The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-12

churches, prompted, no doubt, mainly by sect
lar considerations, worldly advancement oeins
as the people thought, the great end 10 De al
swered by their freedom and to this enc, edr
cation and Christianity being necessary. Grsdrs
ally with many this eagerness subsidized, the dii
ficulties of knowledge and the duties OF relgio,i
being more than they had calculated upon, an
the worldly advantages less, or certainly les
| immediate. Still, numbers persevered, and )
| think your own observation will have incline
you to admit, that in general our churches an
chapels are well attended by all classes an,
compilations, that our Sundays are compare
lively well observed, and that throughout soci
ETY. there prevails widely extended interest
amounting almost to rivalry, amongst those O.
different connections or localities, in the diffd1
sion Of Christianity as well as of civilization
l have just stumbled upon the following adver-
tisement which appeared in the Barbados
papers of October last, with the remarks of on.
of our journalists upon ii.
In 1925, some streets in Bridgetown, aDS
roads leading to it, were thronged with the
Sunday market, for the sale, not of provisions
only, but of goods of all kinds; and the feel
ings of the people were all in favor of this
state of things, and strongly opposed to any in
reference with it. Observe the change which
the advertisement indicates
OF the moral habits of the people, / am almost
unwilling to speak. There exists, as / have
admitted, deplorsble amount of vice amongst
| us whether mere or not than exists in other
countries of greater note, am not prepared 10
say. OF this amount of vice, much no doubt
is to be attributed to human corruption, which
operates in all countries, to the Illustration
largely of the best efforts, both of legislation
and philanthropy. This source of evil is no
doubt aggravated amongst US by the faint of
Slavery. Still, there are numbers of individu4
ais, and of families too, in all classes, who are
contending against botd and, despite of their
united influence, living like Christians. l ad.
NIT that we have, alas many disappointments.
even In the church-many among the baptized
not born in wedlock-many who have publicly
confirmed the vows of their baptism, falling
away into folly and sin-msny of the married
unfaithful to their plighted troth but what is
now the case of some of our peasantry, was,
during Slavery, the case of almost all ; and
though we cannot but lament any faiIure-still
more, so great a want of Christian character as
continues to be found among us-yet il is surely
something to observe progress, and witness
amongst our people an increasing sense of
character and Christian responsibility, with in.
creasing intelligence, and growing anxiety
respecting their own improvement, and that Of
their children.
To all these results, Freedom has, no doubt,
under Gods blessing, contributed largely.
There was, admit, some progress before the
actual emancipation. Bat, then, there was
also no little advancement towards Freedom in
a great mitigation of Slavery, partly by law,
and partly from the influence of public opinion,
under the cover of which the good cause was
advancing to the final attack.
2. In regard to Education, have no hesita
ton IN saying, that there has been vast i'm.
provement since 1884, especially in the quality
and amount of instruction given to the children
of the laboring classes, notwithstanding the
necessarily slow progress of the work arising
from the want of teachers in an uneducated
people. 1t is not until education has become
common, that teachers become 30 and then
the attendance at our public schools is unfavor.
ably affected by the multiplication of private
schools, espt cially those of petty character,
held by infrm men or women, unable to get
their livelihood in other ways. In our last
Ecclesiastical Return for Barbados, dated April,
1857, we have stated Isl private schools, with
4, 364 scholars.
The following is comparative of our church
schools in Barbados at the dates mentioned: