Ninety have at some time been engaged in school teaching. Of these, sixty-two are members of the collegiate department and twenty-eight of the normal department. The time taught in all, including the past year, is 1,630 months, or reduced to school years of nine months each, 161 1-9 years.
It is found that during the year 1880, seventy-two have taught school, the sum of the months being 309. This reduced to school years of nine months each, gives 34⅓ years.
The sum total of salaries earned in 1880, is $9,129. From this must be subtracted for cost of board and travel, $3,236, leaving a net gain of $5,893.
The entire number of pupils taught during the year is 5,641, and the sum of average daily attendance is 3,717.
Of the seventy-two who taught these schools, sixty-seven did labor in Sunday-schools, forty-four as teachers, seven as superintendents and sixteen as both teachers and superintendents. The total attendance on these Sunday-schools was 3,963. Besides this, four did labor in preaching, twelve held prayer-meetings and one held Bible readings. The number of conversions reported is 151.
Thirty-two taught in Tennessee, twenty-two in Mississippi, eight in Texas, four in Alabama, four in Arkansas, two in Georgia, one in West Virginia, and one in Missouri.
Inferences drawn from these statistics:
1. Nearly all the students in Fisk University of sufficient age and advancement in scholarship, teach during their courses of study. It is found that eighty per cent. of the students in the collegiate department have taught. Those who have not taught are too young to take charge of a school. The per cent. of those in the Normal department who have taught, is less, because the advancement in scholarship is less, as is also the average age.
2. The average salary per month is $29.54. The average cost for board and travel, not calculating other expenses, is $10.47. This leaves the net gain per month of $19.07. This in reality is reduced somewhat by loss of time often incurred in securing a school, or in waiting for it to begin after it is secured.
3. It is seen that the students are making very praiseworthy efforts to gain an education, and that they earn annually a large sum of money to secure that end. Still, at a net gain of $19.07 a month, the student cannot entirely support himself. Parents should consider well this fact, not fully understood, as it would appear, by some of those able to assist their children. Those kind friends who have given to the Student Aid Fund of the University, will see that their benefactions are needed and well bestowed.