The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 11, November, 1889

THE MOUNTAIN WORK

Notwithstanding all the interest that has been manifested in our mountain work, we feel sure that the churches do not realize the magnitude of this field, the pressing needs of this people in the heart of our country, the wonderful opportunities before us, and the heart-stirring results already secured.

Large portions of seven States—three or four hundred counties—with a population of between two and three millions, claim our attention and call for our work. Here is a country of untold natural resources. Here is a people of good blood. Men of power have come from among them, and shown of what they are capable. Side by side with the Northern soldiers these mountaineers fought for the Union, or suffered in prisons rather than fight against it. Where our schools and churches have been established, men and women of worth and ability have stepped out and become strong helpers in building up new institutions. But away from these institutions and out of touch with the life of the towns, we find a class of people whose condition in itself is a Macedonian cry. Their windowless, stoveless, comfortless log cabins; their so-called schools, in which on the roughest benches conceivable, and without a desk, a slate, or a blackboard, with a teacher with unkempt hair, ragged and dirty clothes, possibly bare feet, who perhaps can scarcely read, the children study at the top of their voices—blab schools they call them—have for their course of study the spelling book alone, and are taught that a word is correctly spelled when all the letters are named, no matter in what order; their so-called churches, with perhaps a monthly meeting during the summer months, without Sunday-school, prayer meeting, or any form of church work, without morality as a requisite of church membership, with an illiterate ministry—a large number of the ministers cannot read even, and what is worse in many cases are drunken, impure, and in every way immoral; their children so easily gathered into day-schools and Sunday-schools, and so responsive to the work done for them—all these things appeal to us with pathetic power. Perhaps no missionary work ever showed greater results in so short a time than those obtained in these mountains.

We have here in two States eleven schools and twenty-two churches. Earnest calls have come to us to begin work in North Carolina and Alabama. We feel sure that if the churches could hear these appeals they would bid us respond. We have promised to begin work the coming year in these States, and we must look to the churches to furnish us the means. New lumbering and mining towns are springing up in this mountain country, and immediate missionary work is their only hope. A single one of these new towns, scarcely half-a-dozen years old, has had already more than a hundred men shot in it, and this awful work still goes on. This marvelously rich mineral region is sure to be filled in the near future with these mining towns, and unless the Christian work keeps pace with this kind of growth, this large territory will become notorious for bloody scenes as no portion of our land has ever been. Now is the time to preempt the country for Christ, by planting at strategic points the church and the Christian school, and through them to send forth to every part the pure, restraining and elevating influences of the gospel. God's call to us to do this work is loud and clear. Can we be faithful to Him and refuse to obey?

THE INDIANS

There are 260,000 Indians in this country. Compared with our great fields in the South, this is small. But there is an emphasis on this work which is not made by figures. Those who were native to this land have been made foreigners. Those who were the first to receive missionary work here, and who responded as readily as any heathen people ever did, are still largely pagans. While one Christian has been telling the Indians the story of the gospel, another calling himself a Christian has been shooting them. They have not yet had a full chance to learn what Christianity is. From place to place they have been pushed so that they have not had time to build their altars to the true God. We have wronged them and we owe them more than we shall pay. We shall meet our obligations but in part, when we do all we can to save them.

We have in bur Indian work eighteen schools and six churches, one new church having been added this year. In these, 68 missionaries have been doing noble service for the Indian and for the country. Shall the Indian problem forever perplex and shame both the country and the Church? Will not the churches enable us to send all the workers and do all the work needed to be done, and thus hasten the day when it can be joyfully proclaimed that the Indians are evangelized—no longer pagans and foreigners, but our fellow Christians and our fellow citizens?

STATISTICS OF INDIAN WORK

THE CHINESE

At our Annual Meeting in 1887 we were urged to bring the attention of the churches to this their phenomenal opportunity and duty, to give the gospel at short range and nominal cost to Asia's millions, and to support their hopeful and fruitful mission with all possible sympathy and aid. Again, in 1888, the need of immediate and great re-enforcement and enlargement was urged upon us.

Sixteen missions have been in operation during the year, and in them thirty-five workers, ten of them Chinese, have been employed. 1,380 have been enrolled as pupils in our schools—249 more than last year. 40 have this year come out of heathenism into Christianity, and the whole number who have confessed Christ in these missions and have been received as true converts is above 750. This means much for the Chinese in this country, and it means missionaries for China as well.

ENLARGEMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS

Extensive building and improvements have been called for this year. At Lexington, Ky., the Chandler Normal School building is nearly completed at a cost of $15,000—the gift of Mrs. Chandler. At Williamsburg, Ky., thirteen acres of land have been secured for the enlargement of our very successful school there and the large industrial building moved upon it. $2,300 of the expense for this was paid by our generous friend, Mr. Stephen Ballard, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The increasing number of boarders at this institution has made necessary a new and larger dining room and kitchen, which have been built.

At Nashville, Tenn., a commodious two-story building of modern architecture, with rooms for physical culture and industrial training, has been erected.

At Memphis, Tenn., the Le Moyne school building, which in the winter was partially destroyed by fire, has been restored by the insurance.

At Knoxville, Tenn., the old church building, which was unfit for use, has been built over and a parsonage added, making a neat and convenient place of worship, and a home for the minister.

At Jellico, Tenn., the building used for church and school purposes has been considerably enlarged to meet the wants of a large Sunday-school and congregation.

At Grand View, Tenn., a new building has been put up for school and dormitory purposes.

At Pleasant Hill, Tenn., a large three-story Girls' Hall is in process of construction to enable the mountain girls to take advantage of this successful normal school.

At Pine Mountain, Tenn., the church building has been completed and furnished for school as well as church purposes and a teachers' home has been built.

At Beaufort, N.C., the large old school building known as Washburn Seminary, has been placed in the hands of the Association and refitted and a new normal school started in it. The church building, also, has received many greatly needed repairs.

At Chapel Hill, N.C., a brick church building, formerly belonging to the Southern Methodists, has been purchased for a school, and will be used also for church services.

At Macon, Ga., the Ballard School building has been completed and furnished at a cost of $14,000, and a Girls' Hall erected at a cost of $7,500—two more generous gifts of Mr. Stephen Ballard, of Brooklyn.

At Savannah, Ga., extensive repairs have been made on the Beach Institute building.

At Thomasville, Ga., the school facilities have been increased by moving a school building in the town, to the Connecticut Industrial School.

At McIntosh, Ga., land and buildings have been bought for the enlargement of this historic, successful and intensely interesting school.

At Woodville, Ga., the church and school building which had been nearly wrecked, first by the Charleston earthquake and then by a cyclone, has been made solid and comfortable.

At Byron, Ga., land has been bought and preparations have been made for a church building.

At Fairbanks, Fla., a school building and lot worth $2,500 have been given to us by Mrs. Merrill, of Bangor, Me., on condition that we maintain a school there.

At Marion, Ala., we have refitted a large dwelling for a greatly needed school building.

At New Decatur, Ala., a new church building is about completed.

At Tougaloo, Miss., the large Girls' Hall, owing to the peculiarities of the soil—alluvium, 300 feet deep—unknown when it was built, had been crushing its foundations into the ground until it was on the point of falling. Our own missionary and student force lifted it up, put under it new foundations and repaired it in every part. At a cost of between $4,000 and $5,000, they saved a $15,000 building which engineers and contractors pronounced a hopeless wreck.

At Jackson, Miss., our church has been nicely seated with new pews.

At Hammond, La., a new church building has been erected.

At Straight University, a new industrial building has been put up with student labor, and a small greenhouse has been built. For a long time the need of enlargement there has been felt, and a lot near the present buildings has been bought, on which is to be a school house for the primary and intermediate grades.

At the Fort Berthold Mission, North Dakota, a new church, school and mission home building has been built and named the Moody Station, after the giver of the money which built it; also a small church building at Moody Station No. 2.

At Standing Rock a new school, church and mission building—called after the donor, the Sankey Station—has been erected. At Fort Yates, we report a new church building—the Darling Memorial.