, and has been thus used during most of the life of the school. Now it contains the offices of president and treasurer, the main library—which greatly needs more books—music rooms, the doctor's office, teachers' rooms, and the president's home. There are now nine large buildings for school use, with several smaller ones. The next oldest of the large buildings is the girls' dormitory, just south of the mansion, where is the common dining room, with the necessary kitchen, laundry and bake house appliances, and dormitory room for several teachers and eighty to ninety girls.

Washington Hall, built just north of the mansion about the time of the girls' dormitory, was burned some years ago, and now on its site stands the Ballard Building, containing the study and recitation rooms of the grammar and intermediate departments, which lead up to the normal and the chapel, where all general exercises and Sabbath services are held. One of the greatest needs of the school is a church building, that can be specially devoted to religious purposes. There is a grand chance for a memorial building. A little northeast of Ballard is the boys' dormitory, Strieby Hall, erected in 1882, a brick structure 112 x 40 feet, and three stories high, with a basement which has a laundry and bathrooms. In this building the normal and higher work is carried on, with a fairly good physical and chemical laboratory and reference library, but needing great enlargement and additional facilities. The normal work is of chief importance, for the future of the race lies largely with the trained teachers of the common schools. Those who have gone from Tougaloo have won golden opinions from both races and do a work which in its scope and missionary character multiplies greatly the influence of the supporters of the school. Strieby has, by crowding, dormitory room for seventy to eighty boys. A separate building for normal work is greatly needed, one having a library, reading room, recitation room, museums and laboratories. Just northwest of Strieby is the large barn, which, with the picture of the cattle, will suggest the large agricultural department of the school with its stock, garden, fruit raising, etc. Here, too, a building is greatly needed for the farm boys and a foreman, where a special course of instruction can be given in fitting out good farmers. Not a few graduates and former students have been successful in the conduct of farms and market gardens, some of them in connection with teaching. Back of the mansion is a little and not at all beautiful building that has been a slave pen, day nursery for slave children; then, under the American Missionary Association, a dormitory known as Boston Hall, then a carpentry class room, then girls' "Industrial Cottage" and is now dignified as Bible Hall, and houses the theological department, which was established two years ago. This department has the beginning of a library, but needs books and maps very greatly, and has two courses based on the English Bible, one of two and one of four years. Though having this year but few pupils in the regular course, it is doing very thorough work. The evening class for outside preachers has been for some years a power for good. A glance at the picture will convince anyone that theology should have better quarters. Who will give them? Berkshire Cottage, of which a picture is given, accommodates the industrial training work of the girls. Here are classrooms for needlework and cookery, with courses extending over four years, and which all girls in the grammar grades are as much obliged to take as they are the English branches. To the normal girls special instruction in dressmaking is given. Berkshire, besides accommodating several teachers, has a kitchen, dining and sitting room, and several bedrooms, devoted to practical housekeeping, where, at present, four girls at a time keep house practically for six weeks at a time, so becoming competent for homemakers. Not far from this cottage is the Ballard shop building, where the manual training of the boys is carried on. Here to the small boys of the Hand school instruction in knifework is given, and to the boys of all higher grades careful instruction, in accordance with the best manual training methods, in wood-working, with excellent accommodations for more than twenty boys at a time. Forging, at which eight at a time can work, and mechanical and architectural drawing, with tables and tools for two dozen. The outcome of this work and of the girls' industries, teachers of which are supported by the Slater Fund, which has done, and is doing, so grand a work, has been most satisfactory and encouraging in the skill manifested, the increased earning capacity imparted, the greater ability to gain and maintain homes, and the development of character.

One other picture, the Hand Primary building, suggests the practical work of the Normal department, for here the Normal students have practice during the two closing years of their course, gathering pupils from surrounding cabins.

Underneath all the work of the school is the dominating thought of the development of Christian character. The preaching, the Sabbath school, with its class prayer meetings directed by the Sabbath school teachers, the religious societies, the Covenant for Christian service, the personal influence of teachers and older pupils, all tend in that direction with most blessed results. Upon the surrounding region growing influence is exerted through the four Sabbath schools from two to four miles away, in which teachers and students from the University assist. A picture of one of the schools, McCharity, is given here. Mention should also be made of the "Tougaloo University Addition to Tougaloo." One hundred and twenty acres of land have been divided into five-acre house lots, which are being sold at $100 each to former students and those who wish to educate children at the University. In a few years it is expected that a fine community will be there.

Around three great fundamental ideas the work of Tougaloo, with its nearly 400 students and 23 instructors, with its theological, college preparatory, normal, agricultural, industrial, musical, and nurse training departments, its religious work, is grouped and carried on with notable success. These are the development of the family and home, leadership, and pure religious life. Who will endow a chair? Who will endow the University, and perpetuate one's influence in a most fruitful way? Successful as Tougaloo has been, its largest, widest work is yet to come.