“Did they bring slaves?”

“No.”

A teacher in Beaufort put these questions, to which answers were given in a loud tone by the whole school:—­

“What country do you live in?”

“United States.”

“What State?”

“South Carolina.”

“What island?”

“Port Royal.”

“What town?”

“Beaufort.”

“Who is your Governor?”

“General Saxton.”

“Who is your President?”

“Abraham Lincoln.”

“What has he done for you?”

“He’s freed us.”

There were four schools in the town of Beaufort, all of which I visited, each having an average attendance of from sixty to ninety pupils, and each provided with two teachers.  In some of them writing was taught.  But it is unnecessary to describe them, as they were very much like the others.  There is, besides, at Beaufort an industrial school, which meets two afternoons in a week, and is conducted by a lady from New York, with some dozen ladies to assist her.  There were present, the afternoon I visited it, one hundred and thirteen girls from six to twenty years of age, all plying the needle, some with pieces of patchwork, and others with aprons, pillow-cases, or handkerchiefs.

Though I have never been on the school-committee, I accepted invitations to address the schools on these visits, and particularly plied the pupils with questions, so as to catch the tone of their minds; and I have rarely heard children answer with more readiness and spirit.  We had a dialogue substantially as follows:—­

“Children, what are you going to do when you grow up?”

“Going to work, Sir.”

“On what?”

“Cotton and corn, Sir.”

“What are you going to do with the corn?”

“Eat it.”

“What are you going to do with the cotton?”

“Sell it.”

“What are you going to do with the money you get for it?”

One boy answered in advance of the rest,—­

“Put it in my pocket, Sir.”

“That won’t do.  What’s better than that?”

“Buy clothes, Sir.”

“What else will you buy?”

“Shoes, Sir.”

“What else are you going to do with your money?”

There was some hesitation at this point.  Then the question was put,—­

“What are you going to do Sundays?”

“Going to meeting.”

“What are you going to do there?”

“Going to sing.”

“What else?”

“Hear the parson.”

“Who’s going to pay him?”

One boy said,—­“Government pays him”; but the rest answered,—­

“We’s pays him.”

“Well, when you grow up, you’ll probably get married, as other people do, and you’ll have your little children; now, what will you do with them?”

There was a titter at this question; but the general response came,—­