, 1885-02-11
DUsKY WARDS.
INDIAN AND NEGRO STUDENTS AT
THE HAMPTON UNIVERSITY.
A Walk Through the Primnry Department
Enjoying the Noon Reeess--faith-
fni. but not Punetuar"-Teaeh-
ing the Young Indians.

ilAANu|AAu ADIa AAlA|I 0%NAhal
Thou art gr AT and thou art good;
Lord, we thank 1hes for this food
By Thy hand must all be fed.
Give n, Lord, our daily bread. Amen
This was the sweet chant that saluted my
ears whom l was uahered into the dining hall
OF Hampton institute for the first time the
other day. 1t was an equally pleasant sight
that greeted my eyes Six hundred students
four-hfths negroes and ons-dfth Indians.
wcro standing around the tables viii bowed
heads. rendering the hymn as only dusky
yards at the south know how to render
hymn music.
what a happy substitutes for tho usual
form OF grace, /" l remarked involuntarily.
"Yos," said Gen. Armstrong. the principal,
"a single voice could not be well heard
throughout the hall We nave several other
formuln which are equally pretty, | think.
On Sundays 1t Is the doxology usually"
In company with Miss Hyde ! walked over
the long. low, wooden building tho other
day. The 800 pickaninies who are taught
the rudimonts hsro by graduates OF tho In
stituts are not included In the Hampton cat
alogue. They aro children from tho country
for miles around. who come trudging along
on foot all the way each morning, and thsn
trudgs back 70 their miserable homes every
afternoon at 100. when school lets out
Don't they bring their dinners with
themF l inquired.
@Oh, no indeed answered Miss Hyde. at
Is as much as most Of them can hope for IL
thsy bring their breakfasts along In their lit
tie stomachS Ono girl tainted dead away
from sheer hunger the other day. 1t was
after noon. and she hadn'th had any break
fast at all. As a rule the children are so
hardy, however, that they are not much In
conveniencod by such a state Of things We
try to arrange Il so that the tasks requiring
the most application come first in the day.
But the children are always smiling as much
rs though they had just got up from a turkey
dinnor. See them now.D
Hooked, and was greatly amused at the
antics Of tho multitude of black youngsters
that were tumbling out OF the various doors
in order 10 enjoy the noon recess.
There was every African type in minia-
ture that you ever saw or dreamed OF. There
was a young girl with big poke sun bonnet
OF straw on, although 1t was a crisp january
morning. Here were two boys, evidently
brothers, with but a single hat between
them One wore tho brim and the other
wore the crown
Are they faithful In ~attendanceiv
Faithful, but not punctual But how
could thoy DO punctual without watches or
clocks at homsi They como in squads. The
jig WI AN3 IA a. hA1AA AohAo4 RAAb -
Shutdown starts frat, the next oze waits for
him, the third for the first two and so on.
Thus IL one Is late all are lnte from that
town, and great responsibility attaches to
that first boy or girl Others go by the
railway train. A little girl was late the
other day, and when 1 asked the reason for
this she made reply: 4 RELY dunno; I
come when de steamboat whistle done
blow Then / discovered that she had been
timing herself by a certain Steamboat. tho
time table OF which had been changed that
morning. The homes from which many OF
these children como ars appallingly squalid."
We entered the main room. Presently the
time allotted for recess was over, and the
300 jolly pickaninies came marching In TO
the music OF an organ. They performed a
series Of evolutions first that are characteris-
tic OF Hampton. Even the 400 boys march
10 dinner in Virginia hall from the various
dormitories 10 the strains Of n small orchas-
ira When those e~volutlons were over the
pickaninies were found drawn up In solid
phalanxes, quite filling the room.
In the mean time. a superb bass singer had
taken his position on tho platform beside us,
and now he startod a series Of familiar
plantation melodies The 800 irrepressible
pickaninies caught up each piece with a
zest. and the stories Of Daniel In n lions den,
Jonah in the whales belly, and all tho other
biblical incidents were given witt a whole
som abandon that did me good.
After half an hour of singing the classes
went to their rooms, and / strayed into the
Kitchen Garden The children had fin
ished all their tasks, such as setting minia-
ture tables. making beds, washing clothes
and hanging them out on a line, sweeping
their apartment; and the teacher WIS de-
veloping their originality by having them
tell stories to zach other.
Music II too ornamental n branch for
Hampton as yet, although the music which
chnractsrixss tho exercises Is always first
class and thoroughly stirring. Mr.. Hamil-
ton, in charge OF tho tailoring department,
is the only one of the original jubilee stu
dent choir left There are plenty OF exceed
ingly choice voices among the studentz The
boys have a full brass band.
The Indian girls nave organized prayer
meetings by themselves and tfls week the
Indian boys arc also holding nightly meet
ingsi Think Of that
One can not help being peculiarly inter-
ested in these young Indians There are a
dozen dialects represented hers, the major
ity are Sioux, so hat q Sioux interpreter Is
usually employed In the meetings. OF
course thers are not a few who come hero
ignorant OF English, 10 find that no one here
knows a word OF their language. Then the
teachers have to begin teaching the nouns
by the use of objects, the verb by gestures,
etc The Indians have a debating society,
also. Two comfortable cottages OF three
rooms each were erected for two Omaha
families at n cost OF only 900 apiecs, TO
show the red man and the black man how
nice q home may DO had for that sum OF
money. The Indians dislike to learn that
the Himalayks ere higher than the Rockies,
and first learn a verbs principal parts as
chiefs, It's modes as reservations and ita
lenses as bands.
purmo,arv n,.ora.r