, 1870-11-27
FREED CHILDREN IN VIRGINIA,
u school Experience.

funhy," but Inever kue. e1.csly whit taay
mean; unsi! the first t;nae tha. stool u bs-
fnre school q! li:sls black chill.ea 4 ,.n in
virI't ia. "felt funny" then, sure enough.
They had never been to school before, sasy
scarcely knew what school was aa1 tLey all
sat with their great shining hlack eye. on ua3
the blacks 50 very black. ths whitea 80 verr
white, like hnrkleherrics in boIl Of miE.
eoulehods said, till I grew 80 nervous tha! /
felix az If I must either laugh or crr, aaa
should lie. --1~4 t.-e1
long time before conFd kcaa FROM laughing
whenever 1l.esEd theua. When thu calored
people werc slaves thny had no family aamss
as We have, they were ir-t called J,ua or Tom
or Sally; eometimcs they added th9 nanc OF
their 1na.tcr or mistress, bat ofsea they hsd
otlv the ono.
One li.sls hoy gave lis namo as Dan,y
Jim"
t.That ie your other ua.es" asked.
''Ain't got no oler name"
y What u your snnthers naac:"
:. Namo'Ana: Folly
What is your fathers nones"
Name Uncle Jake"
md haven't you any Eaaao bu. Ji.,:"
Done tole yer Ny mama Danny Tim. MINI
my ca me Jim, ole uasra ca ue Dandy jim.
Likes dat ar dc bes'.'
Then I came to another who called himself
" Psc-tlcn Linkun-"
"Why," l raid, "5ou arc rot rrc.iaen.
Lireoln!" .....--.
IL: Liza to- II ~ ns's; sa! ,gao; it. and ,1,0
enough ali The nan,s he had, vas l're:ileas
Lincoln, or, ns tha called it, prcs'd.n Lin
Eum." Truth coMpels mo to nekuowfadge
that - President lincoln did not always be-
have III Just the manner that would have heen
expected from. peraonage with such dis
tinGujebcd name.
Another had rerer hen1, ea1fc1 snrtl,;n- lint
ltus.er." There was one pretty, bright
looking little fellow, about five sears old. with
| Just enough Of lisp to make hlm as cunning
!. possible. When l asked his name he ssid.
~ tn Mahala Thrrieg,h' boy"
- But Whist is your name ?"
"Datar my Dame.r
"what does your mother call you :"
"Ca' me boy"
"what do oiber people cal yon:''
ga me Mahata Thprissth' boy"
I So there wsa nothing Is be done but to rus
there WAS Gin'al Eu,ler," and s'J.n Ceow:"
~ blsck r. crow, and Al full Of mi 'c!,icf a.
the jim Grow who, the old H,us SAYS, used to
cut such queer capers. don't believe there
Naa ever another school register like tina. one.
colin" ''yu>ter," '.Mah.Ia sspsiss's Boy"
"Gtneral Du.ler." "Jim Crow" Aud lie
owLers OF theae names answered to them as
seriuns!r az il thero want anything funny
| A.ont il. ard thero wasn't to them; they
didn't SEQ that theit names we're at all out or
tho way.
They had bccn accustomed to running Will
I cut at DOOR alt their 1ivts, aad 1t wae very
h,1t for them to sit still for two or til. e.
iiotrs in tchcof. 1t would not have been quito
70 lstttl ii our scboe1room had bacp mora com.
Portable; but NO had no nice br,ck school,
honec: VIC had to use an old barsnck, or
barn, CT whatever We could get. And WI had
no cesks or chsire, only long benc}iea, ao.ne Of
! thtn without backs, where the children had to
sit packed as close a. behring's in Lox. Thoy
could rot very well help getting into trouble
| utcs some one would cali out, ;. Teacher,
! dis ser bog = chtulan :" By which they
meant pushing with his elbows or g. Tesch-
el, please make ais ycre gal lava kersalf: :" or
Teacher, make dis sere hoy stop roliu'
be eyea roun' at me-" Nothing troubles
thtm. Sometimes matters we're moro seuo1s.
| aud wonla hear. hoy. III mnsh yer mouf CT
yer don, lenn,o lone" When the5 are very
! boGx - moui."
One day tench full Of girls in front OF one
| Of the boys benches was overturned, and the
| girls rolled it. heap On the floor. "IIow did
tlus happen !" askel.
abs zero Charlie. tLey al. screamel in .
breath. ''lc Done di1 il !: dona Chunk dc bench,
| Al GG:H We all un TO TO.
"WAy, chatl'e,"1 SAID, "'Thst made goa 90
II does hate G,tls," eaid Charlie; znd ho
ecemtd to consider that Good and Sufficient
reason for upsetting bench full of thcm.
| Bur they soon set over ali this, and becams
I as quiet and orderly rs any one could de.ire ;
anu never saw auy children at the North 20
eager to lasru, or who tried go hard IS these.
| ILeir parents we're al very poor, and but few
| OF them wcrs able to get books for their child
rem, 20 many Of the boys uscd to work after
school hours and earn money to buy their own
books. One little fellow, only yclrs old.
haa looked with longing eyes. as day after dag
nssed him. He Was gons / week, then
caus Will primer, which 1le showed in tr-
umph- Dune gut my book." he said. 1lc
WAS eueh little 1elloE that I uaver thousht
OF his having bought it himself, SO sail. ;.
IA IA, zerx GID. Who gase ga # to yoa: Ile M
| Ans~tred. - Didn't nobody CUB it to me. Das
| sel?"
where did you set your money! aakea-
"Done kotch bait for it."
Ne had caught amal! fish, which be sold to
pennies he earned in this way, at lass hs1
cnorgh to Lug book. The boys had all sosts
u ways Of making money, aud know 4aite
vol how 10 take care Of their own interests.
Orc 10y 10 years old. a. soon ~ he coul,l real
III tho luiuleE, started Eight school. Tlcte
were several men who wanted - learn to
read, tu: As they Netc at work all day thoy
had NJ rlauee IL so to school TheE engaged
lille D.ek TO teach thtm iu the evening. raT-
IJE lin i've eep;s wecE each. He always
,Ieis:. d upon beng pail in advance. ssked
Lin. why thst vas.
"Wel," lie said, II dunno 'no:3in bout
ttc4 ii 1lt1 des moue 50 CT a1y tllne, an
* c.y'. get dar weeks lsruin fus, mout
whsle fer MY moue:. Dat 'se 0ay ch.le.
! ca1.'1 ~ uoNhars widont my nanny. an Of
tcs aS= Gar u1naeF. dey = Fto nan ter Git &c
.a.1!iu-
i thought tia. was bright enough for q
Yaalee 1uy. He cared money ia this way to
| La, al the books he needed, and put quite 4
Little rum into the-ssri=gs 11nk bss,des-
TLese cMld:cn woula spend their las: eEn1
fer book, il they "eGs without anything t
cat in constq tqaence. They did caro- more II
!t.ru 1lau 10 cl:- ot.eu shs5 wuall coma Il
u. late il lho 1ay and sA;, "rieA-s ma'Am
L.u run hnma jes . lev minutes when nj,
cl.se ia troo: Amt hid nottia' ter cat to
day, .-.-.-.
NitLopt sour l1ealfAet:'
Had work ter do dis mornin', an whsu
| got g.oo it Hor late, an 'se faAred 10 lat
r.: rcbuol. 20 didn't wait fer no breNus."
TAev bad no clocks their only Way uf tel
ing ,hu time u ~ by the sun: and on eioui
|
wtre ro afraid VI Icing 1ata that it WAS yer
cenmen thng fox them to bring thsir breat
fast TO school And cat it there There was ou
little Eiti who lived more than milo from th
echuol- The roads were vtry had in VI
weather, and uAe tad 10 eToss q brook whei
there was no bridge, only stepping stones. a
ter heavy rzin the @Ascr would slse 10 thai tc
stcnes wero entirely c1,yered, and shs had I
wade through N bent she could. She Used
coue through storms that would have Ike!
m&py grown people in the house. aud ofte
came iuto kchooi wet TO the skin, aud with It
water running in streams from her clo;he
Et1 one whole ye2r this little Gul w4s neitha
Abeent Lor tArdy. -.
Nheuesez any Of the chiliran happened
be late, they were cure to hiring soma ye'
good 6xctte, though sometimes it wouli
!. ye@5 cunical- Ore moruirg anoul 10 o'clo,
> I by came flashing, all out Of breath, ia
Tic rtlool room. e1clAiming- +" DEED, uA'A,
I Couldn't hep bain late dis non.in' npk t
save my life. n! NANNY done got COW, 4
De COW doue gotR calf, All de CALI done rann'
Away. IN de COW done gone al'er de cali, Z
done gone afr de COW. an epec ha Il
rlely niutLin' row, gaiue Ai'r dis yere-"
lily class iu Sunuay Scnool consists of
dozen loys, between the ages uf 5 8nd !:
noet OF lhtm bright, an,1 one : real original
4 Fort of hoy Topey; unlike anything in t
vide world bot juet hi1useH. He Belong
a!eo to my daily school, and On entering ga
lis name ~ +" Chiip-'
"Chtis whst II asked.
~ Name Ch1is, he repeated.
" Bat have you no other uAme:
Done toie yer my name fore. mar
e Chris " and he lo1ked 1t me in amsZeuens
MT stupidity. So ~ - Chris" ma wxs rsgistt
II ed, and thai melpdious monosrllsble vas I
only name ls ever acknowledged
10 His dreta was the most wonderful tbl
ID that ever Ms seen. and was A1rAnged wlthc
Il the least consideration OF times and eeasot
It On ! storuay winter DAY when the cold seem
10 to pso..h one'S yeEy bon4e, and IN Esqu.ns