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52 chapters
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
TOP The aim of the Author in preparing this volume has been to put in a form, convenient for preservation and future reference, a brief historical sketch of the work and workers connected with the founding and development of Oak Hill Industrial Academy, established for the benefit of the Freedmen of the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, by the Presbyterian church, U. S. A., in 1886, when Miss Eliza Hartford became the first white teacher, to the erection of Elliott Hall in 1910, and its dedicati
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INDIAN TERRITORY
INDIAN TERRITORY
TOP Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, was a part of the public domain, that was reserved for several tribes of Indians whose native hunting grounds were principally in the Southern states. While they remained in their native valleys they proved a menace to the safety of the frontier settlers, and in times of war were sure to take sides against them. Thomas Jefferson in his day advised that they be located together on some general reservation. This was gradually effected during the earlier years of
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INDIAN SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
INDIAN SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
"God, who hath made of one blood all nations of men and determined the bounds of their habitation, commandeth all men everywhere to repent."—Paul. When Columbus landed on the shores of America, the Indians were the only people he found occupying this great continent. During the long period that has intervened, the Indian has furnished proof, that he possesses all the attributes which God has bestowed upon other members of the human family. He has shown that he has an intellect capable of develop
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III
III
TOP "From a child thou hast known the HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make thee Wise unto Salvation." "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for instruction; That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works."—Paul Whilst our religious educational institutions where unsectarian instruction in the Bible is fundamental, have been producing good results of the highest order, those educational institutions where only secular instruction is given
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IV
IV
TOP In commendation of woman's loyalty and sense of obligation to our Lord Jesus, it has been said of her, "She was last at his cross and first at his grave, she staid longest there and was soonest here." In recognition of this fact when he rose from the dead he appeared first to one of them, Mary Magdalene. To the credit of men of African descent, it may be said, that one of them performed the last act of kindness to our Lord Jesus, and the first individual conversion, of which we have an accou
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V
V
TOP "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before thy face." "Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." The "Problem of the Negro" is an old and familiar phrase. It relates to the fact, that, however many and great have been the benefits derived from his labor and loyalty, the best management of him has been a troublesome problem to the statesmen of this country, ever since the declaration of independence, and especially the F
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VI
VI
TOP In a discussion of the Negro problem it is eminently appropriate the Freedman and his neighbor be accorded the privilege of expressing their respective views. The thoughts expressed in this chapter have been gleaned principally from the columns of the Afro-American, a colored weekly, published by the faculty of Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina. The problem of the negro relates to his capacity for improvement and self-support. Is the American negro, after centuries of slavery, tha
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VII
VII
TOP The historic incidents, having an uplifting influence that occurred among the Choctaw Freedmen of Indian Territory, from the time of their first instruction in the Bible to the establishment and present development of Oak Hill Industrial Academy, when briefly summarized, seem like a reproduction on a miniature scale of those greater events that occurred among the Christian nations of Europe and America preceding the adoption of their systems of public instruction. Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, a gen
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VIII
VIII
TOP The Presbyterian Church has always stood for Religion and Education—Religion as the basis of true education, and Education as the promoter of positive practical religion. The Presbyterian Church wishes to see the young people of every generation provided with the best means for their intellectual and spiritual progress. It wishes to see them prepared, not merely for active and successful participation in the onward work of the world, but also in full and hearty sympathy with the great work o
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IX
IX
TOP "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath appointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted and preach deliverance to the captives."—Luke. The emancipation of 4,000,000 slaves, at the close of the Civil War, was the sudden opening of a new and a vast field of opportunity and duty, before the Christian churches of this land. The education and moral elevation of the Freedmen became, in both church and state, a very serious and vital question. E
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X
X
TOP The educational needs of the Freedman have called forth several large benefactions from individual contributors. George Peabody of Danvers, Massachusetts, in 1867 and 1869, established a fund of $3,500,000 for the promotion of general education in the South. One half of this amount happened to prove unavailable. A large part of the remainder was used in the establishment and endowment of the Peabody teachers college for whites at Nashville, Tennessee, leaving only a small part of it for use
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PART II
PART II
TOP "It is said that the Athenians erected a statue to Æsop, (564 B. C.), who was born a slave; or as Phaedrus phrases it: "They placed the slave upon an eternal pedestal," "Sir, for what the enfranchised slaves did for the cause of constitutional liberty in this country, the American people should imitate the Athenians and, by training the slave for usefulness, place him upon an eternal pedestal. Their conduct has been beyond all praise. "They have been patient and docile; they have been loyal
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THE NATIVE OAK HILL SCHOOL
THE NATIVE OAK HILL SCHOOL
TOP As the preaching of the gospel and the organization of a church preceded the establishment of the school, the following facts in regard to the church are first noted. The Oak Hill Presbyterian church was organized about June 29, 1869, with six members, namely, Henry Crittenden, who was ordained an elder, Teena Crittenden, his wife, J. Ross Shoals and his wife Hettie Shoals, Emily Harris and Reindeer Clark. The services at first were held in the home and later in an arbor at the home of Henry
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XII
XII
TOP The story of Oak Hill as an Industrial Academy, begins with the work of Miss Eliza Hartford of Steubenville, Ohio, the first white teacher in the "Old Log house". She was commissioned by the Freedmen's Board in January, 1886, and was sent in response to the appeal of the colored people of the Choctaw Nation. The missionaries, Reid and Edwards, had commended as the most favorable location for such an educational institution the rural neighborhood occupied by the Oak Hill church, two miles eas
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XIII
XIII
TOP The following reminiscences, gleaned from letters written by these three heroic young lady teachers, will be read with interest. They discover in their own language, their feelings of hopefulness and loyalty while coping with unexpected embarrassments and unusual privations. Single handed and alone they penetrated the wilds of Indian Territory to a secluded spot, where they were a half day's ride from their nearest white friends, and thirty-five miles from the railway. Holding aloft the Bibl
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XIV
XIV
TOP The following reminiscences of early times at Forest church are narrated for their intrinsic as well as historic interest. The first one reveals an order of service, that is very general in the colored churches. It is one that affords the deacon, if he be a man so disposed, to spontaneously introduce considerable native wit and humor into the part of the service entrusted to him; and if he does, it very naturally prepares the way for unexpected shouts of joy and gladness on the part of those
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XV
XV
TOP About October 1, 1888 Mr. and Mrs. James F. McBride arrived to take charge of the work as superintendent and matron. Their arrival was the occasion of another joyful meeting on the part of the colored people who came to see the "suptender, and express their great joy over the new start that was to be given the school." Mrs. McBride at a later date, referring to the appearance of things on the day of their arrival at this, their new home, wrote: "I can still see how the old log house looked a
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XVI
XVI
TOP On October 1, 1892, Rev. Edward Graham Haymaker became superintendent and continued to serve in that capacity until the spring of 1904. The following extracts, from a circular announcement, sent out in script form, for one of the early years of this period, are full of historic interest. "Oak Hill Industrial school for colored children is situated 5 miles north of Red river and 25 miles east of Goodland, the nearest R. R. station. School opens Oct. 2nd and will continue for a term of six mon
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XVII
XVII
TOP The object of this chapter is to note the names and careers of a number of the young people that during the early days, were sent or encouraged to attend other educational institutions. As early as 1884, two years before Miss Hartford came to Oak Hill, Rev. Alexander Reid, of Atoka took the lead in arranging for two young men to go to Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina, and five young ladies to Scotia Seminary, at Concord, North Carolina. Later the teachers at Oak Hill aided and en
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XVIII
XVIII
TOP In the spring of 1904, as there was no one available to manage it, the school was closed, and a student was entrusted with the care of the buildings, stock and crops. As this was the year the land in Indian Territory was allotted to the Indians and their former slaves, individually, Mr. Haymaker remained until he secured the allotment of two tracts of forty acres each, on which the buildings of the academy were located, one to a graduate student and the other to a friendly full blood Choctaw
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XIX
XIX
After two weeks of voluntary service in the vicinity of the Academy, visiting churches, schools, institutes and towns, making the trips through the timber with a team of faithful but superannuated mules, and delivering addresses in as many as eight different places, during the month preceding, the academy was re-opened for a three months term in February, 1905, under the management of Rev. and Mrs. R. E. Flickinger of Fonda, Iowa. They had for their assistants, Miss Adelia M. Eaton, Fonda, Iowa,
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XX
XX
TOP In 1912 the prospectus of the academy included the following announcements: Free tuition and books are accorded neighborhood pupils under thirteen, that attend regularly after the time of their enrollment. Those over fourteen are expected to pay fifty cents a month. The hope is expressed that every one living near the Academy will see the propriety of making the same noble endeavor to enjoy its valuable privileges for improvement that is made by the many patrons who live at a distance. An op
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XXI
XXI
TOP "Thy vows are upon me O God. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all his people."—David. On being received as a student of this institution, I do solemnly promise, God helping me, that I will be obedient to the rules of this institution and endeavor to prove myself an earnest student and thoughtful, faithful worker; that I will be prompt in responding to every call, pay the cost of repair to any furniture or glass broken, as a result of thoughtlessness or carelessness on my
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XXII
XXII
TOP "Hold fast the form of sound words; ... that ye may be able to give to every one that asketh, a reason of the hope that is in you."—Paul. The development of the Bible-memory work, that, during the later years of this period, moved forward very rapidly, was one of small beginnings and slow progress at first. The meetings were held at half past two o'clock on Sabbath afternoons. The girls were formed into one class and their meeting was held in the sitting room of the Girls' Hall. The boys met
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XXIII
XXIII
TOP Every new student at the time of his enrollment was requested to state whether or not he was a member of church. If a negative response was received, he was kindly informed it would be regarded as a serious disappointment, if he did not become an active Christian worker, during the period he enjoyed the privileges of the Academy. As a means of enabling every one to manifest their decision to live a Christian life, Decision days were held frequently during the term. The first one always occur
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XXIV
XXIV
TOP The unexpected disappointments experienced in establishing the self-help department are worthy of a brief mention. They serve to illustrate some foolish notions that prevailed among some of our first patrons, and prepare the way for a good suggestion. The aim of this department is to enlarge the scope of the training work of the institution by the employment of students, as far as possible, to do the necessary work during vacations as well as the chores during the school-terms; and by this m
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XXV
XXV
TOP Public education is at present passing through a transition stage. The emphasis in the school courses of previous generations was upon the culture of the mind and the appeal was made for a high classical training, but now that the work on the farms as well as in the shops is largely done by costly machinery, the emphasis of school work is being rapidly transferred to the hand, and the appeal is for manual or vocational training and domestic science. Its aim is to reach and train for a succes
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XXVI
XXVI
TOP The improvements undertaken and completed by means of the student help began with the removal of old rubbish, the accumulation of years, and the impenetrable briar thickets near the buildings. During the latter part of the first spring term in 1905 the boys applied two good coats of lead and oil in cream and white to the Boys' Hall. The work was well done although it was the first work of the kind any of them had ever attempted. The appearance of the building was greatly improved, and every
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XXVII
XXVII
TOP "Be noble! and the nobleness that lies in other men, sleeping but never dead, will rise in majesty to meet thine own."—Lowell. On Sabbath afternoon, March 13, 1910, as we left the chapel at the close of a very delightful and profitable Bible Memory service, a cloud of black smoke was seen moving rapidly around the buildings across the view before us and suggesting a fire in one of the buildings. It was a sad and sickening surprise. Quickly the word was passed, "The Girls' Hall is on fire." R
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XXVIII
XXVIII
TOP The new era, that had been so auspiciously continued for three years, and gave promise of rapid and substantial material development, was destined soon to be interrupted by the experience of three dark days that occurred, one soon after the other. On June 5, 1908, one week after the end of the term and after three and one half years of faithful and efficient service as a matron, the death of Miss Adelia M. Eaton occurred at the institution. On the 7th of November following the Boys' Hall, an
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XXIX
XXIX
TOP "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth."—John "Giving all diligence add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. He that lacketh these things is blind."—Peter. It was the good fortune of the author to be called to serve as chorister and superintendent of rural Sunday schools, and leader of the
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XXX
XXX
TOP "Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Proverbs. Unstable as water thou shalt not excel. Jacob. Be gentle in manner, firm in principle, always conciliatory. Go forward; and if difficulties increase, go forward more earnestly. In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. Augustine. Find a way or make one, is excellent; but sometimes it needs to read, Find employment or make it. Whatever cannot be avoided must be endured. Endure h
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XXXI
XXXI
TOP Order is the first law of Heaven, and it is the first rule in every well regulated home, school and church. "The Lord bless thee and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." KEY WORDS : The Key words that ope
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XXXII
XXXII
TOP It is a matter of great importance to every one to learn early in life the difference between monthly or yearly savings and wages; and also the difference between personal expenses and profitable investments. When a boy works on the railroad and has to supply all his daily wants, he knows what his wages are and answers the question quickly, stating what he receives by the day when he makes a full day's work. But when he is asked, "What are your monthly savings?" he is bothered and frankly co
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XXXIII
XXXIII
TOP The summer normals were established at the academy in October, 1905, and were continued during the next two years. Their object was to prepare candidates for the ministry, under the care of the Presbytery, to serve also at that time as teachers in the mission, and later in the public schools; and to afford ambitious young people the opportunity to prepare for the same work. They were conducted by the superintendent and Bertha L. Ahrens, the latter serving as instructor in the class room. At
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XXXIV
XXXIV
TOP The following forms of grace and prayer are intended to be suggestive helps to young people, who have the desire to be ready always to lead in prayer and conduct family worship, with interest and profit to others. Bible reading and private prayer prepare for public prayer; but the latter is rendered much easier, when it is remembered, that it should consist of expressions of thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession. Those that lead should speak loud enough to be easily heard by ev
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XXXV
XXXV
TOP On August 31, 1905, the Presbytery of Kiamichi met at Oak Hill, at a time when an attack of malaria at his summer home at Fonda, Iowa, prevented the return of the superintendent. The attendance of visitors was unusually large. It fell to the lot of Miss Eaton, matron, and Miss Ahrens to provide for their entertainment. They were ably assisted by Miss M. A. Hall and Mitchell S. Stewart. They had sixty for dinner on Friday and Saturday and one hundred and twenty-five on Sabbath. On this occasi
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XXXVI
XXXVI
TOP "Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man."—George Washington. The first meeting, conducted by the Choctaw Freedmen, it was the privilege of the author to attend was their annual Farmers Institute, held in Forest Presbyterian church on Monday, Jan. 1, 1905. Others had been held in other places during previous years but this was the second annual meeting in the Forest church, and it was called the county institute of Fort Towson county. It was their own
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XXXVII
XXXVII
TOP "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; which gathereth her food in the harvest; consider her ways and be wise."—Solomon. The Oak Hill apiary consists of twenty or more colonies, and their annual yield of comb honey ranges from 300 to 500 pounds. It was started with two colonies in the summer of 1905. These were obtained by the superintendent and H. C. Shoals, from two hollow trees in the timber near Red river, and were what are known as "wild bees." They and their comb were placed in movable comb La
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XXXVIII
XXXVIII
TOP On Oct. 30, 1904, during the period of vacancy, ten persons interested in its continuance met in the Academy and organized an aid society, to aid the Freedmen's Board in maintaining it. Solomon Buchanan and Samuel Harris took the lead in calling the meeting. James R. Crabtree served as chairman and Bertha L. Ahrens as secretary. The others present were Mitchell S. Stewart, Wilson Clark, S. S. Bibbs, Charles B. Harris and Mrs. J. A. Thomas. The organization was effected by the election of M.
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XXXIX
XXXIX
TOP Mrs. Flickinger is gratefully remembered for five years of untiring service as assistant superintendent. The sphere of her observation and suggestion included all the women's work in the buildings, occupied by the students, and the special care of the garden and Boy's Hall. In connection with this daily oversight, there was always manifested a feeling of personal responsibility, to carry to completion at the end of the day, any unfinished work, that would otherwise prevent some of the larger
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XL
XL
TOP The following account, of the closing day of our last term of school, is taken from the last issue of the Oak Hill Freedman's Friend, a news-letter, intended to promote the interests of the Academy, and sent to its patrons and friends as a quarterly at first, but later as an annual, from February 1905, to September 1912. June 13, 1912, was a day of unusual interest. It was the last day of the last term of school, under the management of the superintendent, and the contemplation of this fact
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HISTORY
HISTORY
"My church is the place, where the Word of God is preached, the power of God is felt, the Spirit of God is manifested and the unity of God is perceived." "There, I am to meet my Saviour, to meditate on his redemption, to listen to his commands, to bow in reverence before him, to pray for his guidance, to sing his praise, to ask for his help, and to sit quietly in his house." "It is the home of my soul, the altar of my devotion, the hearth of my faith, the center of my affections and the foretast
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XLI
XLI
TOP The ministers and group of churches, that first formed the Presbytery of Kiamichi, belonged originally to the Presbytery of Choctaw; which included the territory allotted in 1832 to the Choctaw Nation, comprising the southeast one-fourth of Indian Territory, after the establishment of Oklahoma Territory in 1890. The Synod of Indian Territory, at the meeting held at South McAlester, Oct. 22-25, 1896, in response to an overture for division from the Presbytery of Choctaw, established the new P
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XLII
XLII
TOP "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord."—David. The early history of the Beaver Dam Presbyterian church at Grant carries us back to the year 1873, when Wiley Homer, one of the enterprising young men of the community, built an arbor in the timber, and held the first religious meetings among the colored people of that neighborhood. Parson C. W. Stewart, of Doaksville, the next year held occasional services in the arbor, and in 1875 secured the erection of the
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XLIII
XLIII
TOP This pioneer circuit rider of the Choctaw Freedmen came forth from a period of slavery, to the Choctaw Indians in the wilds of Indian Territory, that covered the first 42 years of his life. His home was afterwards located near the Kiamichi river, seven miles west of Doaksville. He grew to manhood and always lived in an unimproved, sparsely settled timber country in an obscure and inaccessible corner of the world. Taking John the Baptist, as his ideal of a good christian worker, he became the
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XLIV
XLIV
TOP It has been said, "some men are born great, some have greatness thrust upon them, while others achieve greatness." Many, however, who have inherited a great name, wealth or power have failed to meet the expectation of their parents and friends. When, therefore, any one, reared in the home of poverty and educated in the school of "hard knocks," rises above the unfavorable limitations of his surroundings and achieves a noble career of eminent usefulness in church or state, he merits commendati
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XLV
XLV
TOP "Walk about Zion and go round about her; tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following." —David. Rev. William Butler (B. 1859), pastor of St. Paul Presbyterian church at Eagletown, and of Forest church near Red River south of Millerton, is a native of the community in which he still lives. His parents, Abraham and Nellie Butler, were the slaves of Pitchlyn and Howell, Choctaws; and William was about seven, when freed
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XLVI
XLVI
TOP "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it unto himself a glorious church."—Paul. The following is the enabling act of the General Assembly at Columbus, Ohio, May 24, 1907, establishing the synod of Canadian, to consist of the colored Presbyterian ministers and churches in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. "That the Synod of Canadian is hereby erected and constituted, to consist of
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PART IV
PART IV
TOP The two following chapters, relating to the supreme importance of reading the Bible daily in every public school of the land, are a supplement to the brief discussion of this subject, that appears in the introductory part of this volume. Queen Victoria said to the King of Siam: "England owes her greatness to this book—The Open Bible." The Bible, and the public school to make known to all the children its moral principles and religious truths, have brought liberty, greatness and enlargement t
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XLVII
XLVII
TOP "Education is the cheap defense of a Nation."—Garfield. "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."—Solomon. The public school is the general and permanent agency for the education and uplift of the colored people. Religious and independent schools may do a splendid work in their several localities, but the public school is intended to be state-wide. It alone reaches the masses of colored children, and it should receive its due shar
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XLVIII
XLVIII
TOP "The entrance of thy word giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."—David. An American citizen does not need to go to far-off India or Africa to learn how people live without the Bible. Every heathen nation, living in ignorance and degradation furnishes a practical illustration. This illustration may be found by visiting the countries on the other side of the southern boundary line of the United States, where
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