The Freedmen in Texas

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 1, 1876

The Freedmen in Texas.

In speaking of the interest taken by the colored people of Texas in the present truth, Eld. Canright gives a brief description of one of the night schools held for their benefit. He says:—

“Near here Eddie Capman, one of our young brethren, has a night school three evenings in the week for the colored people. I attended one evening. It was held in a little log cabin about 12x14. In this were rude seats with a rough table in the center. On this was an ordinary lantern for light. Around this table were seated about a dozen colored people ranging from parson Green Medlin, with his white locks, down to little children of eight or ten years. All the older ones had been slaves. Now they were learning to read, spell, write, etc. The younger ones seem to get along well; but the older ones had hard work of it. To me it was really touching to see a man of forty trying to learn his letters. But the effort is commendable, and many of them do better than could be expected.”

He further says that they are anxious to be taught, and would welcome laborers among them, but that a man could not labor for them and for the whites too, as the whites would not associate with him if he did. There is no objection to laboring for them, but it must be done separately. He therefore recommends that a small tent be sent among them in which could be held schools for the children and meetings for the older.