EDWIN RUTHVEN SHAPARD (Chapter 8) 1875-1876, New Hope

CHAPTER 8

NEW HOPE: 1875-1876

                  During the 1875-1876 school-year, New Hope had 51 girls: 50 by appointment of the trustees of the Choctaw Nation and one, a former pupil, whom was retained on account of the desires of her parents, and with the consent of the Trustees. There were also two day-scholars, thus making 53 scholars at the school. Sometime between mid-October to late-December of 1875, there was a death of one of the students at the seminary; this being the first death at the school since it resumed operation in 1871.
                 A Choctaw Census was taken of Skullyville County, in late 1875 to early 1876, and listed Rev. Shapard and his wife and children as residing at the school and having 3 horses, 19 cows and 20 hogs. The cows and hogs supplied meat for the seminary. There were also 3 acres of grains in cultivation at the school. It was noted, during the census, that Rev. Shapard and his family had the proper license or permit required of whites to legally reside in the Choctaw Nation.
                 

On September 13, 1875, Edwin attended a teachers institute in the Choctaw Nation whereby Choctaw school authorities and teachers within the Nation congregated and discussed the best methods for teaching and educating the Choctaw children. The institute met at Rock Creek, with Trustee Edmund McCurtain presiding; Houston McCurtain was elected secretary and Rev. E.R. Shapard, upon motion of B.C. Heard, was elected Chaplin with the privileges of a teacher. The meeting opened in the morning with prayer and singing. Committees were then appointed and speeches were delivered. Among the various lectures made were: ‘Progress in learning without being able to speak the English language’, by Rev. Peter Folsom and ‘Mode of teaching English grammar’ by Rev. Shapard, who also spoke on methods of teaching geography. Revs. E.R. Shapard, C.C. Holmes and Peter Folsom were appointed to inform the newspapers of the event. 
           

        The 30th Annual Indian Mission Conference was held at the Methodist Church at Atoka, in the Choctaw Nation on October 6-10, 1875. E.R. Shapard was in attendance and elected Conference Recording Secretary. He was again appointed as Presiding Elder of the Choctaw District, as well as Superintendent of New Hope Seminary.
           

              Rev. Shapard and Willis Folsom traveled 150 miles on horseback, reaching Becks on the Canadian River on March 13, 1876. There Rev. Shapard preached at a camp meeting. From here they ventured to Spring Hill on the Long Creek Circuit, reaching this location on March 18, 1876, where Rev. Shapard preached and Mr. Folsom interpreted. Seventeen people joined the church during this meeting. The next day, Sunday morning, it snowed 6 inches deep.
In the spring of 1876, Rev. Shapard had a memorable experience while in transit to a Conference meeting. He remarked that preachers are generally quiet, earnest, and respectful; however, there are times when the priest’s robes may be laid aside and all become children, delighting in amusement and enjoying a spirited emulation.
                   “…on the Western prairie, a crowd of preachers (a Bishop, two Presiding Elders, General Conference Officer, Editor, et al.) was met by a Western means of conveyance – two horse wagons – piloted by Western boys who would enjoy fun anywhere. Two days had passed, the Bishop and Elders had been delayed in the start but driving good horses – and urgent business demanded that they should pass the train. The horses were pulled to one side and they passed the wagons except the front one. The driver, a real cowboy, did not want to be headed even by a Bishop and Elder. The sleepy mules showed renewed life under the lash. For several hundreds of yards side by side the Elders and the cowboy’s teams were in full trot, the Elders team trying to turn in, in front. I was in the crowd that day and hurrahed just as I used to do when we boys were at play. I forgot whether my new hat was swung around my head or not. At the end of the prairie, the cowboy reigned up and let the officials pass. In dust, thick dust we passed on and the Conference grounds were reached. All became men there, passing the cowboy was a thing of the past. P.S. The 4 a.m. morning signal for the preachers to wake up was a volley from the cowboy’s six-shooter!”
                   On April 1, 1876, the second Quarterly Conference was held at New Hope Seminary and the following day 16 of the pupils from New Hope Seminary joined the church. About half of the children were members of the church and some of them enjoyed a considerable degree of the spirit of religion. Some of the students that had joined the church during the year were: Melissa LeFlore, Emma Haskins, Lula Watkins, Artemissa McClure, Mary Stewart, Cordilia McCarty, Eliza Sunny, Rose Fisher, Ada Griffith, Maryanne Turnbull, M. Durant, Josephine Gardner, Lucy Tobler, Winny Dixon, and Rosie Durant.
              After the school was closed for the summer, the Shapard family traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to visit Jennie’s family at the Neely Farm in Madison, Tennessee. Edwin purchased fabric and two toothbrushes from the store, Manlove and Meadors of Nashville, Tennessee, on July 7, 1876. However, he was back in Fort Smith, Arkansas, by July 12, where he made a purchase from the store, Tibbetts, Parke and Co.