plish its mission,
namely the training and development of christian teachers.

The term reports of the last eight years will show that all the full
term students that continued long enough to reach the higher grades, 7th
and 8th, were self supporting ones, who were either sent to remain at
the academy during the vacation periods until they completed their
course, or were accorded the opportunity to work out a part of their
expenses at the academy. The full term students whose boarding was
entirely paid by their parents did not average a half dozen a term.

Inability to provide for their board, meant the loss of the brightest
and most promising pupils of the earlier years, about the time they
reached the fifth grade. But a good boarding school can be developed
only where the conditions are favorable for the continuance of the
pupils from year to year, until they reach the higher grades. The fact
that the 7th and 8th grades were reached only during the last two years
and then only by the self-supporting young people is quite suggestive,
not merely of a past embarrassment, but of that which should be an
important feature in the future management of the institution, namely, a
constant endeavor to increase the opportunities for young people to
support themselves by the employment furnished at the institution.

STATEHOOD CHANGES

Another embarrassment was experienced as a result of the changes
incident to the establishment of statehood.

The constitutional convention that met at Guthrie, the old capital, Jan.
1, 1907, changed the map of Indian Territory. From the time the Indians
were located in it until that date the civil divisions consisted of the
general allotments to the different tribes or nations and Oak Hill was
near the center of the southern part of the Choctaw nation. In 1907 when
the boundaries of the counties were established Oak Hill was near the
west line of McCurtain county. The first election of county officers
occurred that fall and they entered upon their duties on Jan. 1, 1908.
It was made the duty of the county superintendent to divide the county
into school districts so as to meet the needs of the colored people as
well as the whites and Indians.

On Sabbath, Jan. 20, 1908, the first superintendent of McCurtain county
called at the academy and left the papers showing the establishment of
Oak Hill district No. 73, for the colored people of that neighborhood.
The district included the northeast qua