PRES. E.H. CRAVATH, D.D.
Fisk University held, on the 13th of June, its twenty-third anniversary, reckoning from the founding of the Fisk School. The weather was perfect, and all the exercises of the day were highly satisfactory. Five were graduated from College. One member of the class had been called away during the year by the death of his father. The commencement address was delivered by Rev. C.H. Richards, D.D., of Madison, Wis. Subject, "Making Life Beautiful." The address was admirable in thought, style and delivery, and greatly delighted the vast audience of citizens and students. Dr. Richards paid a high compliment to the graduates, and those who had furnished the music for the occasion. The commencement dinner called forth very pleasant reminiscences of the early days, and many confident predictions concerning; the growth of the University in the future.
One noticeable and hopeful feature of this anniversary was the large increase in the attendance of alumni. Heretofore, anniversary week has come before the close of the schools in which the larger part of our alumni are employed. This year it came three weeks later than formerly. This change was made to better accommodate the little army of student-teachers, which is sent out annually to the country public schools. It was found that by far the larger number of these schools do not begin until the first of July.
Fisk is fortunate in having alumni who are everywhere noted for their love and loyalty, and the University points to them and their work with great pride and rejoicing. The anniversary exercises of the Alumni Association this year were excellent. Mr. Crosthwait spoke of "Nehemiah's Plan," and most beautifully and forcibly applied it to the work to be done by the colored people to build up the walls of their city. Prof. L.C. Anderson, Principal of Prairie View Normal School of Texas, spoke of our "Public School System," in a very instructive way. Mr. Anderson is doing a noble work at Prairie View, and has made the school the pride of the State which supports it. Nearly $300 was contributed toward the alumni endowment fund, as the result of the movement to persuade each graduate to contribute annually one per cent. of his earnings to help his alma mater.
The number of students in the past year has been the largest in the history of the University. The catalogue shows an enrollment of 475. There has been marked growth in the numbers in the Department of Music. Students begin to seek the University for instruction in this department alone. During the year the Mozart Society rendered the oratorio of "Elijah," both in the city and at the University, with marked success.
The address at the graduating exercises of the Normal Department was delivered by Rev. C.S. Smith of Nashville, Secretary of the Sunday-school Union of the A.M.E. Church. It was an earnest and forcible appeal to the colored people of the South to respond to the efforts made in their behalf by Northern friends, by doing the utmost possible for themselves. Many readers of the MISSIONARY will remember Mr. Smith as the delegate of the A.M.E. Church to the Triennial Council in Chicago. The Sunday-school Union has just purchased a handsome building on the public square in Nashville as a publishing house, and under Mr. Smith's management has been eminently successful.
The missionary sermon on Sunday morning, June 10th, was preached by Dr. Warren A. Candler, who has just been honored by being elected President of Emory College, Oxford, Ga. All will remember that this place was vacated some two or three years ago by Dr. Atticus G. Haygood, that he might devote himself entirely to the work connected with the administration of the John F. Slater Fund. Dr. Candler is a strong, liberal and earnest man, who will wield a great power wherever he labors.
The President of the University preached the baccalaureate sermon from the words, "My kingdom is not of this world." The anniversary of the Literary Societies was held Friday night, June 8th, and the Senior Preparatory class had its exhibition on Thursday night, the 7th, at which time eleven were admitted to College, having passed satisfactory examinations. Necessarily the growth of numbers in the higher departments of education must be slow in the case of institutions founded for a race so recently emancipated and laboring under great poverty and unusual disadvantages. This, however, should serve to strengthen purpose and intensify effort, for it shows the vital necessity of well-trained leaders from among the people themselves. Professional training without previous course of liberal education cannot provide the men that are required for this day and generation among the colored people of the United States or for missionaries on the Dark Continent.
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