The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-10
r-aod Child rem in varGfnta-A SSno'A
Exrpericnce.

E~aod children In NarGiHsN-]A
~ .,a Dacembcr number Of Our Young
rn,Ss Elizabeth Kilham contributes inc 'oi-
lowing amusing sketch:
have heard children tell about "lccling
rpnny., but | never knew exactly what
they meant until the first time that Stooo
nm before school of little black children
down in Virginia. "felt funny then
sure enough. They had never been u ="
school before, they scarcely knew whaI =
school was; and they all sat with 'n no
great shining black eyes fixed on n n ,.cry
Blacks so very black, the whites - ,n;,i:
white. like hucSleberries in DOW ,.n ", thai
somebody said-till | grew SO n' .. 49, Wv. n,d
felt as il must either iausL oi ,,.S;ch u
couldn't quite make up my ''''''0 "'''N - =
should be. ,,.;a.d mo II was
ANS ~, tn hnf,r. could keep from laugh
ionS h 'l, heard them. when inc
thS va ,,oonle were slaves they had nc
eoiG ;i'. ,aTrncs AS we have they were JUST
a ..ain3 Inn or Tom or Sally; sometimes thes
Miod The name Of their master or MISTRESS
h h,'t ofrcn they had only the one.
20 one little boy gave his name AS "Dano!
Jim ,,s,-oa
what is your other Nance? l asked.
Amt got no oder name.
"What Is your mother $ name:
name Aunt Polly -,
what is your fathers name.
"Name Uncle Jake ,.,.
{" And haven't you any name but jim
Done tole yer my name, Dandy JIM
NANNY ca NE jim, old Mass ca me- Dah-
DIV Jim, Likes dat IT de bcs."
Then came to another who called him.
self Pres dem Linkum.'
"Why," said l, "you are mol iIcS'ue'''
Lincoln"
1asr ,o his mother about it, and shure
enough all the name he had was ieS!9eht
Lincoln. or, as she called it, pres dent
Iink,lm." Truth compclS me to acknowi-
cdrc that .sPresidcnt Lincoln did not
always behave in just the manner that
would have been expected from person
age with such distinguished name.
Another had never been called anything
hut cluster" There was one pretty
bright-looking little fellow, about i've years
old, with just enough Of a lisp to MAKE MN
as GINNING as possible. When asked MN
his name, lie said, /" Eth Mahala lhpriSGth
"But what is your name"
"Dat ar my name" -,
"What does your mother call you:
"Ca' me Boy.'
What do other people call you:,",
"Ca' me Mahala Thprisgth boy.
So there was nothing to be done but to
nut him down as "Mahala SprlSg's boy.
Then there was " Gin'a Butler" aud Jim
Crow" as black as crow, ana rs lull OF
mischief as the Jim Crow who, the old song
saws. used to cut such queer capeI>. don't
believe there was ever another school regis
ter like that one. When called the names
they ran something in this way - Dandy
Jim" president Lincoln" Cluster
HMahala Spriggs's Boy" General But
ler." Jim Grow; :" and the owners OF
these names answered to them As seriously
as if there wasn't anything funny about IL.
And there wasn't to them; they uida see
that their panles were at all out of the way.
They had been accustomed TO running
wild out OF doors all their lives, and it was
very hard for them to sit still for two or
three hours in school. 1t would not have
been quite so hard if our school-room had
been more comfortable; but we had no
nice brick school-houSe; we had TO use an
old barrack, or barn, or whatever we
could get. And we had no desks or chairs,
only long benches-some OF them Wltlout
backs, where the children had to sit packed
as close as hcrrings in box. they couid
not very well help getting into trouble
under such circumstances, anu every lew
minutes some one would call out, - leach
er, dis we're boy chunkin' )" by which they
meant pushing with his elbows; or,
"Teacher, please make dis yere gal have
herself :" or. "Tcacher, make dis yere boy
stop rollin' he eyes roun' ut me- Nothing
troubles them so much a. to have "eyes
roll roun'' at them. Sometimes matters
were more serious, and | would hear,
"Bov. I'll mash yer mouf eff yer dom LEM
me lone" When they are very angry
they always want to "mash" somebody's
"mout."
One day bench full Of girls in front OF
one of the boys benches was overturned,
and the girls rolled in heap on the floor.
Chow did this happeni" l asked.
"Dis we're CHARLIE" they all screamed
in breath, "he done did it !; done chunck
de bench, an dash we all on de flo'.'
"Wby, Charlie" / said, "what made
you do that?"
81 does hate girls" said Charlie; and he
seemed to consider that good and sufficient
reason for upsetting a bench full of them.
But they very soon got over all this, and
became as quiet and orderly rs any one
could desire and l never saw any children
at the North so eager to learn, or who tried
so hard as these. Their parents were all
very poor, and but few OF them were apie
to get books for their children, so many o.
the boys used to work alter school hour'
and earn money to buy their own DOCKS
One little fellow, only seven years old, haC
looked with longing eyes, as day after day
one and another came with primer. Al
last ] missed him. He was gone Il week
then came with primer, which he showed
in triumph. Done got my book, he said
He was such little fellow that l never
thought of his having bought it himself, sc
I said, 81 am very glad. Who gave it tt
you:" He drew himself up with offended
dignity as he answered, "Didn't nobody
CUB it to me. Oar don't nobody buy n5
books ; buys um myself"
"Whcre did you get your money
asked.
"Done kotch bait for it,"
He had caught small fish, which he sole
to the fishermen for bait, and, saving uI
the pennies he earned in this way, at las
had enough to buy a book. The boys ha(
all sorts of ways OF making money, and
knew quite well how to take care of theil
own interests. One boy ten years old, as
soon rs he could read in the primer, started
night school. There were several men
who wanted to learn to read, but as they
we're at work all day they had no chance to
20 to school. They engaged little Dick to
teach them in the evening, paying him five
cents q week each. He always insisted
upon being paid in advance. ! asked hin
why that was.
"Well," he said, 81 dunno 'noflin bou
dem ar men dey mout go of any time, an
ef dey's got dar weeks larnin' fust, mou
whistle fer my money. But Use on'y chile
can't 20 nowhars widout my NANNY, an
eff dey pays dar money dey's sho nulI ter si
de larnin."
thought that was bright enough for 9
Yankee boy. He earned money in this way
to buy all the books he needed, and pu