, 1865-04-02
EHCCATt N roL-.o,ys =.,E E..c

The report IT the At 3, ard n Educat
fer Frcedtn' n, Department: of tho Gulf"
listed February ash. I'll; ], lies before US. II
cH'T!es rs Lack. i4~'l::.li;. ard ly contrast, to
tile lcfiod Whit t!.s: :eachins CT Stare to
1cad was Il h.iitus u:ivsitc, having in the Ian
@n':e II the s:atut*, b a Tendency to incitc
'i:ouH1dil,a.:'M al.l.'p. tlc scryi1c class," "and
''l'unisfi"bie h3 ihrrisou,al-11t 1t hard labor
FOR not more than lwtnty-onc years, or by
death, at the discretion Of til. cuutt.'' Prio.
to the cn.'tule ST .,,w Orleans IN April. 1SG2.
no pubic school f,r cut rcd children h,d
ever existed, although tho free colo: ed anu
latian averaged N,.srr 18th than til. whites
and were taxed t. *i.3'i'Ft til: p4aal.c =r!so .
fol- the Whites. Ct"a>l nassy, stalc wealthy
slavcholdiDS black, ml!arto or "v7.ole,' Is
those were tAtlrd in alloul French and S,1u-
Ish blood mingled wi. the n,uil:to and O,
toroon, would succeed on th. score OF his
wealth, >layclioldin., aiiilia ions or fair com
p!exion, IN secusiEG admission ~ the pnbiic
schools for his children. Generally, how
ever, such taught thri. ch,ldsen at hong, pro~
cntcd Gove7ucsscs sor them, or sent them to
private schools, Of which there were q few for
this class only. FcI The poor blacks, free or
''A@A'Nt s1Nie "E4e AV oEAVu4ss AHa tuuIatlon
Tas crime.
To this state ~ facts there Was in Nex Or
leans cne exception. Mrs. Mary ID. Drice, o,
Ohio, student uf Antioeh College, went
with her husband to New Orleans In 1858 to
engage in the "incend;ayy" occupation oi
tcach!ng co}orcd pt opte. They we're aE poor
as tho blacks them srlrcs, but after nearly q
year spent IN overcoming opposition and Oh
stacics, they opened school in September.
sseo. They were compelled hy tile mob to
close IL IN !une, lsdl, In November follow.
mS fhe again opeuedls, and continued it amid
"ash!nss' 1f''sn the 'tCJufcdcratc off
ecfs anu lnfea's Vi every kind, until the gun,
Of faTfagas commanded the city. Mrs. Br:ct
:, 1 ~" ~ u i3ine'pal q employ Of III.
By tue labor order" of February 1ec,
Gen. Banks briaged the chas,n i,r.vccr
slavery aud freedom, removing the co,eru;n,
porer over tho s'aTcs from the plaatr Il
the Provost Marshal. On march nd lie il
sued further order creating t' Board Q
Education" "with power to establish com
mon schools, employ teachers, erect schoo
houses, regulate the course Of studies, all
have generally thu eane auth :rfty that As
SCISSORS, Supervisors and Trustees hare in th
Northern States in the matter Of csta1fisl,in
and conducting common schools" "a for til
Eudimental Inst uctIon Of the dcemen OF tn
Department, placing within their reach thos
elements Of knowledge which give greater in
telligeuce and Yaluc to labor" The rcpor
furnishes us with the following interestin
results OF less than one years operation 4
the Public School system:
In tptts Of ssnte OF war, OF the fierce opnositio
Q: pfc1udta or passion, OF nil obstacles and dis
blht1cs, 70 really xit7l th1s syutpu Of inst nj
ton, unat AZ shc cose OF tie year 1861 after bu
nine months' cIistvncr, the board Of Ednr.t1n
NAE EuAta.Ding, in surcctsful Operation a. srnn,
with 1G4 IeachcFa and y571 pu1ils-hr,ne 90 % ~.
age monthly Increase Of ii scaools il .ncSe- g. g
and $50 puplis. 'N"-1eis
1u addition, the number Of coIored .5,,t. ,
both eexes receiving instruction In night and r.,
day fchools, under the auspices Of tie Boari'A
over 2, ,tO.
OF tho eeho1ars In attendance In Decamner H.
were 3,t8s writing on s1atcs; 1105 writ:n1
copy bookt; 80 studyin. grammar; 1.3B sind
ing geography; *s3 eiuhs inc pEacttc i arIta u,
tic; 4,GaS studying mental arithmetic: 7.Gn ren
- ing; 83n1 spelling; a,103 learning the pnahot,
Early In the spring of 1864 census was lsk
by the parish Provost ar;ha1s, pf the color