Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-19
REV. SAM SMALL.
He Enters Upon His Duties as
Commissioner of Education.


Commissioner of Education.
Rev. Sam w. Small, of Atlanta, is in
Nashville, Tenn. where ne has arranged
for the transfer into his hands of the office
of Commissioner of Education, under the
direction of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South. The Nashville Banner
says: This is very important position
in the educational schemes Of the great
church, as the following facts demon
strate: ra4
Alter the late war the Southern Metho-
dsts, in their care for their colored men,
oership, arranged for their constitution
as church under the title of the ''Col-
ored Methodist Episcopal Church in
America" and as such, with
its corps OF bishops, it has
made exceptionally excellent progress.
Its greatest poverty of resources has been
in the lack Of trained and efficient men
to teach and preach to it's membership
and their children. In 1882 they petitioned
the General Conference of the Southern
Methodist Church to take cognizance of
their needs in this regard and undertake
scheme for their relief. This the gen.
eraI conference did by providing tor
commissioner of Education" to be APP
pointed by the bishops in consultation
with the bishops of the colored church,
take the establishment of a fund In aid OF
institutions for the education of teachers
and preachers from the ranks of the col
Ored church. Rev. w. G. Dunlap. of
Georgia, has been such commissioner for
two years, and under his labors the Paine
Institute at Augusta, Ca, has been
erected into an establishment, and will
soon attain the conditions which will give
it $25, 900, a donation from Rev. Moses U.
Payne, of Missouri. The institute is
already accomplishing beneficial results.
Rev. Mr.. Dunlap, feeling that the inter-
ests in his charge demanded wider and
more energetic representation, besought
MIR. Sam Small to take the office, and yes
terday the arrangements for the transfer
were perfected.
In conversation with a reporter this
morning MIR. Small said:
why have you consented to accept
this Office 4"
because friends and officials in the
church believe that / ought to do so. They
think l am qualified for the peculiar
duties of tn 9 office, and that l will be able
to accomplish a greater amount of real,
practical good in this direction than in
any other. Yielding to their judgment l
have agreed to the appointment and will
consecrate my energies TO its duties"
"Where docs your field of labor lie%
cit covers the world, you might say. /
can come and go whenever and wherever
it appears that can accomplish the pur-
poses of my mission"
''Will it put an end to your evangelistic
labcrsT'
Certainly not. / can and will do evan
gelistic work right along. believe that
sort of work is in line with the duties OF
my Office and will greatly aid in the &C
complishment Of its ends.'
Have you asy determined programme
as yet of your future movements?;
"Not yet. ! will not fully arrange
schedule until the first OF the year. /
have a number of engagements for next
year, and will have to fill in the time be-
tween out OF the necessities of my new
mission. l expect to pretty well cover
Americas leading points during the en-
suing year. l hope 10 accomplish all that
is expected OF me in setting forward the
institutions under our care tor the full
equipment of colored Methodist teachers
aud preachers"