The Washington bee., 1909-09-04
GOOD WORK BY A WORTHY
WOMAN

For some eight years, very quie
aud vet distinctive and forceful WORK
in the educational field has been de
veloping in the St. Francis de Sales
Institute for Colored Girls, Rock
Castle, Virginia.
This school was erected in 1899 by
Mother Katharine Drexel, and placed
under the supervision of her own
Sisterhood, the Sisters of the Bless
ed Sacrament. No effort was spared
to make building and equipment as
nearly perfect as possible, and the
writer, who has visited many of the
colored and white educational insti-
tutions of the Southland, can state
without hesitation or hattery that he
found it equalled by very few and
surpassed by none.
Travelling on the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railroad, west from Richmond,
following the graceful curves and
windings of the historic James for
forty miles, one sees on an eminence,
about a quarter of a mile south of the
river, a large brick building with
granite trimmings, the modified type
of Elizabethan architecture. The
main building looks down upon the
James, while the two annex wings
face Deep Creek on one side and
Lick Creek on the other. The situa-
ton is ideal for earnest study. Beau
tiful nature is pre-eminent, while dis
fractions and noises of a busy city
are remote.
1t may be of interest to know that
the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
under whose direction the school is
maintained, were instituted some
twenty years ago, for the education
and advancement of the COlored and
Indian races. These earnest, self
sacrificing women make a speciality
of their work and are always seeking
to have the best and to give the best
to the two races to whom they exclu-
sively devote themselves. The Sis
ters believe that faith in God, and a
reverence and love for His teaching
should form the basic element of all
training; that religion and science
should go hand in hand; that one
should always uphold and strengthen
the other.
While St. Francis de Sales is con-
Quoted by a sisterhood of the Catho-
lie Church, a cordial welcome is ex-
tended to all colored people, regard
less of creed, to send their daughters
to enjoy the privileges held out by
this Institute, and no attempt is made
to force the faith upon, nor interfere
with the religious convictions of the
students.
1t is the aim of the sisters to edu-
cate their pupils physically, mentally,
and morally; to form them into truly
noble, whole-Souled women, and thus
make of each Individual a potent fac
tor in the bettering of the whole
race.
A golden era of opportunity is
dawning for the colored people OF
the South, in this elect school, which
offers unrivalled facilities which the
better class will not be slow to recog-
nize and appreciate, in their endeavor
to procure the highest advantages of
culture and education for their
daughters.
The purpose of the school is found
in its broad, well-rounded curriculum.
1t has been shown that a large
amount of manual work may be car
ried on without in the least leopard
izing the results in the fundamental
and academic branches.
The school is unique in this, that
there is no primary department. Pu-
pills must come prepared to enter the
sixth grade; that is, must have sue
cessfully passed fifth grade examina-
tions.
There are two courses in the Liter
ary Department - an intermediate
course and an academic course. Each
course covers a period of four years.
The intermediate completes the full