The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1880-11-06
And These Are Not 1.-The Principles For Which Lee and Jackson FOUGHT

owners of extensive properties in that leland
and had been educated in the most eminent
cholastic institutions of France The
French was their native tongue and their
early associations had been among that
truly magnanimous people, who
are universally admired and esteemed for
its total exemption from those unwarrant-
able prejudlces which tarnish the otherwise
fair escutcheon of the American people.
Prior to the Dominican emigration, the SUBJ
ject of education among the free colored
people of Louisiana had been much neglect
| ed, and il was somewhat humiliating to
their native pride to find themselves objects
of contempt by these polished emigrsnts
whose wealth and influence at once opened
to them the hitherto inaccessible privileges
of social intercourse with the French ele-
ment of the province.
Instead, however, of yielding to the sug
gestions of envy and jealousy,
our own Creole population
promptly inaugurated system of education
for their children which, in short time
manifested most marked improvement liz
the moral and mental status of both parent
and child, and in due time many of their
own sons were sent to France to be edu-
Gated, whence they returned to assume posi-
tions of honor and smoument in their ma.
tive province, and hence in the year 1895,
there were no less than 1000 colored ere
oles in the prevince who had received lib
eral foreign education, and became both an
ornament and an honor to their race. In
fact, it was generally conceded that no other
American colony could boast of so refined
and influential class Of colored freemen as
that which adorned the professional, the
mercantile and the agricultural employ
ments Of Louisiana.
Having thus shown the positions of two
classes of the early inhabitants of the pro
vince of Louisiana, it now remains to refer
| to a third class, of whom We have hitherto
had but few brief glimpses, namely, the
slaves of Africans, whom, at the period of
the French revolution of 1889, had become
very numerous, and regular article of COM
merce between the white planters and their
colored progeny, which, of course, rendered
the social chasm between the blacks and
their semi-colored free brethren much wider
than that existing between the first two
classes.
In consequence of this state of social an
tagonsm, the friends of the slave in France
applied to the Nationol Assembly as carly
as 1888, for charter establishing schools in
the colony for the education of the children
of the slaves.
Lafayette Brissot, Barnave and Gregoire
sloquently advocated the measure, and were
finally successful in obtaining a decree to
that end Unhsppily, before the system
could be reduced to thorough practice, the
revolution broke out in France which threw
| the colony into such disorder that the schools
were abandoned. It's friends in the mother
country had either fallen upon the insati-
| able guillotine, or fingered in gloomy dun
| gcons, and when the Directory" was estab-
lished it was found that Napoleon Bona
| parte had already made overtures to the
American government for cession of Lou
isiana to the United States. This negota-
tion was consumated in l803 from which
time American law became the sovereign
ruler of the colony, and of course, exerted
its utmost power to eradicate the good seed
which had been sown for the elevation of its
human property.
In spite, however, of the preventive meas
ures adopted by the new proprietors, the
slaves had during the brief period of pupil
age, became sensible of the value of educa-
tion, and the advantage ~ be derived from
1t, to determine the more daring among
them to obtain it at all hszzards For this
|
ship would be canvasscd, asd those in whom
they could confde were invited To attend a
school in any location where absolute Sc
crecy could ba secured. Sometimes these
schools were held in remote swanps,
oane-brakes or other places, where, per-
haps, the foot of the white man had never
trod. In such cases, number oflogs would
be formed into hollow square, pine fre
built in the center, and the dusky pupils
disposed around upon the log seats, prepared
for the purpose, then lie Maitre d'ecole'
would engage in teaching the young ides
how to shoot" until 'le chandelier an
i nounced the approaching morn, when each
scholar must be found at his post of labor
or receive a sufficient number of '.stripes, y
minus the 'stars,r 10 induce an explanation
ofhis delinquency. Ht
Whenever the weather or other cause
prevented this nomadic 'pursuit of knowl
edge under dificultiesn the "school-roem'
would be removed to stable lofts or other
"sligibls" locations, where, after duly chink.