The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 4, April, 1882Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 4, April, 1882
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
At a little before six A.M. our Chinese friends began to come
to wish us a Happy New Year. At nine A.M. a delightful union
prayer-meeting was held by the five different denominations. At
11 A.M. we again assembled at our Association rooms, when Rev. W.
C. Pond addressed us, and gave us a motto for the new year, with
good advice, which I hope we shall all follow. The meeting of the
General Association was held at seven P.M., and was the best yearly
meeting we ever had. The business meeting followed with reports of
the secretary and treasurer. Thus the days come and go:
“Only the eternal day
Shall come but never go”
HOLIDAY AT HAMPTON, SATURDAY, FEB. 18, 1882.
_By Miss Isabel B. Eustis._
There are to-day at Hampton 85 Indian students, 57 boys and 38
girls, representing 15 different tribes.
Saturday is a holiday for most of the Indians, but the rising
bell sounds loud as usual, to call the scholars to their early
breakfast, and the meal well over, the work call is given at
quarter to seven. Most of the Indian boys who have had their five
half days of school and five half days at their trades feel that
they have earned a good holiday, and are not disturbed by it.
Eleven who are in the advanced classes hurry off to the shops.
Wild-Cat and Murie go to the printing office to set up type for the
_Southern Workman_; five are carpenters, and work on the new desks
and benches for the school. Chisholm fits uppers on shoe-lasts to
help fill a Government contract. Robbie Conalez goes to the big
barn to put it in order and feed the cattle. Peters works in the
blacksmith shop, and Maquimetus fits the spokes in a new set of
cart-wheels, and earns an extra afternoon hour for himself by his
good work.
Meanwhile the girls have gone to their rooms and begun the week’s
cleaning. The floors are scrubbed, and the wardrobes and bureau
drawers put in order. Some of them have cedar boughs, the boys have
cut for them, and they fasten them upon the walls in pretty and
fantastic designs, tieing them with ribbons and hanging Christmas
cards and bright papers from them. A few make pretty bowers for
their dollies, and perch them in a cunning way among the branches,
where they get loving and admiring glances from the little girls
below.
Then the clothes which have been washed and ironed during the week
are laid out, and the room is ready for the teacher’s visit.
Nobody knows when the Indian girls would think it worth while to
change their garments, or how they would be laundried, if it were
not for the week’s inspection. As it is, the piles are most of them
full and white and neatly folded, and the rather stolid faces grow
eager as they look over the teacher’s shoulder to see whether a
zero or a five on the record is to reward the work.
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