lEuattJjeltf atton attfo lEimrattim tn % Horttj (Eamlttta iHomttaittfi ONE FEATURE OF THE CHURCH'S IMPORTANT WORK IN THE DISTRICT OF ASHEVILLE BY THE REV. WALTER HUGHSON e THE RECTOR OF MORGANTON, N. C, AND HIS LAY HELPERS IN THE MOUNTAIN . MISSIONS Evangelization and Education in the North Carolina Mountains* WHAT THE CHURCH IS DOING IN THE DISTRICT OP ASHEVILLE — THE LARGEST RESULTS FOR THE LEAST MONEY — A WHOLE SCHOOL FOR $300 A YEAR BY THE REVEREND WALTER HUGHSON, RECTOR OF MORGANTON AND ARCH- DEACON OF ASHEVILLE ANIGHT ride on the train from Washington, D.C., brings one into the centre of the District of Asheville in the western part of North Carolina, and within the borders of what is sometimes called the "New South." This part of the State is known among tourists as "The Land of the Sky." As we go through the dis- trict on the train, or in a wagon, moun- tains and great hills are all about — mountains higher than the White Moun- tains and peaks the highest east of the Rockies. The District of Asheville covers a much larger area than one might be led to believe by an impression that has in some way gone out through the land. As a matter of fact, it is as large as the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. Its twenty-seven counties contain 11,326 square miles. In the dis- trict live over 420,000 people, as many as in the Missionary Districts of Boise, Montana, and Alaska combined. The in- crease in the population has been nearly twenty-five per cent, in ten years. The new manufacturing interests and the magnificent climate have brought many thousands of people here to make their permanent homes. About 50,000 of the people are Negroes. The percentage of foreign-born inhabitants is less than in * The District of Asheville was cut off from the Diocese of North Carolina in 1895. Its first ancS present bishop, the Right Rev. J. M. Horner, D.D., was consecrated in 1898. Present number of clergy 28; parishes and missions 71; communi- cants 1,850. Asheville has completed its appor- tionment for 1902 of $532, almost any other part of the United States. Scattered, widely over the district are the hardy Southern mountaineers, so well known everywhere in the land. Most of them are isolated and secluded by force of conditions. The roads are easily the worst in the United States. Few who have never tried it would believe it pos- sible to drive a horse and wagon over them. But the horses are trained to The district is almost entirely rural. Asheville is the only town of any size in the district, and that has but about 15,- 000 people. The people being so widely scattered over such a large area, it is difficult in many locations to find a com- mon centre within the reach of all. Con- sequently schools are comparatively few and poorly attended and teachers often in- efficient. Not more than one-half of North Carolina's population of school age is en- rolled on school lists, and not more than half of those enrolled attend regu- ularly. The smallest amount of money per capita in the country is raised and expended here for popular educa- tion. But even with this condition, those who are responsible A MISSION SCHOOL IN THE WAYNESVILLE GROUP travel in the gullies, and sometimes it seems as if one were riding or driving on an elevated platform above the horse. For weeks and sometimes months these roads are almost impassable, and yet they are for a large portion of the population the only means of transportation and communication. The old system of barter still prevails in many sections. One of our mission teachers says that a five-cent piece in the eyes of some of her people looks as big as the moon. Another employed a mother in the work of her mission house who had never in her life seen as much as two dollars at one time. for it, and perhaps would have it con- tinued, are being pushed to the back- ground, and from every platform and pul- pit there goes up the cry for education. It has been stated that there are 17,- 000,000 people in the South, of whom none live in a village of a thousand inhabitants. Ten millions of whites of our native American stock, with 3,500,- 000 of children of school age usually un- provided with good schools ! In Northern cities where two-thirds of the population are foreign-born, much is being done by native-born philanthropists. Is not our duty to do something for those of our own blood equally urgent? Wisely, the Church has accepted this call in the District of Asheville. It goes with its arms extended in this effort to educate. The assistance that has been given has come from those who have ap- preciated the need. But there have been no great gifts in money to our field, only great gifts of loving sacrifice. We have now twenty-two Church schools, taught by thirty-six teachers; most of them open eight months in the year. We have an enrolment of nearly 1,000 children. We should have fifty schools and as many teachers. To do this work we need at least $10 a year for each child. That trifling amount will provide a scholarship. To supply a teacher for one school costs $300 a year. That amount will endow a school ; or $25 keep a school going for one month. When the State does all this educational work, we shall use our present school buildings ex- clusively as chapels and our mission houses as rectories. Nothing will be lost. The work is already being grouped around centres. The next move will be to establish permanent industrial and Normal schools in each county, carried on by the same corps of teachers, and the local mission chapels can be cared for by the workers at these centres. Is the plan feasible ? A glance at the record of the work now done in three centres during the past year will be interesting. The Waynes- ville missions are in charge of the Rev. Edward S. Stone, assisted by the Eev. George J. Sutherland and 4 teachers. There are 7 missions, 2 schools with 114 scholars. There have been 007 services, 75 baptisms and 50 confirmations in the last year. The Lincolnton missions are in charge of the Rev. W. R. Wetmore, d.d., who has been working there for forty years, assisted by the Rev. D. T. Johnson and 5 teachers. There are 8 missions, 5 schools, and 137 scholars. There have been 417 services, 26 baptisms and 21 confirmations during the past year. The Morganton missions are in charge of the Rev. Walter Hughson, archdeacon of the district, assisted by 7 teachers and 7 lay-readers. There are 6 missions, 6 schools and 288 scholars. There have been 1,210 services, 79 baptisms and 52 confirmations in twelve months. If the average results in the Church in ST. STEPHEN'S SCHOOL FOR NEGRO CHILDREN AT MORGANTON THE CHAPEL OF THE CROSS, THE MISSION HOUSE AND THE CONGREGATION, BURKE COUNTY the United States were equal to those of of comparison. We would not push the our leading centres in this district, the comparison unfairly, yet the facts number of baptisms in the whole Church brought out in the following table, show- would have been about 400,000 last year ing the number of baptisms and con- instead of 60,000, and the confirmations firmations in a few typical parishes doing would have been 275,000 instead of 46,- aggressive work in large cities, and the 000. This is a strong argument on be- same results in three of our Asheville half of the wisdom of the plan of this dis- missions, are suggestive. The Asheville trict in carrying Christian education expenditures include all money used for with the preaching of the Gospel. In the improvements as well as for actual cur- other portions of the district there are rent expenses. Baptisms. Confirmations. Expenditures. Waynesville Missions and Schools 75 50 $2,500 Lincolnton 26 21 2,150 Morganton 79 52 3,500 Totals for three Asheville groups .180 123 8,150 St. George's, New York 181 204 74,683 St. Bartholomew's, New York 62 121 147,445 Holy Trinity, Philadelphia 34 90 40,626 The Saviour, Philadelphia 53 45 16,821 Emmanuel, Boston 33 27 23,838 Holy Trinity, Brooklyn 24 29 39,509 nine or ten isolated schools, but all doing An industrial school lias already been an excellent work. There should be at successfully started at Arden, in charge least ten more centres like Lincolnton, of the Rev. T. C. Wetmore. The bishop Waynesville and Morganton, and around is planning the same work at Valle these centres a like work could be built Crucis. This place is the centre of six up on mission and educational lines. mission stations, in three great mountain The work of a parish or a mission can- counties, from twenty to fifty miles from not be fully expressed by the number of the railroad. This work has been carried persons baptized and confirmed in it on at Valle Crucis for more than fifty from yeai to year, or by the amount of years, struggling hard, but never losing its parochial expenditure. But the its identity. The mission school is figures showing these results and the out- flourishing, but the time has come to lay incident to them do offer some basis make the change to an industrial school. THE WAYNESVILLE MISSION FOR NEGROES For this, we need $30,000. This amount will do more good for the uplifting of our people than the same amount placed in any college in the land. The work in the District of Asheville has been marked by wise and economical administration. All the workers are making sacrifices. The teachers are a most self-denying body of men and women. The hardships are many and at some places like those in the early his- tory of the country. The people are al- most all Anglo-Saxons of ancient lineage, proud, but often pitifully poor, energetic, but uneducated and deficient in me- chanical skill, and with great pos- sibilities for finely developed character. We need 1,000 scholarships at $10 per annum, Our own people in the mountains are learning to give. One teacher writes: "It is not often we receive money. Even the school child needing a pencil will bring an egg in exchange. A few days ?go I found a woman and two children waiting on the mission house porch. They had walked four miles. The mother had a chicken which she gave in payment of her systematic offering pledge for the Church, and a gallon of cherries to pay for a child's dress, while the little five-year-old girl had brought some strawberries to buy herself an apron." The education of the heart has gone on with that of the head. We are trying to make giving a part of worship here. CHIS leaflet may be obtained from the Corresponding Secretary, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York, by calling for Leaflet No. 949. 3 All offerings for Missions should be sent to Mr. George C. Thomas. Treasurer, Church Missions House, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York, 0 0 3 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church in the United States, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. a 0 0 0000000 The article in this leaf- let is reprinted from Ci)e £>ptrtt of 2®ts&ion8 Every subscription means more money for Missions. Will you take one? The cost is One Dollar a year. The address is 2S1 Fourth Avenue, New York. "/ take this occasion to say how improved The SPIRIT 0/ MISSIONS seems to me to be and how much interesting and well selected matter it contains,''' — Alfred T. Mahan, Captain United States Navy. Second Edition, December ist, 1903.