New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-10

don of Of fh the s 6hma o 5GhqG and all c
ing on the Plain and in NeW-Csutnea are hereby or
dered 10 attend the Plain school. Special attention
is called to the following extracts of the revised
laws Of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts re-
!aiing 10 school instruction enacted November p.
S. NJ. FOX. Secretary.
What for dey done sent round dat paper I don
see,' exclaimed the mistress OF more than
New-Gunea household.
You Jake. you Liza; you get yors duds on and
go long down to dat village school Ef anybody
taches yo'. just 70 let know"
Jake and Liza went. They were among the
seven colored children who appeared at the viii
lage school seeking TO receive instruction there
along wifi the white folks kids the hands OF
Miss Annie Collette. The school authorities were
notified and the little coIored searchers for educa-
tonaI light were ordered back TO the Plain school
But they did not go; instead they went home and
The same performance was gone through with 1t
was repeated practically throughout the whole OF
the last week of the early winter term Miss Col
lette IS a good teacher. but riots not her spe-
small army of coIored pupils appeared Ranked by
their mothers. who surrounded the school house.
she was obliged to discontinue school for that day
Because these colOred children Insisted upon go
ing In me. wrong direction for their education
t thsee or Their parents were halet to court and
Sss o the res Of e School 6oar ahs e
s. and costs, Then followed the fire that laid the
since then there has been any amount of talk.
Complaint has been made 10 me that you are
establishing color line BY creating q school ex-
Morgan, Of Boston a negro Republican member Of
THE coioSed children must and shah attend the
Plain school," declared members OF the school
Open threats are said 10 have been made by
the colored people OF New-Guinea over the at
pam school we are free and our lights are
those of the whites said OF the colored lead
heated agrunen Win the CHAIRMAN Of the school
X,
warmly protesting against the so-calIed class and
That the situation before the shefneld School
Board may be fully understood. II Is OF interest,"
on i' idea Of What It's inhabaSs are how they
I've and what bearing they have on the town and
T4s little hamlet Of Ssy-Guinea has long been IN
the southeastern part of the Berkshire regions,
under Johnny's Mountain. mile and a quarter
years the negro has lived there in primitive fash
ION LhH occupation Or NeW-GGlnea DE the neg y Y
along the Hudson River Valley they bought and
state Of New-York freed the negroes in 1879. and
tradition has II that number Of freed blacks.
Hudson, ..trekked' across Eastern New-York and
over the I4conic range OK 9ilIs ana sIgotted JUST
record OF their having purchased land on which
they settled. Few Twins there today have true ne
the best OF the race have obtuined title 10 their
s4uatters as Were their forefathe-s The books
of the assessors of Sheffield show that only SAB was
collected in taxes this year from the New-CuInea
negroes, and this amount Included SIS in polls
The hamlet consists OF about dozen houses and
live. One two OF the buildings are in fairly good
reuair but most OF the structures are weather
beaten shanties. old and tuIubling down Tar paper
Is used o make the buildings impervOuS to the
weather and bankings OF earth and leaves serve
as protection from the wind ard cold Green wood
is cut when needed for fires. and smoke has black
ened the Interiors which are in most part devoid
OF wallpaper. The hamlet is biz OF Virginia
planted in Massachusetts, soil
me TSt 9,ea indoors and there thev remain
throughout the winter, issuing forth now and then
for a DAYS work the returns Of which they invest
In cornmeal and tobacco. Sometimes the of
stew T;a bbIts are found in the swamps around
Newt Guinea and this gaStronomic delcacy nils
get II he has a stock OF hard cider on hand. al
though h!skey IS not barred
In many OF the shantteS an old violin hangs on
the wall and in harvest time when the New
C;{raae'' can feast and froIic there is often the
shqnty dance. which. like his Southern brother, he
delights in. Clothing is obtained mostly from phil
negro works. There dudes in the hamlet
and suit OF clothes suftices until another can
be procured. ., ,-,
go into the village in al seasons TO do washiul;
and cleaning Like the men. they Will work unit!
they have little money ahead but mat OBTAINED
One who has lived in Sheffield a number OF years
and has studied the negro settlement said; There
community. ana II would require the SKIN ano
ma tieuce OF an experienced historian to determine
points OF origin and genealOgy. -.
. 49, distance west Of the village for a long
time. one recall them for eighty years
VET tbsv were wei! established when ne first knew
The beginning OF the community. Several families
are known have lived there for four generations
Represented n the present generation. few are