The American Missionary | Page 9

a Young Men's Christian Association in the town of Hampton, hired rooms, chosen one of their number secretary, paid a large part of the expense out of their own pockets, have fitted up the rooms prettily and made an attractive, pleasant place for the young men of the town. They have social, literary, musical and religious gatherings there. A boys' club has been started in connection with the Association. The colored pastors have became interested in the work, and take turns in conducting the Sabbath afternoon prayer meeting in the rooms.
Our Holly Tree Inn, on the school grounds, is now in active operation. It is under the direction of our school temperance society. Coffee and rolls are furnished for five cents, with a pleasant room and open fire in winter. The result has been that some of our students who used to be tempted into saloons and doubtful places, find a comfortable, pleasant room on the school grounds where they can get what they want. We consider it a valuable object lesson, to the students, of what they can do at their own homes.
The work of the students in the Sunday-schools about is continually increasing. The school at Slabtown, started by the students with twenty scholars, had over a hundred last Sabbath. The school-room given by a generous friend in New York is fairly ready to burst with its living contents. During the week, teachers and normal school scholars go out and teach the women and children how to sew.
Another Sunday-school, at Little England, is conducted very largely by our Indians under the direction of teachers. The Indian boys hold services at the jail and furnish music for an afternoon service at the Soldiers' Home. You would be interested to be here of a Sunday morning and see the happy groups of missionaries going forth in every direction, on foot, by boat, by wagon, to jail, to poor house, to the cottages of the old and sick, carrying the good news. Every colored Sunday-school in the neighborhood has a large number of its teachers from the Normal school. We consider this missionary work of the students most important in keeping up their interest in their own people, and in developing the Christ-like spirit of work for others.
Our school for Bible study, though cramped for room, is exerting an important influence on this community. Almost all the colored pastors of the place have received instruction in its classes. All the white pastors of the place, with one exception, take part in the instruction of their colored brethren. This school has sent out colporteurs under the American Tract Society into the country about. With what knowledge they have received here, they have been able to unite the office of teacher and preacher in the country districts; they have earned their way by the work of their hands and so secured a chance to preach. In this way, they are able to stay in one community during the whole year. One of these men went over to the eastern shore of Virginia last year; worked on the railroad during the day, taught a night school in the evening, got together a congregation, put up a comfortable church, building it largely with his own hands, and came back to school in the fall with money enough for his next year's expenses. One of the class sailed last spring for Africa.
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DEVELOPING PATRIOTISM AMONG THE COLORED PEOPLE.
REV. G.S. ROLLINS.
The security of any nation rests largely upon the patriotism of its people. America is in danger, not from foes without, but from within her own borders. How to Americanize the foreign element, is the problem which confronts the people of our great cities; a question which more directly concerns the Northern portion of our country.
Here in the South is a different case. We have eight million negroes-- born Americans. The one all-absorbing question is, how to fit them for citizenship--how to make patriotic citizens of them.
Is patriotism in danger among the colored people? Yes, and mainly for two reasons.
First, because of their ignorance of our country; its history, constitution and government. Some will think that this is a danger which will soon pass away, as the older and more ignorant ones die. It is true that the number of those who were advanced in years at the close of the war is rapidly decreasing, but there is an astonishingly large number of those who were young at that time and are now in the prime of life. They are ignorant of our National history previous to the Civil War. What they have learned since, has been politics rather than patriotism. They look upon our nation as two great political parties, each struggling for the mastery. One they regard as hostile, and the other