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sum of his very small wages every month for tobacco, and the children out of our schools are rapidly forming the same habit.

Savings Banks

The three Freedmen's Savings Banks in my District are known and patronized by many of the pupils in our schools.  The little paper issued by the Company is circulated extensively among them.  and in spite of extravagancies in many directions, very many children are learning to save their money;  a most important element of a good education.  I met a little boy about eight years old last winter in the savings-bank in this City making his small deposit of a few cents, on his way home from school, books in hand.  Out of school hours this bright boy and his little brother, - sons of a poor widow, - did chores for ladies who paid them small sums, which they had put away in the bank until each had about eight dollars, enough to buy coal for their mother, and beget in them a habit which makes fortunes.

On one of the coldest days of last winter, a woman deposited a small sum in the bank at Martinsburg, W. Va., as she was wont to do when she had it.  Said the cashier, "where is Jonnie with his few cents".  She replied, "Oh it has been too cold for him, - her little son - to gather bones".  He was accustomed to gather bones around town which he sold for grinding, and put the small sum into the bank.  Such incidents are encouraging.  I am often told that the colored people will not work:  sometimes by merchants, who nevertheless are very anxious to get their trade;  and what is that good for unless they have money? and how can theyhave that without work? and for their work they certainly get little enough.  Men only get from ten to fourteen dollars per month in the country.  Said a merchant in Prince George Co. Md., "A Railroad will be an injury to me, for then every darkey will be running off to the city to buy his goods".  But he could not say enough of the idleness and thriftlessness of the Negro.  Why was he afraid that the Negro would buy in the city unless he had money?

For nearly four years I have occupied the position in this place of Superintendent of Education, though my field has been changed several times, and have reported to three Assistant Commissioners in succession, and finally, in the consolidation, to the Commissioner himself through you.  My first year was what might be called the [[underlined]] Barrack School House [[/underlined]] period of the colored schools in my District, which then included the District of Columbia, Alexandria, Va., together with the Counties of Alexandria, Fairfax and Loudoun.  Northern societies were sending a noble band of workers.  It was our duty to aid them with school-houses and other facilities for their work.  Government Barracks and Hospitals, no longer needed for the Army, were turned over to the 

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Bureau, and fitted up in the plainest manner for the schools.  Blackboards were made and a few desks.  Tables and benches, stoves and other furniture from the mess-rooms, answered very well for the school-room.  A few barrack buildings were moved on to purchased lots where they still remain:  but most of them were upon leased ground and were soon torn down.  The buildings were not plastered but very open, the children being protected only by a single board from the cold winters air.  Still the schools were [[strikethrough]] all [[/strikethrough]] well attended and well taught;  and all were thankful for these buildings;  and the few church basements we were permitted to occupy.  But in our onward progress better school-houses were required, and so in the summer of 1866 began the erection of large cheap houses out of barrack buildings torn down, on lots bought for the purpose.  A large house which will accommodate four hundred pupils was built in this city;  and another of the same size was finished about mid-winter in Georgetown.  Early in the spring of 1867 a house was commenced in Alexandria, and finished during the summer.  I furnished the plans and specifications for these houses, and gave out the contracts to colored workmen, and superintended their work.  Thus the cost of the houses was very little and in the District this was shared by the Trustees of Colored Schools, who aided to the extent of their small means.  I acted as their agent and superintendent without compensation until the f fall of 1867.  In the summer of 1867 two large brick houses were erected in this city, the Trustees (as they now began to receive more of the school money legally due from the city) incurring the large part of the expense.

In March 1867, the State of West Virginia had been added to my field in lieu of Alexandria and the Virginia Counties which were turned over to the Dept. of Virginia.  Six (6) Counties on the western shore of Maryland had also been added.  In canvassing this country field with the Assistant Commissioner, we found the ignorance of the colored people very great, but their eagerness to learn extraordinary, and a willingness to put forth earnest efforts to secure to themselves teachers and school-houses.  It was evident that partial aid on our own part would secure to them great benefits.  We had already done largely for the city schools;  they were becoming able to bear their own burdens.  It seemed best therefore to help the Country.  Accordingly during the summer of that year, in connection with the colored people we began the work of building small neat school-houses in Maryland and West Virginia, and furnishing them teachers through the Societies.  A large number of schools were thus started.

We continued to build houses vigorously through the winter of 1867 & 8, and quite a number were erected during the following summer, when the whole of Maryland and the State of Delaware were added