THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 543 



nmnities almost the whole population ■would attend their places of worship."" 

 Difficulties arose in some places. At Exuma feeling rose high between the 

 Baptists and the churchmen. A magistrate exacted pledges of a Baptist min- 

 ister not to hold public services. The pledges were not well kept. The magis- 

 trates attempted to restrain the minister and to quiet public feeling.™ The 

 difficulty was not settled at once. At last when it was composed a virtual 

 victory had been gained for the dissenters. 



The Education of the Negroes. 



This little Colony made great efforts to educate the classes that were so 

 long held in bondage. The wishes of the home government in many respects 

 were disregarded, but in this one particular the local people attempted to 

 follow the recommendations made to them as nearly as their limited means 

 would permit. When the negroes emerged from slavery there were almost 

 no means of education in the Bahamas outside of the meager facilities at 

 Nassau and on New Providence Island. The local legislature had always 

 been as parsimonious in making grants for educational purposes as for other 

 things. Nothing like a permanent grant was attempted. In some cases 

 grants that had been made were withdrawn after a few years, and the schools 

 were allowed to decline. The teaching staff was not kept up and the character 

 of the work done was very bad. The better class of the inhabitants placed 

 little dependence on these schools. Those who could bear the expense, edu- 

 cated their children in England or often in the States. It became a matter 

 of regret to the Governors that the latter country was resorted to for the 

 education of the children of British subjects, for strange ideas were imbibed 

 there, and respect for the institutions of the mother country was not increased 

 thereby.""* A great obstacle to the progress of schooling lay in the lack of 

 equipment. There were few buildings or other material things adapted to the 

 use of schools."" Within fifteen years after the emancipation of the slaves 

 great strides were made, however, in this respect. The resources 

 on which to rely were small, but they were husbanded with great care, 

 and these interests were given the preference over all other claims on the 



=" Mathew to Stanley, No. 77. 



=» Log. cit., No. 42. ''' 



™Colebrooke to Glenelg, No. 16. y 



"'■Reports of Special Justices in Sess. P., 1836, 49, pp. 543-5. At the time these 

 reports were made some school houses had been built on the Out-islands. 



