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[ED. FORM, No. 4.] SUB ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER'S (OR AGENTS) MONTHLY REPORT on Education of Freedmen and Refugees in Sub-District, State of Texas in charge of J.S. Randall for the Month of April 1868, [in accordance with order contained in Circular No. 5, Bureau R., F., & A.L.] 1. Name of your Sub-District? 28th Sub-District. 2. Whole number of Refugee or Freedmen's Schools in the District? 2 Day? 2 Night? -- Sabbath? 3. Location of Schools? The two Freedmen's Schools now in operation are located in the Hearme neighborhood, in the lower part of Robertson County, about one mile apart, one upon the plantation of E. Haine - the other upon plantation of J.A. Johnson. 4. Whole number of Teachers? 2 White? 1 Colored? 1 5. Names and post-office address of Day-School Teachers? S. Armstrong (white). Bryan, Texas, E. Hammit (colored) Bryan, Texas. 6. Whole number of School-houses for Freedmen in your District? 3 Their condition, capacity, value, and by whom owned? Value: nominal. They are each capable of accommodating some 50 pupils. Two of them are owned by the planter upon whose plantation the sit. The other by the Freedmen. 7. Number of your visits to Schools? Day? 2 Nights? - Sabbath? - These schools are some 20 miles from Sterling 8. Number of educational meetings held by you during the month? - Where? - 9. Number and names of places, now destitute, in which Day-Schools might be organized? Some 6 to 8 Ranger Plantation. Mrs. Mitchell's plantation. C. W. Salter's plantation. Mr. Goodwin's plantation Etc 10. Number of pupils (estimated) who would attend such Schools? 300. The Freedmen are too much devoted to making cotton. When a child is old enough to do anything in the field, the parents will have it-at-work as a general thing. Children are not plenty in this Sub-District, & in some localities there are comparatively none at all. 11. Amount which would probably be raised by the Freedmen, for school purposes, in each destitute neighborhood? It would be difficult t raise means from the Freedmen for school purposes. I have found it very difficult to get them to work on a school house even. 12. What efforts are you making to secure the support of schools by pupils, parents, boards of education, or the State government? 13. Whole number of additional School-houses, for Freedmen, now wanted in your Sub-District? Buildings for school houses could be easily procured, if I could obtain suitable teachers, & induce the Freedmen to send & pay tuition for their children without 14. Could you organize your Sub-District into School Districts, each with a School Committee pledged to carry on schools therein? It would somewhat difficult. The freedmen in this Bottom are in capable ignorance. 15. To what extent would help from without be needed in such cases? A few energetic school teachers would be necessary, but would stand a small change of being compensated by the Freedmen. 16. What is the public sentiment as to the education of the Freedmen and Poor Whites? These is very little attention paid to education here among any class. Knowing how to ride a pony, & being large enough to toot a revolver fits a young man for the duties of manhood; and the "snuff stick" is the perfection of a lady's education. There is little to be hoped from the shiftless, trifling set of young people who have been raised in this section. 17. Are Night-Schools for Adults needed in your District? yes In what way could they be carried on? It would be a difficult to establish & continue for good a night-school for adults. It would require a great deal of labor & self sacrifice upon the part of the teachers, as well as the pupils. Cotton planting keeps the freedmen hard at work, & when over, they have other things to attend to besides a night-school. 18. What more can this Bureau do for educating the children of Refugees (or Poor Whites)? The Bureau could help us by sending us teachers- but the more the Bureau does, the more is expected, & the less the [[strikethrough]] freedmen [[/strikethrough]] the people are willing to do- but the right kind of teachers could do a vast deal of good. 19. How long will Northern charitable aid be needed for Freedmen and Refuge Schools of your District? The freedmen are amply able to provide for themselves if disposed to, & could easily establish churches, schools & if I could induce them to stop drinking whiskey and accompanying vices. I hereby certify, on honor, that I have given personal attention to the matters herein named, and that the answers given are, according to my best knowledge and belief, correct. J.L. Randall Sub-Asst. Com., Bureau R.,F.,& A.L.
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