American Missionary | Page 8

the rigor of its intellectual
studies and in the thoroughness with which it seeks to make good
teachers and preachers; educators in the larger way for the race. It also
has a department of theology. It has made its place, which it holds with
enthusiasm and fidelity. If some one would give us, or leave us, money
to endow this institution, he could scarcely send his influence further
down the centuries than in this way. It would tell upon the race and

upon the Nation.
In this glance at our schools, we see Christian schools. But they are
more, they are missionary schools. We are bearing the torch of Christ
into places of darkness. We teach the industries to them because they
can be made tributary to the salvation of the people. They are the leaves
of the tree of life, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the
people.
We may not close this review of our school system without
remembering those institutions now standing alone; great Hampton, in
whose rich gifts we rejoice, and Berea, another child of the A.M.A.,
now grown to strength.
TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY, at Washington, also, we extend the
sympathy of a common purpose, together with such financial aid as we
may for the support of its theological course.
We point to these great institutions which have been planted and
fostered by the A.M.A., together with those which are still upheld by us,
with a feeling akin to that of the renowned Cornelia when she said,
"Behold my jewels."
Total Number of our Schools South 58 Indian 18 76 Total Number of
our Instructors South 266 Indian 50 316 Total Number of our Pupils
South 9,896 Indian 580 10,476 Theological Students South 87 Indian
—— 87 Law Students South 73 Indian —— 73 College Students South
68 Indian —— 68 Preparatory College Students South 105 Indian ——
105 Normal Students South 836 Indian 10 846 Grammar Grade
Students South 1,996 Indian 43 2,039 Intermediate Grade Students
South 2,998 Indian 108 3,106 Primary Pupils South 3,831 Indian 419
4,250
We have, in addition, 17 Chinese Schools on the Pacific Coast, with 39
teachers.
CHURCH WORK.
We turn now to our Church Work.
In every school we have an incipient church; in many of these are
organized churches. From all of them there is a continual going forth of
a predisposition towards Congregational Churches, which will make
for churches in the future.
The statistics are as follows:
Number of Churches South 131 Indian 5 136 Number of Missionaries

South 102 Indian 13 115 Number of Church members South 8,065
Indian 397 8,452 Added during the year South 937 Indian 35 972
Added by profession of faith South 721 Indian 30 750 Scholars in
Sunday-schools South 16,023 Indian 1,091 17,114
Four new Churches have been organized during the year. These are at
Decatur, Ala., Crossville, Deer Lodge and Pine Mountain, Tenn. A fine
church edifice has also been erected in Ironaton, Ala., which is soon to
be dedicated. The members have sacrificed nobly to secure it. The
church at Meridian has united with the Association in the erection of a
beautiful house of worship which, with the new school and the teachers'
home, will be ready in a few weeks for occupancy. The church at
Knoxville has been enlarged and is practically new. It will soon be
re-dedicated. The church at Pine Mountain is a year old; is already the
center of four Sunday-schools, with an attendance of 415 children, only
10 of whom had ever been in a Sunday-school before.
Revivals of religious interest have been reported from our churches in
Washington, Wilmington, Charleston, Talladega, Mobile, Athens,
Marion, Selma, Birmingham and New Orleans. Those of the churches
which are side by side with our educational institutions are most
hopeful; but wherever we have planted churches, they stand forth to
represent the ethics of Christianity, the purity and truth of character
which must be contained in a worthy discipleship. A large proportion
of our pastors are children of the A.M.A. Parsonages have been built
for our churches in Mobile, Ala., and in Dallas, Texas.
MOUNTAIN WORK.
This year has laid great emphasis on the fact that we have entered, in
the Southern mountains, a missionary field of vast importance, pressing
needs and unbounded hopefulness. We have in this region, where a few
years ago there was nothing, two normal schools, two academies, five
common schools, and twenty churches.
In a territory five hundred miles long, and more than two hundred miles
broad--twice the size of all New England--are at least between three
and four hundred counties with a population greater than that of Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut combined,
without schools worthy of the name, without Sunday-schools, without
prayer meetings, without an