Daily national Republican., 1865-09-30
Aatiuual Republican
SATURDAY KvENIsa >: sKpTEMBER 30, 1855.
OF the Coiored People.

Education Of the Colored People.
Southern correspondent Of the Nation,
In a letter from Virginia, writes as fol.
lows,
"These gentlemen firmly believe that the
negro not only will be, but that, In most
parts Of the south, he to-day is, q pauper.
Yet fin6 no man who does not admit that,
In his own particular neighberhood, the
negroes are doing tolerably welfare per.
forming whatever agricultural labor ID
done. From the most trustworthy sources
learn that, In the vicinity Of Lynchburg, ol
Danville, Wytheville--in counties embra-
cling great part Of Southern and South.
western Virginia-the colored population
may be truly described as orderly, industri-
GUS and selfsupporting. And this seems
TO be plainly shown by the reports, drawn
up by the government officials, of the issue
OF citizens of what are known as Destitute
rations.' The exact figures have In the
case OF two counties only. During the
month of June, relief was furnished 96I
pesons In Bedford County; of these, l3
were blacks. In Campbell County, $50
persons received sustenance from the gov
ernment; OF these $50 persons, 12 were
blacks. In other counties, sometimes less,
some times greater numbers of persons
than In Bedford and Campbell were sup
piled With food, and In them all the pro-
portion OF the negroes to the white people
was substantially the same with that given
above.
walking along the main street the
other morning, met several parties Of
boys and girls with primers in their hands,
evidently on their way TO school. Turning
about In my walk followed them till |
came 10 the door Of q large brick tobacco
warehouse or mandatory. Looking In l
saw that II was empty of merchandise,
and lifted up with benches as for school.
The scholars were there also, and two
soldiers, TO whom introduced myself,
and BY whom l was invited TO stay and
see the school In session. Both teachers
were enlisted men, pivates in a pennsyl-
vania regiment. They were detailed at
their own request for this duty. No pay lie
given them. but while engaged In teaching,
they are relieved from all camp duties.
One was without experience as a teacher;
the other told me he had been q school.
master before entering the army.
by nine O'Clock, about one hundred and
thirty children OF all ages between three
and twenty, were assembled, and the school
exercises began. 4 want TO be an angle,
was sung In clear and pleasant tones, and
with great correctness of emphasis and
pronunciation. The first stanza and cho-
rus all the children knew, and the rest OF
the hymn they sang two lines at a time
as the teacher dealt IL out 10 them.
while the singing went on, / amused
mysef by counting the faces which gave
unmistakable evidence of their owners be.
ing 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 be purely African.
Among the girls the proportion was much
the same.
"After the singing, q chapter in the New
Testament was read, and then the al alphabet
class recited. They knew their letters
backwards and forwards, they could pick
out the letters by name, and they could
tell which were vowels and which conso-
nants. thought they had made rapid
progress In the four weeks during which
they had been under instruction.
"A more advanced class then read
column of child's paper. One or two
OF the 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 contains three hundred
and hfty more children. 1t is a pleasant
and encouraging sight to see the willing
ness with which the scholars apply them
selves to their lessons, and the very res
pectable measure of success which rewards
their efforts.
ut is a sight, too, which has attracted |
some attention In Lynchburg. The RepI5-
licaH, urging upon Its readers the i'm Oor-
lance of DrOv idinp for thu edncatinn nf
their children, speaks OF the freedme ems
schools, and says: How utterly impor-
tant is 1t that benefits should not accrue
through governmental or other philauthro-
py 10 these children of degraded race, Of
which our own are deprived through our
culpable neglect and thoughtlessness. , "