New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-28
AMONG THE COLLEGES
THE HAMILTON INSTITUTE.
FOR THE ELEVATION OF TWO RAcES-AARvEL-
rOUs DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCHOOL

little volume OF recent ses the poet winter "Folc
"To General S. {. Armstrong, OF hampton Va
whose generous and selfdenyng labOrS Tor Inc eeNa
ton Of two races have enlisted my eympatiies and
commanded nv admiration / offer this volume"
This tribute Is 10 a fe-wOrk that has interested the
country TWENTY-FIVE years. General Armstrong quietly
working among the thousand colord and Indian stu
dents In his little village Of schools ana Shops mas Dc
come National character. The Institution tlat ne mas
built up In the first years OF its majority mas hlefaN
attained full growth, and visit TO Hampton To-Day
readily reveals the meaning of Writers praise
The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute
faces the historical Roads" and little creek tat also
bears the name Of Hampton. Seen from the " hOSus
the fifty eight buildings OF the school appear 10 eNce
lent advantage. The large halls OF red DficA ana
clustering white cottages grouped effectively aDout
.mooth green lawns, with glistenng roads OF shell
between Brown workshops, half hidden beneath
clamberipg vines factories and mills, their Chin
news smoking busly, neat offices and more distant
farm buildings appear in the prospect ana III the centre
stands General Armstrong; home, Win us pIidIcu
oortco, and the tall tower of the Marquend Chapel
near BY. These buildings, occupying 19l acres oi
land and built mainly of the brick maze ny INC
students have still cost S525,OOO and form hahd-
some property. Inc nheSt Vi 'hehi 'i''0 Nv" '-'
lately given 10 the school
This is the home Of 515 colored young men and
women and 1876 young Indians. In the day school are
300 colored children, total of about $50 being edu-
Gated The corps Of seventy teachers brings the total
population OF this interesting village TO more than
Q thousand. The $50 students are taught to teach
In turn among their people. TO each is given a
thorough academic education, course OF training Ill
one Of the trade or industrial arts aud proper idea
of what home nd homelit should be. To send younG
men and women, thus equipped, back among the
cabins and tepees is the mission Of General Armstrong
school.
The idea formed during the chaos following the war
Is perfected in the present splendid institution Inc
school may DO treated as completed WORK ana a
we'll established power for National good When the
war ended Hampton was contraband camp. Ten
thousand of Its colored fugitiveS gathered here
under the protection Of FORTRESS Monroe. The Freedman
Bureau made the town its headquarters Tor Eastern
Virginia anu placed General Armstrong in charge The
general commanded colored troops and understood the
needs OF the hJmeless people. 1t was While W0rhlS
for their comfort that the idea OF their industrial
education occurred TO him rs one of the imperative
needs OF IN, race. In 1865 at his suggestion, the
American Mss Jnary AseOca ion established school
In the Old wooden barracks OF Camp Hamilton, WIN
two teachers and fifty students. shortly aiter"Hu
General Arms rong assumed personal charge ING
school was Incorporated and received one third share
of the proceeds Of the Agricultural College lahd grant
from the State Of Virginia. amounting 10 $4,000 ahnu
olIv WIN this start and the charity OF friends the
work began and the first new buildings were erected
In 1878 when 927 negro young men ana women
had been educated at the school, the hrst Ihd's "eV
received They were seventeen young capuNc''
brought BY Captain Pratt from old fW' Manoh' i'll
81. Augustine Their reception was experimental but
the results were highly satisfactory. very Soo" ''0
Government asked that 100 young men ana women
from the reservations be received for educaJl' ana
ocreed IN pay $4,000 annually for the puiPos"
This sum- with the $4,000 from the state una ana
$4,000 from an endowment fund, makes lo'"i Vi
$4,000 annually On which the school may uePcnu'
About $50 900 received annually from lle S'Hoo1 .
products and manufactures pays the boarding expense
of the 4 udeut, who earn ii. To cOmre'3 nv '""
REQUIRED for tuition and general main nance,
,n1ra Il raised annually through the eAOrtS Vi "ee,"
Armstrong and the schools Board Oh trustees
amount with the return OF the ehuo"nl,nO
makes the proportion OF private ald Ill INC s0i'' t
mort about seventelths. The valuable prOpe'S o."
rounding General Armstrong; cosey HUE in''S''
also the gift OF friends. ,...i.o,.
yirotni, HAIL. used as The coOred girls d0IinloFy
and gonsra dining hall cost $4,000, partially raised
throuch the efforts OF the sweetvooed Hampton s'ns
ers Winona Lodge and the MigWan' the HOMES VI ~
Indians were built together. The HuhuHe'o" i-'tu'
trial Works, recently given by COILS T. huhuHb'o"
renreseDt an outlay Of 500 900 The Marquahu Neho
ral Chapel legacy from the Maiquand estate Oh Nv"
yorl, co.t ~ 600 The lemcnway farm OF 11O acre.
,our mile, from the school, given by Mrs. lieIeh
WAY of Boston Other structures reared Oy IIc sI'9
OF friends are the Whittier Day school, recently Dueu
and now rebuilding, Science Hall, Academic ham
Hampton Library, Holly Tree Inn Graves Cottage Mar
ouand Cottage, Gnggs Hall, the gymnasium ana Ho7
u,als The Offices and colony OF workshops. HihP"'l
i we'll orgauized Bach of theee buildngs has IT, daily
tnction and the little community with lis thOI>dhu
busy people never knows all idle hour Each Oh inc
ooored students has his weekly quota OF WORK IO"Ii"
his own support. In one course there - Han udS I'VE
study and half day for work; In anotier iouf ID! r
of work and two days and general evening sessions Vi
A. .tr,.s .aGto IL .flE "a a
whose board and expenses pai independent OF thcr
labor devote themselves exclusively 10 study OF TIM
1856 Indian students the 100 VINO supported by the
Government ae given work only as an educational
means. and are paid small for their personal
saving But there no idlers Of any sort
The life OF these young workers, gathered ION ire
owest homes OF The south and the udest Of those In
the West for common purpose Of good Is most inter
estDg The various stages of their progress are seen
during q single day al busy Hampton. The noon AOuf
brings the entire school together at virginia Han 4
buge- call bnngs the young men troOpng from SHOPS
and school rooms 10 form In companies on tle green
Preceded by the schools brass band, they march 10 the
dining hail. where the young women have already gain
cred In moment each student - standing silent and
in place, the young men erect IN the neat blue uni
FORMS tile girls with folded hands bell taps, and
the grace sung in paintive negro melody. Another
BELL and the meal has begun. In the large hall 3l7
colored boys and POI girls seated at long tables,
each presided ovoT BY one Of the Older students in
second hall eighty mine Indian boys and fOrtyscNcn
girls. Their food is necessarily different, fresh meat
only being given the Indians, and plenty Of the maize
foods 10 which their natures accustomed. The
food for all is excellent.
When the hour has ended the students are hur-
redly scattered again. In large building in the
first room encountered nine of them busiy setting
type The room Is fully equipped printing ONCE, In
which ali Of the schools pamphlets and reports, the
students paper The Southern Workman and all the
"job work. Of Hampton town is done. In another
room seventeen girls and four boys spend their days at
tailoring, study Ing at night while fifty six girls and one
boy are bere half day besides During last year
these busy people made $50 Uniform suits, III work
suits, 13e coats 1926 shirts and 1857 other under
garments In the knitting eighteen bOys earn
iug eighty eight cents day in supplying Boston irm
xtih dozen pals Of mlIieuh AmuIalN. Near BIZ