ank our friends anew for the many kind words of sympathy, in view
of our loss, and for their appreciative testimonies in memory of our
departed associate, Rev. Dr. Powell.

* * * * *

The hearty commendations of the "AMERICAN MISSIONARY," with enclosures
for renewed subscriptions, are also gratefully acknowledged.

* * * * *

The death of Mr. Wm. L. Clark, who passed away in November last, has
removed from the list of the early and efficient workers of the A.M.A.
in the South, one who deserved the warmest regards for his fidelity, his
excellent services and his self-sacrificing spirit. Mr. Clark began his
work for the Association in 1868, as a teacher, in Bainbridge, Ga., and
was subsequently at Thomasville and Atlanta. He was for a time
afterwards editor and publisher of a paper devoted to the interests of
the colored people and the South. His last years were spent in
Washington, D.C.

* * * * *

An intelligent negro, a graduate of one of our institutions, writes to
us these words: "The A.M.A. is doing more to quicken the hopes and
aspirations of the Southern Negro, and more toward arousing the Southern
white man to just ideas of education, and more toward bringing the two
races to an acknowledgment of each other's rights and duties, than all
other institutions or influences in the country."

When the war closed there were 4,000,000 slaves set free in this
country, absolutely poor, absolutely ignorant. The black race doubles
itself in twenty years; and it is supposed that there are now about
8,000,000 Negro people. Of these, 3,000,000 may have learned to read and
write; there must be 5,000,000 still in illiterate and superstitious
darkness. That they are still trying hard to learn, will be accentuated
by the perusal of a specimen of letters to us from locations less
favored than others:

"Sir Deare Bretterin I will Rite you A few lines to let you no our
condison, we has had greatiel sickness her for the last few month.
But we hant had no Deth in the time of it, and we wont to no
somthing A Bout our School her at ------ for ef we can geet the
teacher we can have a good School now, for the is good many pepel
wating on us, now. we wode Be hapa to her from you all and then we
Can tell the Pepel what to Penon, and ef you Plese Rite to us A
Bout the Deed that we sent to you for we hant