Part 2

The afternoon exercises in Whitin Chapel and Virginia Hall consisted, as usual, of essays by the graduating class and former graduates, with music by the school choir, a recitation of one of Whittier’s poems by a modest ladylike Indian girl of the Junior class, and a talk in the Sioux language by one of the three young Indian fathers now in training with their families at Hampton. His wife and baby boy stood admiring listeners in the doorway, ready to vanish when the applause of the latter became too vociferous. The Indian said impressively (interpreted by a school mate), “You all know that when a man walks in darkness, if he sees a light somewhere he will go to it; so I want you all to have compassion on us and teach us more of your knowledge. I am always thinking about the good news. I came myself to learn how to tell the good news to my people and show them the right way. We know that you have helped us, but we need more help. If anybody told you to do something you never had done before, could you do it at once? They will have to tell you three or four times before you know how to do it. My friends, that is just the way with the Indians.”

Diplomas were presented to the twenty-eight members of the graduating class. Interesting speeches followed by several of the invited guests. Prof. Newell, Superintendent of the Maryland State Normal school in Baltimore, Dr. Eliot, Rev. Dr. Furber of Newton, Mass., Rev. Dr. Mix of Fall River, Rev. Dr. Burrows and Rev. Mr. Spiller of Norfolk, the last, a colored minister, all made very enthusiastic and telling impromptu addresses under the inspiration of the occasion.

The average attendance of pupils for the year just past, has been 510, of which 110 have been Indians. The work done compares favorably with that of former years. The annual reports of the Principal, teachers and heads of industrial departments, published in the June number of the _Southern Workman_, and still more fully in pamphlet form, with the treasurer’s report, give many interesting details of Hampton’s work and prospects.

FISK UNIVERSITY, NASHVILLE.

MISS ANNA M. CAHILL.

On Sunday, May 20, the baccalaureate sermon was preached in the chapel of Livingstone Missionary Hall. This and all the other exercises of Commencement had the added interest of being the first held in our new building—a building in whose beauty and usefulness for school purposes we have rejoiced all the year.

Ten young people—three graduating from the higher normal course and seven from the college course—listened to the earnest words of President Cravath, spoken especially to them, from John 14:23, on the power and need of an inner life of communion with God.

The annual missionary meeting which is always held by the missionary society on the evening of Commencement Sunday, was duly observed. Tidings had reached us of the illness of Secretary Woodworth, who was to have given the missionary address, and, failing to supply his place, we were thrown back upon our own existing missionary zeal, which, we were glad to find, burned brightly enough upon the home hearth to make a solemn, impressive hour of this last Sunday service.

Our Commencement week happened to coincide with “military week” in Nashville, for which great preparation had been made, and the city was gaily decorated with the national colors, and crowded with people. We had feared the effect of the excitement on the school, but found no cause for anxiety. Our pupils were too much absorbed in their work to be drawn away by the attractions of the parade ground, and our audiences seemed not to be much increased or diminished by the event. The class admitted to college on Monday evening numbers eight, three of whom are children of professors in the university. Among the essays and orations of the evening, were pleas to imaginary millionaires in the audience for a gymnasium, a conservatory of music and other improvements. Thus the incoming classes are seeing needs and making demands which the university has no means of meeting.

On Tuesday there drove up to the door of Livingstone Hall a furniture wagon, from which was unloaded a suspicious-looking rectangular box addressed to Prof. A. K. Spence. Strange that through the law of association so much of harmony can be suggested by so simple a geometrical form. Curious eyes watched the opening, and saw with delight on lifting the top a handsome Steinway square grand piano. It was carried into the chapel and placed upon the platform. Rumor said it was a gift, but nothing further could be learned until Commencement day.

In the midst of the exercises of the higher normal graduation on Wednesday evening, Secretary Woodworth entered and took a retired seat on the platform. His health was so far restored as to enable him to travel, though not in time to reach us before Sunday. The alumni address, which formed part of the programme of the evening, was given by Prof. McPherron. After this Secretary Woodworth was called out from his retirement and spoke for a few minutes. The list of alumni was read, the present work of each stated and the announcement made that steps had already been taken by the alumni to raise gradually a sufficient sum to endow a professorship in the university.

The last great day, Thursday, was as perfect as clear skies and fresh, dustless air could make it. A large audience of both white and colored people assembled early. The young men marched to Jubilee Hall, and a procession was there formed to return to the chapel. The British flag was draped over the platform on this birthday of England’s queen, and the room was bright with terraces of flowering plants. The seven young people who appeared as candidates for a degree represent many years of work on the part of student and teacher; the average length of time spent in the institution by members of the class is seven years. The one young lady took for her theme, the great field of work opening before and among the girls of the South and the necessary training for that work. Spoken from her standpoint her words were full of solemn meaning. After the graduates had finished their part, we listened eagerly to the address of Dr. Washington Gladden on the causes of poverty, ignorance and vice—the threefold evil against which we are fighting.

When the final piece of music had been sung, Prof. Spence asked permission to say a few words, and after some rapid wheeling of pianos to certain places on the platform, announced that Mrs. General Fisk had presented the new piano for the chapel of Livingstone Hall. Its companion was given by the same lady some years ago for the parlors of Jubilee Hall. Mention was made of the many other gifts of Mrs. Fisk, and a vote of gratitude for her kindness was heartily given by the entire audience. To afford an opportunity to hear both pianos together, Mendelssohn’s wedding march was played as a quartet.

A prominent Southern gentleman of Nashville, himself a former slaveholder, was present for the first time with other invited guests at the alumni dinner, and spoke warmly, cordially and strongly for our work. The most encouraging comment that I have heard on the exercises of the week was made by a former student, who was present: “It seems to me that every Commencement is better than the last.” So may it continue to be while Fisk University stands.

TALLADEGA COLLEGE.

BY REV. C. L. WOODWORTH, D.D.

Talladega, in Eastern Central Alabama, is a bright village of a thousand people, lying high up among the hills, away from the malaria which lurks in the valleys below. The air is soft and bracing, the water pure and sweet, and the whole region eminently beautiful. Here Talladega College was founded in 1867. The college is beautiful for situation, and in this respect would contest the palm with any institution we have, except possibly, Fisk at Nashville. Encircled on all sides by green mountain ranges, lying far up among the hills, it is one of the most inviting and salubrious spots in the State, and must have been foreordained as the site of a college.

The institution is well equipped for work. Stone Hall, Swayne Hall, Graves Hall, and Foster Hall are solid and comely, and have accommodated more than 298 students the present year. And of the campus, on which Swayne Hall sits, shaded with superb water oaks, it must be said we know of nothing finer in the South. Connected with the college is a farm of some 200 acres, mostly cultivated by the young men. Here they learn the art, as well as the science of farming, and here the supplies for the students’ table are principally raised.

It may be doubted whether any school of the A. M. A. is occupying a more needy field, or has around it a larger constituency. Alabama has a colored population of some 630,000, for whom Talladega College is the only institution in the State offering to them the advantages of the higher education. For the supply of trained teachers, of educated ministers, and of intelligent and reliable leaders—for this immense multitude Talladega must be the main reliance. The college, therefore, has a mission at its own doors, and for the present has more than it can do to meet the home demand. Its students are scattered throughout the State, as teachers and preachers, and their influence is felt in every public interest.

The Faculty of the college is able, clear-headed and intensely in earnest. President De Forest is an enthusiast in his work. Scholarly, inspiring, magnetic and full of faith in the capacity of the negro for the finest culture, and to reach the highest manhood, he does not mind the isolation of his position, nor the ostracism attending it, but finds perpetual joy in seeing the good work prosper in his hands.

It was my good fortune to be present during parts of three days in Commencement week, though not permitted to witness the exercises on Commencement day. Of the general air of the school there can be only words of praise. The quiet of the students on the campus, on the streets, in the class rooms, the self-respect in their bearing everywhere manifest, was a token both of the discipline of the school and of the spirit of the scholars. We heard creditable examinations in grammar, in Virgil, in the evidences of Christianity and in the life of Christ. But the exercise which interested us most was the reading of six or seven essays by members of the theological class. These papers, we were assured, had received scarcely any alteration in passing through the hands of the professor. They were clear, sharp, radical in thinking and independent in style and expression. Two college presidents were brought to the bar of criticism, and it really looked as if the students had the best of the argument. Yet there was no appearance of arrogance or of self-conceit; only the air of honest, thoughtful men.

The class of students as a whole seemed made up of earnest, aspiring youth, eager for an education and willing to make every possible sacrifice in order to secure it. As an instance, I saw a man in the grammar school, somewhere from thirty-five to forty years of age, who will work in the foundry six months or a year, and then will take his earnings and go to school as long as they will last. This he has been repeating for years. Another was pointed out to me who had worked on the farm a whole year, and then was using up his credits in schooling and board.

I should not give a complete idea of the college unless I spoke particularly of its religious tone. This is of the highest, and was especially satisfactory. President De Forest is a man of profound religious convictions, and has not the slightest faith in education which does not include the moral as well as the intellectual character. Hence the Bible is put underneath all the courses of instruction, and religion made the practical and ever-present duty of the daily life.

Talladega, like so many other institutions, needs endowments for its various chairs of instruction. For lack of these it is sadly limited in the good it might accomplish, and its Faculty are badly handicapped and bearing burdens which are making them old before their time. Let me whisper into the ear of men who are asking what they shall do with the wealth committed to their care: Here is an object worthy of their largest charity, and, at the same time, an object most needy and most appealing. Let them give to this thousands and tens of thousands, and they will make no mistake.

STRAIGHT UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS.

REV. W. S. ALEXANDER, D.D.

It would, we believe, be the judgment of the Faculty and the public, that the past year has been one of exceptional prosperity. Our catalogue shows a roll of 380 names with an average attendance larger than any previous year. The examinations in the Law Department came first in order. The ordeal was severe, certainly a fair test of legal reading, and fidelity to lectures. Ten young men, eight white and two colored, met this ordeal with great credit to themselves and their instructors, and received their degree of Bachelor of Law. They have since been admitted by the Supreme Court to practice in all the courts of the State. It should be mentioned as a sign of growth in public sentiment, that one of the Professors in the Law Department, a native Charlestonian, has lately published a Book on Admiralty Law, and on the title page appended to his name the following: “Professor of Commercial Law, Equity, and Admiralty in Straight University.” The Sumner Literary Society was addressed by Gen. R. B. Elliot, formerly in Congress from South Carolina. He is one of the most eloquent representatives of the colored race. His treatment of the theme “The Advance of Civilization in the United States,” was able, eloquent, and scholarly. It was a rare pleasure to listen to him. He was a friend of Charles Sumner, and the dead statesman had no more eloquent eulogist than he. Our Alumni Association was addressed by Rev. A. E. P. Albert, of the class of ’81. His oration was a careful defense of the negro against the rude and savage assaults recently made upon him. A poem was delivered by Mr. Colwell, of Baton Rouge, of the class of ’79. It possessed real poetic merit, and was gracefully delivered. He was cheered to the echo. It was interesting to observe the hearty enthusiasm of the audience over “the coming poet.” The Annual Exhibition at the University Chapel, under the direction of our most faithful and efficient Dean, was a great success. The Chapel was crowded to excess, and a happier audience is seldom gathered.

Our Commencement on Tuesday evening in Central Church was an indication both of the excellence and efficiency of the instruction afforded by the University, and the strong hold which the school has gained in the public regard and appreciation. The large auditorium was crowded. A fair estimate of the audience would place it at 800, and they remained with delighted attention from 8 o’clock to 11 o’clock. Four young men and one young woman graduated from the Classical Department, and two young men from the Higher English Department. Their orations were well and carefully written, showing mature thought and manly convictions. It was certainly suggestive of the possibilities of the race to see the manly bearing of these young people, and to hear them treat with real ability and eloquence such themes as “The first Century of the Republic,” “The Survival of the Fittest,” “Pride of Race” and “Head Workers and Hand Workers.” To those who have a chronic habit of detracting from the abilities of the negro we say, “_beat them if you can_.” It was a delightful feature of Commencement that the son of our beloved dean took his diploma in the Higher English Department, and delivered an oration on “The Future Fields of Conquest in Science,” which did credit to his heart and his head. We departed from our usual custom in conferring upon two of our graduates the degree of Bachelor of Science. It was the judgment of the Faculty and our Board of Trustees that this should be done. The young men have devoted several years to classical and scientific study in the University; their scholarship has averaged 9¼ on a scale of 10, and they have pursued such special studies as the Faculty have assigned them. At the close of the regular examination a special examination was appointed for them before a committee of the Board of Trustees, in whose presence they also read a scientific thesis, the one on “Applied Electricity” and the other on “The Copernican System.” Thus closes another school year, and we are able to say as never before: “Hope is in the ascendant” for our beloved University. Service this year has been a joy, and Almighty God has crowned that service with his blessing. To Him be all the glory.

TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY.

The assembling of the Sunday-school and the study of the lesson entitled Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus, with “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them,” as its key-note, seemed a most fitting introduction to the Commencement exercises upon the close of which a large number of the students were to go forth to their summer’s work.

Following the Sunday-school exercises, and in keeping with the custom of previous anniversaries of this institution, a Sabbath-school convention was held, in which was discussed a variety of topics calculated to stimulate and aid the students in their Sunday-school work. These exercises were enjoyed by a large number of people, many of whom were from a distance.

At 7:30 P.M. the chapel was again filled. The well-drilled choir sang “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills” in a way to inspire all present. The sermon to the graduating class was upon the words, “Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee.”

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were occupied with the oral examinations of the different departments. These examinations were well sustained by the students, who gave good evidence that their instructors had been faithful and thorough in their work. The attendance of visitors upon the examinations was good, but as the last day drew near, large numbers arrived by every train. Many came by their own conveyances. One persistent young man, a former student, eager to attend the Commencement, came a distance of thirty miles _on foot_. On Wednesday evening the audience room was filled with an expectant throng. The exhibition which called it together was greatly enjoyed, and reflected much credit upon those charged with the laborious task of planning and training and bringing it to pass.

When Thursday morning dawned, many more were added to the number of visitors already present. The audience assembled promptly at 11 o’clock. Members of the State Board of Visitors, with other distinguished guests, were upon the platform. The music by the choir elicited much praise. Three young men and two young women having completed the Elementary Normal Course were graduated, receiving certificates of fitness to teach the common English branches. Five others were appointed to supplement the programme of literary exercises.

The essays and orations presented covered the following range of topics: “The Teachers;” “Genius and Success;” “Whitewash;” “Why a Young Man Should Seek a Thorough Education;” “The Material Advancement of the South;” “The Cause of Temperance;” “As You Would Have It;” “The Study of Physical Science;” “The American Missionary Association;” “Home.” The Principal of the Normal Department then presented certificates to the graduating class, setting forth in a few well chosen and emphatic words the nature of these certificates, of the step the graduates had taken, and that there was more beyond. Col. J. L. Power, editor of the _Clarion_, a man of wide influence in the State and a staunch friend of the school, spoke on behalf of the State Board of Visitors, of which he is the Secretary. He paid a glowing tribute to the work of the school and of the American Missionary Association. In referring to the essay on “Whitewash,” he said there was no _whitewashing_ done at Tougaloo—that it was the _genuine_ stuff. Referring to the oration on the American Missionary Association, he said he had known considerable about the Association and its work, but that he was amazed at the magnitude of its work. In closing his speech, which also was without “whitewash,” he said it would be the pleasure of the Board of Visitors at the meeting of the next Legislature to ask for at least as large an appropriation as the institution had received for the last two years. Rev. Dr. C. B. Galloway, Editor of the _Southern Christian Advocate_, was then introduced. He commended the work of the institution and expressed his satisfaction with the original, direct, practical, common-sense way in which the essays and orations had been written and presented. He was impressed with the absence of grandiloquent gush, so characteristic of the youthful mind on Commencement platforms.

After the Commencement dinner the graduating class held their “Ivy Exercise,” which consisted of a class song, class poem, planting the ivy and an address by a member of the Faculty.

In the evening R. W. Jackson, class of ’80, delivered the address before the Alumni, on “Decision.” It was well written and full of interest. At its close Mr. G. W. Jackson of Whiteside, Tenn., a former student, and Miss Rosa McCutcheon of Chattanooga, Tenn., class of ’82, stepped upon the _Commencement_ platform and were united in Christian marriage, constituting by this sacred tie a _Christian family_. Thus closed a most successful year of faithful work.

THEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, HOWARD UNIVERSITY.

REV. J. G. CRAIGHEAD, D.D.

The anniversary exercises were held in the Fourth Presbyterian Church, Washington City, May 4, when six young men who had completed the regular three years’ course of study received the usual certificate of the department. Five delivered addresses before a large audience, and were subsequently complimented by many of the most judicious friends of the race who were present, for the discriminating and just treatment of their subjects, and for their evident improvement of the advantages of instruction which they had enjoyed. One of the graduates sails in June for Africa, as a missionary of the Presbyterian Board; another is waiting an opportunity to labor on the same continent; the remaining four go to the wide and needy field in the South—each in a different State, so great is the demand for capable laborers.

The past year has been one of marked favor and prosperity to the department. Thirty-four students have been under instruction, and there has been no interruption in study, by reason of sickness, either on the part of professors or students. The location of the institution on the high ground north of the city, overlooking both it and the Potomac River, is most conducive to health, while it secures the quiet essential to educational work. With a complete and regularly systematized course of studies extending over three years; with six Professors (thanks to the wise liberality of the American Missionary Association) imparting instruction in all the branches of study pursued in like theological seminaries in this country, pious young men can here be prepared to become effective workmen for Christ, either at home or abroad. As these advantages become better known to those wishing to study for the ministry, we may expect that an increased number will seek to profit by them.