The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-04-01
Saturday Morning, April l, 1865.
[From tie New York Evening POst.l
reedmen's Schools in Louisiana.

freedmen'S Schools IN Loulslana'
The first report OF the Board OF Education
for Freedmen, in the Department OF The GUS
which comes to US from New Orleans, con-
tains some interesting and some remarA"Dio
statements.
IL is well known that until the city was sur
rendered by the rebels, In Aprh, 1ooN, SoAoa, -
ed peonle were not allowed TO bo Taught III
New Orleans: but we believe IL Is not SeHer-
ally known That .loug after that time Genefal
Emery sent for Rev. Thomas Conway 70 ad-
moulSh him not to advocate puDncly Inc OPEN
ing OF schools Tor colored children, as 1t would
be uery dangerous"
Ii is well known that Gen. Banks, by an Or
der. established a school system Ill Louisiana,
tor the children OF the freedmen; pus we De-
leye it is not generally known that the prin-
cipal difficulty which the teachers and super
in1endents nave had to contend with, in n,ul-
tiplying schools, has been the unlawful oppo-
sition OF the local provost-marshals. THESE
PERSONS, who are petty monarcns IN tnelr dis
IIicts, are, lG seems, not ali OF one mind upon
the question OF education. One OF them USED
10 set his dogs loose TO worry and bite the
children on their way TO school; another saio,
Al don't believe in nigger-teachers-dldnJ list
to help them." Another did not Interfere
with the school, but he did not interfere with
those either VINO tried to break it up. And
SO on.
Finally, though it is pretty well known that
female teachers have been found, in the re-
quired numbers, to undertake the laborious
and often dan geious duties OF teaching these
coiored children, it is new TO US that Southern
women have been prominent In this good
work. La the repolt before us we read that
OF the one hundred and sixty-two teachers
now employed in the colored schools by the
Board oI Education of Louisiana, one hun
cred and thirty are OF Southern origin,
and only thirty-tWo are from the West and
North. This appears to us very important
lacT. 1t is honorable to the brave women WHO
have thus shown themselves true to humanity
and superior to vulgar sprejudices; and It
Shows, 100, that the prejudIce OF race ana col
or is not nearly SO strongly rooted, amongst
the educated classes In the South, as the adVo-
Gates OF slavery have been so iond OF assur
ing US.
Ihe first public schools for freedmen were
begun in October, 1868. In March, 1854, the
Board OF Education was formed, and after
nine months OF work it had in operation, JAN
uary lst. 1865, 95 schools, with 162 teachers
and 9,572 pupils Besides these children,
there were in night schools and Sunday
schools, over 1000 adults. In the day schools
in December, :, l03 were learning the alpha
bet, ,301 spellng, 1923 reading; 462S were
studying mental arithmetic, ,223 practical
arithmetic, 1928 geography, 2S3 grammar,
1858 were writing on states, and l 1,l08 were
writing in copy books.
OF twenty thousand colored children, now
within our lines, ofthe ages within which they
are received ia the schools, eleven thousand
were actually at school in February last The
ladies who undertake the duties of teachers,
uuavoidably suffer many hardships they must
live far away from their friends, often entirely
separated from all society their food Is OF the
coarsest; one had to board mile and half
from her school house, and walked ankle deep
in the mud, during whole season, to andfrom
school; many are exposed to the attacks oftle
eueIrillas many ethers are exposed to annoy
ance from neighbors OF the Old slave-selling
and slave-driVing sort-a class who appear 10
be cursed with hopeless and irredeemabe
blackguardism, wherever they are found IN the
South. Yet these brave and generous women
have perseyered inspite oil all obstacles; and
OF their whole number, but single one, and
she northern woman, has failed in the proper
performance of the duties. gsi'4
TIE education OF the colored children has
cost very little. The entire monthly cxpend-
iturs, including the cost OF instruction, super
vision, books, furniture, rent, and repairs on
over one hundred buildings, has been less than
half tne cost per month OF single regiment
of soldiers. The average monthly expense oil
insuuciing each pupil,s one dollar and hall
or eighteen dollars per annum. The chill
dran are Quick-witted, have good memories,
are delighted to learn, prove to be somewhat
slow iuarithmetic, preserve their books With
great care, are obeoient and orderly, and as
soon as they acquire something in the schools
become teachers to their parents at home
Cleauli Illness and thrift ale lound to be promo
ted by education there as every where else. La
one part of Louisiana the small planters are
beginning to send their children to the colored
schools, and they even attend the night
schools themselves. Hitherto, and under the
old slave system, they had no such advanta-
ges.
The facts we have extracted from this re-
port must give great satisfaction to every low
er of democratic institutions. Free govern
ment eau only be successfully carried on where
all the people are instructed ian ignorant class
is necessarily dangerous TO iree state, be-
cause it is the ready tool OF the ambitious ard
designing, If the people Of the South had
been as well educated as those of the free
states, the rebel leaders could never have mis-
led them into resistance to the laws. II we
want peace, we must spread common schools
over the South every child, white or black,
must be sent 10 school; when Ignorance and
the vices of ignorance are extrpated, then the
South will be loyal, peaceable and industrious
as the North. As the blacks are educated
they will b. come selfhelpful; but the very
persons vino cry out that the colored people
are useless burden upon the community are
taey who Oppose the establishment OF schools
wherein thev can be taught the advantages of
Industry. Happily this ianatical and bigoted
class has no longer any power.
d