Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-23
WORK OF MISSIONS
What the American Society is Doing
Among the Ignorant.
EDUCATION Am ONG NEGROES
Schools in the South in a Critical
Condition.
TEACHING THE INDIANS

SPRINGFIELD. Mass, October 23.-The
ffty-fourth annual meeting of the Ameri-
can Missionary Association opened mere TO-
day with over 400 delegates in attendance
and will continue until Thursday evening,
with morning. afternoon and evening ses-
sious. Mayor W. p. Hayes gave the adj
dress of welcome from the city and the Rev
Philip S Moxom, d. D., the address OF wei
come from the churches, to which Presi-
dent F. A. Noble of Illinois made responses
The report of the treasurer, II. W. Hup-
bard of New York was then presented anu
the report of the executive committee was
read bv Chairman Chas. A. Hull of New
York.
The report says: In many cases the
graduates of our missionary institutions IN
educational attachments will not suffer in
comparison with those of the north Inc
normal and graded schools in the southern
states with scarcely an exception, receive
the good offices of many educated people IN
the communities where they are located
twelve of these important schools are
under the care of negro graduates OF our
own higher institutions. We report three
new buildings. Mountain schools are ten IN
number. Higher institutions are as 1oi-
lows: Fisk University, NashNiie. Tenn
Talladega College, Talladega, Ala: lou
galoo University. Tougaloo, Miss; Straight
1,niyersity. New Orleans. La; Tillotson
College Austin, Tex. There are u schools
in ALL with 49, instructors and l",-o'
pupils.
Poor Prospect for Negro SCHOOLS.
The report says that the prospects for the
negro people Of the south are more critical
than they have been since the days OF
slavery.
Tougaloo University, In Mississippi, has
developed a largeness of work and accom-
plishment which ELECTS the unqualified ap-
prevail of the farseeing white people In the
state. and among our colleges there Is none
higher than Fisk University, NashVllle,
In all of our boarding schools every stu
dent is required to work in some form or
industry one hour each day. We are teach
ing agriculture in its varied forms, both in
theory and practice. In our shops techno-
logical instruction accompanies architect
ural drawings. and lessons in the use and
strength of materials with manual train
ing. Printing. demonstrating, upholstery
and Cabinetmaking are also taught. For
the girls such industries of the farm as
belong to their duties in llfe-domestic sci
ence and economy, buttermaking, dress
making millinery and nursing. We hear of
no idle dependent graduates of our
schools.
Two schools are reported in Porto Rico,
with two instructors, 292 pupils and one
evangelist.
We have organized sixteen new churches
thirteen in the southern lowlands Five
churches have been dropped from the roll
ali but one of them having been in our
mountain work.
The Mormons have some 500 elders now
working as missionaries in ten of the
southern states. They usually seek COM
munities which isolated from educa-
tional and civilizing influences. and they
report a growing work, claiming 1900 OF
10000 in the south The Mormon workers
In the south are more afraid of education
- h ale in fha
There are now 222 southern churche:
aided by the association.
Sixteen Indian Schools.
Ten years ago the association reported
sixteen Indian schools with 81 pupils Oul
present number of schools is six, with 2l1
pupils. The progress made in assigning in
d;vidual allotments to the Indians. thus en-.
abling them to situate themselves in theil
home, is important factor re!a ;e5
to the success of our missionary work. II
the Santee reservation nearly all of Tbs
90 or 30 families are living on their al
lCtments and cultivating from 2D to 1Gt
acres. In the Cheyenne river and Standii 6
Rock reservations no allotments have ye
been made to the Indians. The soil G.
these reservations will not admit of gen
eral cultivation Stock herding must be the
Indian industry of the future.
The Fort Berthold agency reports that the
Ills resident Indians are all living on thei
alOtments, some of them raising large
crops. while every family has a garden IL
which they raise fair supply of vegeta
bles. Their total earnings for the veal
amounted to almost $4,000. The unallottet
lands are reserved for grazing purposes
The Crow agency OF Montana has over /, 30
sllotments AS farmers, the Crows ar,
said to be further advanced than are many
of the tribes Sufficient wheat is raised t
furnish all the flour used on the reserva ton
The reservation contains 100000 acres
of which over 1,0i0.oU acres have been re
Gently sold to the government at 81 pc
acre. The Cheyenne and Arapahoe agency
Oklahoma, report ) 2!to allotments, on which
over nine-tenths of the Indians reside an,
cultivate their lands White settlers are in
termingled with them. Amicabe relation
exist between the races and the Indian
are rapidly gaining in civilized ways and
better knowledge of the government. Tn
chief Of evils reported by the agent ar
marriages under Indian customs tribal con
troll. the uphoding of the medicine men an
the intoxicating Of the mescal bean.
The non-Christian Chinese population o
the Pacific coast is being wonderfully leav
ened by the influence of the Chinese Chris
ttans. More than hundred subscription
to the new mission house in Fresno hay
come from those who not long since wou
have been called heather Chinese" Two
thirds OF the Chinese support for this wor
thus came from the class who once re
preached. exiled, whipped imprisine
their relatives who ventured to becom
Christians.
The total receipts for the year, exclusiv
of amount in reserve legacy account ar
Sf'e.b 52'tJ, and including reserve legacy &C
count Si3J, i2I.10. There has never been
time in the history of the association Whe
the missionary interest of our churches wa
more marked and active than now. Sur
port To the mission work in Porto Rico, al
though not entirely adequate, has been col
dial and hearty, the mission having man,
testify met with the approval of the church