The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-23
A CoLORED MANS PAPER.

AS specimen of the ability and intel
ligence of some Of our oolored teachers,
we publish the following extract from the
papers written by a colored man at the
public examination. Heis one of the two
negroes. who obtained first grade certiti-
Gates. His paper on history is as follows:
Question 2. Revolutionary war; war
Of 1872; Seminole wars; Mexican war a;
the late wal between the States. There
were other small, l might say local wars,
but the above are the principal mes.
Question 5. Cromwell, (Oliver Crom-
WE'LL was an English lad, and of Protes-
ant parcntage. I forget where he was
born. He after various trials and changes
of life became the ruler of Great Britain.
He assumed the title of "Protector" and
in his austere but just manner of COLI
ductingthe affairs of government, he well
merited the cOgnOmen. After a prosper
Gus reign or administration, he died, and
again tho government relapsod into a
monarchial form. He entered the Exec
utive seat, through a popular insurrec-
ton against Popery, I believe.
Mohammed q Turk, and the founder
of 1slalnism-a religion based upon the
teachings of the Koran. He proposed to
s%ubjugate all people to his religion, by
means Of the sword. The dcvo,ees of
his religion, or rather the religion of
which he claimed to be the prophet, are
what we christians call fanatics, as they
are extreme in their views; the present
Russo-Turisk war is the outgrOwth of
this same prophets teachings.
Napoleon: born on the Island Of Corsi-
ca, West Of Italy, in the Mediterranean
sea; he was always noted for his courage,
military talents. Even when q boy going
to a military school, he showed great
tact in managing the snow battles of his
school-mates. lie rose rapidly from the
L~ieutenancy, to 4 field n~larshalshlp, then
to become the Presidentof tile;Fronch Re-
public andtinally WAS crowned Emperor.
The soldier of fortune as he has been
called, put away his first wife, l forget
her name. Josephine. I bclieve,) and
married another. Then bis star Of fate be-
gan to wane, and his power declined. He
conquered Prussia, Germany, Italy,
Spain, Austria; sent an expedition into
Egypt which by the by, failed he ap-
pointed all Of his relatives to Kingdoms,
as rulers, like some statesmen of the
present day, and after suffering defeats
in many ways, he was forced at Foutain-
blcau to abdicate. Again he sought his
rural home, on COrsican soil ; and again
he returned to France and assumed COM
mand. Finally after an effort at Waterloo,
Of English, German, Austrian &C., ar
mics called i'll history allies, he was tax
en- prisoner and imprisoned at Helena,
where he died and was buried, though he
was afterwards taken with great pomp
and buried in a beautiful building called
''les invalides" in Paris.
Cortez; a bold unprincipled soldier, of
Spanish birth. He was an explorer, con-
quered and subjugated the ancient Az
tees of Mexico TO read tho historical ac-
count of his travels would interest any
one; especially his warfare with the ma
tives, though one turns with disgust, from
the accounts of his baseness, trcachery,
in his campaign to capture tho city of
Mexico.
Sir Walter Raleigh, an English noble
man, who made several voyages of dis
covery under the English flag. To him
is given the honor OF introducing the use
of tobacco, into England. He was quite
a favorite of Queen Eliza!"eth's; and at
one time was said to have thrown his
cape overs muddy place in the road, to
prevent her majesty from soiling her feet.
lie named Virginia after tho "Viagin
Queen of England"