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Therefore, I can with quiet propriety, promise you whatever little influence I may have in this community, in building up schools for the blacks, alone.
You may not know, that we already have in our village, a prosperous negro school disconnected with the Bureau; but, by no means independent of it - So far from it, the school is not near so prosperous - not doing half the good it would do, if the teacher was properly sustained.
John Wiley - former slave of Judge Wiley a man of good repute - with a very slight education is carrying on a school here "on his own hook" - I had a conversation with him this morning - He informs me that he has over 20 pupils - Two thirds of this number are paying scholars - He will only make a very scant support by this school - He tells me that he could obtain from 20 to 30 other children, but he cannot offer to teach them for nothing - His school has been in progress for some three months - Some of his pupils are making rapid advancements they are reading well and he expects to commence them in writing & arithmetic in some short time - Now Sir, if you can aid this man in his very laudable work of benevolence, I am sure you will do a 'good work' - To give this man $200,00 in addition to what he can collect from his patrons, would secure a permanent school and it would meet with the hearty