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few schools in the Stitr, except in the cities and large towns. For
the present, we cannot, I fear, expect that schools will be established
for you by the State, although I would suggest that you send an
address to the Legislature upon the subject, and bring to their atten¬
tion the importance, justice and wisdom of providing schools for
your children, the same as for white children. It can do no harm
and may do good.
The freed people will therefore be obliged to establish and support
schools for their children themselves, or bave none. I suggest, there*
fore, that it sh.-a.ll be the work of our Association, for the _ coming
year, to establish schools in every county in the State. Let the Vice
Presidents be instructed to establish schools in their counties for
children, and let the Subordinate Associations be night schools, if
possible, where men and women may, at least, learn to read and write.
Subordinate Association No. 2, of Augusta, has already established
a night school, and the other Subordinate Associations of that city
will soon do the s?ime. The members who attend the school pay
one dollar per month into the treasury, and appoint a committee of
three to employ the superintendent of the school. If you shall,
during the year, establish schools in every county in the State, it
will be regarded by your friends, everywhere, as one of the most
remarkable undertakings ever accomplished by a people just emanci¬
pated from slavery.
GENERAL TILLSON.
I accepted the position of President of this Association the more
willingly, because my relations with General Tillson—the Assistant
Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau for this State—were of a
very friendly nature, and I felt that I might, by bringing to bis
attention the true condition of the colored people, assist them more
than any other person, who would consent to accept the position. I
am pleased to say that, for many weeks my anticipations were realized:
but I was pained to discover that, in my opinion, the General was
less and less willing to protect the freedmen, as I thought he might;
by degrees, our relations became less and less satisfactory to myself.
In the latter part of May, an attempt was made, by the teachers
of the colored schools of Augusta, to enter the city cemeiery with
their scholar-*, for the purpose of strewing flowers over the graves
of Union soldiers, who lie buried in that cemetery. They were met
at the entrance by the Mayor and a large force of armed policemen,
and admission denied to colored children, unless they entered as the
servants, or slaves, of the white per-evs present, to carry flowers
for them. The teacheis and their white friends refused to enter
upon such conditions, and returned to a church near by. It was
there decided to send a committee to General Tillson, and request
that he would protect the colored children in their effort to do honor
to the memory of the Union dead. He not only very unexpectedly
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