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Table of Contents:
Chapter
47
: freedmen's aid societies and an act of congress creating a Bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands
Chapter
55
:
first
appropriation by congress for the bureau; the reconstruction Act,
March
2
,
1867
; increase of educational work
Chapter
60
: opposition to Bureau and reconstruction work became personal; the
Congregational Church of
Washington
Chapter
62
: life in
Washington, D. C.
,
1866
to
1874
; assigned to duty in regular army as commander,
Department of the Columbia
Chapter
63
: in the
Northwest
, among the
Indians
; trip to
Alaska
; life in
Portland, Ore.
;
1874
to
1881
Chapter
64
: superintendent of the
United States military Academy
; commanding
Department of the Platte
,
Omaha, Neb.
Chapter
68
:
French
army maneuvers,
1884
; promotion to
Major General
,
United States army
,
San Francisco
1886
-
88
[336] but some of them overcame even ugly prejudice, which is a hard thing to do. One of such teachers, while on her way to open her school in the neighborhood of a large plantation, was refused shelter by the owner. His reason was that no real lady would perform a work so discreditable as teaching “niggers.” But in a few months she had so won the confidence of the planter by her judicious conduct and Christian efforts, that when she was taken suddenly ill, he had his doors opened to receive her and saw to it that she had every comfort and attention necessary. I enjoyed immensely the stories of such acts of gallantry. There was deep sympathy between teacher and pupil. A single illustration from a school at Little Rock will illustrate. The teacher with moist eyes told a girl of perhaps twelve years that an act of childish indiscretion pained her. Seeing the tears the child ran to the teacher at once, asked her forgiveness, and said that in the future she would be a good girl. This spontaneous act sensibly affected the whole school. This teacher, who had taught the pupils to cast their burdens on the Lord, was soon to leave the school. The time of her going was announced. The grief was manifest and universal. One of the scholars arose and asked permission to pray. Permission being given, several scholars in succession, in simple and touching language, asked forgiveness for all their errors, and for blessings on their teacher, and that the Lord, if it were His will, would send her back to them. In Florida, Colonel J. T. Sprague had succeeded as district commander and assistant commissioner to General Foster. The State, ostensibly for the education of the black children, in its new school law imposed
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