The religious work and tone of the school have, as always, been among the prominent and foremost forces, dominating and directing every other thought and resulting in a steady growth of character among the pupils of all grades and in the conscious and open choice of a goodly number of pupils of the life of faith; among others this choice was made, late in the term by a student of the senior class, the last one not a professing Christian.
Nearly every young man in the school and many of the young women are working their way through the course by serving, usually in white families, mornings and evenings, and so, while sustaining themselves in school, incidentally giving a very effective object lesson to many who have professed great doubt as to the value of education for the colored people.
Few things have done more in Memphis than this sort of association to convince those who would not listen to any other sort of argument, that the "old time negro servant" is not so altogether lovely and desirable under the new conditions, even as a servant, as he is often rated by those who think regretfully of the ministrations of slave labor under the old conditions.
In a survey of the whole field of labor among the colored people, while there are very many disheartening conditions and situations, especially to one who is looking for the worst, yet a fair application of the rule of science known as the survival of the fittest, must inevitably and surely work out the conclusion that these efforts of school and of church for the upbuilding and evolution of a race are to have their final reward in the accomplishment of the great work, whereunto in the manifest providence of God they have been called.
By this unwavering confidence has the American Missionary Association, with its teachers and missionaries, been sustained through all these years of perplexing and difficult labors. In this faith thousands of young colored men and women have stepped into the front line of the advance movement of a race, and by this hope all that is promising in the race looks out and forward to the rising dawn of equal opportunity which American fairness, not to say civilization and Christianity, is certain finally to concede.
LINCOLN SCHOOL, MERIDIAN, MISS.
BY MRS. H. I. MILLER, PRINCIPAL.
Another mile stone in the path of Lincoln School, and one more very pleasant Commencement period. On May 22d our annual sermon was preached to the students. A large and appreciative audience listened to an excellent discourse by the pastor. May 23d found us busy with our examinations. Good, faithful work was done "to find out what we don't know," as one young man said; but the results proved that those examined knew many things.
Wednesday attested the interest of the Alumni by the letters from absent ones, and the presence of thirty of the old graduates, some from every class since 1890, which was the first class. Five former graduates, now teachers in the public school of the city, gave us pleasant words of hope and faith, and others from distant places told of work for the Master, and efforts at uplifting the whole race.