Journal of freedom. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1865-186?, 1865-10-07
Educ ten II the Colored people.

Educ.tion n the Coiored people.
Southern correspondent of the Nation.
in . letter from Virginia, writes as fol.
lows:
"These gentlemen firmly believe thai
the negro not only will he, but that. IN
most parts OF the South, he today is i
pauper. Yet find 60 man who does no,
admit that, in his own particular neigl,
bdrhood, the negroes are doing tolerahl,
welfare performing whatever ayricultn
raj labor is done. From the most trust.
worthy sources / learn that. in the vieinit,
of ~Lynch6urg. of Danville, Wytheville-
in counties embracing a great part a
Southern and Southwestern Virginia-th.
colored population may be truly described
az orderly, industrious and sell. supporI
ing. And this seems to be plainly shown
by the reports, drawn up by the govern
ment officials. of the Issue to citizens O
what are known as Destitute rations."-
The exact figures | have in the case d
two counties only. During the month o
June, relief was furnished 96l persons ii
Bedford County ; of these, Ii were black
In Campbell County, $50 persons receive.
~austenance from the government !; If thes
$50 persons. IL were blacks. In othe
counties, sometimes less, IS ,lnetim - create
numbers of pers, ms thar in Bedford an
Campbell were supplied with fuod, and ii
them all the proportion OF the negroes T..
the white people was substantially 4h,
same with thai. given above.
walking along the main street tn
other morning, | met several parties at
boys and girls with primers in their hand.
evidently on their way to school Tnrn-
ing about in my walk followed Them til
| came to the door of a large brick tohac-
Gu warehouse or m~anufactnry. Looking
in | saw that it was empty of merchan-
lise, and fitted up with benches as for a
school. The scholars were there also, ami
two soldiers, to whom I introduced my:
self, and by whom | was invited to stay
ers were enlisted men, privates in a Penn
~sylvania regiment. They We're detailed
at their W request for this duty. y"
pay is given them, but while engaged in
reaching they are relieved from all camp
duties. One was without experience as y
teacher the other told me he had been a
school-master before entering the army.
tBy nine o'clock, about one hundred
aud thirty children Of all ages between
three and twenty. were assembled. and thu
school exerciseshegan. 81 want to be ali
angel" was sung in clear and pleasant
tones, and with great correctness OF en-
ohasis ana pronunciation. Tue first stanz
AID chorus WAS all tne children knew, ana
the rest of tie hymn they sangtw"l ines at q
lime as he Teacher dealt il ont To them
'.Whil. he singing Went on, | amusr
myself by counting The faces which CAV,
annlistakeable evidence Of their owner
being of mixed blood There were a
rints and shades of yellow among he forty
nine boys present, and | could find bn.
twenty.seven who seemed to he purei,
Afri IAN Among the girls the propnrtio.
was much the same.
after the singing. a chapter in til,
New Testament was read. and then the
alphabet class recited. They knew theit
letters backwards and forwards,t they couIl
pick out the letters by name, and the,
could tell which were novels and whicI
consonanta. l thought they had mad,
rauid progress in the four weeks durips
which they had been nnder instruction.
"a more advanced class then read
column of a chilI's paper. One or w o
the little girls read exceedingly we'll
They had been taught, they said, whe'
they were slaves.
4 In Lynchburg, besides this school .whIcl
contains about one hundred and ftt.,
pupils, there is another, taught i'll the sam'
way, which contains three hundred an:
fifty more children. 1t is a pleasant am
encouraging sight to see the willingness
with. which the scholars apply thelnselve'
to their lessons, and the very respectable
measure of success which rewards thell
efforts.
SIT is a sight, too, which has attracted
some attention in L~ynchbnrg. The Re
publican, urging upon its readers the i'm
~portance of providing for the education o
their children, speaks of the freedmen
schools, and says: ''How utterly imP"I
rant is it that benefits should not acorn
through governmental or other philanthr,
py to these children of degraded race, :"
which our own are deprived through on
, cnlpable neglect and fhoug'tIeSSuesS'
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