THEOLOGICAL DEP’T, HOWARD UNIVERSITY.
BY REV. W. W. PATTON, D.D.
Our theological anniversary exercises passed off very pleasantly May 5th. They were held in the Assembly Presbyterian Church, which is of convenient size and centrally situated. Though the weather was unpleasant, the attendance was good, both of the white and colored races, and included various persons of distinction. The number of theological students this year has been thirty, not including eight others, who study principally in the classical department. The graduates were five, connected with the Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist denominations. Three go to the Southern field, and two look towards Africa. Their addresses were most creditable in matter and manner, and were warmly received by the audience. On behalf of the Washington Bible Society, Rev. Dr. Butler presented each of them with a neatly bound copy of the Holy Scriptures. Rev. Dr. Bullock, the chaplain of the United States Senate, made an excellent, practical address to them, on their coming life-work, and Rev. Dr. Craighead, Dean of the department, added some felicitous closing remarks. Owing to the endowment by Mrs. Stone, supplemented by the large aid of the American Missionary Association, and in a less degree by that of the Washington Presbytery, the Theological Department of Howard University is in vigorous operation; and we are prepared to receive and train young men, white or colored, for the Gospel Ministry of all Evangelical denominations.
AVERY INSTITUTE, CHARLESTON, S.C.
BY REV. E. T. HOOKER.
The public exercises incident to the closing of the school year at Avery Institute began Monday evening, May 29, with an exhibition by a portion of the intermediate department, under the charge of Miss Emma T. Miller. Though this was not a usual or most prominent feature of anniversary, it was enthusiastically received by one of the best audiences of the week, which have all been large and indefatigable. They were well repaid by the bright recitations, well-drilled singing and tasteful appearance of the pupils.
Tuesday morning, at 10 o’clock, began what is called “Children’s Day,” being a similar exhibition of accomplishments by the primary department, under Mrs. Brown and Miss McKinley, both natives of Charleston and of kindred blood with their pupils. The performances in dialogue, recital and music of these little ones did not differ from those in Northern schools of the same grade, which is enough to say both for the culture received and the faculty displayed. There were as many faces, too, of ideal childhood beauty, and obviously as much parental pride somewhere back of this their juvenile début, as if their race was not just making its début upon the stage of Saxon civilization.
Tuesday night saw a rendering of a lengthy and varied programme by the scholars of the upper grades not graduating. The News and Courier, in a report printed the next morning, says: “Of the essays it may truthfully be said that they were written with neat rhetoric and obvious originality; of the recitations, that they were given without a faltering of memory, and some with admirable distinctness of enunciation and winning hold upon the listeners.”