Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-17
IN THE SOUTH.

l In Montgomery-Some Curious Rel les of the Confederacy-The Great Religious Awakening-S Sam Jones -Tuskegee - The Normal Colored SehsOl-A Wonderful Work.
 TUsKEGEE, Alabama, June 5. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER: When l was in Montgomery the other day I ran across some curious relics connected with the brief life of the ''storm- -cradled nation that fell' which have an interest at this day for those who fought against as we'll as those who fought for that ill-starred nation It has seemed appropriate to me in writing from point so near the old Confederate capital to give publicity to the whereabouts of these curiosities.
 The relics in question are the original draught of the permanen: Confederate con- stitution, the first bond issued under the Confederacy, and the first copy of Jefferson Davis first annual message. I found these documents in possession of MT. George A. Birch, broker doing business in Montgom- cry and residing at the residence of the late Judge Alexander B. Clitherall, into whose family he married. Judge Clitheran was the assistant secretary of the first Confederate Congress, and afterwards first register of the Confederate treasury. It was through his marriage into the family of Judge Citheran that MT. Birch obtained possession of these precious souvenirs of the civil war.
 The draught of the constitution is in 8 state of perfect preservation. The main part of the document is printed, but there are frequent ensures and interlineations caused by motions to strike out or to amend. These interlineations are written. Opposite each res olution, in the margin, is the name of the member of Congress who offered it. Thus the name of Robert Toombs, A. Fl. Stephens, Harris, Cobb, R. B. Rhett, Withers, Curry, Conrad, Miles, Waul, Sparrow, Hale, Short CT, Reagan, de Clouet and others appeared just as they were written nearly a quarter of a century ago. At the top of the first page is the statement in the hand writing of Judge Clitherall Permanent constitution as re- ported by the committee with the amend ment thereto as made by the Congress 0. s. A. Arranged by Alexander B. Clitherall, assistant secretary Congress 0. s: A., from final clause which was offered by Cobb on March 9, 1861, appears appended in writing, and reads as follows: ttWhen five States shall have ratified this constitution in the manner before specified, the Congress under the provisional constitution shall prescribe
 
 and ce-President, and for the meeting of the electoral college, and for counting the votes and inaugurating the President. They shall also prescribe the time for holding the election of members of Congress, and the time for assembling the same. Until the as sembling of such Congress, the Congress der the provisional constitution shall contin- ue to exercise the legislative power granted them, not extending beyond the time limited by the constitution of the provisional govern ment."
 That this is the original copy I am posi- tive. Any other copies in existence would have the interlineations printed and would be free from ensures. It thus happens that there are three Confederate constitutions of historical interest, concerning which the claims of the owners ought not to conflict; the draught of the provisional constitution, the original draught of the perma- nent constitution and the certi- fed legal copy of the permanent constitution. Cine copy containing erasures and interlineations would not have been legal any more than would a semi-written bill which the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate might sign in our Federal government today. The first of these relics is in the possession of Mrs. F. C.. De Fontaine, of New York city. The sec ond belongs to Mir. Birch. The third was recently purchased by Mrs. W. J. De Renne, of Savannah, and presented to the Georgia State library.
 The first bond issued under the Confeder- acy was also purchased by Judge Clitherall as soon as he had registered it, and fell into the hands of MT. Birch in the same way that the constitution did. It is numbered 1 and is of the denomination of $50 It was issued on May 1, 1861 made payable September 1, 1871, entered by H. D. Capers, and signed by Judge Clitherall as register. Mr Birch recently refused an offer of 1000 for this bond from Baltimore banker. The coupons are signed by c. 0. Thayer, and not one of them has been detached.
 Have notices of the religious awakening in the South been published in your north ern newspapers? It seems curious that the warm summer months should be chosen for the revivals,-as seems to be ordinarily the case. When left Atlanta the whole city was in ferment of spiritual excitement, born of the recent Y. M. c. A. convention held there The marvel is that the work has taken such firm hold of adult classes. Among those converted or awakened are many leading citizens, including even the veteran editor, MT. Grady, of the Constitu ton, and one or two of his co-laborers. The effect is radical change in the editorial tone of the Constitution. Almost daily there are long editorials bespeaking aid in behalf of the Y. M. c. A. cause locally. Subscriptions are being asked for new $75,0 900 building there Still more remarkable, it seems to me, is the fact that the South should pro duce such man the earnest but illiterate .(and in some respects coarse and bigoted) re- vivalist, Sam Jones. MT. Jones is even bold enough to attack the southern caste spirit by such characteristic utterances the follow ing: ''Come right up to the inquirers' bench now, you sinners,-blacks and whites to- gether. You've got to mingle freely some time, either in one world or the other, and you might as well begin this side of the grave" In most of the colored universities 1v SfIl1 or are being conducted. In Talladega, for instance, the movement has included all the students, and the work has now lapsed for lack of material to operate upoh.
 came to Tuskegee characteristic south ern village of some 5, 1000 inhabitants, for the sake of seeing the most successful effort of negro at self-education in this country. Can dor compels the admission that when left to his own resources the negro is apt to do slack work This is the natural result of his resi- dence in this country during the last two unhappy centuries. But there is one large school which has been under negro control from it's inception at which everything is done neatly thoroughly and with intelligent dispatch. That school is the Tuskegee Nor nal colored school. Here you have small Hampton, which was founded and has always been manned by the colored race. This baby Hampton has. come into existence as mysteriously and almost as suddenly as
 
 the legislature of Alabama passed an act set ting aside an annual appropriation of $2, 900 for the establishment and maintenance of 8 oolored normal school at Tuskegee, with the condition that the money should be used in paying teachers salaries. In order that advantage might be taken of this offer, some body had got to be found to establish the school who had the pluck to bestir himself and secure funds for buildings and the neces- sary equipment. The State superintendent of instruction wrote to Gen. Armstrong of Hampton fame, asking him to find princi- pal. Gen. Armstrong named MT. Booker T. Washington, one of his numerous proteges, who had come to Hampton with only fifty cents in his pocket MT. Washington opened his school in dilapidated country church on the fourth of July in 1881, after only one weeks preparation, with membership of thirty students. If any one is in doubt as to whether Mir. Washington was the right man for the place, let him know that in less than four short years the school has attained membership of nearly two hundred students, each one of whom signs contract when he comes here that he will teach at least two years in the public schools of Alabama, and has twelve teach CTS, for whose service< the State now pays