New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-01-29

CINCINNATI, January &c, 1874.
Speaking Of Bishop Payne in my last
reminds me that there are some wickedly-
mean and malicious stories going the rounds
concerning ihe morals of the pupils of
wILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY.
All sorts Of loOsencss is charged to them,
and the accounts of the actions of the young
ladies in that institution are perfectly shock
ing.
After quiet investigation, am convinced
that they are all based upon the unfortunate
efforts necessary to induce the students to
study the lessons assigned by the instructors
Whether pupils or professors are most to
blame for this, l am not prepared to say, but
both should learn a lesson in common sense
for future use. 1t seems that the faculty
had resolved to require all students spending
their study as well as recitation hour in the
school-rOom, under charge of a competent
teacher, instead of studying as usual i'm their
own rooms. The senior class first, and
finally the whole institution was involved in
general revolt against what they, perhaps
justly, considered a reflection upon their in
tegrity, and since then, all sorts of false
hoods have been circulated as the occasion
Of their difficulties.
1t seems strange to Cincnnatians that so
many of our cOlored institutions of learning
should. be involved i'm difficulties, and of
course we are sorry, rs they serve to furnish
material for the argument against our
capacity for self-gOvernmcnt. Confidence
in their own powers seems to be lost in pro-
portion to the time our young men spend in
them. Their ambition is cultivated at the
expense of Their selfrelance. Howard Uni
yersity grinds out innumerablc lawyers,
doctors, 1t cetcrd, for service as sub clerks in
the departments around Washington He is
remarkable young man who leaves the
District after graduation.
A second installmcnt of
JUBILEE SINGERS
have been preyng upon the sympathetic
pockets of our citizens. This was but the
natural cOrOllarry to the first troupe. From
the criticisms l have heard, l Judge their
patrons receive the full value of the money
they invest in tickets. OF course all the
colored troupe of any kind comes along, and
they agree in saying they are "perfectly
splendid" With so many Shakspearian
readers, spouters, vanters, and disclaimers,
/ am surprised that some one don't get up a
travelling colored dramatic organization.
of
real merit, there would be new occupation
opened up for the rising generation. a
round of such plays as Othello, the Oc-
toroon, Uncle Toms Cabin, &C., could east
ly be put on the boards. The main difficult
ties would consist in finding capable persons
to take minor characters. We are SO con-
ceited and so jealous; so ambitious and so
stupid. l remember once when the original
"COLoRED CITIZEN co.,
were getting up dramatic entertainment
for the benefit of the paper. Nobody could
be found 10 play the part of a rejected lover,
until your correspondent agreed to sacrifice
his modesty for the sake of the enterprise.
Our next difficulty was to harmonize an
unforeseen struggle between two lady vOlun-
teer assistants as to which should be mistress
and which maid. OF course we failed in
that, and as 4 last desperate resort two
young men agreed to play as females for one
night. But alas, one had a heavy beard
which he refused to cut, and the other a bass
voice, which he refused TO abandon. Our
enterprise was abandoned i'm despair, and
there has been no dramatic attempts in Gin
cinnati, that could properly be called so.
Elder Ii. w. Arnett is making arrange
ments to celebrate in grand style the semi
centennial of
ALLEN TEMPLE
on the Sth proXimo, from which time 1884, }
dates the establishment of the A. NJ. f..
Church as an organization in this city. The
programme Of exercises is to be as follows !:
3o'clock a. M, prayer meeting; O'Clock,
address by Rev. p. Tolliver, jr.; IL o'clock,
Historical addresses upon the social, educa-
tional and church history of Cincinnati; 8
p. M, address by Bishop Payne, to be
followed on Monday evening by addresses
from citizens in response to sentiments /;
Tuesday, love feast for all members of evan
gelical churches. The educational history,
have reason to believe, will be delivered
by
PETER II. CLARK, A. NJ,
who has been most closely identified with
The same. Mr.. Clark, as a young man,
taught the first public free school in this
city, for three months, at $1,000 per month,
and donated the proceeds of the fund for test
ing the constitutionality of the law directing
Tie school board to set aside money for cdu-
eating the colored youth, which they refused
TO do.
THE PANIC.
begins TO be felt here, and correspondingly
nigh interest taken in religious matters.
rev new converts are made, but a new
wrinkle is taken in the religious cloak of old
members that don't understand. Elder j.
II. Magee has become sanctified" and in
ue light of his new blessing, proposes to de-
vote himself with more zeal to the work of
his Master.
Elder Hammond was converting the sim
ners OF Paris, KY, when left there, short
Tune ago, at the rate of Is per day. Since
"en, over 400, 1 learn by a Kentucky
paper, have been taken into the church.
mat rivals the great sensationalist Ham,
m0nd. think and tho Hotbn,l;.t, ,vo,,ll 1o