| BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| States | Number of Schools | Counted Attendance | Teachers | Income for Current Expenses | Value of Property | ||
| Total | White | Negr. | |||||
| Total | 15 | 2,870 | 166 | 44 | 122 | $88,512 | $455,600 |
| Alabama | 6 | 1,022 | 58 | 58 | 20,648 | 753,650 | |
| North Carolina | 1 | 375 | 18 | 18 | 8,500 | 50,400 | |
| Tennessee | 5 | 635 | 50 | 24 | 26 | 33,820 | 196,950 |
| Virginia | 3 | 838 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 25,544 | 134,600 |
The total annual income for current expenses is $88,512, and the value of property is $455,600. The attendance is 2,870, of whom 2,470 are elementary, 370 secondary, and 30 collegiate. All the schools have elementary pupils, and seven schools maintain secondary classes. Only Knoxville College offers instruction of college grade. The total number of teachers is 166, of whom 44 are white and 122, or 73 per cent., are colored; 46 are men, and 120, or 72 per cent., women; and 108, or 65 per cent., are teachers of academic subjects.
The proportion of colored teachers is large; but, in view of the location and type of these schools, it is probable that the present division is necessary. Any increase in the proportion of colored teachers should be seriously questioned. It is suggested that the experience of other church boards should be consulted on this problem. The percentage of women teachers is above the average. The emphasis on industrial courses is somewhat more marked than in other church schools. The provision for instruction in gardening and agriculture is by no means sufficient, however, for the rural masses of the communities in which those schools are located.
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.
The leading Methodist school of the State. It was founded in 1889 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Church. It has 12 teachers, 312 pupils, an annual income of $6,000, and property valued at approximately $45,000.
Much of the success of the colored schools of the United Presbyterian Church is due to the ability and faithfulness of Dr. Witherspoon, whose long service forms a notable contribution to religious and educational work. In 1915 the Board of Freedmen’s Missions published the Fifty-fifth Annual Report of its activities. The time and consideration which this board of conscientious business men and ministers devote to the management of the affairs of the school under their care are....
In educational work and administration the United Presbyterian institutions compare favorably with the best church schools. While the majority of them are not large, they are managed with economy and their activities are conducted with considerable regard for thoroughness. With the exception of two or three in eastern Tennessee, they are all well located. The six schools in Alabama are all in Wilcox County, forming a county system of private schools. The influence of these schools has transformed the conditions in the county. The unusual development of these schools in this one county is probably due to the interest and ability of a Scotchman, member of the United Presbyterian Church, who settled in the county soon after the Civil War.
Miscellaneous Denominational Schools under White Boards.—There are a number of miscellaneous denominational schools maintained by white boards. These boards are not discussed separately, because there are so few schools under each board as is indicated in the table below.
Many of the schools of this group represent churches with considerable wealth. Of special interest are the two institutions maintained by white church boards of the South. Paine College of Augusta, is maintained by the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This institution is the largest of the group. The other school owned by the South is Stillman Institute, maintained by the Presbyterian Church South. Both of these schools are taught by Southern white people who are genuinely interested in the colored. It is especially significant in this connection to mention the fact that it is the announced purpose of the Methodist Church to make Paine College an institution of higher education in every sense of that term. Stillman Institute, at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is also of importance as it touches of point of most vital concern to the development of the race, the development of trained ministers. While the institution has not reached its highest point of development, there is every hope that it too will eventually be a higher institution for the training of ministers.
