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Norfolk, June 10, 1864

While at the Baker Farm, I distributed three barrels of clothing made and sent by friends in Providence, R. I.
The people, being mostly employed in working on the farm, came in small parties to school through the day : in the evening, the larger portion came, —a dark mass, seen by the light of one candle. They sometimes staid till ten o'clock; the scholars sitting on the floor when the seats were full; following, with fingers uncouthly pointed, the words a neighbor read, and their faces already slowly but surely getting illuminated with the light breaking slowly but surely from the strange page before them. Their books in many cases were worn as constantly as their clothes; and when they went to labor, dressed in every variety of grotesque raggedness:— the ploughers, men and women too, seated on their "condemned" horses or mules,—often the soiled end of their much-valued book would be seen protruding from a pocket; and while for a moment resting them-selves, or their poor worn-out animals, the book was sure to be on duty. To say that these refugees are all angels or intellectual wonders, were to be absurd ; but experience has taught me that they are capable, in an unusual degree, of being instructed, not only from their fair intellectual ability, but from their docility and affection.

Since I returned in October, I have taught in our own school and the jail- yard. We have had our voice or vote, in one way or other, in most of the improvements that have lately been made in this Department for the benefit of the negro. It has been our good fortune to have served Government several times in not unimportant ways. M. H. C.

 

NORFOLK, May 8, 1864.

This is a most absorbing life : there is so much to be done, one never feels like stopping anywhere through the hours of the day. It is death to ennui. I, for one, was never so truly happy as in this work; for I have worked with more earnest purpose than ever before.

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Our school flourishes well. We have more than two hundred names on our list, and an average attendance of one hundred and fifty. Instead of two sessions, as we had in winter, we now keep our scholars from nine till one. We devote Wednesday afternoon to sewing, for both boys and girls. This leaves us the after part of the day for visiting: a most important branch of labor; as it takes us among a fresh set of people, as well as to the homes of our morning scholars.

The rope-walk is literally a field for the charity of both words and deeds : there have been, for several weeks, several hundreds of refugees living there, who have been clothed and ministered unto by many of the teachers. Disease has done a fatal work among the poor creatures, calling old and young to a life- beyond all bondage ere they had fairly tasted their partial freedom here. All the remaining people have now been placed on the farms of this vicinity; and the long row of rooms is once more vacant, awaiting fresh occupants from Petersburg and Richmond.

The mission schools are doing well. Mr. C. is a genius in his line, and has an excellent corps of teachers. Certainly the experiment of teaching the freed-men has been a success in Norfolk and Portsmouth. M. H. C.

 

NORFOLK.

In May, Dr. B. convinced us that it was necessary that some one should go from farm to farm to look after the laborers. (Upon two only of the twenty farms there were teachers.) So, in May, we went to Portsmouth, establishing our-selves upon a Government farm, where more than seventy Coney-Islanders gave us a hearty welcome. We had schools for them and for neighbors. When our always uncertain, tumble-down carriages could be put in order, when guerillas were not nigh, when the lines did not cast themselves into new places, and leave outside farm after farm, well-tilled and well-peopled, we went from farm to farm, taking clothing, books, and slates. We called all together, dressed the needy, taught the young and the very old, encouraged them to study while we were away, and would see absolute progress during our absence. Then and now we kept track of new-comers; helping them to their friends, and caring for their sick, and giving them always an immediate and very powerful dose of letters.

For three months, in addition to our other labors, we taught daily in Mr. Coati's school of four hundred. After his health gave way, my sister took charge of it for several weeks, Miss M. H. C.; and I assisted her. We left solely to open our own school ; which, in a few days, will be under the care of six teachers representing your Association.

One early arrival here made it necessary for us to work in a multitude of ways; and still our work is of all times and seasons, — never done. We don't know what leisure is.

We want some block-letters to carry in our pockets, and a ground-frame to build sentences in. L. C

.

NORFOLK, Jan. 13, 1864.

We have not told you that the small-pox hospitals in Norfolk and Portsmouth depend on your agents here for clothing; sometimes sending for ninety suits at once.

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Nor have we specified the ways we seek, make, and embrace opportunities of teaching; always aiming to teach the pupil, beside the lesson, how he can go on in his study by himself, if forced to, and stimulating them to learn. I go quietly along into one of the streets of a colored regiment till I find some nice old man a "studyin'" his mind or a book. I engage with hi : an eager crowd assembles mysteriously, soon. I talk and teach, taken quite out of myself by my interest, and happily find afterwards that they have really learned much.

Their fondness for learning keeps them well occupied in their leisure, and out of mischief. I tell them how glad we are that they are not given to profanity, and beg them not to disgrace themselves by learning to swear. I tell them what a friend God is to them ; how the Union will protect them if they will only be friends to themselves. I tell them all we hope and expect from them; and show them how every good act of an individual will help, every bad act harm, the whole race. S. C.

 

NORFOLK, March 25

Miss F. and I are teaching at the rope-walk. Refugees are pouring in here: four loads came while we were there to-day, very destitute indeed. I did not realize the need of so much being done at the North until I came out here. Every church ought to take it upon themselves to send out teachers, and support them, and keep them supplied with clothing, for the needy cases, which are many. There is not a person at the North who can afford not to have a hand in this glorious work.

There are now at the rope-walk seven hundred, mostly old people and children. I must describe our first day's teaching. In a rough room at one end of the building, minus floor, doors, and windows, we gathered this happy band of freedmen, ranging from five years to seventy-five. We pinned our cards to the rough wall, and, with our sun-umbrellas for pointers, were ready for our work. But very few knew many of their letters. One smart young girl I asked if she knew how to read. She said, "I knows some few ob de letters, missus: missus told me, if I learn any more, she pick my eyes out. Ise like to see her do dat are now! Lor me, missus! who eber tink white folks teach us poor folks? Bress de Lord! dis am de year ob jubilee!" While I was teaching, a black face was thrust in at the door: the body soon followed, but so enveloped in rags that one could hardly tell whether it was a human being or not, till the voice was heard,—"Ise come!" Upon that, such a screaming and clapping of hands I never heard. They all rushed for him; and I thought they would devour him, clothes and all. One of the more thoughtful ones said, "Do scuse them, missus; for that boy libed on de next plantation to Massa Taylor: we never spec to see him. Lor bress me, how we do come togedder!" I, of course, could rejoice with them. He had escaped with four other : his master was to send them to Richmond. S. E. F.

 

NORFOLK, June 11, 1864.

Some of Miss Chase's family have opened an evening school at their school-house; in which Miss Stearns, Miss Clark, and myself, teach. It promises to be quite successful. Last evening there were about one hundred pupils present, nearly all adults. We have made arrangements to teach at the rope-walk three times a week, and some of the colored teachers are to teach the other three days.

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Last week, Miss Stearns and Miss Clark opened a sewing-school, in which the little girls seem to be quite interested. I have about twenty regular scholars in my day school. I expect more this week. I could easily accommodate thirty. Our school numbers about one hundred and fifty in all. Some of the scholars improve very rapidly. I have two pupils about eighteen years of age, who, two months ago, scarcely knew the alphabet, and now they are in the second reader, write quite well, and are studying arithmetic. Then there are others who have been two months in learning the alphabet. The older pupils are more interesting than the children. It is a pleasure to teach them, they are so eager to learn.

Some of our most interesting pupils have been quite old women.

Last Sunday, Jonathan Walker visited our Sunday school. He made an address to the children, in which he alluded to Whittier's poem of "The Branded Hand." He quoted the lines, —

"Its branded palm shall prophesy
Salvation to the slave," —

and said that the prophecy was now receiving its fulfilment. One of the colored men, in reply, said, "That branded hand shall hold a palm-branch in heaven for ever."

We called at the house of' a woman about forty years of age, who said she had great desires to learn to read, and, if she had two hundred dollars, she would willingly give half of it to be able to read one hymn; but she said she had done nothing but cook all her life, and nothing but cooking would stay by her. We prevailed on her to make the attempt to learn; and she came to school this morning, and did very well . . . One pupil at the rope-walk learned his alphabet in one hour; but such cases are rare. One old woman is learning her alphabet slowly, and with great difficulty; but she is very patient, and says, "she thanks the Lord if she can learn one letter every day." Another can come to school only an hour a day; but, in the evening, she teaches her old mother the lesson she learned herself in the morning.

The evening school is very interesting: it contains about seven hundred pupils. Nearly all the teachers in Norfolk have lessons there. It is designed only for those who cannot attend school in the daytime. E. B. H.

NORFOLK, June 27, 1864.

About a hundred and twenty books have been sent me,—a portion of a Sabbath-school library in Brooklyn; besides other works to dispose of as I choose. Upon consideration, I have concluded it would be a good idea to establish a circulating library, pro bono publico contrabandi. H. K. S.

NORFOLK, July 1, 1864.

I have a pupil at the night school who has interested me very much, — a man about forty, I should think. He can read and write quite well. Says he "picked it up mostly himself;" that I was the first teacher he ever had; and he wanted to know my whole name. Having his slate in my hand for a copy, I wrote my name. He returned it, nicely copied, with "Miss" prefixed. The next night I gave him, "Be ye content with what things ye have." He wrote beneath, " I am with some things, but not in all things." I then gave him, "An honest man is the noblest work of God:" under which he wrote, "That is so, Miss." And so he always has some remarks to make. He is very intelligent and original. S. C.

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NORFOLK, July 4, 1864.

The schools are all closed to-day. While seated at breakfast, one of our colored brothers came to borrow our flag for the morning. We had a gathering of the children and freedmen generally, at the Methodist church, where our good friend Mr. Coan has had his day and evening school so long. The children met at eight, and filled the lower part of the house; the older ones the gallery, neatly dressed, and with such happy faces. The church was radiant. From the pulpit was suspended the flag; above was the Bible; on each side was a hand-some cluster of magnolia, which, as its large white leaves slowly unfolded, seemed to say, "The dear old Flag shall be protected on Virginia's soil."

In the pulpit sat Mr. Brown, the pastor of the church (a graduate of Oberlin, a very pleasant and intelligent man), Father Parker (colored), and Mr. Coan, with other teachers near by. There were twelve hundred persons in the house, mostly colored. A prayer was offered; then followed a song by the children, reading of the Declaration of Independence, song, and Emancipation Proclamation. A letter was then read from Miss Hatty Smith; in which she presented to the freedmen of Norfolk, in behalf of the Warren-street Mission School, Brooklyn, New York, one hundred and fifty volumes, as the commencement of a public library for the freedmen. It was a surprise to them all. Could you have seen their faces, you would have said as they did, "God bless the ragged children of the Warren School !" A vote of thanks was returned to Miss Smith for the interest she had taken in this people, and particularly for the donation of books. Miss Smith is a hard worker; and this last act will only be one more link to bind her to the hearts of this people. This library is to be called the "Warren Library." Mrs. Coan sent in, very unexpectedly to us all, one hundred volumes. Should you know of any old or young friends who would help them on, I would be most happy to be the bearer of their gifts.

The pastor made a most touching address to them. He spoke of their past years of slavery, and then said, But to-day, thank God! you are free men and free women. But, ere another Fourth of July shall dawn, let us not only be free in word, but in act. Be independent of Government and charity: put your shoulder to the wheel, and support yourselves. You cannot feel free until you can go to the market with your own basket, select your own dinner, and pay for it from your own purse."

After his remarks, Father Parker, an old man who had been a slave till the war, was called upon. He said, "This is the greatest Fourth of July I ever knew. I have been here fifty years: I never saw a gathering of this kind before. The colored people to have a public library! The colored people to be educated! Thank God for what my eyes see, and my ears hear! I have often heard the white people talk of the day of Independence; but this is my first and your first one. I was thinking, while I was sitting here, how I wished that my voice was loud and long enough to send into Richmond this message to Jeff Davis,— that to-day, we, the colored people, are celebrating the Fourth of July, 1864! How can we thank the bressed Lord enough for permitting us to behold this day!" "Will you go to the Happy Land?" was then sung. Mr. Dickenson, of the Friends, of Brooklyn, made some very pleasing remarks. A quartette was sung by some little girls, five and seven years old. Mr. Coan briefly spoke to them of the happy and profitable hours and months they had passed together. "God

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Speed the Right" was sung; and the exercises closed with a prayer and "The Star-spangled Banner."
After this, the older persons remained, and chose their librarian and other officers: this they took into their own hands. Every thing passed very pleasantly. S. E. F

.

POINT LOOKOUT, MD.
CAMP 36, U. S. Col,. Moors, May 13, 1864

The perseverance of some if not all of my scholars is wonderful, and deserves much praise. Any want of natural gifts, or any lack of previous instruction, is more than compensated by an indefatigable perseverance; a determination to learn to read, spell, and write. As an illustration: I have a scholar, Elijah Folke, who, I believe, did not know how to read when I commenced with him. Now he reads pretty well, spells very well, and writes a legible hand. He used to make bad work of it, and had his lessons very poorly. But I know he used to sit up studying until nearly midnight: labor omnia vincit. J. S. B

 

.
LETTERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA.

NEWBERN, March, 1864,

The anticipated attack on Newbern, during the 1st and 2d of February, tended somewhat to derange the operations of the school for the month. In the general panic and confusion among the negroes, a number of families changed dwelling-places, while others disappeared entirely.

A number of my most advanced pupils have found employment with persons about removing to the North; so that nearly all the first best fruits of my labors have disappeared, but I trust are not lost.
B. L. C.

 

NEWBERN, March, 1864.

Of the one hundred and eighteen scholars who belonged to the James School the 1st of January, fifty-one have left; and their places have been supplied by new scholars who have come into town, — some from the camps, some from "up country," and some who have "followed a raid." These changes, of course, very seriously affect the general progress of the school. The children from families who are settled here are very constant; and a percentage of their attendance, taken separate from the "floating population," would, I think, equal that of most schools in Massachusetts.

The principal obstacle I encounter is the want of the power of application on the part of a large majority of the pupils. They will listen greedily to any instructions given them, and would gladly spend the whole session writing on their slates, or copying from the blackboard, but appear to have but a very slight idea of acquiring knowledge by studying. I think, however, that the general progress of the school for the month has been good. A. C. G. C.

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NEWBERN, April, 1864.

The reception of a large outline map, the gift of' a friend in Boston, has been the great event of the month. I wish the kind donor could have seen the flashing eyes and upraised hands that greeted the new wonder as it was unrolled before the class in geography; and I wish that everybody who still entertains a doubt as to the teachableness of the black could have heard the questions that were asked about it. "Where is President Lincoln's State? Where are the railroads? Where is the Union army?"—" Oh, I know: I see the camps! " said one, pointing to the tent-like figures used to represent chains of mountains. "Which is the biggest, Long Island or Roanoke ? Didn't Gen. Washington live in Virginia? Was he secesh ? Didn't Gen. Burnside come from Rhode Island?" &c., &c. On the right of the map, a little east of North Carolina and Virginia, is an enclosure containing "New England, on an enlarged scale" One of' the most observing pupils soon discovered it, and asked if there was "another New England that was an island in the Atlantic Ocean?"

The awakening intellect of the blacks manifests itself with a beautiful freedom in asking questions. One might listen for a twelvemonth in many a "white school," as I have good reason to know, without hearing as many intelligent questions as have been asked by these children during the month just closed. But while there is less of listlessness and indifference among these children than among the whites, to whom school has become an old story, there is among the younger ones a large amount of attempted fun and frolic, with very little effort at its concealment. The long and high pews in our church schoolrooms furnish excellent facilities for ouch development. Coming quietly upon a group at play on one of these pew-floors, I asked, while straightening them, "What good does it do you to come to school?" One of the most roguish suddenly became very serious, and replied, "If we are educated, they can't make slaves of us again."

The school has been frequently visited, during the last month, by the parents of the children, to inquire about their behavior, and express gratitude that they could enjoy "such privileges." B. L. C.

 

NEWBERN, 22d June, 1864.

"O God! make the nations see that the Unions are fighting for something!" prayed an old black; and I think the breathless listeners to this terrible thunder of human passions must soon, universally, see that it is for something, and that no less a thing than the nation's life. I love to talk to my people (as I like to call the freed people) of their peculiar relation to this great contest. They feel it and its sublimity, even in their humility; and the knowledge of their relation to it is helping make them worthy to stand in such a relation. B. L. C.

 

NEWBERN, Feb. 9, 1864.

You will notice, by this report, that my school continues to increase in numbers; and, if they still come in as they have for the past two months, I shall hardly be able to get around among them. When I first entered my schoolhouse, they told me it would seat about fifty; but I have managed to give eighty-eight some kind of seat. Although that dreaded disease, small-pox, is so prevalent here in Newbern, it does not keep them from the schoolroom. These dusky ones come through thick and thin, very often wading through mud and water with worse than no shoes on . . . I find, in my school, the good studious scholar, the

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lazy, indifferent scholar, and the sly rogue ; but, as a school, they are bright, and, I can say with truth, more eager to learn than white children at the North. On reaching my schoolroom, I very often find many on the door-step studying diligently.

I have found no case of insubordination; but the children in the streets, as well as in the schoolroom, are ready to obey us, I think, from the love and respect they have for us, their teachers. One old lady who attends this school is about sixty years old. She washes and irons the first two days in the week, comes punctually the rest of the week, and is making considerable progress. From my experience with this class, I find memory is one of their greatest faculties. E. C. W.

 

LINCOLN SCHOOL, NEWBERN.

The last two days of my school were very pleasant, and days I never shall forget. The last day I received a parting gift from my scholars : shall I tell you what it was ? Twenty-eight dollars, nearly all in gold and silver. This I shall always keep in remembrance of the Lincoln School. E. C. W.

 

NEWBERN, April, 1864.

Nearly all my scholars, both adults and children, have been ground in the prison-house of slavery. One man, upwards of forty years of age, who, commencing with scarcely a knowledge of the alphabet, has learned to read with facility within the last few weeks from "The First Reader," remarked to me, when I had said there are many "poor whites" in Newbern who would think themselves learned with only the knowledge he had acquired, "that he didn't know what they'd all been about; there being no law to prevent them from learning." . . . It is interesting to observe what a wonderfully intuitive perception such rude, wholly uncultivated intellect can have of the beautiful. Some stanzas of Whittier's poems, descriptive of their condition, appear to move them as by magic, and they respond with most demonstrative expressions of countenance and exclamation. A. O.

 

NEWBERN, July 17, 1864.

At the last meeting of the "Colored Ladies' Relief Society," of which Miss Caneday and I are members, one old lady prayed for us most heartily; saying, " O Father! shelter them as a hen sheltereth her brood under her wings: go with them wherever they go; stand with them wherever they stand. May they be a light set upon a hill, and a candle that giveth light to all that are in the house!" There is a natural pathos in some of their expressions, which is very touching, One of them prayed, "O God! let us not see our brethren and sistern slipping into the dark pitfalls of sin, and we standing complacently by, singing, 'We are the people of God!'"

Another prayed, "Oh ! make me just such a woman as you want me to be. I have no words to express what I want to say to you; but thou knowest what we want. We want to come to glory," &c. One said, "We do not pray to you, God, because we want to make you happy, for thou art all in all in thyself, but because we have need of thee;" and another, in concluding, said, "Oh, may we get safely over on the other side of Jordan, out of gunshot of the devil!" C. S. H.

LETTERS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA.

FROGMORE, May 29, 1864

I am much interested in the children, and find them apt and eager pupils; but they will need constant care and teaching before they will stand out before us as even a partly educated society. There is no reason why they will not make their mark, and compare well with any Northern scholars. I am happy to record the progress of the people in their agricultural operations thus far this spring. Their crops are looking finely, and they are in good spirits, and anticipate an abundant harvest next autumn, and consequently increased independence. A more industrious people I can hardly imagine, than these with newly developed and still developing ideas of morality and true manhood. Every thing augurs a new state of things among this people. W. H. A.

ST. HELENA, April 1, 1864.

The discipline of these children is, I think, an easier matter than that of a corresponding number of white children. They are tractable, eager to learn, and affectionate. They are noisy because they have not yet learned to sit still and study quietly. A chief source of trouble is, that they are easily amused, and laugh at trifles; so that it isn't easy to keep their spirits down to the level of the schoolroom. I am more seriously perplexed, however, by their extreme sensitiveness than by any thing else. The slightest corporal chastisement grieves them bitterly. How the rod would affect them, I can't say. So the adults are often strangely exasperated by what we should think a very trivial expression. This gives rise to a sort of sullenness, which is generally their way of showing anger. It is easy to see bow this disposition was caused, or at least aggravated, by slavery; and it seems all the more horrible, that people so sensitively organized should have been subjected to absolute and irresponsible power. W. F. A.

 

LETTERS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 19, 1864.

I find it difficult to express, in words which would be in the least intelligible, the amount of progress the school has made. I see the progress myself, and am sure that they are learning; but I cannot tell any one else just how much. Some, who, three months ago, knew absolutely nothing, are now reading quite well, almost at the end of " Sanders's First Reader," and have learned to write quite decently, by copying their lessons on their slates, by the aid of the writing lessons in "The Freedman," picking out each letter as they wanted it. I have been astonished to see how well this plan has succeeded, without taking one moment of my time. The whole school can repeat all the multiplication table in concert, and nearly all the tables of time, money, &c... .

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We are very much rejoiced that some one is coming to do visiting, and the sort of work, among the poor freedmen: it has been so very much needed. I this vicinity, they are in more comfortable circumstances than in the other part of the city. Still, even here we have felt the need of some one who could go about among them more than we have been able to do, especially when they art sick. Then, even if they can afford medicines and proper food, they need advice as to the use of it. We shall welcome Miss Carter with joy.
F. W. P.

 

WASHINGTON, March 4.

We began school a fortnight since with thirty-two scholars, and now have a hundred and fifteen on our list, — with an average attendance of a hundred. To-day, in a pouring rain, we had ninety: others want to come, but we doubt about receiving them, lest we should have more than we can do justice to. I have in the primary department already nearly seventy, — as many as I can well manage; but I cannot find it in my heart to refuse any that are anxious to come. I do refuse all really little children, so that more of my seventy are under than over ten years of age.

The night school numbers over a hundred; and, for want of teachers, we are forced to set those who know most to teaching the others. I have been obliged to take the management of it; but a gentleman of zeal and experience has at last been found to undertake it. He will relieve me of the responsibility, and I shall only have the pleasant part, -- that of teaching. F. W. F.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 1864.

I have paid some visits to the colored people this afternoon, in order to become acquainted with my field of labor. I saw much suffering and much misery. Some had very recently arrived from near White House and Spottsylvania. A physician has been promised by the Secretary of War, to go about among the colored people. I hope to do something toward teaching them to keep their miserable buts a little neater, by means of Sewing Schools, if materials are furnished. I will give no garments, unless made by those to whom they are given. H. C.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 23, 1864.

The more I go among the sick, the greater need I find of proper food for them during illness. There are many women with from one to fire or more children, whose husbands are either dead or in Government employ, sending home no money; and these women are entirely dependent upon their own labor for the support of their families. As soon as they or their children are sick, their labor ceases; they suffer for proper food, and sometimes have none at all. Some say, send such families to the Government Camp at Arlington. But it does not seem right that a woman who has a feeling of independence, and wishes to support her own family, should be forced into dependence all the time, because, for two or three weeks in the year, she may need a little aid. . . . Mrs.__ has been able to furnish me with five dollars and fifty cents, and a half dozen papers of farina; and, since I came to her house, she has furnished me with milk for cooking farina, and I have distributed four or five quarts a day. Every day I see thirty or forty sick people. I am called in to see every sick person as much as if I were a physician; and they seem to think even a look from me is beneficial.

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Now, can you influence the friends of the freedmen at the North to do any thing to relieve these wants? If a merchant would send a box of farina or corn-starch or rice, and another concentrated milk, or something else suitable for the sick, it would do a great service to the people. For beef-tea, I suppose we must depend on contributions of money. H. C.

 

ALEXANDRIA, June 17, 1864.

We have now been teaching five months: the children have become much interested, and are learning rapidly ; they are gradually becoming acquainted with school discipline. . . . The people are constantly improving. Even in the short time I have been here, there is a perceptible advancement. They are industrious and enterprising, and are rapidly proving their ability to care for and protect themselves.
S. V. L.

 

Finding the labors of the teachers at Bryantown so acceptable to Gen. Birney, the Society obtained permission from Col. Russell, to send teachers to the Fifth (colored) Cavalry Regiment, then stationed at Readville, under his command. Col. Russell reported to us, that about two hundred men in his camp were unable to read or write. The instruction was given by volunteers; the Society paying only the travelling expenses, and furnishing books and stationery. From twenty to thirty teachers went out to them during their stay at Readville; and some went daily throughout the entire period, in spite of very severe storms, and mud almost equal to that of Virginia.

It was very touching to see the trembling eagerness with which the men received the boon offered them. Some could not speak from excitement. "Dat's what we want, Missis," was the answer to the question,--" Do you want to learn to read and write?" Those who wished to learn, assembled each morning at one end of the barrack, which they supplied with a rough table and benches; and two teachers were assigned to each class. The greatest difficulty experienced was the very short time which could be allowed from other duties, — only an hour, — and the irregularity of attendance, from the necessity of some being always on guard, or performing police or stable duty. And yet the progress made in two months was very marked. Many who only knew their letters at the beginning could both read and write with some ease before they left.

The reading in the Testament was very interesting. The eyes of the brave men would brighten, and their lips quiver, as they read with their own eyes some consoling text which had long been familiar to their hearts. The temptation to talk with them of such themes was almost irresistible; but the time was too precious, and we must secure them the power of reading and writing before they went out into the field. We hope scarcely any man was unable to write his name when he left. Many other men came in, asking help in more advanced studies; as arithmetic, geography, — even in geometry and Latin. The teacher satisfied the eager scholar as far as possible, without neglecting those whose need was still greater. On leaving, they said, their only regret was, that they could not take their teachers with them. They did, however, take the primer and slate and Testament with them; and copies of the valuable little "Freedman," with its excellent writing lessons. Our teacher who is now instructing them at Point Lookout has found these same men with their books carefully kept through all the changes of camp life, march, and battle.