Part 4

After careful inquiry into the various methods adopted by different schools, your committee feels justified in recommending: That in every school-house a room be furnished with mechanical appliances, where, for an hour each day, the boys and young men may receive lessons in the art of handling tools and methods of work, under the direction of a practical workman; that all girls spend three-quarters of an hour daily in learning to do plain sewing, to cut garments neatly and economically, and to judge of the value and appropriate use of fabrics commonly made into clothing; that the first lessons in free-hand drawing be given to every student, and classes for further instruction organized for those who display special aptness for the work. One competent teacher could attend to this branch in all the schools, and still have time to assist in private schools, if desired. A plan of co-operation in these extra branches would greatly lighten the expense, while stimulating healthy competition to excel on the part of pupils; that the older girls study the science of nursing from a regular text-book, reporting to the teacher for criticism and advice their own experiences in neighborly watchings with the sick. Your committee note, with pleasure, an awakening interest in this subject, and would endorse the “Hand-Book of Nursing,” arranged and prepared by the New Haven training school for nurses, as a suitable work to be introduced for this purpose. In connection with the usual study of physiology, there should be discussions as to proper foods and best methods of their preparation. That in city and country schools, young children be encouraged to observe the habits of animals and plants; that no school-house be considered complete without a small microscope, and at some time in the course of study, the usual reading books be laid aside for a series of child’s books of nature, treating of the first principles of botany, philosophy and zoology; that all methods of teaching bend toward educating the senses to observe quickly and accurately, the mind to think independently, and the hands to work dexterously.

A cordial letter from the Hon. W. H. Fonte, Superintendent of Schools, closed with the following words:

Especially, I may add, do I desire to encourage and forward in every way, every plan or purpose which has for its object the elevation and progress of the colored race, believing with Frederick Douglass, that “without intelligence there is no independence, without independence no leisure, without leisure no progress.”

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THE BY-WAYS OF TENNESSEE.

In February, 1878, we printed a letter from our Bro. Cutler, in which he spoke of a young girl who wanted to get an education, but who was entirely without means. He procured for her half enough to keep her at study for a year, started her on her course, and pronounced her “the happiest girl in the land.” The following description of her first field and work as a teacher will certainly interest those who aided Tennie Morford, and, we think, many others.--EDS.:

There is situated in the eastern part of Tennessee a beautiful, lonely, little valley, called the Sequatchie Valley. It is sixty miles long and five miles wide, containing about four hundred inhabitants. This is one of the by-ways of Tennessee, or, as it seems to be, from the condition of the people, Africa at home. It is hedged about with mountains, and its inhabitants scarcely hear of any other place than their own valley. They are very ignorant, and their chief occupation is farming.

I spent my last vacation among them, and tried to teach and show them the need of an education. There were persons who were forty and sixty years old who could not count a hundred. Scarcely any of them had seen a steam-boat or car. They know only of the wilds of Sequatchie, where they have spent their lives. Near the head of the valley was my place of work, principally inhabited by drunkards of both colors, who spent their Sabbaths in intoxication and in the use of profanity. Their places of enjoyment were three still-houses about half a mile apart, where the price of their labor was given in liquor.

On my arrival at Pikeville I was conducted to a little house on the main street, where I remained one week. I was examined three days after my arrival. My examination seemed very simple, and I received first grade certificate. During that time it was noised abroad that school would open Monday, June 10th. Bright and early Monday morning I commenced my summer’s work; but as I met only twelve bright faces I felt somewhat discouraged, and was beginning to think that I would go elsewhere if I did not have more next week. To my surprise, by that time I found nineteen, and felt more reconciled. After I had taught a while I visited some of the children’s parents, and found that every body wanted to go to school, both young and old. Every one began to show an interest, and the number of scholars grew to fifty-seven, a few of whom had been to school before, while the others were only making a beginning. My most advanced pupil studied only the Third Reader and the Elementary Speller, which was considered by him quite an education. The most of them said that they did not want to go any higher than the Speller. Others only wanted to get as far as “publication.” In one case a lady came and brought a little girl to me who did not know the alphabet, and asked me to get her to “baker” as soon as possible, for she wanted her, as they say, to “help to lay by crop.” She said that if she got as far as “baker” she would be half through the Speller, which she considered half of an education; but I told her that that was only laying the foundation for the great work intended for them to do. They had often heard of schools, and half realized that they had minds to be cultivated, but not until last summer had they become interested in the real work of learning. They had a very good school-house for dry weather, but when it rained we had to shelter ourselves the best we knew how. The house would seat about sixty scholars comfortably, and was beautifully situated on a small hill called “Cedar Bluff,” which was surrounded by large oaks.

The people do not have very much preaching, but when they do have it it must be by daylight, on account of the white people stoning them at night. The colored people are still living as slaves, and are afraid to live otherwise. The laborers do not work by the day, as they do here, but as they are told. They get up about three or four o’clock in the morning and work until about midnight, and sometimes later if their employers desire to have the work finished. This is what they consider a day’s work. They have the same idea about teaching. They wanted that I should teach from sunrise to sundown. They know nothing of the eight or ten hour system of labor.

Those who live along the highways of trade and culture in our State, that are participating in the active work of the world, would scarcely believe that some parts of their own State are half civilized if they did not occasionally see it; but one has only to cross the Cumberland mountain to find his mistake. The Sequatchie Valley is only catching a ray of light now and then from the sunrise. When the sun comes up in the east it is first seen by those who live on the mountain tops and those who live in the highest places; but it keeps rising until it shines on valleys and plains. So with the morning that has dawned upon the people of the South; it is first grasped by those on the highways, and then it begins to shine into the hidden corners until all shall be lighted. What can be expected of the children of the next generation if their parents are not more than half civilized? We need educated parents, so that the children may be properly trained. In order to do this we must go into these by-ways of our State and sow our seed, though it be on untilled soil. I think that the time is fast approaching when the public school system, carried out by earnest teachers, shall reclaim these valleys, and make them an honor to the State instead of haunts of ignorance and vice.

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AFRICA.

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THE MENDI MISSION.

Explorations into the Interior, etc.

REV. ALBERT P. MILLER, GOOD HOPE STATION.

I am traveling more or less to see the interior of this extensive country, going up certain rivers and visiting towns and villages on the way. I visited the Bargroo country last week, and hope to leave in the morning for Kaw-Mendi, to see what are the prospects of useful work for the Mission in that part of the country. Many of the old places formerly held by the Mission I shall try to visit before the rainy season proper sets in. We are getting things somewhat in shape, and hope to push into the interior as soon as practicable. Dodo is open to us; Cunkananny, also, on the very frontier, no mission station having ever been established nearer them than Avery. Bros. Anthony and White are to-night with us; will leave to-morrow for Avery. Bro. Anthony is well, and is getting on very well in his new field of labor. He takes right hold, and seems to be in dead earnest. Bro. White is also well. I find that we shall be obliged to get a large quantity of goods from some source or other with which to purchase logs, as two saws will soon be running in the mill, which will come in to help us. We are all very well save the doctor, who has been ill of late, but is now up. Pray for us.

The Industrial Work--General Impressions.

ELMORE L. ANTHONY, AVERY STATION.

I am well and all right. I had a slight pain in my head yesterday for the first time since I have been in the country, and that came from being in the sun too much. Everything seems to be going forward. I am doing the best that I can.

The mill has been repaired. The bottom logs were decayed; the ends of some of the posts were also decayed. There is considerable work to do yet. One of the saws started this week, and the other one will start soon. Bills for lumber are coming in. We can find sale for all the good lumber that we can saw. Logs are coming in; business seems to be opening. We had the shoot that leads the water from the vat or receptacle to the turbine wheel enlarged, which will, I think, give the water greater propelling power, and, of course, give the circular saw greater velocity. I am having the coffee farm cleaned, and will have the trees pruned next month, as I understand that is the time. I am doing just as you said.

The religious work seems to be improving, though I have not been here long enough to tell much about it. The industrial department is about all one man can attend to if he will do his duty. Brothers Jackson and White have the church and school. I help in the Sabbath-school. Having seen the condition of the people, I would say, if you had the money, send _one hundred thousand missionaries_ to different parts of Africa at _once_, and have them establish missions and tributaries. This country is baptized in ignorance, vice, poverty and old customs. Humanity is entirely below description. There are hundreds, yes, thousands of persons here that have not a string of clothing to their names. All the natives do is to sow and reap; they know nothing about cultivation whatever. Now, why keep missionaries away, when Christ has said, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations”?

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THE CHINESE.

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“CALIFORNIA CHINESE MISSION.”

Auxiliary to the American Missionary Association.

PRESIDENT: Rev. J. K. McLean, D. D. VICE-PRESIDENTS: Rev. A. L. Stone, D. D., Thomas C. Wedderspoon, Esq., Rev. T. K. Noble, Hon. F. F. Low, Rev. I. E. Dwinell, D. D., Hon. Samuel Cross, Rev. S. H. Willey, D. D., Edward P. Flint, Esq., Rev. J. W. Hough, D. D., Jacob S. Taber. Esq.

DIRECTORS: Rev. George Mooar, D. D., Hon. E. D. Sawyer, Rev. E. P. Baker, James M. Haven, Esq., Rev. Joseph Rowell, Rev. John Kimball, E. P. Sanford, Esq.

SECRETARY: Rev. W. C. Pond. TREASURER: E. Palache, Esq.

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NOTES AND CLIPPINGS.

BY REV. W. C. POND.

It is unnecessary, and, of course, in the space at command it would be impossible, to give at length my correspondence with teachers and pupils connected with our schools; but I must ask you occasionally to make room for brief “notes and clippings.”

Whatever concerns our Chinese helpers bears with great weight on our work. Their teacher writes: “I think my pupils are very much in earnest, and study the Bible with no mere desire of finding out what there is in it, or of advancing themselves in the knowledge of our language--as some intimate the Chinese do--but with an earnest purpose to learn God’s ways and follow His commands, and to fit themselves to teach others the blessed truths which they themselves have come to believe. It seems to me they must make excellent missionaries; they appear to realize so fully the sad condition of their heathen friends, and are so simple and unquestioning in their faith in the God revealed to them by our Bible. All their teaching and preaching is the love of Christ, and what we should do in return for such love. I am puzzled what to do about the texts [passages of Scripture which I give them week by week to prepare outlines of discourses from. W.C.P.], for no matter what is the subject of them they are sure to run into the _one thing_ that seems to fill their minds.” But that is the one thing needful.

The difficulties of which our teacher at Petaluma writes, are encountered to a greater or less extent everywhere. She says: “No Chinese ever attend the school except from one company. [Two of the now famous ‘Six Companies’ are represented among the Chinese of Petaluma. The rivalries and mutual antipathies of members of these companies are often very intense, leading sometimes to pitched battles. In Petaluma they keep the peace; but no efforts of teachers or helpers have yet succeeded in getting Chinese of both the companies into one school. W.C.P.] The scholars are, also, house-servants or laundrymen, and are constantly changing places, and a great deal of the time have nothing at all to do. If they had work we could keep them. If the times would improve the school would improve. The scholars like the school, and are much more friendly and cordial to me since Hong Sing [the Chinese helper] came, because now I am better understood. But while they are constantly shifting about to get employment, I am afraid the good accomplished cannot be very great.”

This is illustrated by the following from a teacher in the Oakland School: “I was hearing a scholar who had been in the school about a week read in his primer. We came to the sentence, ‘Christ died for us,’ and I asked him ‘Who was Christ?’ To my astonishment, he knew nothing of him. In the plainest way possible to me, I gave an account of Christ’s life and death. He seemed interested, but told me that he had never been at Sunday-school. The next night I noticed him reading with the helper in the Testament, and he became regular in his attendance at Sunday-school. Losing his position, he was obliged to go away to get work. I was very sorry, for I had great hopes that he would soon become a Christian. This teacher adds: ‘It is gratifying when you ask one who has seemed somewhat dull, Who is God? to see the face brighten and the hand point upwards; and if you go still further and ask, Do you love God? a smile plays upon the features and the reply is, ‘Oh, yes.’ A prayer-meeting is held each Wednesday evening, in which manifest interest is taken. After the close of the school the pupils often remain and read together the Scriptures written in Chinese. Each Friday evening I tell them a short story from the Bible, and try to take from it some truth which they may remember. I should be deeply grateful could I write of more being brought into the kingdom of God. The work is encouraging; and while sometimes we reap the fruits of others’ labors, so others shall reap the fruits of ours.”

Of course the Gospel leaven working in this mass of heathenism induces more or less of fermentation. Our Christian Chinese are often engaged in discussions with their heathen friends. I took brief notes of one such, as afterwards reported to me. I am glad to say that the assailant of the truth in this dispute has since been converted, and is now a member of my church. The heathen, who had long been a pupil in Bethany School, and a close reader of the New Testament, said to our brother, “Your Bible itself says we must not put new wine into old bottles. China is an old bottle; new wine will burst it.” The reply surprised me by its apt and correct interpretation of the text referred to: “Not so. You cannot put the new wine of Christ into the old bottles of Chinese teachings and worship, it will burst them; but you can put it into Chinese hearts and it will save them.” “But you say,” continued the objector, “that a little water on the head washes sins away. I wash all over three times a day, and not take my sins away.” “Not so,” replied Hong Sing, “water cannot take sins away; but water means that God’s Spirit poured upon our hearts, Christ’s blood sprinkled on our souls, takes our sins away.” “But people come to the Lord’s Supper and then go away, do wrong, gamble, smoke opium.” Neither admitting nor denying this, Hong Sing told and interpreted with perfect correctness the parable of the net cast into the sea. The last objection was this: “You Christians say that you go to the Lord’s table and drink his blood and eat his flesh. Would you eat your mother’s flesh and drink her blood, if she were dead?” Hong Sing’s reply will be easily surmised by my readers. I wish that I could give word for word the broken English, and could reproduce on paper the animation with which this conversation was related to me; but the limits of my space forbid, even if otherwise it were possible.

=The Story of Lee Jin as told by Jee Gam.=--“Lee Jin was a young man twenty-three years of age, a nephew of Lee Young. For more than three years previous to his death he had been a member of a Chinese society of freemasonry, and also a member of Lock Shan Tong. This latter is a school or society where the doctrines of Confucius and other Chinese sages are professedly taught; but, in reality, this society has been formed for no other purpose than to prevent any more Chinese from becoming Christians, and to entrap those who have already become Christians. During his connection with the above-mentioned society he was one of its most active members, and one of the strongest opposers of Christianity. He did not content himself with setting forth his opposition at his own place and outside Christian institutions, but often carried it into our Christian association. His argument was nothing but pride and self-glory. As a Jew boasted of his father Abraham, and felt proud because his race was the chosen people of God, so he himself was lifted up. He said: ‘The middle kingdom is the true celestial empire. She is the realm of literature. She is the nation of rites. Great and powerful are her people, and especially her ancient personages, whose great deeds no language is sufficient to describe.’ He endeavored to display his learning by quoting what he had learned from the books of his sages, ‘I have heard of men using the doctrines of our great land to change barbarians, but I have never yet heard of any being changed by barbarians, etc.’ But when his arguments were overcome he would say, ‘Well, I am a Chinaman; I have Confucius; I worship the gods of my own country. If Jesus is the God of the barbarians, let him be worshiped by them, and not by Chinese.’ So his heart was hardened like that of Pharaoh, until, at last, he fell sick. During his illness the Lord, with His wonderful power, revealed the folly of his pride, and the consequences of his self-righteousness and evil deeds, to his then opened eyes. He trembled with fear and said, ‘Oh, what a great sinner I am! What a miserable offender of Jesus! Do send for Lee Hain and Jee Gam. Tell them to come immediately and pray for me.’ His uncle, Lee Young, was struck with astonishment when he heard these words, and saw this great change in his nephew. He said in reply, ‘Do you really want Jee Gam and Lee Hain to pray for you?’ ‘Yes,’ was the reply. ‘Why not pray to the gods you always worship?’ ‘Oh, they are dead idols. They are of no use. They could not save me from the punishment of my sins.’

“We were sent for accordingly. When we reached there he begged us to forgive him for his opposition against us for preaching the Gospel of the Saviour, whom he had begun to love. We prayed for him, and asked him to repeat the words after us, which he did with a tone of true repentance. Oftentimes after this he asked his uncle and his younger brother to pray for him. His heathen friends deserted him to the care of these Christian relatives, but after his death, when we had taken charge of the body to give it Christian burial, they came and wished to perform some of their heathen rites. We would not permit it; and, rather than take back their offerings, which would bring them bad luck, they burned them before the door. We accompanied Lee Jin to the cemetery, where we had procured a suitable lot, and then we sang a hymn and offered a prayer before committing his body to the dust. We believe he is now safe in heaven.”

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CHILDREN’S PAGE.

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The following “short talk” was made by Etahdleuh Doanmoe (“Boy Hunting”), at the anniversary at Hampton. He is one of the St. Augustine Indians now studying there:

My Home in Indian Territory.