Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-03-11
Knaxrillf Journal.
KNoxvILLE, MARC III. 1875.


Letser from south Carolina
BEAUFORT, s. c., March z, 1875
/ have been almost FIVE weeks
dear readers, in this quaint, curious
evergreen city Of Beaufort, and yet ]
know little about IL.
] rise AT sunrise some mornings,
look out my south window and see
small streams shining in between
islands of marsh grass which grows
three or four feet high, with muddy,
swampy edges, reaching out from
fifty to a hundred feet, with here and
there 4 negro with his little boat
lowered among the sands, while lac
with bare feet and pants turned
above his knees wades about and fills
his basket with oysters, which he
will bring ashore by and by as the
tide rises and perhaps offer them atour
door Invested Of their shells, for ten
cents quart--not so good as "shrews
burys- or saddle-back," but pretty
good and plenty Of them.
AtI2M. i look out again. Marshes
and sand-bars are now under a broad
shining sheet of water, stretching
away, away miles, to all points of the
compass, If you do not look north,
and bounded by banks south, east
and west, as If you were on the Dor
der of clear, bright lake or sea.
You see great ship Of 1000 tons,
tn ree- Inasted, sailing majestically to
port, or a British or New York
steamer leaving long trail OF smoke
behind her al she rides up to the
piers to unload her precious cargo.
Sail boats dance over the sparkling
waves, schooners and briggs go up and
down, and new world seems around
you every twenty-four hours, chang
ing later each day, as "the tide comes
up and the tide goes down." Who
shall tell US all Of this mystery !?
Por. Royal island, in general direc-
tion. lies north and south; but big
letter s would better represent its
shape--a German s at that, with all
kinds OF crooks and turns, inlets and
outlets, promontories, capes and
small isthmuses which bewilder and
astonish the traveller on land. But
keep going and be patient, crook and
turn, aud you'll reach your point in
safety.
Two to one OF the population OF
Beaufort, district or county, are coll
ored people, who before the first day
Of January, 1868, when they were
emancipated by the proclamation Of
Abraham Lincoln, were slaves. Be-
fore that time-not one Of these men
or women "had any rights that
white men were bound to respect !"
The owner Of these cbattels asserted
that they were unfit for freedom,
could never be educated or lifted
above the status Of slaves. THERE
FORE, They made laws that they
should not be taught to read, which
was perhaps wise law, seeing they
learned they could not be taught.
Now. Mr.. Editor, and readers, l
want to ask you one question: Do
any of you know Of one adult man or
woman, who, after reaching the age
of twenty-five years, has taken upthe
primmer, and without any previous
education learned to read and write
80 as to read the constitution and
common laws of the United States Of
America? Are there one dozen to
be found in the State of Iowa who
have 80 done? If there are, then all
/ honor to the men who try to fit
themselves for duty as American cit
liens. Here in the south such men
can be found by hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of the dark proved race
have so done. Having begun life
Of freedom In utter poverty and
ignorance, having earned money and
bought lands and been cheated out OF
them, having saved and invested in
banks and lost all by the whites they
trusted, one would naturally expect
they would fear to learn their A. b.
c., lest worse should come Of it. But
no! every school for colored people
is crowded with pupils, and old men
and women of three-score years have
given nights to the work OF learning
to read their bibles, when the day
had to be devoted to cotton. No
southern white, in Beaufort, enters
the doors where the ex-slaves read
and spell, nor are they willing to
share taxes for separate schools. The
northern philanthropists still remem-
Der them, in different localities, but
not so much as in other years. In
n. -. n 4