Morning journal and courier., 1888-05-29
CORRESPONDENTS.
commencement at Hampton, Virginia
Twenty Years Work for the Negro
and Ten Years, Work for Indians.
HAMPTON Va, MAY "a.

commencement at Hampton, virginia
Twenty Years WORK for the Negro
and Ten Years. work for Indians.
HAMPTON, Va, May "a.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The crowds that thronged the grounds and
buildings of the Normal and Agricultural
Institute at Hampton, Virginia, were indeed
well repaid for the effort-if effort they
found-in getting there.
The acres of waving grain, the large and
thrifty farm with it's peas and strawberries
ready for use and its sweet potatoes and wa
termelons giving promise of good yet to
come, its well kept lawns and flower gardens
which May, in spite of north winds, had
succeeded in identifying with roses, and its
thirty or more large and handsome buildings,
all conspi1e to impress the stranger as some
thing too unique and wonderful to take in
all at one time.
The school which opened in 1868, with
only fifteen scholars and two teachers, has in
twenty years so increased its size that to-day
| it numbers six hundred colored boarding
students, one hundred and thirty-fve Indi-
| ans and eighty officers. teachers and heads
of departments.
The colored young men and women are
from all parts of the South, and come with
the full determination of going back among
their people as teachers. Already the South
has had nearly seven hundred such teachers
from Hampton and is calling for more.
The earnestness, zeal and patience with
which these young people takesup and carry
out this noble life work is the greatest possi-
BILE encouragement to their friends, and
shows us how great and good matter little
money (and great deal Of pluck can kindle.
The Indian students have been received at
| the school for but ten years, but in that time
| they have proved to faithless country that
| live Indian can be good for great deal if
he is given fair chance. The chance is Civ
| en- here and the visitor finds him in shops,
| on the farm and in the school room, 1aboring
and studying just like any other properly
constituted being, who has learned what he
needs and has good sense enough to 60 about
getting it.
| Side by side in class and work-room the
Indian, with his unframed mind, delicate
hands and broken English, stands with his
/ darker brother who has had SO many SUPER
| or advantages, and unconsciously imbibes
| from him much that he needs in life, obedi-
ence, cheerfulness, sociability, and more than
| all, habits of industry and thrift. little
pamphlet just issued by the school on its
| 'sTen Years' Work for Indians" is full of in-
| terest and encouragement.
Early in the morning the shops were
open to visitors and in every one, from the
| large sawmill where huge, wet logs are final
ly converted into fine cabinet work, TO the
technical shop where both boys and girls
instructed by lady teacher, every industry
is actively illustrated. In q large room of
the Industrial building were exhibited pro-
duets of the skill of farmers, carpenters,
painters, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, shoe
makers, tinsmiths, printers, engineers, knit
tiers, tailors and all kinds of womens work
from angel cake to stocking darns.
In the Academy building classes were open
to visitors, and there we found Indians learn
ing their early lessons in English, and from
this the lowest class in the Indian school, to
the senior class of the Normal department,
all was attention and interest In the senior
class are two young Indians who have an
earnest life work in view, one as teacher,
the other as a lawyer.
At noon the cadets escorted the girls home
to Virginia hall in true military fashion and
then isined them at the dinner table. One
of the special features of Hampton is the
singing of the 'grace before meat" while yet
standing and this to the stranger is mem
orable sight-seven hundred voices raised in
tremendous chorus to the words:
Thou art great and thou art good,