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United States Internal Revenue,
Collector’s Office, 3d District. Arkansas.

Van Buren, March 13th 1869

Hon. W. M. Colby-
Dear Sir:
 
Your favor of the 4, inst with inclosed circular is this day at hand - It gives me pleasure to state that our new school building is completed and [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] the finest little school in the State now occupying it. taught by an ex rebel officer who, however, has been “born again”. and enters upon his work with the zeal of a new convert.

I grieve to say that I am not much on Dedications, except in the way of listening, or perhaps cheering, further than that, my poor tongue refuses to wag. Let us not call it a Dedication, but a kind of Schoolhouse warming; we will have all the Colored folks in, we wont invite the White-folks! they wouldn’t come if we did. If they should come, there would be no room, and if there were room, [[strikethrough]] we [[/strikethrough]]