Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-18
AFFAIRS IN THE SOUTH.
Letter from L. F. MeIIen, Esq.

We have been handed the following let
ter for publication. Our readers will find
it of great interest:
MACON, GA, January 9th, 1866.
JosEPH PERKINS, EsQ,-My Dear Sir
1 have been so occupied since 1 left Cleve-
land that 1 have not found a moments
time to write you before, and now 1 have
SO many things that have passed in the
experience of n weeks travels in the
South, that I hardly know what part of it
to report to you, for 1 cannot write one
half.
At Nashville the physical wants of
$4,000 colored people are pretty well sup
piled. The officers of the Freedmen's
Bureau informed me that they were, how
ever, assisting quite q number of women
and children. Many had been sick with
small pox, but the number of cases was de-
cressing. 1 rode about in the most desti-
tute portions of the city. 1 have never
seen in the poorest parts of our Northern
cities, people living, or staying, in tene-
ments that were as poor as the shanties
that multItudes Of the colored people
called "houses;" but / was anxious to
hurry on to Atlanta, where l had learned
from various sources I would find great
restitution and suffering. But, sir, with all
of my anticipations of what l might see
L was not quite prepared for the expert
ence I had for the two or three days l
spent there. In order to facilitate infor-
nation 1 called upon the city physician,
an old and reliable citizen, whose sympa-
thies for the blacks were not very extern
sive, who told me that there were several
hundred lying about either on the ground,
with no covering at night, or, under such
temporary shelter as would afford but lit
tie protection from the cold. And this was
not the worst of it. Many were compelled
to live on a little bread, or such scraps of
food as they could pick up, and this was
not only the condition Of blacks but also
of whites. Among themany cases heteld
me of one which occurred last week his
attention was called to a man and his
wife, who, with a little child, were lying
in the rubbish of an old furnace, lone of
"Sherman's monuments" as they are
termed here,) who were dying from star
Walton. He had them removed and some
food procured, which had the effect to
save the child, but the father and mother
beth died IN a few hours. / saw, myself,
several squads of people huddled around
camp fires, preparing for nights sleep,
and with such severe cold nights as We
have had for the past week, it wouldbe i'm
possible for them to be comfortable.
Atlanta is a central point where large
numbers come in on the cars, both black
and white, en- route to their friends as
they say, and without money can go no
further. Many OF the blacks say that
they have heard if they came to Atlanta
they would find freedom-a sort of u1iver-
sal panaeea to them-to relieve them
from work and poverty. And here
they are without much help from
any one except the daily rations
from the Freedmen's Bureau. At the
Freedmen's Camp are zoo or 500; 500 Of
them are women and childreH-these re-
ceive daily rations from the Bureau, but
they have no clothing to give except a
small quantity of wooden socks, which
were coniscated from the rebels-they
need shoes and all kinds of clothing. /
have seen many bare-footed children, and
grown women with very scant clothing,
and part of that such as was made for
mems wear. Think our Northern people
have but little idea that the weather in
Georgia is so cold. The sun does not melt
the frozen ice from day to day.
What I may find the suffering and
wants TO be in other places, 1 cannot tell,
but the need in Atlanta is very evident.
1 have no disposition to exaggerate it, and
could not if l would. The twenty-five
boxes shipped by the Cleveland Commits
sion will not reach Atlanta for a week, at
least, owing to the breaks in the Chatta-
nooga Railroad, caused by the washing
away of two bridges. This is very aggra-
waiting, but l have made arrangements for
their proper distribution when they do
come, and moro must forwarded immedi-
ately. This want of food and clothing
will only be felt for a few weeks. 1t
will soon grow warmer, 1 trust. The able
bodied men are readily taken to work on
the plantations, and occasionally the appli-
cants for help, who are numerous, will take
a whole family, or a woman.
But there is a permanent work of which
I must speak. The schools of Nashville
are re qolng vel: l VISITED seYeTsl, ian fh he
children had made in a few months. They
had learned to read, could write a fair
hand, and were studying geography and
grammar. The Teachers, some of whom
have had experience in teaching at the
North, said that in their judgment these
blacks, with their eagerness to learn, would,
in the elementary instructions, advance
more rapidly than any other pupils they
have ever taught. But this was limited.
for when they reached the higher branches
they seemed to get Indifferent, and came
TO a ~stand-still. At Atlanta two schools
have but just commenced operations, and
are under the auspices of the Missionary
Association. l found the best class of cit
liens, (Of whom your friend Atkins is one)
were quite DESTROYS that schools should be
for the poor, both black and
white, and as there are an abundance of
latter, l have made arrangements for
he Cleveland Commission to sustain for
he present a white school, until the citi-
sens are able to take it off our hands.
l want to say further, in regard to At
anita, that the war, or rather Sherman's
Irmy, destroyed about two-thirds of the !,
part of the city. But although the peo- :
'le are poor they are making great efforts !
o build it up. Northern capitalists are /
oming in, and soon it will be an enter :
business place. ;
l have written you thus far, Mr.. Perkinb.
a great haste with a view that you might
ublish whatever would be of interest in !
he Leader. L have many things 1 would :
nc Y hAibo Oub udN0 nOG Llm6. i now :
Trite from Macon but 60 back to Atlanta
o-morrow, in hopes to get a building for !
school-but they are very scarce. q
have found friends every where t
nd have had every facility posi- a
lie. Have conversed with all classes of il
len-and could, if I had time, give YOU 0
'me idea Of how reconstruction looks b
me- the prospects of the freedmen, &c.
ne thing l will say, that the citizens n
ere want Northern men to emigrateh here. ii
hey are ready to talk business, and if the v
.orthern people only talk business, they a,
i'll be treated civilly and courteously.
attended a school this evening where the
hole corps of teachers were engaged 7;
aching adults. 1t is very interesting to :,
e these grown up people, and some of "
lem 40 and 90 and so years old; learning
cir letters, cal, boy, &c. Said an old #
oman at Nashville, IS years old, / want d
learn to read-but the teacher saws TO O1
II. "YOu are old, infrm, and will soon W
cit will do you no good to learn to &C
ad." Said she II have loved Jesus many
ars, and now, before 1 die, l want to of
to read just enough to read in the di
bic with my own eyes about Jesus.n
lis is a great work. It does seem to me 10
God has given US such a missionary m,
II in o1.r ovrn 1o-I - 4 IL =