The Choctaw Freedmen Part 40

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SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS

"Gather up the Fragments that nothing be lost."--Jesus.

SAVINGS OR WAGES

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 confesses he cannot tell. Before the end of the second month the wages of his first month have slowly pa.s.sed through his hands for personal expenses and little or nothing has been saved for profitable investment.

When a boy works for a farmer, who receives him into his home, providing for him a furnished room, fuel, light, boarding and was.h.i.+ng, he does not seem to receive more than half what the other boy receives who works for the railroad. When he is asked the same question, "What are your monthly wages and what your monthly savings?" he makes reply by stating the balance in the farmer's hand as his savings, and that is correct; but he cannot tell what his wages are, by way of comparison with the other boy.

The first boy at the end of the month has received wages the other boy his savings, save for his clothing. The latter at the end of the year has ordinarily saved more than the former, though all the time he may have imagined he was not receiving sufficient wages, merely because the monthly allowance of the farmer is commonly called "wages," instead of by the right name, "monthly savings."

That which the farmer does for his boy, in providing him a home and helping him to save his earnings, this Industrial Academy is now doing for every boy, that is received into the members.h.i.+p of the Oak Hill Family and makes his home there during the summer season.

At the Academy he not only finds steady employment, but is removed from the places that call for worse than useless daily expenditures; and the monthly allowance, made by the Superintendent, represents not his wages but his monthly savings, in the deposit bank of the inst.i.tution.

When a parent or boy makes the discovery, that the boys who remain at the Academy during the summer months have more funds to their credit in the Bank of the inst.i.tution in the fall of the year, than many of those who receive a higher daily wage elsewhere, and that they also make the most rapid progress in their studies, they begin to see the difference between working for savings and working for wages; and how much better off is the boy, who takes the training and grows up under the stimulating and elevating influence of a good educational inst.i.tution.

INVESTMENTS

A personal expense is an expenditure of money for some article that may indeed be necessary, as a pair of shoes, but it begins to depreciate in value as soon as the expenditure has been made. A profitable investment is an expenditure of money, time or talents, that is expected to increase in value or yield an income. If a lamb is purchased it will grow into a sheep and its value is doubled. If an acre of good land is purchased it is sure to increase in value according to its quality and location.

The ability to avoid personal expenses and to make profitable investments is one of the things that determines our good or ill success in life. The education of a thoughtful, earnest boy or girl is ordinarily a good and profitable investment, for their value or usefulness may be increased many times more than that of the lamb or the acre of land. If they are gratefully responsive to their training no better investment can be made, than that which has for its object the intellectual, moral and religious training of our boys and girls.

A christian educational inst.i.tution is an investment for producing manhood and character, things that money will not buy. One may invest in bonds or stocks, and make or lose money; but he who aids in the production of christian men and women, trained for service, increases their usefulness and continues to live through their consecrated lives and achievements.

This inst.i.tution makes its appeal to the friends who have money and who would make a profitable investment; and also to the thoughtful boys and girls, who would greatly increase their value to society, the church and the world, by obtaining a good education in their youth.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GOING TO SCHOOL]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ORCHESTRA--1912]

[Ill.u.s.tration: YOUTHFUL SWEEPERS Holding and using the broom aright]

[Ill.u.s.tration: OAK HILL--Weimer Photos]

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SUMMER NORMALS AND CHAUTAUQUA

"Apt to teach, patient."--Paul

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 cla.s.s room.

At the time they were held, they afforded the only opportunity in the south part of the Choctaw Nation, for the Freedmen to receive this training. When the McCurtain county normal was established at Idabel in 1908, they were no longer needed and were discontinued.

Those that attended the normals were as follows:

In 1905, Mary A. Donaldson of Paris, Texas.

In 1906, Mary A. Donaldson and Lilly B. Simms, Paris, Texas; Mrs. W. H.

Carroll and Fidelia Murchison, Garvin, Mary E. Shoals, Grant, and James G. Shoals, Valliant.

In 1907, Zolo O. Lawson, Shawneetown, Mary E. Shoals, Grant; Delia Clark, Lehigh; Virginia Wofford and Solomon H. Buchanan, Valliant.

When the first summer normal was held at the academy in 1905, a request for some lectures or an instructor a part of the time addressed to Hon.

J. Blair Shoenfelt, Indian agent, Muskogee, brought the following response from John D. Benedict, superintendent of schools.

"The colored citizens of the Choctaw Nation have not been allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the benefit of the school fund of that Nation; hence we have not been able to establish any schools for colored children in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, until this year. We have now a few colored schools in both of these Nations. There has never been any demand for normals or summer inst.i.tutes for colored teachers in these two Nations. They will enjoy an appropriation of $100,000 for the ensuing year, but there are no funds available for normal schools among them this year." John D. Benedict, Superintendent.

This letter indicates the lapse of provision for the general education of the Choctaw Freedmen and its renewal during the last years of the Territorial government.

LICENTIATES

Those that pursued the course of study, provided during these years, for those that were preparing specially for the ministry, were Noah Alverson, Griffin, and John Richards, Lukfata. Mr. Richards died at 28 in 1908 and Mr. Alverson was ordained in 1910.

CANDIDATES FOR THE MINISTRY

In April 1911, Riley Flournoy, Sylvester S. Bibbs, Fred McFarland and Clarence Peete expressed the desire to become ministers of the gospel and were received under the care of the Presbytery at Eagletown, as candidates. All were members of the Oak Hill church and school.

THE FIRST CHAUTAUQUA

In 1907, the last year under territorial government, arrangements were made for a patriotic celebration, in the form of a Chautauqua at the Academy. The following account of it is from the columns of the Garvin Graphic:

The Fourth of July meeting by the Freedmen at Oak Hill Academy, near Valliant, was a real patriotic Chautauqua, the first meeting of the kind ever held in this part of the Territory, and well worthy of more than a mere pa.s.sing note. The preparations for the occasion, which included a comfortable seat for everyone, were fully completed before hand. The speakers' stand and the Academy buildings were tastefully decorated with our beautiful national colors, one large flag suspended between two of them, being twelve feet long.

"The exercises included three series of addresses, interspersed with soul-stirring patriotic music by the Oak Hill Glee Club, and the speakers included several of the most eloquent orators in the south part of the territory. The occasion afforded ample opportunity for the free and full discussion of those questions, relating to the administration of our public affairs, that are now engaging the attention of the people; and this fact was greatly appreciated both by the speakers and the people.

"At the forenoon session James R. Crabtree presided with commendable grace and dignity. The Declaration of Independence was read in a very entertaining and impressive manner by Miss Malinda Hall, who has been an efficient helper in the work of the Academy, since its reopening two years ago. The princ.i.p.al address at this session was delivered by Rev. Wiley Homer, of Grant, a large, well built man with a strong voice, who for many years has been a capable and trusted leader among the Freedmen of this section. Others that partic.i.p.ated were Johnson Shoals, of Valliant, who has been pursuing a course of study at the Iowa State Agricultural college, Ames, Iowa, and W. J. Wehunt, one of the prominent business men of Valliant.

"At the afternoon session Isaac Johnson, a natural born orator, presided and, both in his address and happy manner of introducing the speakers, enlivened the occasion with unexpected sallies of natural mother wit and eloquence. Rev. W. H. Carroll, of Garvin, one of the instructors of the Academy, discussed in an able manner a number of questions relating to the educational and church work among the negroes; and he was followed by Prof. P. A. Parish, of Idabel, the well-known "Kansas negro," but of full-blood African descent, who seemed at his best in the discussion of current and local public questions.

"Rev. Wiley Homer presided at the evening session and the address was delivered by Rev. Chas. C. Weith, of Ardmore. This address, delivered in the cool of the evening, marked the climax of interest. In an eloquent and forceful manner he recalled the events that led to the first declaration of independence, which was for the freedom of the soul by Luther in Germany in 1517; traced the growth of this sentiment in other countries until it found its expression in the Declaration of Independence for the citizen, by our forefathers in 1776; and pressed the urgent need of G.o.dliness on the part of every American citizen, in order to have the highest type of patriot and to insure the permanency of our civil and religious liberty. This address was a rare treat for the people of this section.

"Patriotic solos were rendered by Miss Bertha L. Ahrens, organist, Rev.

W. H. Carroll, S. H. Buchanan, Mrs. J. A. Thomas and Miss Hall.

"The barbecue was prepared during the night previous by Charles Bibbs.