The American Missionary — Volume 33, No. 07, July, 1879Various
History
The American Missionary — Volume 33, No. 07, July, 1879
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
A creditable brass band, composed of students, greeted the visitors
with their cheering strains, well rendered, considering the short
time since practice was begun. Capt. Romeyne keeps the boys, both
black and red, in good military drill, and under firm, though kind,
government, and in their gray uniforms, cheap but comely, they
presented no mean appearance. Work and study are the order of every
day. The brightest and most inspiring teaching the writer ever saw
wakens the intellect to an eager activity; and work on farm and in
shop for the boys, in kitchen and laundry and with the knitting
machine for the girls, both teaches them how to labor, and enables
them to pay a considerable part of the expenses of their living.
The examinations, except of the graduating class, were not written,
but were oral, and on the plan of the daily recitations. The
Indians attracted perhaps the greatest attention from the many
visitors, in the conversation classes, which were conducted with
rare tact and skill. On a table was placed a mass of common plants
and flowers. One of the band of Indians brought only a few months
ago by Capt. Pratt was called up and asked to pick out some grass;
its uses brought out the words eat and horse, and sentences were
formed of these words. Beet, onion, potato and clover were selected
in turn, and their uses brought out by skillful questioning. Then,
in another lesson, working and earning money and spending it were
illustrated, and the language taught necessary to express these
ideas. At the other end of the gradation of studies were the very
creditable recitations of the graduating class of colored students
in algebra, history, physiology and other higher branches; nor
would it do to omit the class in teaching, where the seniors showed
their skill in interesting and instructing the little children of
the Butler Normal School.
In the afternoon the public exercises were held in Virginia Hall,
which was crowded to overflowing. The addresses were manly and
earnest; some of them quite forcible and free in thought and
expression, and dealing with questions affecting their race. It was
quite touching to see a black boy pleading for the extension of the
privileges of education to the Indian, and one of the features of
interest was a simple story of his home life in Indian Territory
by an Indian youth. Music by the band, by a select few, and by the
whole school, relieved the speaking.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account