Hilton Head, S. C„ September 13th, 1863.
The people are raising a plenteous crop for their
subsistence, with the exception of a few aged and otherwise helpless
individuals. There is much matured corn, an abundance of sweet potatoes,
considerable rice, and a general supply of various kinds of vegetables all over
the islands. There is also a quite extensive crop of cotton, the first picking
of which is now taking place. The peach, fig and other fruit harvests have gone
by, but there is a profusion of oranges everywhere, some of them beginning to
turn yellow. The supply seems to be unlimited. I have been surprised at the
amount of subsistence raised upon the islands; and yet, with more diligence and
increased husbandry, the amount may be vastly increased. I see no reason why
the natural resources of the islands may not be made to support entirely, at
least twice, and perhaps three times their present population. This, of course,
would require a more thorough and general superintendence, than has yet been
rendered. The people need to be instructed, encouraged, and in many cases
compelled to labor.
The agent who comes here for pastime or the mere novelty of
change, had better stay at home. The direction of labor is vastly
important, but scarcely less so is the development of the social, mental and
moral faculties of this long oppressed and neglected race. It seems to me there
is at present a great lack of teachers, not merely of the alphabet, and more
advanced education, but also of social and domestic duties.
G. PILSBURY.
SOURCE: New-England Educational Commission for Freedmen, Extracts
from Letters of Teachers and Superintendents of the New-England Educational
Commission for Freedmen, Fourth Series, January 1, 1864, p. 6-7
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