Читать книгу The Choctaw Freedmen and the Story of Oak Hill Industrial Academy - Robert Elliott Flickinger - Страница 102

In 1884 the interest of the women of the Presbyterian church was enlisted in behalf of the women and girls among the Freedmen. The progress of the work of the Women's Missionary societies, in establishing and maintaining educational institutions, is worthy of special mention.

During their first year they contributed $3,010; the second, $7,966; the third, $17,075; and in 1913, $85,236.09.

In raising this last amount 675 Sunday schools and 1082 Young People's societies co-operated with 3591 Women's societies.

To the women, almost entirely, is due the establishment and maintenance of most of the boarding schools now supported by the board. The names of some of the most consecrated workers and liberal contributors have been commemorated in the names of most of these institutions. That this fact may be noted and as a matter of general information, the following list of twenty-four of them is given.

LIST OF BOARDING SCHOOLS

I. FOR MALES ONLY

 Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina.

 Harbison Agricultural College, Irmo, South Carolina.

II. SEMINARIES FOR GIRLS ONLY

 Scotia, Concord N. C.

 Mary Allen, Crockett, Texas.

 Ingleside, Burkeville, Va.

 Mary Holmes, West Point, Miss.

 Barber Memorial, Anniston, Ala.

III. CO-EDUCATIONAL

 Allendale Academy, Allendale, S. C.

 Albion Academy, Franklinton, N. C.

 Alice Lee Elliott Memorial, Valliant, Okla.

 Arkadelphia Academy, Arkadelphia, Ark.

 Boggs Academy, Keyesville, Ga.

 Brainard Institute, Chester, S. C.

 Emerson Industrial Institute, Blackville, S. C.

 Fee Memorial Institute, Nelson, Ky.

 Gillespie Normal, Cordele, Ga.

 Haines Industrial, Augusta, Ga.

 Kendall Institute, Sumpter, S. C.

 Mary Potter Memorial, Oxford, N. C.

 Monticello Academy, Monticello, Ark.

 Cotton Plant Academy, Cotton Plant, Ark.

 Coulter Memorial Academy, Cheraw, N. C.

 Redstone Academy, Lumberton, N. C.

 Swift Memorial College, Rogersville, Tenn.

In addition to those in these boarding schools, 112 teachers are employed in the maintenance of this same number of day schools.

In his last annual report, April 1, 1913, Rev. E. P. Cowan, D. D., secretary of the Board submitted the following interesting summary of its work.

"The Freedmen's Board has ever kept in mind the one great fact that its work is, first, last and all the time, missionary work. We have aimed from the very beginning to follow a course that would commend itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God. We have always sought the counsel and advice of good men on the field, at times nearer our work than ourselves, and better able to judge of its condition. We have endeavored to exert such an influence over the people among whom we have labored, so that no one could object to it except he were a heathen or an infidel. As a consequence, all the opposition we have met with in all these years has been as nothing, compared with the sympathy and encouragement we have received from good men.

"We have this year issued our forty-eighth annual report. This annual report shows that we have now in connection with our church, four colored Synods, composed of sixteen colored Presbyteries, in which there are four hundred and four church organizations, with twenty-six thousand, one hundred and thirty-two communicants, two hundred and eighty-nine ordained ministers of the Gospel, and thirteen hundred and seventeen ruling elders.

"Within these Presbyteries, there are one hundred and thirty-six schools, and in these schools there are 16,427 pupils, taught by 448 teachers, all of whom are professing Christians, and by a rule of the Board, members of the Presbyterian church.

"In all these schools, the Word of God and the Shorter Catechism are regularly and daily taught. On the mind and heart of every living soul that passes in and out of our schools, there is impressed the fundamental and far-reaching truth, that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, and that the Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.

"These churches and schools, and ministers and teachers—588 workers in all—are housed in 470 buildings, of which 300 are church buildings, 70 are manses, and 100 are school buildings. The value of these buildings is estimated at $1,561,000. The cry comes up to us without ceasing for either more room, or better accommodations. Should we answer these cries promptly, and without regard to the question as to where the money is to come from, we should be hopelessly overwhelmed with debt within one year."