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one Sattviles and two at least in Russel County, also one in Lee county, the school at Abingdon, now in its second year, under the care of Mr Chauncy Spark, assisted by his wife and Mother, is in a flourishing condition and is comfortably accommodated in the new house erected this season, being 30x40 feet, and capable of accommodating 150 scholars on the first floor.  We are also building another house at Bristol, which is in a forward state of completion and we hope to able to open a school there early in the spring.
The work of education is the great work for the freed people of this country.  Without it they must remain practically the slaves of the more intelligent white race, whatever may be their legal status, with it they will be comparatively free altho bound by a thousand statutes, I am daily realizing the truth of the fact that the general government can never fully perform its duty to this people until they shall have secured to them beyond a free adventurer, the accomplishment of this indispensable accomplishment and safeguard of manhood and citizenship the southern people have neither the means nor the disposition to do this for them and if it is left either to their legislation or their philanthropy it will utterly fail.  There is therefore nothing for those who have "proclaimed liberty to the captive" to do but to come to the rescue and by wise and liberal legislation furnish the means to give schools to the Freedman until they shall be able to take the work into their own hands.
The rights of the colored people are with some gratification reasonably well protected in the civil courts of this Division. There is however a free natural disposition among individuals to take advantage of the ignorance of the Freed people and their unprotected condition to defraud them of their just dues, this disposition is manifested in a great

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-22 21:32:59