The results of that and subsequent interviews are two fine buildings, one giving adequate school accommodations, and the other giving a large and commodious shop, facilitating both instruction and production.
Subsequently, the same large-hearted and liberal gentleman repeated his benefaction where equally needed enlargement will soon be furnished.
Once more. In a Southern city our school building is too small, the lot does not permit industrial work, and changes in the population have surrounded the locality with saloons and houses of ill-fame. A change must be made or we must abandon the place. A lady who knows these facts offers to give us $2,000 with which to purchase four acres of land most eligibly situated for our work, and to give us the money to build a school-house with eight large school-rooms with commodious fixtures and appliances. All this, of course, implies more teachers and additional running expense. Shall we accept the gift and trust the churches to furnish the money? Or, to state the matter in general terms: When the need for enlargement is very great, and God sends to us benevolent donors, who are willing to furnish the means for the enlargement, are we wrong in trusting the churches for their part of the needed help? We believe we are not. We think the churches would regard us as recreant to our trust if we refused to take the funds thus providentially proffered to us.
But our story is not all told. Other donors in the last few years have done likewise, and there still are cases where the pressure for enlargement is as great as in any of the instances given. We must mention one. In a large Southern city our school building is so inadequate that the Principal writes: "We have an extremely large school, and yet nearly three hundred pupils were turned off for lack of seating capacity." In addition to this, the Teachers' Home adjoining the school building, which was once a Southern home, is unhealthy from inadequate under-drainage. We have repeatedly attempted to remedy this difficulty and at considerable cost. We are satisfied that to spend more money for such a purpose is a waste. The only true remedy is to remove the present home, connecting it with the school-building for additional school-rooms, and then, on the vacant site, to erect a new home with proper foundations. If any benevolent person should offer us the means for making these changes, we fear we have not the self-denial to refuse, unless the churches or benevolent individuals for whom we act shall command us to do so. We await the response they will give.
* * * * *
*THE VERNACULAR. THE LAST GOVERNMENT ORDER.*
THE ORDER.
We give below a copy of the last order received from the Interior
Department in relation to the vernacular.
"1st. In Government schools no text-books and no oral instruction in the vernacular will be allowed, but all text-books and instruction must be in the English language. No departure from this rule will be allowed, except when absolutely necessary to rudimentary instruction in English. But it is permitted to read from the Bible in the vernacular at the daily opening of school, when English is not understood by the pupils.
"2d. In schools where Indian children are placed under contract, or to which the Government contributes in any manner, the same rule shall be observed in all secular instruction. Religious instruction in the vernacular may be allowed in such schools, both by the text-book and orally, provided not more than one-fourth of the time is devoted to such instruction.