The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-10-28
WEDNESDAY, MORNING, oCr. IS 1858
The largo minority Of an oOmmunitIea

WEDNESDAY, MORNING, oCr. Is 1853
The large minority of all communities
are supposed TO be able 10 provide for
cor themselves, or else to have natural do
.evl nestle guardians who provide for them
The duty of government to such Of its
citizens az are able TO make their own
living is simply 70 see that they receive
the lust wages of their labor so far as
their support is concerned But there
arc some members of the community who
ltsl have by various msfortunes been bereft
Of ordinary means of support, by disease
and extreme old age combined with
poverty. TbAse unfortunates must be
provided for in public or private char
liable institutions. Other members Of
F society are sometimes unable 10 provide
for themselves by reason of their extreme
youth and having relatives to care for
rli4J them, become the foster children Of tho
eur1 State In all the States of the Union, Sc
far as we are informed the laws provide
.tl ... for the apprenticeship Of crphans who
have none TO support protect them du-
ring their infancy. Similar laws have
existed for centuries doubtless in all the
s ll civilized nations of Europe The court
takes the destitute and frendless child
and binds il by ndenure to serve so
.-Il.. many years at some trade, requiring of
the person who takes it the performance
~ Of such duties as may fit his ward to
~. ~ become profitable member of society,
e,e when he shall have reached certain
bas age. This provision is certainly an en-
inently wise and benevolent one neces-
.- -r,-r. sary not only for the peace of society,
but for the happiness of the apprentice
l1i..Ww Not only orphans but other children
often bound to serve apprenticeShips at va
rious trades, and not very long ago il was
the universal custom to bind all tyros At
.1aaT1e trades by indentures There doubt
.astr thousands of men in Nashville,
Of them honorable, wealthy, aud ipfluen-
gal ~ tus tial men, who were " bound out" in
boyhood by their parentsor guardians
'''A" TO regular apprenticeship No good gov
eminent will countenance idleness and va
gabonism. II aims that every individual
,aa shall be taught how TO provide for him
.p self. 1t seeks to elevate and enlighten
every member of society. Hence common
fa st schools, asylums for the Blind, and 9TH
asfas er institutions.
- The present social and political con-
3. vulsiOn in !his State having completely
disrupted the slavery system, has neces-
nltaat1 sarily thrown upon society large num-
Der Of slaves too young to provide for
themselves at present The able bodied
negroes are aockng into the service OF
the Government by thousands, as laborers
and soldiers leaving at home many too
aipa 4a young to earn their own living. What
saatst must be done with them ? Shall they
be taken into contrAbAnd camps and kept
in idleness by the Government, amid al
the Generalization which must DO bred
lo' by hudling such mass of human beings
together Certainly this disposition o.
them would be deplorable in every posi-
a BILE aspect. OOntraband camps, whore al
the young and helpless slaves are mass
ed together without employment, must
fle s speedily become hot beds of vice anC
degradation in all its most offensive forms
The stout and ble-bodied negroes car
~ soon find work, and we will do them the
justice TO say that have almost al
ways found them willing to work for fail
wages But what is to become of th,
hundreds of young negroes from ten t.
sixteen years Of age whose fathers are il
the service of the government? If lef
49, 70 themselves they must either perish OF
eadlives which will make them burden
to society IT is our duty TO provide a
gainst this evil, aud prepare the negro
children to earn their living, in a decent
and profitable way. If judicious sys
tenn Of apprenticeship were devised d
meet these cases. il would be A most de.
srAble and prAisewOrthy scheme. Lee
these young negroes, who have no proper
meAaa Of support, be ndentured as ap
prentiCes, to be treated as human beings
properly worked clothed fed, and in
structed and not be considered as here
tOfOre, mere brute beasts, to be dashed
tortured chased with bloodhounds, an
sold At the slave pen like hogs 0
cattle.
OF course there many negro chill
dren whose parents would be the best an
most proper guardians, aud such woult
not come within the general plan we hav
suggested Whenever the parents AZ
able and competent they are the be-,
guardians Of their children. Isis nevg
the policy of the laws 10 interfere be
tween individuals only in cases of abso
lutte necessity. The less governmer
society can get along with the better.
We have thrown out these suggestion
in crude form, rather for the purpose
inviting the further discussion OF on
main idea by others, than to offer very
clearly defined scheme to meet the EN-
Urgency. We intend 10 resume the sub
mnnfu A a Hsnt