New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-24
LOlsbursE. Virginia.

LOfsbursE. virginia.
Though often invited, 1 rarely visit the
State of Virginia. 1t was too long and too
wickedly devoted to slavery and the oppres-
sion of my people TO strongly tempt me within
its borders. Even now that slavery is dead and
buried, its spirit stillwalks abroad and taints
the air. Its deadly presence is alike seen in the
haushtiness of the former master, and in the
ignorance and seryility of the former slave.
The ideas and manners it created have sur
yiyed their creator. But sing, oh Heavens,
and be joyful oh earth the power of slavery
is broken and the work of education, reform,
and progress has begun, and let no man
crudge any work he can do to help on the
new order of things. Lctsburgh, spoken OF
above, is place (if indeed locality with so
little to distinguish it from what lies outside
can be properly called place) in Nothum-
berland county, two miles from Cone Land
ing, three or four miles from Mondy's Point,
another steamboat landing, in sight of Point
Lookout, and consists of a road crossing, a
store, two houses, and school kept for col
ored children by Miss Caroline Putnam and
Miss Sally Holley, who, with true missionary
spirit, are devoting their time, strength, and
talents to the education and moral improve
ment of the class for whose emancipation
they labored so long and effectively at the
North. In presence Of these seif-sacriticing
women who have forsaken all for the sake of
humanity, my own devotion to my people is
poor indeed. They are doing up the untin-
ished work of the anti-slayery movement,
and are living martyrs to the cause. They
have laid all on the altar, and rejoice in the
sacrifice. Let such of us as are living in ease
and luxury, and have means and leisure in
abundance, remember these brave women,
and hold up their hands in the good work
they are doing. While there had a chance
to see the need of just such laborers in the
interests of the long neglected class.
Invent to Lotsburgh to speak upon the
political questions Of the day, and especially
to commend the candidates of the Republican
party; but what do you think met and OPP
posed me at the start ? am almost ashamed
to tell it. 1 found the colored people of
Lotsburgh, Northumberland county, Virginia,
divided, not in respect to Greeley and Grant,
but upon the question whether l should
speak upon political questions in the school
house-the said house being used for religious
worship on Sunday! Oh, how cunning are
the devices of slavery!
No longer able to enslave the negro by
Scripture, that spirit now endeavors to pre-
vent his enlightenment, and this by religion
and superstition, teaching him that pile of
rude boards are too holy place in which to
teach political duties! This error had taken
such deep hold upon some Of the good colorcd
people of Lotsburgh, that they could not be
persuaded to venture into the school-house to
hear me speak, and they seemed much-dis-
tressed because the great mass of the people
of duty. 1t was huinilating exhibition of
superstition, altogether disgraccful 10 the
good sense usually displayed by the emanci-
pated class. This effort Of superstition TO
silence political discussion is said to be due
to wiley white minister Of the gospel in the
neighborhood, called DR.. Smith, who has
been at the pains of preaching a special SER
mon ON the subject, warning the people
against the sin Of sacrilege, the dissertation
Of the Lords house, and as usual there was
a colored minister ready TO copy the bad ex-
ample of his white brother. This was always
SO in the days Of slavery. When a white
minister Of the Gospel pounded the pulpit
and shouted =" servants obey your masters"
there was always some black would-be- min.
lister to groan out an amen!
1t is, however, due to truth in the present
instance to state that those who are now
endeayoring to exclude political discussions
from the Lotsbureh school-house claim to
have law on their side as well as gospel.
They affirm that what is now school-house
was designed to be church, and so it un-
doubtedly was; but the plain facts in the
case arc these: The school building was
commenced for church, but those who un-
dertook to erect it were, from want of money,
unable to build it, and therefore applied to
the Freedmen's Bureau for assistance. They
were promptly informed that the Govern
ment had nothing to do with church building,
but it would aid them to build it as school,
house, and that when completed they might
hold religious worship in it. This aid was
accepted four years ago, upon the conditions
which it was given, but now, alas for the in
trinity of human nature, having got the
means of building school-house, they now
propose to invest it with the sanctity Of a
church, and that, too, upon week days as well
az Sunday! The friends Of the school see in
this not only an attempt to arrest free discus
sion inside the walls'of the school-house, but
If they succeed in this to exclude the school
forever, especially as the parties behind
the movement are DESTROYS to get rid of the
= Yankee school mistress'' altogether.
Il Is to be hoped that there is good sense
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