“To make our industrial training do home missionary work?”
“By what means can we best promote the interest of the people in schools, Sunday-schools, missions, temperance, personal and social purity?”
“What societies shall we seek to organize, or shall we combine all these aims in Societies of Christian Endeavor?”
In the evening President Pope delivered the sermon to the graduates, speaking with even more than his wonted force and fervor in view of his farewell to this field and the transfer of his labor to the mountain work in Tennessee.
Besides the oral examinations of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there were black-board drawings and displays of written work in each room, so that those who passed through might see something of the work of each grade. There were also industrial exhibits of the young ladies’ work, and work from the shops. Col. Power, of the State Board of Visitors, spoke of our new school-house and shops themselves as being a most gratifying industrial exhibit, having been so largely the work of our apprentices.
On Wednesday afternoon the black-boards in one of the large school-rooms were seen to bear these scrolls, in dashing capitals: “Welcome, Alumni!” and “There’s no place like Home.” And presently about a score of Tougaloo graduates, with teachers and friends, were gathered to listen to an address by Mr. J. N. Granberry, one of the very first class graduated here. He said, in beginning, that he had decided to take for his theme “That which most men try to shirk, namely: ‘Duty.’” He then spoke of the duty of the sons and daughters of this institution to themselves, to their school, to their people, to their country, to the world at large, basing all upon the thought of duty to God.
At a business meeting, next morning, of the Society of the Alumni, President Pope pledged funds with which to erect, within two years, an Industrial Cottage for Girls, and the Alumni pledged funds for the furnishing. This is with a view to placing our girls’ industries more nearly on an equal footing with those for young men. In the meantime our good friend, Mr. Ballard, of New York, has again come to our rescue and made it possible to set the enterprise of girls’ housekeeping on foot at once—that is, next year—in a small way, as we can with our present accommodations.
An unusual number of graduates were present at Commencement, and enjoyed their own separate dinner and “the olive branches” about the table. There were never so many babies at Tougaloo before, and a well-behaved and promising little company we thought them, upon the whole. May God bless the little ones and make them every one burning and shining lights in His kingdom! Our graduating class was small this year—two young ladies from the Elementary, and a young man from the Higher Normal. The exercises were good.
We have always listened with pleasure and profit, each recurring year, to our annual address, by whomsoever delivered, and faithful and eminent men have thus favored us; but never have we experienced greater delight in this part of our service than this year while being addressed by that grand, large-hearted, eloquent divine and stanch friend of the colored people from ante-bellum days, the Rev. Dr. C. K. Marshall, of Vicksburg. He seemed not at all to address himself to colored people as such, but from a glowing heart to pour forth universal truth for universal humanity, in the most genial spirit, counseling our young people as young people anywhere might rejoice to be counseled on the threshold of active life.
After so prolonged a “feast of reason,” the mortal bodies demanded refreshment, and the afternoon was far spent when all had been served. Then good-byes were spoken, students and visitors departed, and a sort of lonesome quiet settled over Tougaloo; but the chosen motto of our graduating class looks down in letters of unfading green from over the rostrum, “Life is earnest,” and carries our prayerful thoughts out to the army of young workers who, in their several homes, schools and places of labor, we trust are earnestly endeavoring to walk in the footsteps of our blessed Master and “overcome evil with good.”