Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-03

HAMPTON, May so, 1882.
| To run down to Old Point Comfort and spend
the day or night there at the grand Hygiea
hotel and come back is a very common and
pleasant trip for washingtonians and Others
| Indeed, 1t is great thing that the capital city
| has so magnificent bathing place as the noble
| Day OF Chesapeake. and such highway as the
| beautiful Potomac. So we thought as we glided
| In the closing hours of the day over its placid
| waters on the good steamer Lady Of the Lake.
past Mount Vernon and old Gunston Hail. where
| George Washington and George Mason, the
nero and the statesman OF the revolution, lived
and died. Washingtons name ia q household
word Mason is known only to the few thought
full students Of American history.
The soldier Is remembered, and the greatest
statesman of his time, the author of the Bell of
Fights, ont OF which grew the Declaration of
Independence, Is forgotten.
But Thomas Jefferson said he leaned upon Ma
son more than upon any other man. and that he
had no superior in any age or nation. The bill
tolls as we pass Mount Vernon but no sign of
respect marks the grave Of the greatest states
man OF the revolutionary era. and no stone
marks his burial place. Let US hope 1T will not
be always so. and pray for the better ciyiiza-
ton, when the people will not be blinded by me
flash of the sword from seeing the nobler hero
isms of peace.
AS we passed these old homes, the forms of
those great men of a century ago seemed to re-
people these banks again. and their doings and
belongings formed the theme Of conversation as
we sat in the moonlight. Capt Bradford, a
most genial and pleasant companion. as he Is
model officer, joined our little party, and told
some funny campaign stories Of the late war
Miss Fletcher, the devoted friend of Indian ed
ucation, related many interesting incidents of
! her extended experience among the wild tribes
OF the west. In our party were Gen. Eaton;
commissioner of education. noble man and
most delightful travelling companions; the ven
cradle Mr. King, proprietor of the Pittsburg
commercial; Mr.. Gordon. retired merchant of
PttsDurg. and several other ladies and gentle
men from the north interested in the educa-
tlOnal and financial development of the SOUTH
We were all bound to visit Hampton and see
what was being done for the negro and the In
dian there. After q delightful nights rest we
aWOke 10 see the sun rise over the bright fash
ing waters of the Chesapeake bay The eve
never rested upon more beautiful sight than
the vast expanse of water broken only by
| few points of land appearing like islands, These
are the capes and peninsulas with which these
waters abound. Fortress Monroe soon appears,
and that pile of rubbish opposite the Rfp-raps
monument to the folly of wasting the peoples
money In preparations for war. We land, char
ter little saif-bOat for variety and glide by the
lovely grounds of the Soldiers Home to the
landing OF the Hampton Normal and Agricultu-
raj Institute, two miles up the bay. We stop
moment at
THE INDUSTRIAL. WORKS,
erected by Mr.. Huntington at a cost of SS5 COO
to teach woodworking. Mr. Corliss gave two of
the boilers OF the great Centennial engine and
Others have contributed machinery The stu
dents here saw the logs that are RATED up the
bay or down the river, and after seasoning The
timber. work it into doors. SASH brackets and
all forms required in building They 90 through
a regular course. from the saw-mili in the base
ment to the Use of the most delicate tools in the
upper stories.
Hampton educates the colored people and the
Indians to be useful men and women Indus
trial education Is here more successfully man.
aSed imam In any other school of its class in the
country. But even here it is only begun lit
Tile on We come to
THE STONE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING,
the gift of Mrs. Valera Stone, of Boston. cost
ing S2o,OOO. In this we find printing office.
knIttlng-rOOm girls sewing and tailoring rooms.
employing in all over a hundred of the students.
Ih's is just completed. and greatly enlarges the
facility OF doing work.
The brick yard. the blacksmith shop, the
wheeiWright shops and the tin shops employ
many students, who are doing good work
fine barn. with stabling attached, shelter
the teams and cattle and stores their feed. The
splendid herd OF Jerseys attracted everybodys
attention. and on the tables We ate the requisite
gilt-edged butter, made at the farm. Some
miles away the erection of several new build
lngs is going on, or in contemplation, which will
still add to educational facilities. The Institute
is quite village by itself The grounds adjOin
the Soldiers Home, and contain about 10 acres.
tastefully laid out and adorned with shrubberv
orchards and vineyards. The property is valued
at about $4,000, and has been given to the In
stltute by generous northern friends The school
Is private corporation, with its board of trus-
tees scattered widely over the country. Our
venerable friend, Mr.. King. of the Pittsburo
Commercial, gave the first ten thousand dollars
that bought the land. and the good work done
has drawn TO this school the interest of gener-
Gus men and women till its present status has
been attained Gen. s. C. Armstrong. the prin
cipa, deserves the highest credit for his perse
yering energy and devotion to It. In 1858 he
started mission school, with fifteen pupils
| The Hampton Institute, with its extensive build
ings and equipments to-day. has grown up
largely as the fruit OF his personal labor for "a
years past. He is a man Of wonderful energy
and sagacity. and the county owes him great
debt. He has surrounded himself with able as.
sociates, notable among whom is Gen. Marshal.
the treasurer; Mr. Briggs, the excellent secre-
tary, and Mr.. Howe. the superintendent of
farms and things generally. The Rev. H. B.
RUSSELL. pastor, is q most excellent man for the
place, and covers the ground of several profess
sOrS.
Miss Fl. W. Ludlow, In charge of the ENGLISH
~,
an admirable teacher. Miss Isabel B. Eustis
| superyises Indian education and brings to her
work the ability, devotion and character which
lnsures success. Miss Kenwill, a fine elocu-
Zionist, trains the voices of all classes of puDis
very successfully. Miss w. w. Woldron is
physician, and keeps her charges in good health.
The classes in mathematics and natural science
under Miss l. E. Davis, the lady principal. do
credit to her faithful work. All the teachers are
far in advance Of those employed at many insti-
tutions OF high grade in the north. The facts
are quite apparent here that to teach the Indian
and the negro higher order Of ability is needed
than in the white schools. 1t is the best possible
test OF teachers quality that they succeed here.
the examinations showed every where faithful
and honest work.
We attended the literary exercises in Virginia
hall. 1t is needless to speak of them in detail.
The essays and speeches were mostly by re-
turned graduates Of former years. They were
! invariably good. because mostly simple relations
OF personal experience. There was a refreshing
absence OF the strained efforts which make ordi-
nary commencement exercises q bore There
was here no attempt at treating abstruse ques-
tons by intellectual hedgelings but the students
told in simple lanpua0e how fhay h.d f,,rpaJ