Augusta County: John Scott to Rev Samuel Hunt, December 1, 1865
Summary
In this report to Samuel Hunt, Scott discusses a variety of local issues, including the pay rate for black mechanics in Staunton and the status of Sunday schools in the city. He describes the opposition of local whites to the educational mission of the AMA in the Valley as severe. A complete monthly report is attached to the letter.
Rev Samuel Hunt
Dec 1 1865
Dear Sir,
We have looked for "blanks" upon which to write our monthly report, but have had to do the best we could without them.
Our schools are tolerably well organized already but time will improve them. We have 4 rooms in one building. These are small, the largest not over 14X16. And while these, accommodate our day school of 130 pupils, yet we are so crowded by a large part of our 250 night scholars that we are greatly inconvenienced in that school. But by thoroughly grading the schools we are able to accomplish a fair amount of work. We account for this large night school from the fact that the colored people of Staunton either from necessity or voluntarily labor through the day. Those who attend the night school would average about 20 years of age and represent a class usually found in the day school elsewhere. This determination among them to labor and live works well, and although there is some destitution among them, yet the children in the schools are generally well clad and I do not think the suffering here this winter will be great.
Some Colored mechanics earn 2.50 and 3.00 per day. The children almost all pay for their books.
Their eagerness to learn is great and on the part of those attending the night school it is intense. Some come from 3 to 4 miles away, and we are almost ready to weep when the hour of 9 approaches and we are obliged to close our schools.
The Opposition on the part of the whites though less than at first, perhaps, is still severe. It was with the utmost trouble that we were able to obtain any house for a school, and the one we occupy is owned by a colored man or we should not have secured it. Scholars living with white people have in some cases been severely whipped for coming to school at night, But the people began to accept the fact that the colored man will be educated here in Staunton as well as at other places, and some who have colored help in the house have set about teaching them, themselves, probably as a means of keeping them for work. The kindness of the colored people to the teachers is without limit.
The Sabbath School is in the hands of the colored people entirely, and might be much better managed. We hope to make some changes as soon as we can do so without intrusion. Our want is a commodious school house, and secondly a playground upon which we can introduce civil [unclear: plays] and dispense with rough and extremely boisterous ones. The Teachers enjoy the work and are efficient. The fact that one has more or less scholars than another, is occasioned by grading and nothing for or gainst the teacher.
John Scott