The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-16


James City. They may farm for others,
out very few of them farm ON
their own responsibility. To do so
would bear too much resemblance to
hard work, and the average resident
OF James City has no desire for that. He
Will exert himself tremendously at times,
occasionally for protracted periods, but ex-
cept IN picking seasons-it must not be at
what he considers work. He will row a
boat containing a party of fishermen in
rough water and against head wind for
hours, and though the perspiration may be
rolling Oft of him, consider it fun. For
the same man to guide pillow for a couple
OF hours-far easier work in the soil here
would be impossible He could not do it
without taking rest, not because he was
physically tired, but simply from desire
for change.
The colored man, the average colored
man OF James City, is no better or no worse
than the colored manipulating in a general
senSe-ot any other part of the Eastern
coast. There are numbers of people all over
the world who have more and superior
hlndsght than foresight. He seems to be
devoid of both. He has no cares. Happy
go-lucky is an expression that partakes too
mich of care to describe him accurately.
If he lacks sufficient clothing and there
comes sudden drop in the temperature he
shivers. When the sun shines
brightly again and the air grows
balmy he is comforted and forgets that he
has shivered. 1t has not occurred to him
to provide against such another contin-
gency. 1t will probably arise, but he gives
no thought to it, To indicate his exact de-
gree of irresponsibility would be a very
difficult task and it seems to be almost i'm
possible for him to distinguish the differ
ence between meum and tuum. With how
many or for what part of these unfortunate
characteristics the white man is to be
blamed the writer will leave to those who
have studied the question more closely
That the white man is to blame in some
degree is evident enough; of this there is
no trouble in furnishing illustrations.
They have churches in James City, sew
eral of them, and they are well attended.
There is but one schoolhouse, however, and,
as If to show how unimportant they coli
slider school in comparison with a church,
the former is so poorly equipped that a
Northern child could hardly be driven into
the building, while all the church buildings
are quite respectable looking and quite COM
Portable. The colored man will contribute
81 to his church where he will growl about
paying cents for school tax. Last year
the State distributed over 100000 for
school purposes, and the single school in
James City was kept open for four consecu-
tive mon4hs. This is the longest term the
school has experienced, and its cost for the
entire period was $500. The attendance
ranges between 100 and 10 Three teach
ers are employed. George H. Willis, the
principal receives $S5 per month. His first
assistant, Miss George Davis, receives $25
and the primary teacher, Miss Nancy
Walker, $50.
The school house is a curiosity and cost
probably 5000. 1t is two stories in height,
built of boards and has brick chimney,
which begins at the second story. The
chimney is laid on the floor and is connected
with the ground floor by stove-pipe. 1t
naturally originates fire on the second floor
when the weather is cool enough for q blaze
in the iron stove on the ground floor, but
SO far these confagrations have always been
quickly extinguished by the scholars, who
have been organized as fire brigade. Nota
single scholar in the school possesses a full set
of books, and majority have no books at
all, their parents bel either too poor to pro-
vide them with books or not caring to see
their children possess q better education
than they themselves have. Then the chill
dren have never gone to school more than
four monts year, and none Of them had
attended more than four terms, or thirteen
months in all. There were 130 children in
the building the other day when the Times
correspondent walked in. White visitors
are scarce, and they looked at the last one
as if he were something of curiosity. In
return for what the principal in spirit of
Southern courtesy called an address" the
children showed their PAGES In spite of
the disadvantages under which they labor
some of them appeared to great advantage.
Nearly all of them seemed to possess
wonderful memories, and they reeled
off lengthy answers to some questions
that would have puzzled the writer
with amazing glibness. Arithmetic seemed
to be their strong and geography their weak
point. They named the divisions of the
globe and divided" the Western CONT
nent, but when they were asked, "In what
country do you liveP they answered with
one voice, North America" They were
then asked if North America did not con-
tain more than one country. They said it
did, but when the old question was put to
them again they answered as before, "North
America" When asked what State they
lived in they all replied, ''The United
States" and stuck to it until 10-year-old
boy ventured to suggest North Carolina"
Then, when the question was put again,
they all shouted North Carolina" The
writer afterward discovered that the chill
dren were weak in geography simply be-
cause thy al never seen a map. On the
whole they did quite as well as white chill
dren under the same conditions would have
done, perhaps better. But when they were
called upon 10 sing 1Or Uhe VISITOR they woke
to the occasion. No white school ever sang
as did these little colored children. Their
hearts were in their songs. To sing was not
work, and to hear them sing was to forget
the wretched surroundings aud to fill the
listener with the hope that the future con-
tanned far more of promise than the present
for the colored people of this portion of the
South.
A Curious Beecher Autograph.
New YORK, April 14.-Perhaps one of the
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