Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-08-22
Freed Children In Virginia.

Freed Children in virginia.
heard children tell about q feeling
flnny.n but never knew what they meant
until | stood up before school of little
black children down in Virginia. I"felt
funny then, sure enough They had never
been to school before, they sca cely knew
what school was and they all sat with
their, great, shining black eyes fixed on
me.-the blacks so very black, the whites
50 yerv white, like huckleberries in bowl
Of milk, somebody said, It'll grew so
nervous that felt as if must either laugh
Or cry, and couldn't quite make up my
mind what it should be.
Taking their names decided me. 1t
was long time before | could keep from
laughing whenever heard them. When
the colored people were slaves they had
no family names as we have; they were
lust called Jim or Tom or Sally some.
times they added the name Of the master
ormistress, but often they had only the
one.
One little boy gave his nlme as Dandy
Jim
what is your other name ~ | asked.
"Aiu't got no oder name"
What is your mothers 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 me Jim, ole mass, ca me
Daady Jim. Likes dat ar de bes'o
Then | came to another who called him.
self :" Presdcn' Linkum"
"Why,' said, you are not President
Lincoln"
Is too. My nanny say so"
IaSked his mother about it, and sure
enough all the name he had was President
Lincoln, or, as she called it, " President
Linkum." Truth compels me to acknowl-
edge that President Lincoln" did not
always behave in Just the manner that
would have been expected from person
with such distinguished name.
Another had been called anything but
Buster" There was one pretty, bright
looking little fellow, about five yeas old,
with Just en-, ugh of lisp to make him as
cunning as possible. When | asked his
name he said, al tn Mahula Thpriggth'
boy"
But what is your name?'
Dat ar my name
What does your mother call you ?n
Sea me Boz"
What do your people call you ?"
Ca me Mahala Thpriggth, boy.o
So there was nothing TO be done but to
pat HIM down as Mahala Spriggs's boy"
lien there was "Gin'al Butler" and
Jim Crow as black as a crow, and as
full Of mischief as the jim Crow who the
old song says used to cut such queer
carers. | don't believe there was ever
another school register like that one,
v hen called the names they ran some
hing in this way DANDY JIM" Presi-
dent Lincoln" "Buster," "Mahala
>prlggss Boy" General Butler,o = Tim
crow And the owners of these names
answered to them as seriosly as if there
wasn't anything funny about it. And
mere was MT to them they didn't see that
mere names were at all out of the way.
hey had been accustomed to running
Wild out Of coors all their lives, and it was
very hard for them to sit still for two OF
.Aee hours in school. 1t would not have
been quite so hard if our school-room had
teen more comfortable: but we had nc
nee brick school-house we had to use al
GA barrack, or a barn, or whatever we
could get. And we had no desks OF
Chairs only long benches, > some Of them
without backs,-where the children had tc
II packed as close as herrings in a box
iaey could not very well help getting into
.slable under such circumstances, and
every few minutes some one would call
sVl " Teacher, dis yerc boy a chunkiu'"
which they meant pushing with his
s'e"s Or, Teacher, please make dis
were gal have herself; or, "Teacher
aaAe dis we're boy stop rollin' be eye,
.."a at me, Nothing troubles them sc
.4eh a. t. have eyes roll roun' al
s~sn Sometimes matters were more
~ Gus, and would hear, Boy, II
.tsh yer mouf eff yer don lemme lone.
hey are very angry they always
"..f III mash somebody's mouf"
9ae day bench full Of girls !. front Of
9t The Toys benches was overturned,
.ha girls rolled in heap on the floor.
ail .hi- happen n | asked
.sg= Charlie, they all screamed