Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-03-01
Editorial Correspondence Of the Free Press |
From the West Indies.
No. VIII.

81 ORoiNs Jan % 1901.
The School System for the Lajorers' Child
ren.
sad a, the close Of former letter that
Ialr conception of she eoHdInon ~ ths iADoring
population in this island could not he hsd With
out some account Of what provision Was made
for heir instruction in learning ani religon
durin, the later years OF tlavery, aud What
now exist for the same object. wish ny read
era t. keev u L,iGa tas. > iAuCsers aIi the
lsbcs population | mean roW aud heretofore
only those employed on the sIta,es in the country
In the two small commercial towns 4 Chris
tianstad and Frederickstld, the condition Of the
population differs in from that eu the estates ia
several respects, Of which shall speak in
futuIe letter.
The establishment Of schools FOR tie iusiruc
tion cf the lsborers' children was one Of the re-
marksble acts for the benefit Of the Elase popu
laticn which spraas rom the humane spirit AMI
strong authority Of Gov. Won Seholten- In the
year ls39-nine years before emancipation WaE
proclaimed, he caused the erection u sutstau-
tsl school h5sses IN different parts q the island,
expressly for the instruction o. the children Of
the slaves, and in the early part Of the year
ls4l, these schools were opened. There are
eight Of them. HIS acts Of course hal the sane
ton Of the King Of Denmark haze before NE
a copy Of 4 C.,eehi.n Of scr'P'ural Truths,
principally designed for the use Of tie country
school. in the Danish West India Islands. com
piled BY the Rev. J. X. BAgger, h. p., of the
Danish Church, with the saaoiion oi It's most
eIcellept Majesty, the King" II is = neatly
printed little book ofsIKty- seven page, snstr0ug
white paper and in large clear type, AMI
bears New York imprint. The dedication 4
it is worth reading Ii is as follows
To
Peter Carl Frederick Won scholten.
For several years
Governor Of the Island Of ST. Thomif,
And since 1927
Governor General
Of
All the Danish West India Islands
whose zeal
IN ;he establishment
Of the
Country Schools
will be duly appreciated
and
ever faithfully remembered
hv
every trae friend Of Mankind
Aad more especially by that class themselves
whose mental and moral improvement
is contemplated,
is this little book
mos, respectfully dedicated.
An e.csilen, introduction from "B. Luckock,
Minister of the church of England" says that
it has the concurrent approval Of all th'
churches in the island, the Danish, the English
the Roman Catholic, snd the Moravlan, or Unit
ted Brethren. being thus happy proof Of that
unan nifty which Christianity can produce ani
maintain, where there is a concurrent admission
Of the great leading truths"
By an ordinance of King Frederick the sew
enth. dated Sept. 6. 1853. ia which alusion i
made to soae temporary regulations hithert
in foroe, under date of Dec. 1916" (Nhici
was the year previous to his ordinance declarinl
that the young children Of the slaves should b
ree forthwith, and all the slaves free at the en-
Of the next twelve years)-and by a subsequen
Royal ordinance of Aug, ~, 1868, the presen
system o, :oan.sy schools Was established an
continues to be maintained. The last ordinanC
is short one, slightly modifying some Of ,h
] Of he af
Of considerable length. give an abstract
its E.aiS provisions.
!. All the children on the estates must a
tend the country schools from their 9th to the
10th year, every working day, Saturdays e
sspted-snd on Saturday a school is held
( the children Of from 10 to l3 years. T
school hours for both the youn. children, al
the older ones who attend the Saturday schoO
are hzsd at from O'Clock to IL O'Clock in
forenoon. Those, however, who ofhcists
monitors. are TO remain IN school half an ho
i longer.
4, N.B--Itis is to be noticed that when |
= schools were fret opened the limitation Of 4
for the children was from four to eight yea
Afterwards it was set at from Eve to nine yea
and now it is from siI to ten years-the oil
" aud more improved scholars to be allowed
attend the Saturday school from their tenth
i their thirteenth year.
2 There is one vacation Of about fortni
at the time Of Christmas and New Years,
'Y other Of week at Easter time. and enc
% single day on Whit Monday. about six We
We after the Easter vacation
be Q. Children under siI years Of age canno
be ssnt to the school. uor any cne having an in
tious disesss- The manager Of an estate