THE SOUTH.

NOTES IN THE SADDLE.

BY REV. C. J. RYDER, DISTRICT SECRETARY.

The Sunday-school work of the A.M.A. has always been an important element of that work. The rapid development of this department within the past few years has been somewhat remarkable. Our friends expressed grateful surprise at the Portland meeting that the statistics were so exceedingly encouraging along this line. “The total Sunday-school enrollment, as it appears in the Annual Report of 1882, was 7,835, but we are able to report this year an enrollment of 15,109, an increase in five years of 7,274, or nearly 100 per cent.,” was the very satisfactory showing as given in the last Annual Report.

Two interesting bits of history have recently come to me, which indicate that the Sunday-school work of the Association is developing with still greater rapidity and success. Reports were gathered from twenty-two of the students of Straight University, New Orleans, who taught school during the summer vacation. These students were not so busy with their work in the day-school as to neglect their duty as Christians in the organization of Sunday-schools. They were scattered throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and reached many needy fields. They reported the following facts:

Number of pupils in the day-schools which were taught by them 1,398

Number of Sunday-schools organized 13

These students were superintendents or teachers in 22

Number of scholars in these Sunday-schools 1,574

Number of hopeful conversions to Christ 168

Five Bands of Mercy were organized with a membership of 181

Four Temperance Societies were formed with a membership of 241

These facts furnish us excellent evidence of the judicious and enthusiastic efforts of these colored students to save and elevate their own people. Fifteen hundred and seventy-four children gathered into Sunday-schools, most of whom were absolutely unreached before, by these twenty-two under-graduates of a single A.M.A. school!

It is not strange that the President of Straight University, in giving these facts, adds, with evident satisfaction:

“If a complete record could be made of all the work done in one year even, by past and present members of our school, or any of the A.M.A. schools, it would make an aggregate most wonderful.”

Turning now to the progress of Sunday-school work in our great Mountain field, we find the same remarkable development. Calvary Congregational Church was organized at Pine Mountain, Tenn., Nov. 26, 1887, with thirteen members. The following striking facts are just reported as the results secured in the past few months by the energetic Christian workers in this church. Sunday-schools have been established in the following places, with the enrollment given below:

Calvary Church Sunday-school enrolled 142

Shiloh Sunday-school enrolled 127

New Prospect Sunday-school enrolled 68

Lick Creek Sunday-school enrolled 78

making a grand total of 415 children and young people gathered into these Sunday-schools on the mountain, and only ten pupils of this whole enrollment had ever been in Sunday-School before!! Another school is soon to be formed in this neighborhood. This “Pine Mountain” field is about 20 × 60 miles, and the little church which the A.M.A. built during the past few months is the only framed “church house” in the whole region. Think of it, O Christian friends, you who hold the Lord’s money in trust, 1,200 square miles, with cabin homes scattered along every “cove” and fertile valley, left, to this year of our Lord 1888, with only one suitable place of worship!

In building this new church, the people themselves have strained every nerve and made large personal sacrifices. They have had the occasional services of the General Missionary of the A.M.A. for that locality, and I visited them once when Field Superintendent. They have also been assisted from the A.M.A. treasury, but they have labored in season and out of season themselves in order to establish this splendid work. The rapid development of the Sunday-schools is not the only feature of this work that merits our attention. One member of this church has distributed during the year 424 new Bibles and 145 second-hand Bibles. He has visited 500 families personally. He found that 60 per cent. of these people were without the Word of God in complete form. A few had mutilated copies of the Bible.

There are hundreds of fields in the Mountain Work of the A.M.A. just as needy and just as hopeful as Pine Mountain. All the facts indicate that God has now opened this field to us. An intelligent mountaineer said to me, some months ago: “Our great and only hope lies in the A.M.A. and the Congregational churches of the North.” Surely these churches will not disappoint this hope, nor refuse to heed the voice of God speaking to them in all the stirring events of this Mountain Work.

THE BUSY WORKERS.

The hive of the American Missionary Association in the South has no use for drones. The bees are at work summer and winter, and they improve not only the “shining hour,” but have to be busy in rainy days as well. One of our workers who has long been in the field, and who deserves to be kept there still longer, writes as follows in accepting re-appointment:

I most cheerfully accept the work for another year, and to show you that it means work for me I will just give you my programme for the past two weeks: A rough ride two weeks ago this P.M. to the top of the mountain, and then on foot down the mountain to Spring City, to take the night train for Lexington. Got into Lexington Wednesday morning in a rain. Looked at this and that piece of property during Wednesday and Thursday, it raining most of the time. Came back Friday to Helenwood. Made some calls on Saturday and preached at night. Preached at 11 A.M. next day, and walked eight miles to Robbins and preached at night. Got up at 3 o’clock and walked four miles to catch a train that would stop at Glen Mary. Reached Spring City for breakfast at 6:30. Came up home and answered what letters I needed to, and went back to Spring City to stay all night. Took train at six o’clock Tuesday morning for Sunbright. Rode out to Deer Lodge. Made four pastoral calls, walking four miles to do it, and was ready for an eight-mile ride in lumber wagon, Wednesday morning, in the rain to Mt. Vernon to deliver the oration of the day. Went back to Sunbright next morning and found your letters of the 3rd. Went to Emory Gap that evening. Walked out two miles in mud to see Bro. Clark. Came back to Sunbright Friday, so as to reach Deer Lodge for a church meeting that night. Made some calls Saturday morning, and then walked three miles to call on a Congregational family that ought to unite with our church here, and came back to preach at night. Taught a lesson in Sunday-school next morning, and preached. Walked to Sunbright, seven miles, and preached at night. Got up at 2 o’clock to walk seven miles to Glen Mary to take the early train to reach home and attend to correspondence so I can get off to Crossville to-morrow.

I do not always have it put on quite so thickly as this, but it is a pretty fair average.

TALLADEGA COLLEGE.

MRS. L. A. ORR.

Talladega College has just passed its eighteenth annual Commencement which, in many respects, was the most successful ever held.

The exercises began on Thursday night, June 7th, with an exhibition in the chapel by the second and third grades of Cassedy School, followed on Friday by exercises in the Primary Department, and at night by an exhibition by the fourth and fifth grades of Cassedy School, all of which reflected credit upon the teachers in charge. To many of our Northern friends, these may seem a very insignificant part of Commencement exercises, but to these parents, who consider all school work a failure which does not close with an exhibition, and who will travel miles to hear their children “say their pieces,” they are a very important part. At these exercises the chapel was crowded almost to suffocation, the hall and windows were full, and many went away, as they could not find even standing room.

On Sunday, in the absence of Pres. DeForest, the baccalaureate sermon was preached by Rev. J. M. Sturtevant, D.D., of Cleveland, Ohio, and was full of rich thought and practical suggestions. At night, Rev. G. M. Elliott, of Selma, preached an excellent missionary sermon, very helpful to the students who go out into the dark places to labor among their people.

The mornings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were occupied with public examinations in the different departments, and they all gave evidence of faithful work having been done by teachers and pupils. The examinations in theology and moral philosophy were especially fine, and would do credit to any Northern white students.

Monday night was given to the exercises of the three literary societies connected with the college and these were conducted wholly by the students.

On Tuesday afternoon was the inspection of the industrial classes, printing office, barns, &c. In the large airy sewing-room were samples of work done by the girls, including quilts, garments of all kinds, and some very neat darning. In the printing office several young men were engaged in type-setting, presswork, etc., and the neatness of the printed programmes testified to the good work done by the “college press.” Visitors to the Slater shop found the blacksmith at his forge, the painter, the glazier and the cabinet-maker busy at work, and the wonder was that one small shop could accommodate so many trades. The brick masons were laying the foundation for an addition to the building, which will give better facilities for work. The fine stock on the farm, the new and improved farming tools, the steam engine in operation, and neat barns, attracted many visitors.

A lecture at night by Dr. Sturtevant, on the subject “Manners,” closed a very busy day.

Thursday was Commencement and the fullest day of the week. First came the graduating exercises; the class numbered seven, three young women and four young men from the Normal Department. Next came the alumni address and essay, after which the treasurer gave a brief statement of the resources of the college. The increase in attendance as compared with last year was more than eighty.

At the alumni dinner, in Foster Hall parlor, were present the alumni, the Faculty, and friends from the North, South, East and West, to the number of seventy in all. After supplying our physical wants, next in order came the toasts and responses. Dr. Andrews was master of ceremonies and in response to the toast “Our Theological Work,” Rev. Spencer Snell, of Birmingham, spoke of the great need of an educated ministry among the colored people, and told an amusing story of the “call to preach” of a colored man. He was at work in the field, but soon got tired, and leaning on his hoe, he said to himself, “Dis hoe am so heaby, an’ dis row am so long, an’ dis sun am so hot, I tink dis nigger am called to preach de gospel.”

Next Paul Bledsoe of Laredo, Texas, spoke for “Our Normal Work,” James Brown for “Our Students,” and Mr. Stephen Childs, of Marion, for the “Parents of our Students.” Rev. J. Silsby, of Tenn., who was personally acquainted with the early history of the college, responded to the toast “The Founding of Talladega College.” “Our Churches” was responded to by Rev. C. B. Curtis, of Selma, and J. R. Sims, of Shelby Iron Works. Dr. Andrews closed with a few words for the college.

At night, W. P. Hamilton and J. A. Jones, who were graduated from the theological department in 1887, were ordained to the work of the gospel ministry. This closed the exercises of the week. During the week, many kind words were spoken for the college by friends from different parts of the State, showing that the best colored people in the State appreciate the thorough work done here.

During the week President DeForest was very much missed, but we all hoped that what was our loss would be his gain in health and strength from his trip across the ocean.

TRINITY SCHOOL, ATHENS, ALA.

Another year of pleasant work has just closed. Teachers and students, though looking rather worn and weary, are in the happiest mood, for all feel it has been a good year. The latter part of this school year has been specially characterized by very earnest study, and an ambition to reach one hundred per cent. in every thing. One student has done this with a single exception, and says that he “shall surely make that up during vacation.” All have attained a higher standing than usual, and our final examinations were excellent.

Our sending a class to Fisk University this year, with favorable reports of them coming from month to month, has proved a constant inspiration to our classes here, and we hope as the years go by, to send many more in the same direction.

But the great struggle with us is to hold our students long enough to take them through even an elementary normal course. Parents in their ignorance and extreme poverty, are in such a hurry to have their children teach and earn money to help support the younger ones, that, as soon as they can get a third grade certificate to teach in the public schools of the State, they are supposed to be educated.

And, too often, the people in the rural districts, impressed with the wonderful attainments of the young teacher, add to the folly of the parents in making these young people themselves, (only the weaker ones), think “they know enough, without going to school any more,” and so they drift into the ranks of those who “think they are something, when they are nothing.”

This is one of our discouragements, but we have very much for our encouragement in the beautiful homes that are springing up all over this fair South-land, and in the noble band of intelligent, consecrated, Christian workers who, in pulpits and school-houses, and in the conscientious and successful management of business, are leading their people to a higher plane of living and to a truer citizenship.

Our closing exercises were held on Monday night, May 28, our twenty-third anniversary. Our large and beautiful hall was packed as never before. The audience was appreciative and very enthusiastic. There were visitors from Birmingham and Decatur, and all the towns along the lines of railroad. They expressed great interest in what they saw and heard, promising to send us many new students in October; but the difficulty is to find suitable places for them to board, as the parents all prefer to have their children in the Institution under the constant supervision of teachers.

Our exercises were quite novel, and had some unique features that greatly pleased the patrons. In all that was attempted, the pupils acquitted themselves well, and the little children especially pleased the patrons of the school in their beautiful and perfect Scripture recitations. All the Sunday-school Golden Texts from October to June, were recited without a mistake, also several Psalms and an entire chapter from Isaiah. Bible truth planted in the hearts of these young children, will, we trust, bear precious fruit in their future lives.

M. S. WELLS