The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-30
HAMPTON INSTITUTE.
Interesting Meeting at State st. Church
Last Evening.

At State street church last evening an
interesting audience listened TO the
presentation of the claims and illustra-
lions of the work of the Hampton Insti-
tute at Hampton, Va. This school was
established in 1868 by Gen. Armstrong
for the education Of Southern negroes.
Later it opened its doors to Indians. Ii
now teaches yearly 500 negro students,
140 Indians and a primary school Of 800
oolored children. Its normal department.
has 900 graduates. 90 per cent OF whom
have actually taught in the South. It's
Indian department has returned to the
West 500 Students 81 per cent of whom
have done well In schools, missions or
shops To keep up this work it is neces-.
sary to raise $50, O0o year in the North.
1t was to bring this school to the closer
attention of the people that last eve
ning's meeting was held.
Rev. DR.. jenkins, offered prayer and
then introduced Rev. Fl. B. FrisseH,
the principal Of the Hampton school,
who spoke Of the location of the SCHOOL
where some of the stirring events of the
Civil War took place. 1t is near the Ma
tional cemetery where 5000 boys in blue
and boys In gray are buried. 1t is not
far from Fortress Monroe.
"A quartette of fonr young colored men
from the school gave with characteristic
efe t a number of negro melodies, ''Roll
Jordan Roll, f" keep Me from Sinking
Down." etc.
Miss George Washington, a young me-
gro lady, a graduate of Hampton, was
introduced TO tell the work she is do
ing in Alabama, reaching her people and
helping them improve their condition.
She described the typical home of the
negro, as squalid hut. When she went
there she found no school house. She
secured a litrle cabin near the church
for the purpose and started school.
Then she got larger house and finally q
school house has been secured by the as
sistance of white men. She has been
trying to improve the condition of the
women and has bettered some homes.
Men are learning to respect their wives.
and not take them simply to be sup
ported by them. The negroes have formed
a land company and are gaining rapidly
in intelligence E..This is the result of four
years work.
After the quartette had sung "This
Jordan River I'm Bound to Cross, 4" a
young Winnebago indian, Louis Arkel,
was Introduced. He is good looking
youth and appeared in q military uni
form. He spoke in somewhat indistinct
and broken English, but intelligently
and sincerely. He said his tribe. living
in Northwestern Nebraska, had been
reduced from 5000 or 6OO0 to 1900 since
the war. He told how he was left TO sup
port his family and how after great
effort he got to hampton and obtained
an education. He said that it is not
true that the only good Indians are dead
ones. He knew better. and he is going
back to his people to live and try to help
them.
The quartette sang lizard Trials" and
then Thomas Watson, bright negro
man, told what one graduate of Hamp-
ton had done. He went to Hampton in
1880, worked his way through and went
back to his native county, the only negro
in that county who had ever graduated
from school. He went to teaching and
used to take his boys out to work in the
field and oversee them. Injustice was
done negro, SO he studied law, earning
his living by working during the time,
and now ne practices law in all the
courts in Virginia. He has always been
treated as well as if he were white
man.
Mr.. Frissell then made an earnest ap-
peal for help and at the close collection
was taken up.