Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-11

A SCENE IN THE NEwLY-ksrABLIsHKD SCHOOL
IN THE SUMNER BuILDtN0-MAruRE MEN
ANXIOUS TO LEARN 10 READ.

SCENE IN THE NEwLY-ksrABLIsHED school.
IN THE sUMSKR BufLDIx0-MArURE MEN
ANXIOUS TO LEARN 10 READ.
s'Those who read In the primer and those who
can't read at all will please go to the room
across the hall" sang out the supervising prin.
cipal. Three or four colored men with matured,
and more or less care-worn countenances, some
of which were fringed with heavy boards, got
up and walked out OF the room one behind the
other. Others less matured followed them.
1t was the colored night school at the Sumner
building which was started last Monday. II
was the second night Of the venture, and
though the fog outside obscured the houses
almost, and the dampness penetrated to the
marrow, the attendance was large The school
OF the supervising principal of the Sumner
school, H. p. Montgomery, and the teachers
are from the corps OF the public schools. The
who wish to learn, but are employed dur.
ing the day. The studies consist of reading
wtng S a Ind
female classes are taught on different nights,
each twice q week. tne males meeting on Mon.
Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two hundred and
forty is the largest number that can be accom-
mOdated, and already there are registered fifty
males and ffty-seve females. They are taught
this viii probably Be- reduced to mere tribe by
for instance. as the arithmetic. are arranged
with lesson on each page and q blank space
for writing Or figuring. Two Of them would
probably do for one study during the term, and
they cost only five cents each.
THE NECESSITY FOR THE SCHOOL.
"The necessity for the school is very great"
said Mr.. Montgomery 10 STAR reporter.
''rhere are hundreds OF colored people who are
very poor and have to work hard all day for a
some little education. How anxious they are
TO learn Is shown by their promptness In taking
advantage OF the opportunity given them to
of the benevolent-minded women Of Washing
ton. The ages OF those who have entered the
Of quite 70 So
three Of forty. and quite number at twenty
tour. twenty-five, twenty-five, thirty-hve,
are employed during the day as drivers Of
carts. porters, doctors drivers, oystermen and
what not , and are willing 70 study at night to
men Of families some can read aud write and
are pretty well advanced, while many have
The boys are generally better advanced. as
many Of them have had the advantages OF the
public schools The older ones are those who
While they were talking. the hands of the
c9ock got around to seven O'Clock, the time for
the school to begin: and The STAR reporter &C
companted Mr.. Montgomery to the class
room. The teachers were then busy taking
down the names Of those who entered, and the
was picturesque and peonliar Most of those
who had come to learn were men pretty well
advanced In years, whose appearance showed
their faces, but some of the oldest poured over
their primers with q peculiar earnestness and
devotion. On a chart to be used in one Of the
lessons was an immense cat, and under 1t, i'm
big black letters, was the word Goat" When
those who were just learning to read were asked
TO go into another room 1t took away some of
the oldest men present.
HIS FIRST SCHOOLING.
One man, apparently about thirty five or forty
years old, sat in front seat. 1t was his first
appearance and probably the first time he had
ever been in a school room, and he felt little
and a torn first reader lay on his desk In front
of him, and he sat high up on his over coat.
which he had folded on the seat of the chair to
"What is your occupation during the daye"
asked the reporter.
oysters, SIR" he replied.
"You sell oysters on the street,"
"fes. sir. 1 sell oysters and wants to learn
how to keep my own accounts. My daughter,
she can read and write and keeps all my ac-
counts for me now, but want to learn how to
do 1t for myself"
The highest ambition of the most of them was
to read and write so as to enlarge their indepen-
dence. Some OF the men of families are ambi-
tious to know as much as their children, and
to acue
blacks aud newsboys off the streets" asked the
reporter OF Mir. Montgomery.
II don't think any Of these have joined the
school yet, but hope many Of them will. None,
however, who have time TO attend the day
school will be admitted at night"
CLAIR BEYOND.-In front OF one of the black
ing to extract q nail from q hind hoof Of an
able bodied aud vicious-looking mule. An aged
cOlOred man came along, watched the opera
ton tor q moment, and observed:
'Guess you 60 to heaven if dat mule kick you
once"
"Reckon not" was the reply.
"Whar DEM" asked the old man.
'Cl'ar beyond"