The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-12
From the Liberator.
LETTER FROM THEODORE PARKER


The following letter of Mr.. Parker to Francis
Jackson, Esq.,. was read to the congregation at
Music Hall, on Sunday morning last, by Mr..
Phillips. Though private letter, the wide
spread interest that is felt in Mr. Parkers case
will justify its publication. That portion of it
which relates to emancipation will be particu-
larly interesting to our readers.
WEST END SANTA CRUz, March q, 1859.
Francis Jackson:
DFAR FRIEND: Here we all are, on one of
the handsomest little islands in the world, about
as big as Suffolk county, though different in
shape.
We have the weather of dog days, yet the heat
is quite uniform day and night, varying com
monty from 80 degrees at noon to 78 at sun
set, and 76 at sunrise. / have not seen the
mercury higher than 81 by day, or lower than
Y by night. The air is drier than ever knew
it in New England in the longest drought.
Only at night l feel a little chill in the atmos-
phere, and pull thin blanket over my shout
ders.
If don't get well here, you may make up
your minds to let me go; for if the air of Santa
Cruz does not help me, nothing will or can.
The atmosphere is so clear, that can see the
island of Porto Rico from the wharf here though
it is seventy miles off! l live out of doors all
| can, but am yet too lame to walk or ride with
much pleasure.
The houses are only a little piece of out doors
with roof over it. 1t is queer place, this lit
tie town of one thousand inhabitants, living in
Tor out of houses which have no glass and no
chimneys You would laugh to see the fuel ex-
posed for sale handful of brush charcoal on
a board, few little bundles of brush, not so
large as bundle of parsnips in Boston market
You who filled up the South Cove Il wish you
had made it six feet higher would stare little
to see six men and women at work CD repairing
the highway; they hoe the earth into trays,
take them on their heads, and carry them to a
cart, and pitch in their contents; then three
persons pull the cart, and three more push from
behind, while the seventh oversees the whole
concern, and walks behind till they come to the
place of deposit, where they dump down the
ten bushels which made the load. Carpenter
work is sight to behold boy holding a board
for a man to saw it. and another boy helping
both by looking on. l think you would wonder
at the plants and trees, not one that you ever
saw before. But, what would interest you much
is the condition of the colored people; so far
Their word on that matter. Slavery continued
here until 1913, when all over the little island
the blacks rose, took possession of all except
the two forts, and demanded their freedom,
There were 5000 whites and %, 900 blacks on
the island. The negroes did not shed q drop
Of blood, They burnt a few houses but de-
stroyed very little property, and took no mans
life
Imagine the CONSERVATION of the whites. who
knew what they would do under like circum-
stances! The Governor declared the negroes
all free, and advised them to go back to the
estates and work. Most of them did 90. But
soon Spanish regiment was brought over to
secure order. The Danish King confirmed the
freedom of the negroes, but had commission
to inquire into the matter. See how the whites
paid the blacks for their lenity. They put 400
or 500 in JAIL and shot Is in cold blood.
The price of labor was fixed by law, the la.
borer protected in certain particulars, but still
the chief protection was given to those who
were best able to take care of themselves. 1t
is always so. AT present, laborers on estates
are divided into three classes-frst, second.
third. They are thus paid; all have hut to
live IN, little patch TO raise vegetables and
fruits, (which grow with no care,) to keep
pig, poultry, &c They all work five DAYS a
week, except certain feast days of the Lutheran
church; nine hours day, i. e., from I A. NJ.
to IL, and from r. NJ. to 6, The third class,
consisting chiefly of children, have only their
support, food and clothes, which cost little. The
h,
OF corn meal, and four behring's. The first class
has fifty cents a week, six quarts of meal, and
six behring's. Such is the pay. For work in
extra hours and on Saturday, they all have
extra pay. Of course, in slave country labor
Is desplsed. A poor white woman who keeps
a boarding house would feel degraded by clear
ing out drawer, and so leaves it for her rich
New England dodgers, who think work an
honor well as a duty. Of course. the
blacks share this feeling; they did not work SO
much for the planters after they obtained their
freedom; so the productive power of the island
declined; the sugar crop of the island went
down from $4,000 hogsheads to 100000 Il, 900.
$4,000, 5000, to 5000 in this year. About half
the decline must be charged, first, to the bad
conduct of the owners of estates, and, second.
to loug series of excessive drought, occa-
sIoned by stripping the hills of the trees which
used to catch the waters of heaven, and WOO
them down to earth to fertilize and bless il.
The other half let me put down to Freedom
Suppose an average crop under Slavery was
10000 hogsheads, and now is 10000: then
Freedom costs 1000 hogSheads sugar. that is.
one-halt OF the difference, which is $1,000 Sup
pose hogshead OF sugar here worth $3.50.
then the freedom of $4,000 men costs $3.50 900
a year-that is, ten dollars a head. So much
Tor that side OF the question. Now look at the
other side.
Inc negroes marry, one man to one woman,
and are about as faithful as the rest of man.
kind" They wear clothes at work. and neat
and tidy clothes on Sundays. They work bet
ter than before. They have learned this of late.
and are improving continually in industry.
They save money, and buy little houses in the
town, move there, and BECOME mechanics,
traders, Jumpers, &c., &c. They send their
children to the free school, some of them tray
eling four miles for that blessed privilege.
They go to meeting on Sundays, which ! fear
would not be worth much to YOU or me. but il
is of deal of service to them. They respect
themselves, and are getting humanized. moral.
lied, and civilized. | think that is worth ten
dollars head. | wish somebody would under.
take to elevate the New Englanders at twice
that cost. The same thing goes on here for
the African which in Boston takes place with
the hish-a degraded people lifting itself up--
only at Boston 1t has nobody to oppose it,
except the Irish Catholic priest and the Amer
lean political demagogue. each the worst Of
their kind, but has schools, ministers for the
poor, benevolent societies, and the like, to help
on the work; while here, alas the spirit of the
white man opposes the elevation of the blacks.
Yet here are noble men and women at work.
seeking to uphft the fallen. Here is AN Epis
copal minister working nightly in their behalf.
in the midst of the prejudice of " aristocracy,"