Various

“ SEWING WOMEN AT FORT BERTHOLD. To one coming in sight of the Berthold Mission, curiosity would be aroused by the sight of blanketed forms, two or three together, not walking side by side, but gliding along, one after another, with rapid steps toward the mission-house.
It is the afternoon of the Women's Sewing Meeting, and, although it does not begin until two o'clock, by one the room is generally full—yes, crowded, so that, in passing around among them, one has to stumble quite often over feet which have no place of retreat. We do not pretend to offer chairs to all. ”

“ There is something sublimely grand in being alone at midnight in a house that was only a short time before full of life and mirth. One has a desire to sit and look on the moonlight and dream. But it is more practical to straighten up the school-room and go home. ”

“ A few days afterwards a handsome new iron poker comes to the school-room. The whole school give a vote of thanks to the donor of the poker.
During the evening there is music and reading of selections. Talking can be taken part in by all, and laughing is done in a common language. Whether the name of it is English or Vernacular, we do not know. The evening passes all too quickly, and one by one they depart to their homes. The money is counted, $21.50 cleared. The women feel that their supper has been a success. The last one but the school-teacher has left. ”

“ An Association of Christian Chinese has been formed, having already a large membership, and the purpose and promise of vigorous Christian work. The teacher in charge of the mission is Mrs. C.A. Sheldon, long connected with our work in San Francisco, and than whom no teacher ever employed by us endeared herself more to her pupils or wrought more successfully on their behalf. We have reason to believe that from the start the evangelistic spirit will be strong in this mission, and I look to see many turning from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. ”

“ At last they gather up enough courage to ask if they can have supper and pay for it in the future. They have no money now, but are going to work and get some money, then they will pay. "No. We do not sell on credit." Soon after dark, the school-room began to fill up with women and their babies. A man comes with his little girl and mother-in-law, and borrows 50 cents to pay for the supper. He would also have brought his wife, but she could not leave home. Some eat their supper and leave. Others are sitting in the school-room looking at pictures and talking a very little, but it is rather stiff. ”

“ In Government schools no text-books and no oral instruction in the vernacular will be allowed, but all text-books and instruction must be in the English language. No departure from this rule will be allowed, except when absolutely necessary to rudimentary instruction in English. But it is permitted to read from the Bible in the vernacular at the daily opening of school, when English is not understood by the pupils. ”

“ Then taking the card he approached Aunt Inez with a low bow and said, "Miss Hill, I called to see if you would not like to give me a small sum, five or ten cents for the poor negro."
"You'll do," said Aunt Inez, smilingly, handing Ralph the ten cents, while he energetically pricked two very distinct holes in the blue card.
"There," continued Ralph, "Now see if I don't get a missionary letter for the next Sunday-school concert. Before the year is out, I'll be a life member of the A.M.A."
Is there any other boy or girl who would like to be a collector? ”

“ The advocates of industrial training need not hoard their money because Straight has so little manual labor. Tougaloo will gladly and wisely use all they have to give. And those who hold that the moral and intellectual training of teachers and pastors is the only proper work of such schools, need not look askant at the workshops of Tougaloo, lest some of their benefactions should be spent for saws or anvils or solder, while Straight is crying out for room to hold those who want exactly that kind of training. ”

“ Lawrence is a poor man, working on a missionary salary, when he might have received more elsewhere. As Professor Lawrence received his injuries in the simple discharge of his duties as a teacher in an A.M.A. school, our Committee will feel it their duty to render him some pecuniary aid, and if any of our friends are disposed to assist us in rendering such help, we shall be glad to receive their donations for that purpose. ”

“ While we rejoice in these modifications, we must not conceal from ourselves or our readers the fact, that the main point against which objection has been so strenuously urged—the right of the churches to be guided by their own wisdom and experience in expending their own funds—is not granted by this order, as will be seen in Article 3. "In purely mission schools," "toward whose support the Government contributes nothing," it dictates that "one-half of the school-hours shall be employed in instruction in English." So far as the principle is concerned, nothing is yielded. ”

“ AN INDIAN CHURCH SOCIABLE. Do Indians have sociables? Indians like to visit, and they do enjoy a good supper. With these two qualifications, what else is necessary for a sociable? Some women to do the work. The women of the Women's Native Missionary Society, of Yankton Agency, are not lazy, nor are they slow in devising ways and means of making money; therefore, on the evening of Feb. 22, they had a sociable and charged 25 cents for supper. ”

“ In a case where enlargement in the way of new or improved buildings is imperatively demanded to ensure the usefulness of the school, and where there comes to us Providentially, and without solicitation on our part, the proffer of the money to make those enlargements, is it our duty to refuse that money? ”

“ Anderson is doing a noble work at Prairie View, and has made the school the pride of the State which supports it. Nearly $300 was contributed toward the alumni endowment fund, as the result of the movement to persuade each graduate to contribute annually one per cent. of his earnings to help his alma mater.
The number of students in the past year has been the largest in the history of the University. The catalogue shows an enrollment of 475. There has been marked growth in the numbers in the Department of Music. Students begin to seek the University for instruction in this department alone. ”

“ The only true remedy is to remove the present home, connecting it with the school-building for additional school-rooms, and then, on the vacant site, to erect a new home with proper foundations. If any benevolent person should offer us the means for making these changes, we fear we have not the self-denial to refuse, unless the churches or benevolent individuals for whom we act shall command us to do so. ”

“ A comparison cannot be invidious, because they belong to different states in every sense of the word. Since the aim of the American Missionary Association is the elevation of the colored people, there is room for a diversity of institutions and methods. ”

“ Fisk is fortunate in having alumni who are everywhere noted for their love and loyalty, and the University points to them and their work with great pride and rejoicing. The anniversary exercises of the Alumni Association this year were excellent. Mr. Crosthwait spoke of "Nehemiah's Plan," and most beautifully and forcibly applied it to the work to be done by the colored people to build up the walls of their city. Prof. L.C. Anderson, Principal of Prairie View Normal School of Texas, spoke of our "Public School System," in a very instructive way. ”

“ Never has the work of Christian education, in which the A.M.A. is engaged, seemed so absolutely necessary as at this hour in uplifting the people and purifying the churches.
H.L.H. * * * * *
THE INDIANS. We are in the midst of the closing exercises of school for the year past. Some three or four hundred Indians, chiefly relatives of pupils, are now encamped about us. These have come some as far as ninety miles, and some few a hundred and twenty-five miles, to attend the exercises and take their children home. ”

“ There is no bright star placed in the heavens to guide us to him, or to show us the way to him, but, (holding up the Bible) here is our guiding star. This is the only light that can enlighten our dark minds. This will show us where to find Christ. We may try to civilize men with law, but it can only be done with the Gospel. You do not care to be told that you are sinners, but you rejoice to hear that you may be saved. ”

“ Angie Cordier and Janet Strieker, who have been away to school, were quite expert in waiting on tables, and some of the young gentlemen who have been away were quite expert in calling for this and that. But none could equal the old man who had never spent a day of his life in school. This old man had borrowed 50 cents to take himself and friend to supper. ”

“ Only native Indian teachers will be permitted to teach otherwise in any Indian vernacular, and these native teachers will only be allowed so to teach in schools not supported in whole or in part by the Government, and where there are no Government or contract schools where English is taught. These native teachers are allowed to teach in the vernacular only with a view of reaching those Indians who cannot have the advantage of instruction in English. ”

“ On Tuesday evening the annual concert and exhibition was given to a full house and an enthusiastic audience. The commencement exercises of Wednesday, consisting of essays, original orations and musical pieces, not only brought out the ability and attainments of the students, but seemed to impress patrons, friends and visitors present, with the quality of the work done and the standard maintained at Tillotson.
In spite of some disappointment caused by the great severity of last year's drought, our numbers have somewhat increased and the year has been a good one. ”

“ The President of the University preached the baccalaureate sermon from the words, "My kingdom is not of this world." The anniversary of the Literary Societies was held Friday night, June 8th, and the Senior Preparatory class had its exhibition on Thursday night, the 7th, at which time eleven were admitted to College, having passed satisfactory examinations. Necessarily the growth of numbers in the higher departments of education must be slow in the case of institutions founded for a race so recently emancipated and laboring under great poverty and unusual disadvantages. ”

“ Subsequently, the same large-hearted and liberal gentleman repeated his benefaction where equally needed enlargement will soon be furnished.
Once more. In a Southern city our school building is too small, the lot does not permit industrial work, and changes in the population have surrounded the locality with saloons and houses of ill-fame. A change must be made or we must abandon the place. ”

“ The numerous solicitors from the South for the benefactions of our friends at the North impel us to increased caution in regard to our endorsements. We are anxious that our friends should give, but we are equally anxious that they should not be imposed upon. Hereafter, we shall give a letter of commendation to any of our workers who may be authorized by us to come North for help, signed by one of the Secretaries or one of the District Secretaries, and these will be good for one year from the date, and any pastors or friends of the Association can feel at liberty to ask for the letter. ”

“ Other white people come. The Captain with his family take supper. He also brings in some of the outsiders who are looking in at the windows, and pays for their suppers. The Issue Clerk is quick to see the day-school children, who are peeping in at the window, and calls them in to give them their suppers. The ladies from the Government Boarding School come, bringing some of the larger children with them. These boys and girls, however, have earned money and pay for their own supper. ”

“ When the need for enlargement is very great, and God sends to us benevolent donors, who are willing to furnish the means for the enlargement, are we wrong in trusting the churches for their part of the needed help? We believe we are not. We think the churches would regard us as recreant to our trust if we refused to take the funds thus providentially proffered to us. ”

“ Tougaloo is admirably situated for industrial departments. Straight has neither room nor time for them, but meets the demand for a higher grade of scholarship, and draws its students from a wider range and from a class who have more home training, more money, and, therefore, more leisure for a full course of study. They come from the whole circumference of the Gulf, from Cuba and from Central America. Many more could be drawn from abroad if there were room to receive them. The most inveterate hatred of puns can hardly keep one from spelling Straight without the gh. ”

“ Industrial training is not a specialty at Straight. What is done in that line is more a recreation than a branch of study. We were told, with evident pride in the fact, that all the outfit we saw was purchased by the students themselves. Not a dollar of the funds of the Association had gone toward it. Every class-room seemed crowded. The statement that applicants had to be turned away every week needed no confirmation.
Coming so recently from Tougaloo it was interesting to note the difference between the two institutions. ”

“ The missionary sermon on Sunday morning, June 10th, was preached by Dr. Warren A. Candler, who has just been honored by being elected President of Emory College, Oxford, Ga. All will remember that this place was vacated some two or three years ago by Dr. Atticus G. Haygood, that he might devote himself entirely to the work connected with the administration of the John F. Slater Fund. Dr. Candler is a strong, liberal and earnest man, who will wield a great power wherever he labors. ”