The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Page 164

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164

The school at Piney Woods takes cripples, too.

I noticed one boy with both arms off and several
‘otherwise disfigured.

During the meeting on Sunday afternoon I sat
in a rear seat during a lecture given by a colored
man, who was born in Africa and has been in this
country since his twelfth year, but who is now ready
to return to Africa and help his people with a “vision
for service.” Next to me sat a man by the name of
Collins. Collins is both a student and an instructor
at the school. He helps teach agriculture. He has
a family of thirteen and was married when sixteen ;
he had no education and cared less about it in those
days. Later he realized the value of education, ap-
plied at Piney Woods, and now he and his entire
family moved on the school property. According to
what he told me they all seem to be students at Piney
Woods, he and his folks working about the place,
cutting wood, hauling, etc., to pay their way. They
live in a house somewhere on the 1,500 acres be-
longing to the school.

Of course, most of the 400 students (more or
less) are girls and boys, young men and women,
physically and otherwise normal. The school does
work through the twelfth grade, and plans are being
made to add a junior college. The elementary school
was built by Rosenwald. There are two teachers in
charge of the grades; they are teaching about 100
pupils, some of whom are living at the school, while
others come frofn the community. We are to have
an opportunity to get into this school and teach
religion also. Courses are: given in horseshoeing,

carpentry, domestic sciences, etc. Concrete bricks
are made by the students, and all work on the build-
ings is done by student labor. At present a large
girls’ dormitory is going up by student labor.
Iasked about the size of the faculty and got various
figures, ranging from twenty-five to forty-five. There
are four white teachers besides Mr. Johann, who is
the landscape man and a sort of Jack of all trades
on the campus. A Bohemian leads the band, which
was organized about three months ago. I heard
a concert by the band; it plays creditably, consider-
ing: that it has been in existence only a short time.
There is both volume and harmony, though in my
opinion more of the former. But it is really miracu-
lous what*has been accomplished in the short space
of time. Also a course in stenography is given.
Buildings.

At present there are seven main buildings. There
‘is an administration building, which has under its
roof the chapel. The chapel has a seating capacity

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

tory and a girls’ dormitory. The community house
serves as a home for Mr. Jones. Transients are
taken care of in this building. One large room
serves as a place for faculty meetings, ete. This is
the best building on the grounds, having running
hot and cold water, electric lights, and even such
things as one would not look for in a country house.
And it is kept nice and tidy. There is also an electric
plant, which supplies light for the buildings; how-
ever, it is too small to take care of all buildings.
It was built years ago, and the rapid growth of the
school was not taken in consideration. The sixth
building is used for blacksmithing, ete. Then there
is the Rosenwald School, the only frame building in
the group. Besides, numerous buildings are scat-
tered here and there, such as dwellings for teachers
and smaller frame structures that take care of over-
flows in boys’ and girls’ dormitories. The main
buildings are arranged in a semicircle, and the land-
scape man has plotted the grounds for the future.

You know that the Piney Woods School sends
quartets out in house-trucks all over the country
soliciting funds. There are quite a number of such
quartets out now. The enrolment during the summer
is not so large. During the summer there are no
recitations during the day. Then the students work;
they attend classes either in the morning or at night.
I should estimate the enrolment at the present
writing at about 150. In October the enrolment
will climb around 400.

The Sunday-School.

On Sunday morning, at 9.30, Sunday-school was
conducted. A staff of about eight teachers took care
of the 170 attending. There were a few present from
the community surrounding the school. I am told
that as soon as information reaches the people in the
neighborhood that we are going to hold services and
that there will be preaching regularly, a goodly
number will attend, people not at all connected with
the school. I sat in one Sunday-school class and
listened. This was the adult class. Like all over,
no definite doctrine was taught. A comment on this
verse and the next, but nothing definite. A question
was asked by a student, and the teacher told a story
which did not answer the question and then moved
on to another point. When the classes again assemble
in the chapel, a general review is held. I was asked
to take this review. I taught the lesson about’ twenty
minutes, driving home three or four salient points.

The Morning Services.

After an intermission of thirty minutes all as-
sembled again for services. This was entirely in my
charge. I preached on 1 Cor. 6,20: “For ye are