Part 22
_Woman’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church._—The Woman’s Home Missionary Society owns and maintains 12 home schools for girls. Eight of them are connected with the various educational institutions of the Freedmen’s Aid Society. These homes usually provide home training for the girls at the larger schools of the Freedmen’s Aid Society. All of these homes are well managed. They are in charge of the best type of northern women and colored women, who have manifested unusual devotion and efficiency in their work. The important facts for these schools by States, are given below:
WOMAN’S HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
───────────┬───────┬──────────┬─────────────────┬──────────┬─────────── │Number │ │ │Income for│ │ of │ Counted │ │ Current │ Value of States │Schools│Attendance│ Teachers │ Expenses │ Property ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┬─────┬─────┼──────────┼─────────── │ │ │Total│White│Negr.│ │ ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────────┼─────────── Total │ 12│ 1,572│ 71│ 41│ 30│ $42,975│ $309,500 ═══════════╪═══════╪══════════╪═════╪═════╪═════╪══════════╪═══════════ Arkansas │ 1│ 119│ 3│ 1│ 2│ 2,257│ 14,300 Florida │ 1│ 224│ 13│ 4│ 9│ 6,281│ 73,000 Georgia │ 2│ 259│ 11│ 7│ 4│ 7,220│ 15,000 Louisiana │ 1│ 175│ 6│ 4│ 2│ 3,171│ 45,000 Mississippi│ 1│ 55│ 4│ 3│ 1│ 4,895│ 32,000 North │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Carolina │ 2│ 380│ 13│ 10│ 3│ 7,488│ 33,000 South │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Carolina │ 1│ 279│ 12│ 7│ 5│ 5,373│ 75,500 Tennessee │ 1│ 31│ 2│ 2│ │ 2,595│ 8,700 Texas │ 2│ 50│ 7│ 3│ 4│ 3,695│ 13,000 ───────────┴───────┴──────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────────┴───────────
The total income for the current expenses of all the homes is $54,975, of which $38,502 is received from the Missionary Society. The value of all the property is $287,000. The total attendance is 1,572 girls, of whom 808 are in the homes not connected with the Freedmen’s Aid Society. The teachers and workers are 71 women, of whom 41 are white and 30 colored; 18 are academic and 42 are industrial teachers.
The names and locations of these homes are as follows: Adeline Smith Home, Little Rock, Alabama; Boylan Home, Jacksonville, Florida; Thayer Home, Atlanta, Georgia; Haven and Speedwell Home, Savannah, Georgia; Peck Home, New Orleans, Louisiana; Rust Home, Holly Springs, Mississippi; Kent Home, Greensboro, North Carolina; Allen Industrial Home and School, Asheville, North Carolina; Browning Industrial Home, Camden, South Carolina; New Jersey Home, Morristown, Tennessee; Eliza Dee Home, Austin, Texas, and King Industrial Home, Marshall, Texas.
The society began its work in 1881, when Thayer Home was built at Clark University, Atlanta, Georgia. The society is divided into “bureaus” consisting of a secretary and assistants who are white volunteer workers. “Each bureau has the responsibility in its own field of executing the plans and applying the funds as ordered by the general board of managers.” The central office is at Cincinnati, Ohio.
_Presbyterian Board._—The Board of Missions for Freedmen of the Presbyterian Church owns and supervises 85 schools for colored people. Of these 32 are large important institutions. Through wise administration and fairly adequate equipment, they are meeting the needs of their communities or working successfully in that direction. Five of them are seminaries for colored girls. The educational work and general administration of these seminaries are excellent. They are among the best schools for colored people in the South. Two are boarding schools for young colored men, the others are boarding and day schools for boys and girls.
A summary table of these schools follows:
BOARD OF MISSIONS FOR FREEDMEN OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
───────────┬───────┬──────────┬─────────────────┬──────────┬─────────── │Number │ │ │Income for│ │ of │ Counted │ │ Current │ Value of States │Schools│Attendance│ Teachers │ Expenses │ Property ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┬─────┬─────┼──────────┼─────────── │ │ │Total│White│Negr.│ │ ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────────┼─────────── Total │ 85│ 8,915│ 423│ 84│ 339│ $200,124│ $2,151,321 ═══════════╪═══════╪══════════╪═════╪═════╪═════╪══════════╪═══════════ Alabama │ 3│ 391│ 25│ 13│ 12│ 10,116│ 55,000 Arkansas │ 8│ 774│ 28│ │ 28│ 5,911│ 40,350 Florida │ 3│ 247│ 9│ │ 9│ 1,150│ 4,000 Georgia │ 11│ 1,787│ 67│ │ 67│ 20,192│ 91,444 Kentucky │ 2│ 98│ 9│ │ 9│ 3,000│ 11,050 Mississippi│ 1│ 199│ 14│ 14│ │ 6,517│ 71,000 North │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Carolina │ 15│ 1,879│ 93│ 15│ 78│ 47,346│ 478,665 Oklahoma │ 1│ 93│ 6│ │ 6│ 1,976│ 8,000 South │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Carolina │ 19│ 1,808│ 75│ 7│ 68│ 22,907│ 158,050 Tennessee │ 8│ 607│ 34│ │ 34│ 10,052│ 87,950 Texas │ 1│ 115│ 13│ 13│ │ 10,979│ 60,000 Virginia │ 12│ 701│ 36│ 10│ 26│ 11,915│ 44,400 Northern │ │ │ │ │ │ │ States │ 1│ 216│ 14│ 12│ 2│ 48,063│ 1,041,412 ───────────┴───────┴──────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────────┴───────────
The total income for current expenses of the schools under the Freedmen’s Board, including Lincoln University, was $200,124. Of this $176,946 was spent in the 32 larger schools and $23,178 in the 53 smaller schools. According to income, 17 schools were under $2,500; 4 between $2,500 and $5,000; 9 between $5,000 and $15,000, and one between $15,000 and $30,000. Lincoln University has an income of $48,000.
The total value of property of the 31 schools directly under the board was $1,109,909, of which $1,038,729 was in the property of the larger schools and $71,180 in the property of the smaller schools. The inclusion of Lincoln University, would bring the property of the larger Presbyterian schools up to $2,151,321. On the basis of property valuation 14 schools were below $2,500; 5 between $10,000 and $25,000; 3 between $25,000 and $50,000; 8 between $50,000 and $100,000 and one over $30,000.
The attendance of all the schools under this board, including Lincoln University, was 8,915, of whom 7,833 were elementary pupils, 930 secondary, and 152 in college studies. Lincoln University had 130 students reported as of collegiate grade and Biddle University 22 in college subjects. The teachers and workers in these institutions are 423 in number of whom 84 are white and 339, or 80 per cent. are colored; 115 are men and 308, or 70 per cent., are women; and 373, or 88 per cent., are academic.
These percentages indicate that the schools under the Freedmen’s board have an usual proportion of colored teachers. As the secretary recently reported, “an overwhelming number of their workers belong to the colored race. There are only six white men in our employ.” White workers are now limited to the five girls’ seminaries and one other school. These comments do not refer to Lincoln University, whose teachers are with two exceptions white men.
The Presbyterian Church began work among Negroes as early as 1864. Two committees, with headquarters at Indianapolis and Philadelphia, were combined by the general assembly at Pittsburgh in 1865. In 1870 a committee doing similar work in New York was consolidated with the Pittsburgh committee. In 1882 this committee was incorporated under the present name of the board. The woman’s department of the board was organized in 1884. Through this department the women of the church rendered valuable aid to the schools.
The name and locations of the larger Presbyterian schools are given below:
Barber Memorial Seminary, Anniston, Alabama; Miller Memorial School, Birmingham, Alabama; Arkadelphia Academy, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; Cotton Plant Academy, Cotton Plant, Arkansas; Boggs Academy, Keyesville, Georgia; Gillespie Normal Academy, Cordele, Georgia; Haines Institute, Augusta, Georgia; Hodge Academy, Washington, Georgia; McClelland Academy, Newman, Georgia; Seldon Normal and Industrial School, Brunswick, Georgia; Union Point Normal and Industrial School, Union Point, Georgia; Bowling Green Academy, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Free Memorial Institute, Camp Nelson, Kentucky; Mary Holmes Seminary, West Point, Mississippi; Albion Academy, Franklinton, North Carolina; Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina; Mary Potter Memorial School, Oxford, North Carolina; Scotia Seminary, Concord, North Carolina; Alice Lee Elliott Memorial School, Valliant, Oklahoma; Andrew Robertson Institute, Aiken, South Carolina; Brainerd Institute, Chester, South Carolina; Coulter Memorial School, Cheram, South Carolina; Goodwill Parochial School, Mayeville, South Carolina; Harbison College, Irmo, South Carolina; Kendall Institute, Sumter, South Carolina; Mayers Industrial School, Knoxville, Tennessee; Newton Normal School, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Swift Memorial School; Mary Allen Seminary, Crockett, Texas; Danville High and Industrial School, Danville, Virginia; Ingleside Seminary, Burkville, Virginia; Lincoln University, Lincoln, Pennsylvania.
_Protestant Episcopal Boards._—The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church has general supervision of all of the Episcopal schools. The American Church Institute for Negroes, a subordinate organization to the society, was incorporated in 1906, for the purpose of assisting in the religious education of Negroes. Its first secretary was the Rev. Samuel H. Bishop, whose faithful service was ended by death in 1914. The Rev. Robert W. Patton, the secretary of the Fourth Provincial Synod, now gives partial time to the raising of funds and the supervision of the eight schools receiving aid from the institute. These schools are as follows:
St. Augustine’s School, Raleigh, N. C. St. Paul’s Industrial School, Lawrenceville, Va. Bishop Payne Divinity School, Petersburg, Va. St. Athanasius’ School, Brunswick, Ga. Vicksburg School, Vicksburg, Miss. St. Mark’s School, Birmingham, Ala. St. Mary’s School, Columbia, S. C. Fort Valley School, Fort Valley, Ga.
The church, through the Missionary Society, appropriates about $50,000 annually for the education of Negroes in the United States. These gifts are made on the suggestion and advice of the bishops of the various dioceses. Appropriations for the larger institutions are sent directly to their treasurers. The small parochial schools are aided through the bishops of their diocese. These are frequently only little groups of children taught in the church. A state summary of the Episcopal schools follows:
AMERICAN CHURCH INSTITUTE AND THE EPISCOPAL BOARD OF MISSIONS.
────────────────────┬────────┬───────────┬─────────┬─────────┬───────── │ │ │ │ Income │ │ Number │ │ │ for │ │ of │ Counted │ │ Current │Value of States │Schools │Attendance │Teachers │Expenses │Property ────────────────────┼────────┼───────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Total │ 24│ 2,988│ 176│ $118,526│ $628,743 ════════════════════╪════════╪═══════════╪═════════╪═════════╪═════════ Alabama │ 1│ 192│ 7│ 4,485│ 22,000 Florida │ 3│ 193│ 8│ 1,835│ 3,500 Georgia │ 5│ 685│ 38│ 18,204│ 66,500 Mississippi │ 1│ 121│ 5│ 2,514│ 5,000 North Carolina │ 5│ 640│ 39│ 30,069│ 211,500 South Carolina │ 4│ 607│ 15│ 3,976│ 12,000 Tennessee │ 1│ 32│ 4│ 1,182│ 4,000 Texas │ 1│ 73│ 4│ 2,500│ 25,000 Virginia │ 2│ 445│ 56│ 53,761│ 279,243 ────────────────────┴────────┴───────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────
The Episcopal Board of Missions and the American Church Institute give aid to 24 schools, of which 10 are large institutions. On the basis of income one of the large schools has an income under $2,500, five have incomes between $2,500 and $5,000, two between $5,000 and $15,000, and two over $15,000. These four are St. Augustine’s School in North Carolina; Fort Valley School, in Georgia; St. Paul’s School, and Bishop Payne Divinity School in Virginia.
The total income of these schools is $118,536, of which $109,181 is for the ten “larger” institutions and $9,345 is for the fourteen “less important” schools. The total value of property is $628,734, of which $604,543 is the property of the larger institutions, and $24,200 is the property of the smaller schools. The larger institutions have an endowment of $106,835.
The total attendance comprises 2,988 pupils, of which 2,720 are elementary and 268 secondary. The fifteen students at Bishop Payne Divinity School are preparing for the Episcopal ministry. About a thousand of the pupils reported were in attendance at the “smaller” schools. The total number of teachers and workers is 176, of whom 12 are white and 164 are colored; 58 are men and 118, or 67 per cent., are women; and 118, or 68 per cent., are teachers of academic subjects.
The proportion of colored workers is very large. Only St. Augustine’s and Bishop Payne Divinity School have any white officers or teachers. In addition to the scholars under the American Church Institute, the St. Michael’s School at Charlotte, North Carolina and the St. Phillip’s School, San Antonio, Texas, are among the important schools.
_United Presbyterian Church._—The Board of Freedmen’s Missions of the United Presbyterian Church owns and maintains 15 schools for Negroes in the United States, of these eleven are rated as “more important,” and four as “less important.” While eleven schools are regarded as “important,” or essential parts of the educational activities of their community, the average income per school is only about six or seven thousand dollars a year. Knoxville College, with an income of $25,470, is the central institution of the system. The colored teachers of all these schools are largely prepared at Knoxville. The good work of this institution is seen in the high type of graduates who are employed in the smaller schools.
BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
───────────┬───────┬──────────┬─────────────────┬──────────┬─────────── │Number │ │ │Income for│ │ of │ Counted │ │ Current │ Value of States │Schools│Attendance│ Teachers │ Expenses │ Property ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┬─────┬─────┼──────────┼─────────── │ │ │Total│White│Negr.│ │ ───────────┼───────┼──────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────────┼─────────── Total │ 15│ 2,870│ 166│ 44│ 122│ $88,512│ $455,600 ═══════════╪═══════╪══════════╪═════╪═════╪═════╪══════════╪═══════════ Alabama │ 6│ 1,022│ 58│ │ 58│ 20,648│ 753,650 North │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Carolina │ 1│ 375│ 18│ │ 18│ 8,500│ 50,400 Tennessee │ 5│ 635│ 50│ 24│ 26│ 33,820│ 196,950 Virginia │ 3│ 838│ 40│ 20│ 20│ 25,544│ 134,600 ───────────┴───────┴──────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────────┴───────────
The total annual income for current expenses is $88,512, and the value of property is $455,600. The attendance is 2,870, of whom 2,470 are elementary, 370 secondary, and 30 collegiate. All the schools have elementary pupils, and seven schools maintain secondary classes. Only Knoxville College offers instruction of college grade. The total number of teachers is 166, of whom 44 are white and 122, or 73 per cent., are colored; 46 are men, and 120, or 72 per cent., women; and 108, or 65 per cent., are teachers of academic subjects.
The proportion of colored teachers is large; but, in view of the location and type of these schools, it is probable that the present division is necessary. Any increase in the proportion of colored teachers should be seriously questioned. It is suggested that the experience of other church boards should be consulted on this problem. The percentage of women teachers is above the average. The emphasis on industrial courses is somewhat more marked than in other church schools. The provision for instruction in gardening and agriculture is by no means sufficient, however, for the rural masses of the communities in which those schools are located.
Much of the success of the colored schools of the United Presbyterian Church is due to the ability and faithfulness of Dr. Witherspoon, whose long service forms a notable contribution to religious and educational work. In 1915 the Board of Freedmen’s Missions published the Fifty-fifth Annual Report of its activities. The time and consideration which this board of conscientious business men and ministers devote to the management of the affairs of the school under their care are....
In educational work and administration the United Presbyterian institutions compare favorably with the best church schools. While the majority of them are not large, they are managed with economy and their activities are conducted with considerable regard for thoroughness. With the exception of two or three in eastern Tennessee, they are all well located. The six schools in Alabama are all in Wilcox County, forming a county system of private schools. The influence of these schools has transformed the conditions in the county. The unusual development of these schools in this one county is probably due to the interest and ability of a Scotchman, member of the United Presbyterian Church, who settled in the county soon after the Civil War.
_Miscellaneous Denominational Schools under White Boards._—There are a number of miscellaneous denominational schools maintained by white boards. These boards are not discussed separately, because there are so few schools under each board as is indicated in the table below.
Many of the schools of this group represent churches with considerable wealth. Of special interest are the two institutions maintained by white church boards of the South. Paine College of Augusta, is maintained by the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This institution is the largest of the group. The other school owned by the South is Stillman Institute, maintained by the Presbyterian Church South. Both of these schools are taught by Southern white people who are genuinely interested in the colored. It is especially significant in this connection to mention the fact that it is the announced purpose of the Methodist Church to make Paine College an institution of higher education in every sense of that term. Stillman Institute, at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is also of importance as it touches of point of most vital concern to the development of the race, the development of trained ministers. While the institution has not reached its highest point of development, there is every hope that it too will eventually be a higher institution for the training of ministers.
The figures for schools under these miscellaneous boards are herewith presented:
MISCELLANEOUS DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS—WHITE BOARDS.