Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-11-10
For the American
Help for the Freedmen.
SECOND PAPER.

country cannot be safe While f0ur mlllion'
of freedmen remain in their present state
of ignorance If this be true, there is the
greatest necessity of all being made aware
of the fact We have no. supported foul
years war, wherein thousands of lives have
been sacrificed and billions of treasure ex-
pended. for the maintenance of an alb
straet principle. 1t was to preserve a
government we considered the best upon
carthfrom the assaults of deadly assassins.
We nobly succeeded. Should we at any
time find foreign foe or any other enemy
about to attack us. we should hold our OBJ
legations to be the same. Our government
shall be preserved, say the American peo-
pie. If our government is so highly vaiu-
ed, we should see that every means Is used
to perpetrate and strengthen it; and if
there he seeds of destruction in our midst
let them be rooted out at once. a general
diffusion of intelligence is held as the ne
eessary condition of a republic
No other land can boast of their COM
plete systems of common schools. The
common school system Of New England
has placed her fifty years in advance of
some of the Middle States, and the schools
of Pennsylvania have placed her one hun
dred years in advance of the South. We
have received yearly thousands of foreign
ers. unlettercd, and ignorant of the prin-
ciples of democracy but having distributed
them among our various communities. and
at cnce admitted their children to our
schools. the acquisition has not become
dangerous, but has rather strengthened the
State. They have furnished us task, but
its performance has benefttcl us.
During the last year. four millions Of
ignorant persons, in addition 20 our former
burdens, were thrown upon the govern
ment. Can it exist aud these people re-
main ignorant :! Certainly not. Expert
tuce and history, as well as the opinions Of
our learned men, say no. The freedmen
must be taught; they must be instructed
in the principles of freedom. of which they
are SO ignorant: of virtue and econcmy.-
| That they are eager to embrace the privi-
legcs of education, our evidence is suflici-
ent To convince us. The foreigner comes
among us. with the settled conviction. that
however desirable i; may be for his chill
dren to become educated, The cannot take
learning" and is by fate destined ever to
he .hewer of wood and drawer of wa
ter The coored man thinks differently
Wishing his children to be taught, he him
self thirsts for instruction. Having so
long labored under the direction of the
master. whom often he pcrccivcs to be
more slnggish in intellect, having poorer
idea Of the prope: system Of labor, really
ignorant Of economy. and perhaps no more
capable of conducting the plantation than
himself; he thirsts for a knowledge of let
tiers. and for the ability to write his own
name and compute the Gebt and credit ac-
counts of the farm. and to become in ali
respects the peer Of the white man. We
aave seen the white headed old man.
STOPPING under the weight of years, nigh.
: after night, when his daily toll was com
plcted assemble with the class of boys
and girls for the purpose of instruction,
In a few weeks did one old man, more
than seventy years of age. succeed in his
attempt to read the bible. With wha,
pleasure could we teach such one; bu,
> with how much more pleasure did we once
aid in instructiug class Of several hun
bred children. with their ivory teeth ant
shiny eyes. just from the front. then in thu
Contraband camp at Washington.
The coored man reasons that. if educa,
ton is necessary to the white man, it il
more necessary to the colOrcd man. else
the colored man must he naturally above
the white man. He has been accustomed
to contrast the ignorant with the educated
proprietor. The former. he sees in power
ty and degradation, the latter Independent
of labor. Quick at conclusions. he per
ceives that corresponding difference vii
he made between the colored people by
| education. His ambition having alwav,
been to become free, he now yearns to he
come in culture the white mans cqnal.
. would not convey the impression that al
are actuatcd by these motives. Many ar,
} too ignorant to feel such aspirations. 9th
ers more cultivated. formerly mechancl
and house servants. reason thus. and /,
! like desire for the frnit, so long forbidden
is caught up and shared by all.
That these people caunot educate them
selves is evident. They have no. thu
means to procure teachers, and the teach
e.s must come from the North. From tn,
: clutch of slavery; thrown upon their Owl
resources. they are scarcely in condition
to support themselves. That they viii
! not be educated by the people who hav,
50 long had the advantages of their labol
without recompence, is equally evident
) Hating them because their enemies freed
them against their consent. but more cs
, pecially because they furnished so very
: important aid in crushing the rebellion
the white people of the South will not ait
them in advancing. Bya system of op,
preston they hope to make his dif.icultiei
of support so great, that eventually ht
will be controlled by themselves, and agar