ho are exceedingly anxious to become students have in early
life lost their parents, and, being poor, are unable to provide for
themselves, and unless some helping hand is stretched forth, must
remain in ignorance. There are others, who, though in good
circumstances, are not able to appreciate the value of learning, and
so care nothing for it. Again, there are many communities in which
the people, ignorant themselves, care nothing about the education of
their children, and will make no provisions for schools. I know of
settlements of five hundred or more inhabitants among whom there are
scarcely any competent preachers, no good schools or teachers, no
missionary work going on, and the people in a very degraded state.
Ignorant parents, unless persuaded, are not apt to attend to the
education of their children. It is a disadvantage to any one aiming
to prepare for future usefulness to meet with either of these
unfavorable circumstances that I have mentioned, and yet it is the
case with thousands of our boys and girls. The principles which ought
to be impressed upon the children's minds while young are neglected,
and false ideas and degraded impressions are allowed to govern them.
Thus, they are robbed of an early training in those things which are
the true foundations of a noble character.

Here are the plantations in this Southland around many of which yet
cluster the stains of slavery, and to look upon them in all their
degradation is enough to cause a young man or woman who was once
acting in accordance with their sinfulness, but now trying to aim
higher, to give up and declare that it is useless to try to elevate
the great mass of our people to a high standard of citizenship and
usefulness, and it is only when we remember that the hand of the
great God is in the work, that one can have any hope. How many to-day
are idling away their time, breaking the Sabbath, engaging in sinful
sports, violating the State laws, disturbing the peace of quiet
citizens, disobeying their Supreme Ruler!

We have glanced at the dark side of this subject. Let us now turn to
the bright. God has raised up noble men who have loved us and labored
for us--men whose names are familiar to all, and who will be loved
and honored through all generations. Can we be discouraged when we
think it was for us John Brown died? When we think of Abraham
Lincoln, Charles Sumner, and all that host of great men who saw the
evils our race suffered and so nobly