Читать книгу: «The American Missionary. Volume 50, No. 08, August, 1896», страница 3

HOWARD UNIVERSITY, THEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D.C

By Prof. J.H. Ewell, D.D

The American Missionary Association was obliged to reduce the appropriation for our work by one-fourth this year. This has occasioned so much extra work, care, and anxiety, but the good hand of our Heavenly Father has been upon us, and the teachers have increased their hours in the classroom, and kind friends and churches have lent a helping hand. Grateful mention should be made of large assistance from the First Congregational Church, of Washington, and of aid from young churches with heavy burdens upon them. One devoted and steadfast friend who gave according to her power, yea, gave beyond her power; whose means were small, but whose charities were large, because she spent so little upon herself, Miss Mary F. Andrews, of Millbury, has been called home during the year. Who will take her place? I wish there were space to speak of all who have co-operated with us by giving. Almost every gift has some association that has made it specially cheering.

Our Anniversary Exercises received the heartiest commendation. The class numbered eight more than four years previously. We are greatly encouraged by the good work that our graduates are doing. May the Lord reward all of our beloved supporters! We always pray for them and for the Association, and for all our varied workers under its auspices, and we ask especially that all who are interested in our work will pray for us that Charles Wesley's petition may be fulfilled in us,

 
"Write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy best new name of Love."
 

LINCOLN ACADEMY, KING'S MOUNTAIN, N.C.M

By Rev. A.W. Curtis

Lincoln Academy is beautiful for situation, in the midst of groves of young pine, on a considerable plateau sloping southward, overlooking the valley of a little creek with the grand old mountain towering above them on the farther side. A quiet restful spot removed from the temptations of town life, four miles from the village station; just the place for the great family home school which I found on this occasion, Wednesday night, busy as bees preparing for the great event of the year. The boys had put up a brush arbor in the grove near by, and provided plenty of plank seats beneath.

We had a rousing Christian Endeavor meeting that night, the last of the session. All of the students belong to the Senior or Junior branch, and with the schedule topic, "The Widening of Christ's Kingdom," brought home and made personal, "What can I do to extend Christ's Kingdom during this vacation?" Many very practical talks were given, and many pledges of best endeavor to this end in the home life or where they were expecting to teach through the summer. Strange noises were heard during the night, which the morning light explained by the covered wagons, prairie schooners we would call them at the West, which had come in and camped out near the spring. As the hour approached a perfect string of nondescript vehicles bringing the whole family, and many others on muleback or on foot, came pouring in from near and far, until by 10 A.M. nearly one thousand people had gathered in and around the arbor; some of them coming from thirty to fifty miles overland.

"Old Glory" had been floating from the flagstaff above the central school building all the morning, and now the scholars, neatly dressed, came marching up the hill and crowded the platform to sing their welcome song. Prayer was offered by one of the first graduates, now a minister. Then the principal, and lady general, gave out the orders for the day in such a womanly and winning way as showed her fully mistress of the situation.

"No smoking anywhere on the school-grounds; no changing of seats during any exercise; no selling of liquors or even ice cream, lemonade, or other refreshments—not because these latter were not good in themselves, but because of the temptation to spend money which they could not afford in these hard times, and while complaining that they could not raise money for the schooling of their children, they must not spend their nickels in such ways. Take care of their nickels and they would soon count up to dollars."

Several hucksters and peddlers, who had come with their wares, the principal succeeded in driving off, and in a region where whisky has flowed freely and smoking is almost their vital breath, she that day had an orderly assemblage of nearly a thousand, on uncomfortable seats, quiet and interested for four and a half hours without any intermission!

It was a very carefully prepared program; speeches, essays, recitals, dialogues, and such splendid singing as only these trained voices of colored students can give. It was no easy matter to speak so as to be heard by such a crowd in the open air, but every girl as well as boy succeeded admirably, and all showed most careful training and drill. The themes chosen were very practical and fitted to the occasion.

Tobacco got rough and fearless handling, and liquor-drinking was rebuked in almost every conceivable way and rubbed in repeatedly. The old and the modern ways of teaching were compared and illustrated; indeed, every recitation was evidently selected with reference to its moral effect.

Certainly these huge commencement gatherings are themselves educators for the fathers and mothers and kinsfolk of these young people, whom they are proud to see doing so well. The words of all the songs were thoroughly learned, so they will do service in many another gathering wherever these students may be. It was the writer's privilege to give the commencement address on "Making the best use of life as God's plan for our highest good."

Thursday night we held a parting communion service with the Congregational Church, which is mainly composed of students. The maps shown me and many of their examination papers were exceptionally good. Last winter mumps and measles successively swept through the school, and at one time made the home almost a hospital, but the brave teachers went through all, kept up recitations with the well ones, and nursed the sick and brought them all safely through without the expense of a doctor. Now all were well and evidently thriving on good food, though it is marvel to me how good board can be afforded with tuition, and all expenses covered for $4.50 per month, and yet work be furnished to most of them for one-third of that, bringing the cash outlay to ten cents a day! but they do it, and a happier household I have never seen than those who gather at Lincoln Academy.

A white man with whom I was talking at the station said, "Those lady teachers are doing a great work for this whole region."

So the leaven works.

ALLEN NORMAL SCHOOL, THOMASVILLE, GA

By Miss Amelia Merriam

The fact that with the graduation of the class of '96 our school would complete its first decade, added interest to the occasion.

One member of the class has been in the school from its organization. In the class history she gave quite a vivid description of those trying days when the building at Quitman, Ga., where the school was first gathered, was burned to the ground, as the result of hostile feeling on the part of the citizens of the place. Certainly there has been progress toward a just appreciation of the work of the American Missionary Association in the communities where its work has been done, as seen in the kindly feeling toward the school manifested in various ways by the people of Thomasville.

Of the six graduates, five are young women; three of these begin their work of teaching in country schools immediately. One, the valedictorian of the class, has already written something in regard to her surroundings. At the place, which is the best in the neighborhood, where she was to board—if the word may be used in connection with such a state of things—she writes that there is almost nothing in the way of necessities for decent living. There is not a lamp in the house; not even a tallow candle, the room in which the family eat and sleep being lighted only by building a fire upon the hearth. Of such an article as a towel they apparently do not know the use; and the one basin in which she washed her hands serves for various other domestic purposes. Almost the only household appliances are two ovens, as they are called—two flat-bottomed, shallow iron kettles, with iron covers, and legs a few inches long. Under these kettles, out of doors, the fire is made, and coals put upon the flat covers. In this way the hoe-cake is baked in one, while the bacon is fried in the other. These two viands, with an occasional mess of greens or potatoes, constitute the bill of fare month in and month out. No wonder the poor girl lost her appetite. She was supplied from the Home with what she needed to make herself comfortable in the one very small room which she is fortunate enough to have to herself.

It is from country places like these that we wish to bring scholars into the school. The truth is that the young people in these communities are too ignorant to have any desire for anything different from what they now have. Here is an almost limitless home missionary field, to be worked by the graduates of our schools. These teachers are good object-lessons, showing what an education, including a knowledge of homemaking, as well as what is learned from books, can do for boys and girls like themselves.

We rejoice in the fact that when the school closed, all of the girls in the Hall were professedly disciples of Christ, and will, we believe, go back to their homes to be better daughters and more helpful members of the communities so much in need of the influences which we trust they will exert.

Five of our scholars connected themselves with our church at the last communion service.