Peter H. Clark.[54] The pupils were showing their appreciation by
regular attendance, excellent deportment, and progress in the
acquisition of knowledge. Speaking of these Negroes in 1855, John P.
Foote said that they shared with the white citizens that respect for
education and the diffusion of knowledge, which has been one of their
"characteristics," and that they had, therefore, been more generally
intelligent than free persons of color not only in other parts of this
country but in all other parts of the world.[55] It was in appreciation
of the worth of this class to the community that in 1844[56] Nicholas
Longworth helped them to establish an orphan asylum and in 1858 built
for them a comfortable school building, leasing it with a privilege of
purchasing it within four years.[57] They met these requirements within
the stipulated time and in 1859 secured through other agencies the
construction of another building in the western portion of the city.

The most successful of these schools, however, was the Gilmore High
School, a private institution founded by an English clergyman. This
institution offered instruction in the fundamentals and in some
vocational studies. It was supported liberally by the benevolent element
of the white people and patronized and appreciated by the Negroes as the
first and only institution offering them the opportunity for thorough
training. It became popular throughout the country, attracting Negroes
from as far South as New Orleans[58] Rich Southern planters found it
convenient to have their mulatto children educated in this high
school.[59]

The work of these schools was substantially supplemented by that of the
colored churches. They directed their attention not only to moral and
religious welfare of the colored people but also to their mental
development. Through their well-attended Sunday-schools these