The colored Tennessean., 1865-10-07

The Southern correspondent of the
Nation, speaking of q certain class OF
Southern men and the freedmen,
writes as follows:
ssThese gentlemen firmly believe
that the negro not only will be, but
that, in most parts of the South he
to-day Is, a pauper. Yet find no
man who does not admit that, IL his
own particular neighborhood, theme
groes are doing tolerably welfare
performing, whatever agricultural la
bor is tdbne. From tile most tust-
worthy sources I learn that, inthe
vicinity of Lynchbnrg, of Danvlle,
of Wytheville--in counties en1bac-
ing great part of Southert Ind
Southwestern Virginia--the colo'ed
population may be truly describedas
orderly, Industrious and self-supp,rt-
ing.And this seems to be plainly
shown by the reports, drawn up by
government officials, of the issut to
citizens of what are known assDesti-
tute Rations' The exact figures I
have in the case of two countiesonly.
During the month of June, relief was
furnished 961 persons in bedford
county of these, 13were blacks In
Campbell county, $50 personsreceiv-
ed sustenance from the government;
of these $50 persons, IL were blacks
In other counties, sometimes less.
sometimes greater numbers Of per-
sons than in Bedford and Campbell
were supplied with food, and In them
all the proportion of the negroes to
the white people was substantially
same with that given above.
''Walking along the main street the
other morning, / met several parties
OF negro boys and girls with primers
in their hands, evidently on their way
to school. Turning about in my
walk, followed two grotesque- look
ing little creatures till / came to the
door of a large brick tobacco ware
house or manufactory. Looking in,
l saw that it was empty of merchan-
disc, and fitted up with benches as if
fora school The scholars were there
also, and two soldiers, to whom I in
troduced myself, and by whom was
| invited to stay and see the school
when in session. Both teachers were
enlisted men, priyates in Pennsyl-
vania regiment. They were detailed
at their own request for this duty. No
pay is given them, but while engaged
in teaching they are relieved from all
camp duties. One was without ex-
perienee as teacher; the other told
me he had been schoolmaster before
entering the army. #a 7tat
BY nine O'Clock, about one nehnndred
and thirty children, of all ages between
three and twenty, were assembled, and
the school exercises began. II want
to be an angel" was sung in clear ahd
pleasant tones, and with great cor
rectness of emphasis and pronuncia
ton. The first stanza and the chorus
all the children knew, and the rest of
the hymn they sang two lines at
time, as the teacher dealt it ont to
them.ta1 .lI dzins1 81 H1oa III. att5
While the singing went on, anus
ed myself by counting the faces which
gave unmistable evidence Of their
owners being of mixed blood. There
were all, tints and shades of yellow
among the forty-nine boys present,
and / could find but twenty seven
who seemed to me to be purely Afri
can. Among the girls the proportion
was much the same oaa 17-ti4.2 aHH
After the singing, chapter Of the
New Testament was read, and then
the alphabet class recited. They
knew their letters backwards and for
wards, they could pick out the let
ters by name, and they could tell
which were yowels and which were
consonants. / thought they had made
rapid progress in the four weeks dur
ing which they had been under in
struction.A II s9a'i a9l5 a31nMt"+r
Amore advanced class then read a
column of a child's paper. One or
two ofithe little girls read exceedingly
well. They had been taught, they
said, when they were slaves.
! In Lynchburg, besides this school,
which contains about one hundred
and fifty pupils, there is another,
taught in the same way, which con-
tains three hundred and fifty more
children. tits a pleasant and encour
aging sightto seeithe willingness with
which the scholars apply themselves
to their lessons, and the very respec-.
table measure of success which re-
wards their efforts. . .t1 t5siA3 Hi 4iEt
1t is sight, too, which has at
tracted some. attention in Lynchburg.a
The Republican, urging upon its read
ers the Importance of providing for..
the education of their children, speaks
of the freedmen's schools, and says Il
ssHow utterly important is it that
benefits should not accrue through
government or other philanthropy to I
these children of a degraded race, Of
which our own are deprived through I
our culpable neglect and thought
lessness. y fI@ sI4fo.i .fsIs1 aaaG7d