Co-operative Farming.—During the last season the colored people about our church at Lawson’s, in Alabama, Rev. J. W. Strong, pastor, rented a half-dozen acres of land, and cultivated the most of it in cotton, for the purpose of adding to the fund for supporting their school. They had a board of managers. They worked when called upon. They plowed and hoed. They at last picked out the cotton and found that they had two bales, worth $120. One bale they sent to the colored folks’ Industrial Fair, on the grounds of Talladega College. This church is now also engaged in building a house of worship, having the frame erected, intending, with the aid of $100 from the A.M.A., to go on this season with the finishing, and hoping that a revival will be its process of dedication.
NORTH CAROLINA.
Our School.
REV. ALFRED CONNET, MCLEANSVILLE.
Our school is put down as a common school. That is correct. Yet we are laboring to make it more than a common school. To this end we have graded it as follows:
A. Normal; B. Normal. A. Intermediate; B. Intermediate. A. Primary; B. Primary.
Through the kindness of friends in the North the school had been supplied with a good many books, and unfortunately, there was a great variety of text-books. We have ordered new, standard books, and have secured uniformity. As we had new books it was easy to require all to begin at the bottom and work up, and to do thorough work.
In a very few instances we have found pupils who can go into two classes in the same branch. In this way they bring up from the first, and at the same time go on with a more advanced class.
The grading, the new books, and the uniformity of books, have each and all had a stimulating effect. They see there is a ladder to climb. They see they cannot start at the top, or the middle, but must begin at the bottom. They study harder. The school has improved in numbers and in regularity of attendance. The number enrolled is 84.
Our pupils are from four counties, including this (Guilford) county. Thirteen are here paying board, or boarding themselves. Of the thirteen all are professors of religion but three: one is a minister, two are preparing for the ministry; one professed religion since he came here a year ago, one of those preparing for the ministry united with the church at the last communion, and one is a teacher. Of those enrolled last year, seven are teachers, six of whom are now teaching, and one attending school. One pupil who is a minister reports over forty hopeful conversions in connection with his labors during the summer vacation.