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| FRANCES ELLEN WATKW8 HARPER. 771 ings pay me poorly; but I have a chanoe to instruct and visit among the people and talk to their Sunday-eehools and day-schools «lso. Of oouree I do not pretend thtt all aw saying money or getting homes. I rather think from what I hear that the interest of the grown-up people in getting education has somewhat subsided, owing, perhaps, in a measure, to the novelty having worn off and the absorption or rather direction of the mind to other matters. Still I don't think that I have visited scarcely a place since last August where there was no desire for a teacher; and Mr. Fidler, who is a Captain or Colonel, thought Borne time since that there were more colored than white who were learning or had learned to read. There has been quite an amount of violence and trouble in th« State; but we have the military here, and if they can keep Georgia out of the Union about a year or two longer, and the colored people continue to live as they hive been doing, from what I hear, perhaps these rebela will learn a little more sense. I have been in Atlanta for Borne time, but did not stay until the Legislature waa organized; but I was there when colored members returned and took their seats. It was rather a stormy time in th» House; but no blood was shed. Since then there has been some ' sticking;' but I don't think any of the colored ones were in it." In the neighborhood of Eufaula, Ala., in December, 1870, Mrs. Harper did a good work, as may be seen from the following extract taken from a letter, dated December 9th: Last evening I visited one of the plantations, and had an interesting time. Oh, how warm was the welcome! I went out near dark, and between that time and attending my lecture, I was out to supper in two homes. The people are living in the old cabins of slavery; some of them have no windows, at all, that 1 see ; in fact, I don't remember of having seen a pane of window-glass in the settlement. But, humble as their homes were, I was kindly treated, and well received; and what a chance one has for observation among these people, if one takes with her a manner that unlocks other hearts. I bad quite a little gathering, after less, perhaps, than a day's notice ; the miniater did not know that I was coming, till be met me in the afternoon. There waa no fire in the church, and so they lit fires outside, and we gathered, or at least a number of us, around the fire. To-night I am going over to Georgia to lecture. In consequence of the low price of cotton, the people may not be able to pay much, and I am giving all my lectures free. You speak of things, looking dark in the South ; there is no trouble here that I know of—cotton is low, but the people do not seem to be particularly depressed about it; this emigration question has been on the carpet, and I do not wonder if some of them, with their limited knowledge, lose hope in seeing full justice done to them, among their life-long oppressors; Congress has been agitating the St. Domingo question; a legitimate theme for discussion, and ons that cornea nearer home, is how they can give more security and strength to the government which we have established in the South—for there has been a miserable weakness in the security to human life. The man with whom I stopped, had a eon who married a white woman, or girl, and was shot down, and there waa, as I understand, no investigation by the jury; and a number of cases have occurred of mnrders, for which the punishment haa been very lax, or not at all, and, it may be, never will be; however, I rather think things are somewhat quieter. A few days ago a shameful outrage occurred at this place—some men had been oat for hunting, and came to the door of a colored woman and demanded entrance, making oat they wanted fire; she replied that ihe had none, and refused to open tbe door; the miserable cowards broke open the door, »nd shamefully beat her. I am going to see her this afternoon. It ia remarkable, however, in spite of circumstances, how some of these people are getting along. Here is a woman who, with her husband, at the surrender, had a single dollar; and now they have a home of their own, and several acre* attached—five altogether; but, as that waa rather small, her husband bas contracted for two hundred and forty acres more, and haa now gone out and commenced operation*." |