Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-04
Freedmen's Schools in Louisiana.


ilr Freedmen, in the Department of the Gulf,
which comes to us from New Orleans, contains
come inteTestng and some remarkable state.
ments. It is well known that until the city
was surrendered by the rebels in April, 1862,
coored people were not allowed to be taught in
Now Orleans but we believe it is not gener.
ally known that "long after that time General
Emory sent for Thomas Conway, to admonish
him not to advocate publicly the opening Of
schools for colored children, as it would be very
dangerous IL Is we'll known that General
Banks, By an order established school system
in louisiana, for the children OF the freedmen
but we believe il is not known that the princi-
pal difficulty which the teachers and superin-
teddents have had to contend with, in multi
plying schools, has been the unlawful opposition
Ol the local provoet-marshals. These persons,
who are petty monarchs in their districts, are,
it seems, not all Of one mind upon the question
Of education. One of them used to set his dogs
loose 10 worry and bite the children on their
way to school another said g don't believe
IN Niger leachers-didn list to help them"
Another did not interfere with the school but
he did not interfere either with those whs tried
to break it up. And so on.
Finally, though it is pretty well known that
female teachers have been found, in the required
numbers to undertake the laborons and often
dangerous duties Of teaching these colorsd chill
dren, it is new to us that southern women have
been prominent in this good work. In the re-
port before us we read that Of one hundred and
sixty-tWo teachers now employed in the colored
schools by the Board Of Education Of Louisiana,
one handred and thirty are Of southern origin,
and only thirty-two are from the West and
North. This appears to us a very important
TACT it is honorable to the brave women who
have shown themselves true to humanity and
superior to vulgar predjudices and it shows,
too, that the prejudice OF race and color IN not
nearly 80 strangly rooted. amongst the educated
classes in the South, as the advocates OF slavery
nave been fond Of assuring US.
The frat public schools Tor freedmen were be-
gun in October, 1868. In Marsh, 1864, the
Board OF Education was formed, and after nine
months Of work it had in operation, January
lot, 1865, o5 schools, with I62 teachers and
9 9,j7l pupils. Besides these children, there were
in night schools and Sunday schools, over 1000
adults. In the dag schools, in December, 2, lO3
we're learning the alphabet, 8 1901 spelling, 1923
reading; 1928 we're studying in mental arith-
melic, ,223 practical arithmetic, 1888 geogra-
puVt @cO grammar 1900 nciO WSitibh VA stnsopt
and | ,lUo were writing IN copy books.
OF twenty thousand colored children, now
within our lines, Of the ages at which they are
received in the schools, eleven thousand were ac-
tually at school in February last. The ladies who
undertake. the duty of teachers unavoidably
suffer many hardships they must live far away
from their friends, often entlrely sea arated from
all society their fare 10 Of the coarsest one
had to board mile and halt from her school
house, and walked ankle deep in the mud during
a whole season, to and from school many are
exposed TO the attacks Of guerrillas many 9th
ers are exposed to annoyance from neighbors Of
tho old slave selling and slave-driving sort--a
class who appear to be cursed with hopeless and
irredeemable blackguardlsm, whenever they are
found in the South Yet these brave and gen.
trous women have persevered, in spite Of all
obstacles and of their whole number, but q
single one, and she northera woman, has failed
10 the proper performance Of the duties
The education Of the colored children has cost
very little. The entire monthly expenditure,
including the cost OF instruction, supervision,
books, furniture, rent, and repairs on over one
hundred buildings, has been less than half the
cost per month OF single regiment OF soldiers.
rhe average monthly expense Of instructing each
pupil is one dollar and half-or eighteen dol
lars per annum. The children are quick. wit
ted, have good memories, are delegated 10 learn,
prove TO be somewhat slow in arithmetic, pre-
serve their books with great care, are obedlent
and orderly, and as soon as they acquire some
thing in the schools become teachers to their
parents at home. Cleanliness and thrift are
iound toIbe promoted by education there, as
everywhere ele. 10 one part OF louisiana the
small planters are beginning to send their chill
dren to the colored schools, and they even attend
the night schools themselves. Hitherto, and
under the old slave system, they had no such
advantages.
The facts We have extracted from this report
must give great satisfaction to every lover OF
democratic institutions. Free Government oaa
only b. successfully carried on where all the
people ara instructed an ignorant class is nec-
eesarily dangerous to a free state, because it 10
the ready tool OF the ambitious and designing.
Ii the people OF the South had been as well ed
uc ted as those of the free states, the rebel lead
ers cou d never have misled them into resistance
to the laws. Ii we want peace, we must spread
common schools over the South; every child,
white or black, must DO sent to school; when
ignorance and the vices OF ignorance are extlr-
pated, then the South will be loyal, peacsable
and Industrious as the North. As the blacks
are educated they will become self-helpfuli but
the very persons who cry out that the colored
people are q useless burden upon the community
are they who oppose the establishment of
schools wherein they can be taught the advan-
tagcs of industry. Happily this fanatcal and
bigoted class ha, no longer any power.-Erea-
ing Post.