16

are left in the village with some member of the family who is too
old to work, while the parents go up country to work.”

Frances E. Gauze, from Herndon, writes— ae

‘My class in History is very interesting; they seem to take
a great interest in it. I think our six months expires about the
first of the Fourth month. Do you propose closing the schools
at that time? I shall feel very sorry to have to part with my
pupils so soon.”

Sarah E. Lloyd, Woodlawn, Va., writes—

- You will observe that my school is not as large as last win-
ter. I think the cause is chiefly owing to the want of sufficient —
clothing, especially for the feet. Scholars who came last winter,
but not through the summer and fall, were, without exception,
when they commenced the present season, to enter advanced
classes: and a better behaved set of scholars I could not wish

for in any school.” |

Mary K. Perry, at Manassas, states— :

‘The weather has been very much against us; there has been
snow nearly all the time, and many of the children have over
two miles to walk—some over three. We have the most intelli-
gent colored people here that I have met with in this State;
but they need educating, as very few of the grown people can

read.’ |

Sarah Ann Steer, Waterford, Va., writes—

“My school is larger now than it has ever been, and I think”
quite as interesting as ever. I have a number of new pupils this
month, most of whom are men, who seem very anxious to learn,
and appear to be making the most of the short time they expect
to have at school. Some of the colored people are quite anx-
ious to devise means to support one, when the present help is
over, and they will have to depend upon themselves.

“They have appointed an evening to meet, and consider the
subject, but I fear there are not enough who are able to do much
towards it. The ménister spoken of in my last has attended
school as regularly during the month as his Pastoral duties would
permit. He has told me something of his history, which may,
perhaps, not be uninteresting. : :

‘¢He was a slave belonging to a man in one of the lower coun-
‘ties of. Maryland, and became free a short time before the war ;
he then went to Baltimore, when the Baltimore Conference ap-
pointed him to this circuit. He is about thirty-five years of age,
is a very intelligent, well-informed man, and quite eloquents in

‘