The Portland daily press., 1891-06-08

Do you not think the poor colored people
need schools?
I was talking the other day with a we'll
educated. intelligent colored man, pastor of
tne presbyterian church here, and superin.
tendent of a successful Presbyterian school
COR colored chlldren-the Emmanuel Train
ing and High SchoOl-and he saws Mission
schools are what is needed among his people
more than public schools, that the churches
and not the government are best fitted for
the work. There are two schools for colored
children in Aiken, each with about 200 or
$50 pupils-Mr. Coles school and the Scho
field school. The latter was founded by
Miss Schoheld, quakeress from pennsyl-
vania, soon after the war, and is still under
her management although receiving some
financial aid from the city. Mr.. Coles school
was established in 'S7. We have visited
them Doth and found them most interesting.
The children seem quite as bright and as far
advanced as white children Of their age and
circustances. and the colored teachers as
we'll prepared for their work and as apt In
executing it, as the most successful white
teachers. They were educated at Hampton,
Scotia Seminary in North Carolina, and at
schools are doing SO good a work they are
entirely made quate to the demand, and the
streets are filled with children who do not go
to school at all. Our own Church (Episcopal)
is doing good work towards educating the
colored race in Columbia, Charlotte, and
other places in the Carolinas, but there are
still numberless unoccupied fields. The
Gh1rch at the south is by no means inactive
offerings this year in this Diocese we'll
shows, many of the churches having doubled
the amount of their annual pledges. But
the South has an immense burden, with its
colored population and large number of
'poor whites" who are even moie ignorant
and degraded than the blacks. and there is
work enough for all, North and South.
must tell you of colored wedding we
attended the other evening, at the colored
Methodist church. and then l am done. We
were met at the door by a gentlemanly usher
| In black broadcl0th, white tie and kids and
shown to back seat? No, to the front, be-
yond the white ribbon, among the .hopored
| guests. The church was built with a chan
eel like an Episcopal Church. and was very
prettlly decorated for the OCCASION. just be.
| OF the. Wedding March, two little girls
| dressed in white opened the floral gates at
the head of the broad aisle and held them
| open for the procession to pass. There were
SIX bridesmaids and grooms-meD, the groom
| with the brides mother, and theibride with
| her father. The groom received his bride
| at the chancelrail and they stood under q
beautiful floral arch above which was sus-
| pended, by a fest0on of green extending
across the church, q marriage bell of PINK
| and white roses. The marriage service o.
the Wesleyan Church was read in an impres.
sive manner by the colored clergyman and il
was very pretty and nicely conducted
wedding throughout. The bride wore white
silk nun,sveiling dress with train. fashion.
ably made, veil and dress decorations OF
white roses. The maids also wore trained
white dresses, with handsome bouquets and
wreaths OF white flowers In the hair The
| gentlemen wore black broad-cloth suits with
Prince Albert coats, white kid gloves and
white Ties ana 0oatonntereS. Ineed not add
that the contracting parties were from the
| best c0lored society