An amusing and interesting incident, which illustrates the struggles of many of the parents to educate their children as well as their faith in God, occurred at the alumni dinner of Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.  At the close of the Commencement, Rev. H.H.  Holloway, of Turin, Ga., the father of one of the graduates, was called upon for an after-dinner speech.  Mr. Holloway told of a letter he received from President Cravath when he felt compelled, owing to the hard times, to have his son John, who had been in the University only four months, return home.  Mr. Holloway, being unable to decipher the president’s writing (the president’s chirography resembles that of the late Horace Greeley—­ED.), asked a Southern minister of his village to read it.  The minister read the letter, and advised him not to waste his son’s time with a college course; this did not prove good logic to Mr. Holloway, as he observed that this minister’s son was taking a college course of study without wasting his time.

We will let Mr. Holloway tell the rest of the story of the letter and his prayer in his own words:  “Not being satisfied with the minister’s advice I went that night down into the woods and knelt beside a hickory-tree, with the letter spread out, and prayed as follows:  ’Lord here is a letter from Dr. Cravath; I suppose you know him.  Here is his letter which I cannot read, but I am told that you can read as well in the dark as you can in the light.  Dr. Cravath says for me to do all I can for my son, and look to you for the balance.  Now I cannot do anything for my son; if he is to be aided you must do all, for one thing is certain I have no money; you have left none with me, and I do not know with whom you have left it.  Now, dear Lord, I leave this whole matter with you.  In your own way and time do for my son what seems best.  I cannot do anything.  I ask it all for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.’  I repeated about the same prayer the following night, and then left it all with the Lord.  In about two weeks I received a letter from my son stating that some one had put two hundred and fifty dollars in the bank at Nashville to his account to aid him through college.  I considered it the direct answer to my prayer.  This is the proudest day of my life to see my son John graduate from Fisk University.  May the blessing of God rest upon it and upon the Association which founded and fosters it.”

There was an unusual number of the parents of the graduates at this Commencement.  Some of the addresses and scenes recalled the words of the aged Simeon when our Lord was presented in the temple.  There were fathers and mothers who at great sacrifice had come from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri and other States to see this famous school and witness the graduating exercises of their children.  They spoke out of hearts full of gratitude to their Northern friends for making it possible for their children to fit themselves for their life-work in the schools of the American Missionary Association.