The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-12
SENSIBLE ADVICE.

General GRIFFIN, the Chief Commissioner o.
the Freedmens Bureau for Texas, it would appear
has made good use ofhis opportunities in study.
ing the character and habits of the negroes, over
whose welfare he was called to preside; and he
embodies the result of his observations in the
shape of advice and instruction in circular to his
subordinate agents. Phis circular has historical
and chronological value, not contemplated by Gen
era GRIFFIN; for, by careful perusal of it,
trace the influences of two years Of freedom on the
character of the new citizens.
First, then, we are glad to find that General
GRIFFIN has arrived at the conclusion that it is
better to make haste slowly, and he accordingly
time and wages has resulted to the freedmen from
their engaging with persons Of insufficient capital
and experience, and that they (the agents of the
Bureau) should earnestly advise the negroes to
prefer making contracts with responsible parties
rather than yield to eHtravagant promises which
are almost sure to foil of fulfllment.'
The New Orleans correspondent Of the New
York Times remarks quietly on the above: ut is
not necessary to intimate that all these persons
of insufficient capital and experience are from the
North" They belong to that class of men who
migrate Southwark with slender purses but full of
self-assurance. They cajole the negro into making
contracts at high rate Of wages and either fal dis
astrously or sell out during the growing season,
leaving their credulous dupes in the lurch. Find
ing themselves thus deceived by those who pro-
fessed to be their friends and who claimed to have
the confidence of the Freedmen's Bureau, the
freedmen quit the plantations and crowd into the
cities and villages, in the hope Of picking up IN
loose, desutory way q living for themselves and
families. Once there they are beset By temptations
they cannot resist, and losing all the restraints
that were put upon their passions in their former
state of servitude, they become idle and vicious
and worthless, With full knowledge Of the dc
plorable extent to which these evil influences have
already debased the negro character, General
GRIFFIN urges that they shall be "advised to keep
away from crowded cities and towns" tor that
'fdleness and vagrancy lead to crime" They arc
also to be admonished that sall the efforts of the
Bureau and of charitable associations will be use
less unless by industry and frugalty they resolve
to help themselves"
From one learn all. The whole world is kin, the
good in Texas about planters and labor, and about
city and country, is no less true In South Carolina
and in Charleston. We must confess, however, I'm
the light of what passes before our eyes here),
to some surprise that General GRIFFIN should
deem it necessary to instruct his subordinatess
that they shall insist that the freedmen shall send
their children to school, and to tell them that it ID
not only their right but their solemn duly to ac-
qure knowledgel" In this respect we are certain
" ahead of Texas. The difficulty here would be
to keep the negroes from getting rapidly educated.
They literally dovour WEBSTER (NoAH), by day and
by night.
Gen. Griffin next proceeded to the consideration
of one of the Ten Commandments. Why he con-
fines himself to the seventh, and has nothing to
say about the eighth it is impossible for US to sur
mise. Still we are thankful for this much. The
next circular may supply this deficiency 1t seems
with Ill the marrying of freedmen, that has been
conducted wholesale during the past two years
by Chaplains, if we are not mistaken, appointed
for this special purpose, there is still room tor
complaint, because of irregularities. 1t is sur
prising that the sBureau of the marital relations
1--WE are not sure that we have the exact t'tle OF
this subdivision of the Freedmen's Bureau)
should have fallen so far short Of establishing the
institution Of colored marriage on sound basis,
as to need the following implied rebnke from
General Griffin. He says to his agents: "Giye
the subject of marriage especial attention. Bear
in mind, and impress upon the freed people, that
the relation of man and wife is an institution and
sanctioned by the Almighty, and use your best IN
deavors to gather them into households, and IN
duce them to observe the sanctity of the marital
relation" This is wholesome, christian, scrip
tural advice. It is great pity, however, that it
should be needed in that quarter.
Here then, says the Baltimore Gazette, in re-
viewing the same circular, we have, in the shape
of official instructions to agents Of the Freedmens
Bureau in Texas, q complete exposition OF the
causes which render the free negroes not to he de-
pended on, and Of the degraded condition 70 which
such large numbers of them have been reduced.
They have been cheated of their time and wages
by disreputable adventurers. They have grown
d;scusted with plantation labor. They crowd into
towns and villages where they huddle together and
Ieat; Life Of idleness and vice and crime. They 90
not appreciate for their children the educational
blessings which Northern 'sschool marms" arc pre-
pared to shower on them, and they have shown,
thus far, contemptuous disregard for the binding
oblis ations Of marriage. All this we gather from
the suggestive instructive instructions before u.s.
We find also that these evils are becoming OF such
magnitude that each of the Sub-Assistant Com
missioners Of the Bureau is directed. s'immedi-
ately' on receipt Of the circular, sto make tour
through the section of country properly coming
within his jurisdiction for the express purpose pf
;mpres ing upon the freedmen the necessity OF
their acting in accordance with the foregoing prin-
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