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Wellville Nottoway Co Va
Dec 23rd 1868

Rev R.M. Manly
Supt Education
Richmond
Va.

Rev Sir

In absence of printed forms for "Monthly School Report for December" the undersigned respectfully submits, That, in view of several marriages about to take place among the students of the "Oak Hill" colored school and the change of habitation of many patrons and students, he thought it advisable to close for the year on the 20th inst, until the second Sunday in January, at which time he hopes to organize a Sunday, day & night school for the ensuing year. Experience has proven the capacity of colored as being equal with same facilities to white students, it is only the younger, who can attend @ day school and many of the older are too much fatigued with the labor of the day to keep awake in their seats at night school for more than two hours, yet they generally try to be present regularly.

Of the 300 different students, beginning with the alphabet, 200 can read very well in testament. 80 can write tolerably well and 30 have ciphered through the fundamental rules of Arithmetic. They are anxious for a continued school but are very poor, books, lights, provisions for those too young to labor exhaust the resources of the patron, if clothing is sparse, but if tolerably good clothing is allowed, there is nothing left for school purposes. Dr Sears wrote me that he expected to convey a portion of the "Peabody Fund" to Genl Howard to devote to educational purposes but I have no further details from any source of the transactions. Personally, I found after opening the colored school that I had miscalculated the extent of the undertaking and its social effects