Evening star., 1909-04-25
Success Of the Singers.

SuCCeSS OF the singers.
| The original choir. which consisted Of
nine persons. are all dead except Mrs.
Jenny Jackson Deharte. who has been
| singing in white choir of a church on
Walnut Hills. Cincinnati, for many
years. and Mrs. Ella Sheppard Moore,
| who Is the wife Of Rev. George w.
Moore, superintendent OF the southern
work of the American Missionary So
! singing with the angels now.
The choir Travelled on two continents
| seven years, from 1871 to 1873. and the
net profits of their concerts amounted
Jubilee Hall on the campus of Fisk
University. in Nashville. the largest
and most imposing monument that has
ever been erected by the earnings Of the
| dormitory for woman students and by
the boarding department Of the univer-
sity. 1t has frontage Of 145 feet and
depth Of 12s feet. is five stories in
height and was dedicated January l..
1876. This building cost 100000. The
remaining $4,000 earned by the Jubilee
Singers in America, England, Scotland,
Ireland, Holland and Germany was used
toward the purchase OF the campus.
which includes thirty-fve acres OF
| the city Of Nashville. and is reached by
line Of trolley cars.
After the concert tour of 1878 Mr..
F. j. Lowden, who had been the man
which continued singing until his death
at Ravenna: Ohio. four years ago. He
cleared a hundred thousand dollars and
gave genuine satisfaction to every au-
dience. He started out with majority
of the original Jubilee Singers, but made
changes from time to time. so that at
the end the choir was entirely COM
posed Of new people.
Music has always been a great fea-
ture of Fisk University During the
| first year of its existence a systematic
and thorough course of instruction was
| organized, and voice. culture and instru-
mental music are now taught by faculty
| of seven instructors Dean Herbert H.
Wright is the conductor Of the Choral
Society. and, while he trains the stu
dents In classical music, he does not per-
init them to forget the plantation melo-
dies which their fathers and mothers
sang, but has reduced them to writing.
and has rescued from oblivion many of
the spiritual songs of their race. The
Mozart Society, organized in 1880, acts
| as choir in the university church under
Prof. Wrights direction. and has given
sixty concerts of classical music, ora
torios. cantatas and other compositions
Of severe class taste.
Fisk Memorial Chapel. which was
erected in 1892 by a legacy from the late
Gen Clinton B. Fisk, founder Of the uni
buildings in the south and has fine or
gan of three manuals and 1,S43 pipes
The chapel seats 1.5OO people, and has a
very attractive auditorium.
Founding Of Fisk University.
Fisk University was founded as a school
for ''contrabands of war; in 1888, under
the auspices of the American Missionary
Association of the Congregational Church,
in group OF newly constructed hospital
buildings. which had been erected by the
United States Army. Gen. Fisk persuaded
the War Department to sell them for $16,-
600. and school was opened January 8.
1865. with public exercises which in
thrilling interest and prophetic signifi-
canoe have probably never been equaled
by any other educational gathering in
this section. Prof. John Ogden. lieu
tenant Of the I'd Wisconsin Cavalry. who
had been appointed superintendent of cd
ucation Of Tennessee during the war,
was made principal and Chaplain f. NJ.
Cravath of the 1O1st Ohio. who was the
first president of the college, undertook
the task Of raising funds: Gen. Clinton B.
trustees. A corps Of fifteen teachers,
devoted and patriotic men and women
began to give instruction to nearly 1000
colored people Of all ages and conditions
hoary-headed uncle" who wanted to
learn to read the Bible before he died.
There were no other schools for colored
people here in those days. and everybody
who wanted to learn was allowed to come
| to Fisk But, as other facilities were
provided, the institution was gradually
developed into a university. and was re-
Iorganized and extended from time to
| time until today 1t has faculty Of near
| ly forty instructors, and academic, nor
NAL, theological and musical departments.
with instruction in the applied sciences.
such as chemistry. agriculture. engineer
, ing and the mechanic arts.
Fisk University Today.
| There are about 500 students and they
come from all parts OF the south. with
occasionally one from the West Indies and
Africa The standard of scholarship is
being gradually raised. and the chief
object Of the institution Is the education
OF preachers and teachers for the colored
churches and schools OF the south.
/ DIR. Wright tells me that they have to-
day representatives from twenty-seven
states and countries. More than half the
students remain through the entire
course Of four years. The remainder
| drop out from time to time, chiefly for
lack OF funds. but sometimes for lack OF
ability. About one-half of the students
half from the plantations. but the ratio
OF the former is growing all the time. and
the latter is falling of. which is due to
the fact that the entrance examinations
are becoming more severe and shut out
=