New-York tribune., 1869-06-26
THE EDUCATION OF THE FREEDMEN.

TO the EditOr OF The tribune.
SIR: Permit me to call the attention of your
readers to the efforts now making TO educate the
children Of the late slave mothers Of the South
the children OF the slave mothers, because from onehrd
10 onehaf Of the coored children not the offspring
OF slave fathers but OF the late saye.owners have
visited many OF the schools In this State, and can state
as the result Of my observations that TO about one
half OF the children In the schools IL is impossible to tell
whether they are white black to which race they
chiefly belong. Since the destruction OF Slavery, how
ever and since the late slaves have owned themselves
and have had control OF their families and to
tent have been able TO protect them, ilegimacy and
amaeamation have mostly ceased inside OF the family
circle among the freedmen and freedwomen, showing
beyond dispute that the whites have sought social equal
ty with the negro and not the with the whites
There we're July 1868 land the number Is greater to-
day than 1t them, IO26 freedmens schools In the
south containing al $40 pupils who are taught by more
than 900 teachers More than s2OOOOOO invested in
and books by the Freedmens Bureau and
tbe freedmens aid societies The total amount expended
I'm sustaining these schools for the year ending July
1869 was t2OO223 &C. OF this sum the various ald asso
Citations and individuals contributed 100000 the Govern
men through the Bureau, S9426 Co. ana the freedmen
themseiyes s3GOOO II doubtful II the whites Of the
South extended much for common schOO5 IN loo rs
tions that two generations Will not pass away before the
descendants OF the freedmen will distance the descendants
of their late in culture and wealth ana In all the
oien,ents of manhood. In North Carolina more than
40 600 freedmen children and adus have learned 70
In the same state have learned TO read during the
son,s time I'm the freedmens schools adults and child
1g d ginge and both have made making aston
shng progress Children eight or nine years OF age can
write fair hand answer the usual questions In geo
graphy and familiar with the hTst four rules IN
Arithmetic and sing almost any Sunday School or Church
mue admirably The schools for adults are Kept IN the
evening and well attended, they are usually tangns
Inv the teachers OF the day schools, who thns impose
npon themselves double, and not unfrequenty wholly
gIatm.ous .,oo,. In .ha qonth aa alreadv init
mated are sustained by the Freedmens Bureau and by
various aid associations, churches and ln tne
yortb Among these are the Friends Association or
philadelphia for the Relief Of Freedmen the American
Missionary Association the american bspts' h h
can Freedmens Commission and the new bngand freeu-
mems Commission IheG m are .; tbese assoeaons report
20 state SupernteDdents Of Schools appointed by Gen.
Howard Dir III. O. VOgle Is the superintendent OF
schools for this state with headquarters at Raleigh The
Friends Association OF Philadelphia mas 90 seno9s anu
aHO So, nd teaehers think are entitled 70 rank with
any IN the South They are under the superntenuehee
of Mr. Jones' Friend from Maine, with at
Danyilie have visited schools under his charge NJ
Godsborough, GreensbOrough, Salisbury, ana other
the progress the pupils are naking. The school at
GreensborOugh, taught by MISS Gorham' from COhneou
cut ana nilss dv at,eDdance has been about l5O
in the day school and 80 In the evening schOoi besuo
these day and evening schools these ladies' eaeh the
Sunday schools and do general missionary Work among
the freedmen and are also organizing SCHOOLS III tne cou
At Beaufort the freedmens schools are sustained by
the American Missionary Association, and these schools
under the charge OF Miss Gilbert from NewIork, are III
excellent condition Many schools and teachers are sus
tained by local churches and by individuals NO human
calculations can adequately estimate the power for good
which the freedmens schools eXerng In the SOUTH
The whites well the negroes are lfted up by hen
and the whole Southern society regenerated and yet
the most bitter social ostracsm Is meted out 10 the
teachers everywhere They cannot get board In white
families spoken TO, and are compelled TO occupy
isolated pews In the churches they are ignored or IN
suited on all public occasions, women gather up their
skirts In contempt they pass the boys ana rowdes
ho0 ut them on the streets. foul ISLANDERS are put into