The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-10-07
Freedman's Village.

i'' az headquarters we miro
duced ourselves to the gentlemanly super
lntendent, Mr.. johnson, who gave us :
courteous welcome and accompanied us
through the different branches of the insti
tuition. The village accommodates abou
three thousand inhabitants and consists O
long two story houses neatly whitewashet
and kept scrupulously clean inside ant
out. The streets are policed or sweep
daily and the whole place presents an al,
OF neatness which many a New England
village might initiate with advantage. The
population varies from 2OOO to 5000. and
is constantly changing, new ones arriving
from g the 'front.'" and those who have
been here some time leaving, some going into
the army and others going north as labor.
ers or servants, while many of the young.
er ones are hired out to northern families
for term of years or until they become
of age. Those who remain who are able
to work are employed by the government,
upon the national cemetery and in cult.
waiting the government farms several
hundreds acres of the Arlington estate be-
ing cultivated in corn, oats and wheat
and several hundred tons of hay cut this
season
The institution is thus made as near
selt-sustaining as possible, but not entirely
so owing to the large proportion of aged
and infirm persons and children who are
nOn-producers. This class are kindly
cared for, the former resting in comfort
able and quiet homes while the sun of
freedom lights their exit from the world,
and the latter being fitted for lives of use
full employment. Our first visit was to
the tailor's shop where the busy click of a
dozen sewing machines invited us into a
long hall in which were seated about one
hundred women whose buster tongues flew
faster than their busy fingers. Their duty
Is to keep an ample supply of clothing on
hand for the use of those who shall from
time to time be added to the Freedman's
Village, and although most of them here
received their first instruction in the use
of the needle the work turned out was
very creditable. They work nine hours
in the day and in the evening attend the
school and are instructed in the primary
branches of education
The school house is large one-story
frame building capable of seating Il great
many persons and is also used as place in
which to hold divine services on the Sab
bath. There are about one thousand
children in the village, between SIX and
seven hundred of whom attend school, and
are instructed in the primary branches of
reading, spelling, arithmetic and geography.
They have a corps of devoted teachers,
mostly ladies, whose hearts are in their
work, and l was assured by them that
their pupils make better progress then
could be expected of them.
The hospital is reduced model of the
large military hospitals, and like them is
scrupulously neat and clean and has every
possible appliance for the comfort and re-
covery of its inmates. Everything is ar
ranged according to the most perfect sys.
tenn and order and works smoothly and
we'll
Finding the demands upon Freedman.
Village to increase beyond its capacity tc
accommodate new settlement, similar il
all particulars, has recently been establish
ed on Mason's Island, which is in tn,
Potomac betweenWashington and George
town.
Similar institutions, some of them O
larger magnitude, are also established a
Fortress Monroe, Portsmouth, Norfolk
New Orleans, and wherever the necessity
exists in consequence of the congregation
of freed slaves within our lines.
Such is hasty glance at the effort
which the government has been forced II
make-even while the struggle is still 60
ing on-towards adopting the freedme,
to their new condition as an outgrowth O
the war. Although some may denounc
it as an evidence Of the purpose of tn
government to abolitionize the war,
am forced to regard it not only as a neces
slty OF the times, but as the highest wis
dom and the best policy. A power highe
than the purposes of politicians or partie
is working out these results and whethe
we approve Or whether we deplore, it
useless to reason against the inexorabl
logic of events. am willing to admi
and in fact believe, tha.. taken as a race
the negro race is inferior to the white, bu
| can see in that the strongest reason VIII
the superior race should labor for his ele
vation rather than his degradation. Ths
they have capacity for elevation beyon