The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-16
WASHINGTON, D. C..
FREE LABOR In TROPICAL PRODUCTIONS
Emancipation in the British wsst Indies.

Without reprintirg in this number the cir
, liar of Nc Tsrpap, We close for the present
:hs series If replies 20 i.s questions, by insert
ng ong aud remarkably lucid communica-
tion nom the Hon. Samuel j. Prescod, col
D. ed member Ct the Jamaica Legislature for
he last thirteen years. When he first took his
seat in hat body, he was the only member of
bic cclor, and was exposed to every kind Of
Insult, but he braved it all, and triumphed,
and now ne, his wife, and daughter, are invited
by The Governor to his balls, &c.
The communication abounds in facts, and is
written with so much clearness, intelligence,
and candor, that it must carry conviction to
every mind disposed TO Judge fairly.
FROM HON 8 J. PREscoD,
A Colored Member Of the Jamaica Legislature.
Presuming that you keep a copy of your
queries, / shall merely indicate them by their
numerals. ~ F
RELIGIOUS CONDITION. -ra
l. II is only Of the externals of religion that
can presume to speak and in this respect
there has been considerable advancement since
the abolition of Slavery, but to what extent
referable to that measure as q cause, cannot
venture to say. By throwing open the planta-
tions to the efforts of jealous ministers, and
giving the late slaves right of independent
action, emancipation has no doubt in some
degree contributed to the result, but nothing
more definite than this can be said on the sub.
ject
The Island is divided into eleven parishes.
a. Il,
ceiving stipend from the public Treasury. Pre-.
viousy TO the establishments of the Diocese in
1924, this was the only recognised provision.
in Law or in fact, 1.-THE Wesleyans had q scarce.
ly tolerated mission in Bridgetown,) for the
spiritual wants of the community. The rectors
were ordained in England, and, after they got
into their livings here, led very free ard easy
lives, in nothing distine Unstable, generally
speaking, from other gentlemen of their class
The religion of that time was of q very low,
unpretentious standard, and the least said of
the prevailing morality, amongst even the very
highest classes, the better. The Diocesan pol.
ity effected q very important reform in the
character of the clergy and their ministerial
functions, giving the first impulse to that move.
ment which has kept up to the present time.
There are now, in addition to the parish
churches, some twenty-six or twentyseven
chspels of ease and chapel schools scattered
over the leland, and numerous body of Gu.
rates, some of whom are, like the rectors, re-
cipients of public stipends. The Morsvians,
too, have got a footing amongst us, and, with
the Wesleyans, have been greatly extending
their borders, the latter having in this town
alone two fine, large chapels, in place of the
one of rather contracted dimensions demolish-
ed by q white mob in 1923, besides several
stations, some of them with neat chapels, in
otter parts of the Island.
Religion is now very much the fashion with
all classes-God alone is the judge as to it's
earnestness. immortality in its grosser forms
il far less brazen-faced aud rampant among the
more respectable classes, white and colored !;
and even In the lower grades of society it is
very much modified in appearance, daily losing
Its more revolving aspect, and assuming that
of approved gentiiity. We may not be better
than we were a quarter of a century ago, but
we ere decidedly more refined. We sin more
decorously.
STATE OF EDUCATION.
2. On this head, it is really difficult to write
at once briefly ard accurately. Our schools
generally are of very low standard, those for
the children of the laboring classes most des-
picably low. Even at this day, when public
Of education for the people, when the Legisla-
ture has appropriated public money for the
purpose, and when some improvement has
been made in tie school system, if system it
can be called, you, having in view your COM
mon schools IN the States, would scarcely be
able 10 conceive anything more miserably de.
fective in the way OF schools than the far great
er number Of these provided for our people.
The teachers themselves are, for the most part,
swful!y ilii,erate, their only qualification, il
would seem, for the very important duties
thrust upon them, being sort of reputation
for what is called pidy. The much abused
Bible is generally The only reading book in
these schools. The children learn a hymn or
two, the catechism, few inexperienced
texts CT Scripture, to scrawl with pen upon
paper, ard read with shocking drone or
sing -song, mispronouncing half the words.
This is the eoucation they get, and you may
Judge of its value in moral ard mental point
of view. The best can say for it is, that it
does not always spoil child of good natural
parts.
The emsncipated slaves, at the very outset,
evinced most earnest desire for instruction,
both for Themselves and their children; and
had they been met then in proper spirit and
with proper educational system, we should
have been very much the better for it as q
community at this time. 1t was no uncommon
thing during the first year or two of emancipa-
ton TO see men aud women, some of them far
advanced in years, with spelling books and
primers from which they were striving to &C
quire the ars of reading. The difficulties Of
attainment, with the necessity of daily labor for
subsistence, got the better, no doubt, in most
eases, of this zeal for learning but there is
reason to believe that the efforts of not few
were partially successful. With regard to the
children, the difficulties were in many instau.
ces, of a more depressing character Some OF
the planters seemed TO have q horror of educa
ton, as destructive of that unressoning obedi
ence they had been accustomed to from theiI
slaves. Others were simply averse to the with
drawsl ofthe children from the light work of ths
estates by which they were trained to usefulness
for the purpose of making " scholar" of them
And for one or other of these reasons, in not
few instances, Il speak of what has come under
my own notice. the parent was threatened
with ejectment from the estate, or the inhictior
Of q fine in shape of special rent for the child, q,
the penalty for sending it to school. / know
some who actually paid this penalty. Thes,
are by-gones, which are only noted here as par
of the educational history OF our peasantry.
better feeling now happily prevails through tn
country; and the education of these people
and the improvement generally of their socis
condition, as a means of moral advancement,
are everywhere acknowledged to be necessar
to the well being of the community of whici
they form 30 large aud important part. Til
Legislature, as already said, have granite,
money for the purpose of educating them, an,
the system, We may hope, will some day b
improved and rendered worthy of its ORC
posed object. The reaction, indeed, has bee
90 great amongst the upper classes, that IL
people themselves are now charged with OF
posing the chief impediment to the educatio
of their children. The pressure of populatio
upon subsistence is 80 great, and so seriousl
felt in the cabin of the labcrer, that man