In addition to the schools mentioned in the Presbyterian work they have quite a number of large parochials which are doing splendid work.
PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOLS MANAGED BY COLORED PEOPLE.
It will be noticed that quite a number of the Presbyterian Schools are under the management of colored people. These schools are very well managed and reflect great credit on the ability of colored men.
Swift Memorial Institute is located at Rogersville, Tenn. It was begun by Rev. W. H. Franklin in 1883, under the most unfavorable circumstances. He began at the very bottom and had no other capital save intellectual ability, school-training, strong purpose, perseverance, and unswerving faith in God and the righteousness of his cause. It is true that he had the hearty endorsement and co-operation of the Presbytery of Holsten, the Synod of Tennessee, and the Freedmen's Board, but they were not in a condition to render him the assistance required and the conduct of the whole work, for a number of years rested upon his shoulders. In the face of opposition, discouragement and prejudice of every kind, the work had a gradual and solid growth. Each year found the school advancing and intrenching itself in the confidence of the people at home and abroad. Mr. Franklin did not lose any opportunity to earnestly present the necessity and the claims of the school in Tennessee, in Ohio and in Michigan. In 1887, when the founder had raised a subscription of $500, the Freedmen's Board appropriated $1000 to purchase a desirable site which had been selected. The school soon outgrew its new accommodations. In 1890, the school had prospered to such an extent, and had so favorably commended itself to the Board that it pledged $5,000 for a suitable building provided that the friends of Rev. E. E. Swift, D. D., of Allegheny, for whom the school was named, would raise $5,000 additional. After two years of soliciting, pleading, praying and hoping, the Board and the Ladies of the Church in Pennsylvania, Illinois and elsewhere took hold of the matter in real earnest and soon the building was erected. The site was enlarged and made more desirable by an additional purchase. May, 1893, found the school in an elegant and substantial brick building, 116 × 42, and three stories high, erected at a cost of $15,000. The building has all the modern improvements and is much admired by all visitors for its simplicity, its neatness and its conveniences. It has many visitors. The whole plant, site, building and furniture, cost about $25,000. These funds have been supplied by the Freedmen's Board, Women's Societies and benevolent individuals, besides many gifts annually for current expenses and scholarships.