A Northern visitor in the South, writing in a recent number of _The Advance_ speaks of the rapid improvement of the Negroes in that locality. He says that the Negro is prosperous; that commercially he is honest; that one house has had no less than thirteen hundred names of colored people on its books, each having a credit from a few dollars to forty or more; that the Negro respects education--even if he is unable to read himself, he wants, with all the determination of his soul, that his children shall be educated; that the merchants say that they are buying better and better goods, are learning the value of money, are exercising wiser judgment, are becoming farmers and mechanics, are becoming better men. These items, taken from a long article, show the bright light glowing in that locality. Of course the writer gives some dark touches to the picture, and thus modified, it may be repeated of thousands of places throughout the South. Some of our friends, we fear, look too much upon the dark side. There _is_ a dark side, and it is dense. But if we can only continue and enlarge the sphere of these bright spots, and kindle others in new localities, the time will come when the light will displace the darkness and the dawn of a new era will come. Friends of the Negro race, patriots and Christians! furnish the oil for these bright spots and help to multiply them. * * * * * THE GOVERNMENT AND THE INDIANS. On the 13th of March, some of the Secretaries of the missionary societies, and others interested in the welfare of the Indians, had an interview with President Harrison and with Secretary Noble, of the Interior Department. We were kindly received, and the Secretary solicited information from us as to the methods in which he could aid in furtherance of Indian civilization. A number of suggestions were made in response, and the following outline is given as a summary of the points presented to the Secretary: 1. That the appointment or retention of all officers and employés in the Indian service of the Government shall be on the sole ground of fitness--that ability, integrity and an interest in the welfare of the Indians, shall constitute the only required conditions. We are not ignorant of the difficulties involved in securing such persons, especially with the low salaries paid to some of these employés; and we shall be abundantly satisfied with the purpose of the Government to reach the nearest attainable success in this direction.