A year ago we greatly felt the need of dormitories, and accommodations for students to “batch.” For this the Association could make no appropriation. One of the neighbors has put up a building for this purpose, another is building, and a third has converted an old store-room into dormitories, and four families have taken boarders. Last year our school was confined to one room; now we have added a recitation room. On the whole, the outlook is hopeful. By the close of the present school year twelve to fifteen of our pupils will be able to obtain teacher’s license from the County School-Examiner. * * * * * SOUTH CAROLINA. Church and School Work—The Cause of the Exodus. REV. TEMPLE CUTLER, CHARLESTON. The work goes quietly on here in Charleston—in all its departments. The school is flourishing. It never had so many pupils as now, and was never more popular than under the direction of Mr. Gaylord. We are not ashamed to have visitors from North, South, East, or West, visit Avery. If any of your readers doubt the capacity of these colored boys and girls, let them come and see for themselves. Miss Wells, our missionary, is doing good work—visiting the homes and teaching the mothers and daughters how to make the home what it should be. The church work goes on slowly. The feeling of unity and harmony is increasing, and, so far as I can see, may be said to be universal in the church. We have had stormy weather in Plymouth for some time; it has been a sort of Cape Hatteras, around which the winds have revelled, but now the sky is clear and the sea smooth. We have a large growth of tares in the church that does neither us nor anybody else any good. If we should undertake to root it out, I do not know how much wheat might come up with it, nor how much wheat we would trample down in getting to it. Oh, how wise we need to be in dealing with these people; what a broad mantle of charity we have to throw over them. Those of us who glean after the reapers in this field, where the “patriarchal institution” once flourished, find that either the type of piety that prevailed in the “Abrahamic household” was very defective, or the “Abrahamic duty” was woefully neglected. Certainly, the idea of religion that prevails among the former dependents of these modern patriarchs, is not that of either the Old or New Testament. But why throw stones at the old defunct institution? What did I say? Defunct? I wish to God it was defunct, and that these freemen had a fair chance and a free fight for their rights and liberties. But that day is a long way off; and I fear the shimmer of the morn is not yet seen. I want to be just as hopeful as possible. I never was a croaker. I generally see the bright side of a thing. But sometimes, when I come in from some tale of oppression and misery, the clouds just shut right down—it is midnight. When I am made to know that there are 20,000 poor wretches