Volume II Part 38 (1/2)

Was there any opposition to their admission at first? A. Considerable opposition the first year, but none afterwards. 5th Q. Do they learn as readily us the white children? A. As they are more regular in their attendance, they learn better. 6th Q. Are they as easily governed? A.

Much easier. 7th Q. What proportion of the school are the children of apprentices? A. Fifty. 8th Q. Do their parents manifest a desire to have them educated? A. In general they do. 9th Q. At what age do the children leave your school? A. Generally between twelve and fourteen. 10th Q What employments do they chiefly engage in upon leaving you? A. The boys go to various mechanic trades, to counting-houses, attorney's offices, clerks to planting attorneys, and others become planters. The, girls seamstresses, mantuamakers, and a considerable proportion tailoresses, in Kingston and throughout Jamaica, as situations offer.

I am, dear sirs, yours respectfully,

E. REID.

The following table will show the average numbers of the respective cla.s.ses, white and colored, who have attended Wolmer's free school in each year, from 1814 to the present time.

White | Colored | Total.

Children.|Children.| Average number in 1814 87 87 ” ” 1815 111 3 114 ” ” 1816 129 25 154 ” ” 1817 146 36 182 ” ” 1818 155 38 193 ” ” 1819 136 57 193 ” ” 1820 116 78 194 ” ” 1821 118 122 240 ” ” 1822 93 167 260 ” ” 1823 97 187 280 ” ” 1824 94 196 290 ” ” 1825 89 185 274 ” ” 1826 93 176 269 ” ” 1827 92 156 248 ” ” 1828 88 152 240 ” ” 1829 79 192 271 ” ” 1830 88 194 282 ” ” 1831 88 315 403 ” ” 1832 90 360 450 ” ” 1833 93 411 504 ” ” 1834 81 420 501 ” ” 1835 85 425 510 ” ” 1836 78 428 506 ” ” 1837 72 430 502

With regard to the _comparative intellect_ of white and colored children, Mr. Reid gives the following valuable statement:

”For the last thirty-eight years I have been employed in this city in the tuition of children of all cla.s.ses and colors, and have no hesitation in saying that the children of color are equal both in conduct and ability to the white. They have always carried off more than their proportion of prizes, and at one examination, out of seventy prizes awarded, sixty-four were obtained by children of color.”

Mr. R. afterwards sent to us the table of the number of schools in Kingston, alluded to in the foregoing communication. We insert it here, as it affords a view of the increase of schools and scholars since the abolition of slavery.

1831.

Schools. Scholars.

2 Wolmer's, 403 1 National, 270 34 Gentlemen's private, 1368 40 Ladies' do. 1005 8 Sunday, 1042 ---- ---- 85 Total, 4088

1832.

Schools. Scholars.

2 Wolmer's, 472 1 National, 260 31 Gentlemen's private, 1169 41 Ladies' do. 856 8 Sunday, 981 ---- ---- 83 Total, 3738

1836.

Schools. Scholars.

2 Wolmer's, 527 3 National, 1136 3 Mico, 590 1 Baptist, 250 1 Jamaica Union, 120 31 Gentlemen's private,1137 59 Ladies' do. 1339 9 Sunday, 1108 By itinerant teachers and children. 1500 ---- ---- 109 Total, 7707

1837.

Schools. Scholars.

2 Wolmer's, 502 3 National, 1238 4 Mico, 611 1 Baptist 260 1 Jamaica Union, 200 34 Gentlemen's private, 1476 63 Ladies' do. 1525 10 Sunday, 1316 By itinerant teachers and children, 1625 ---- ---- 118 Total, 8753

We also visited the Union school, which has been established for some years in Kingston. All the children connected with it, about one hundred and fifty, are, with two exceptions, black or colored. The school is conducted generally on the Lancasterian plan. We examined several of the boys in arithmetic. We put a variety of questions to them, to be worked out on the slate, and the reasons of the process to be explained as they went along; all which they executed with great expertness. There was a jet black boy, whom we selected for a special trial. We commenced with the simple rules, and went through them one by one, together with the compound rules and Reduction, to Practice, propounding questions and examples in each of them, which were entirely new to him, and to all of them he gave prompt and correct replies. He was only thirteen years old, and we can aver we never saw a boy of that age in any of our common schools, that exhibited a fuller and clearer knowledge of the science of numbers.

In general, our opinion of this school was similar to that already expressed concerning the others. It is supported by the pupils, aided by six hundred dollars granted by the a.s.sembly.

In connection with this subject, there is one fact of much interest.

However strong and exclusive was the prejudice of color a few years since in the schools of Jamaica, we could not, during our stay in that island, learn of more than two or three places of education, and those private ones, from which colored children were excluded, and among the numerous schools in Kingston, there is not one of this kind.

We called on several colored gentlemen of Kingston, from whom we received much valuable information. The colored population are opposed to the apprentices.h.i.+p, and all the influence which they have, both in the colony and with the home government, (which is not small,) is exerted against it. They are a festering thorn in the sides of the planters, among whom they maintain a fearless espionage, exposing by pen and tongue their iniquitous proceedings. It is to be regretted that their influence in this respect is so sadly weakened by their _holding apprentices themselves_.

We had repeated invitations to breakfast and dine with colored gentlemen, which we accepted as often as our engagements would permit.

On such occasions we generally met a company of gentlemen and ladies of superior social and intellectual accomplishments. We must say, that it is a great self-denial to refrain from a description of some of the animated, and we must add splendid, parties of colored people which we attended. The conversation on these occasions mostly turned on the political and civil disabilities under which the colored population formerly labored, and the various straggles by which they ultimately obtained their rights. The following are a few items of their history.

The colored people of Jamaica, though very numerous, and to some extent wealthy and intelligent, were long kept by the white colonists in a state of abject political bondage. Not only were offices withheld from them, and the right of suffrage denied, but they were not even allowed the privilege of an oath in court, in defense of their property or their persons. They might be violently a.s.saulted, their limbs broken, their wives and daughters might be outraged before their eyes by villains having white skins; yet they had no legal redress unless another white man chanced to see the deed. It was not until 1824 that this oppressive enactment was repealed, and the protection of an oath extended to the colored people; nor was it then effected without a long struggle on their part.

Another law, equally worthy of a slaveholding legislature, prohibited any white man, however wealthy, bequeathing, or in any manner giving his colored son or daughter more than 2000 currency, or six thousand dollars. The design of this law was to keep the colored people poor and dependent upon the whites. Further to secure the same object, every effort, both legislative and private, was made to debar them from schools, and sink them in the lowest ignorance. Their young men of talent were glad to get situations as clerks in the stores of white merchants. Their young ladies of beauty and accomplishments were fortune-made if they got a place in the white man's harem. These were the highest stations to which the flower of their youth aspired. The rest sank beneath the discouragements, and grovelled in vice and debas.e.m.e.nt. If a colored person had any business with a white gentleman, and should call at his house, ”he must take off his hat, and wait at the door, and be _as polite as a dog_.”