Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-05-21
MORNING LEADER.
Results OF EmnuciDation in santa Cruz
LETTER FROM MRS. FRANCES D. oAor.


! have been spending nearly two weeks upon
this pleasant island, among It's village people,
and have made several saies out among it's gu.
gar estates, finding much in my wandering that
think would interest the readers Of the Stand
ard | need not tell them Of the waving
palm, of luxuriapt cocoas, Of orange groves, or
magnificent cane fields. nor Of the prospect Of
the sugar and rum crop. To them there is a
higher point Of interest than the agricultural
productions of the island, or the beauties which
nature has spread over its picturesque noun
tains and vallies; the great problem of human
freedom that is being worked out here by the
twenty thousand OF those unfortunate children
OF oloppression, who twelve years ago, wore the
chains of a master!
1t is asserted boldly in the United States
and especially in the West and South, that the
emancipated slaves of the West Indies are in
far worse condition now than they were before
their release from bondage. Even here this
charge is made by nearly every American or
Dane that you meet at the hotels or boarding
houses or on the estates. SO constantly did /
hear it that l became all the more anxious TO
see and hear and know for myself the facts.
| had just come from the slave region of the
South aud from Cuba. l had been on estates in
Missouri where "savery exists in its mildest
form "a iavorite expression of our people, and
On the sugar plantations bordering on the
Mississippi, saw hordes Of slaves in the fields
at work, always with an overseer behind them,
whip In hand Their clothing was scapt---usu-
ally but one garment--a Kind Of chemise or
irock for the women, reaching little below
their knees, no covering on their head; the men
with pants and shirt (oiten without shirt) nd
these of the ooarsest material. We saw them
working thus at sunrise, at noon, and at even
Ing, and always working steadily, and as il
afraid to pause, though their m ,iions were not
SO quick as the Yankees, who has his eye ever
fixed "on the main chance"
Their cabin homes on the banks of the great
river look comfortable t, the passer-by and
each family, it is said is allowed house, and
each house is surrounded by little land
They do not huddle together so as to exclude
the air. Often these houses front green lawn
or lane, and look pleasant and quiet. What
the inside may be we only know by hearsay,
but have been told OF dit floors, blanket, a
kettle for boiling mush--little else. r.
We crossed the Gulf to Havana, went into
the country, visited coffee plantation, and
saw the slaves at work by the waysijo as we
passed along Everything we saw seemed to
| tell us Of slaves in worse condition than in
the States. They seemed driven TO their toll
! hike many broken down CATTLE mpng aud
hobbling along with listless, slow, uneasy mo.
tons, half clothed, dirty and toiI-wom, and
| with no expression circumference that told of
| hope. Gangs ofmen aud women-the women
! with something to cover nakedness-the mer,
most of them, with only strip of coarse cloth
around the waist. At night they have not
even the cabin home to 20 to, in which to be
locked with light and air excluded by bolts
and bars, save that which steals humaney in
through cracks and creyces but are huddIed
together into long dark pens, thatched over
head heavily with palm leaves mouldering and
decaying, full OF damps and vermn. Here
they are locked up like sheep or cattle, to
sweter out the few short hours of the night al.
lotted to sleep.
Such is the outward view of the condition of
the field hands in Cuba House servants, of
| course, fare better. Now, let us look at the
emaniipatcd field hands of Santa Cruz, those
poor, lazy, half starved, halEnaked, degraded
creatures, that are far worse oil than the alayes
Of Cuba or South Carolina" of whom we have
so often heard. The Arst object of interest as
rode out one morning was the children going to
school We were going from Ohristausled, ON
the east end of the Island to Frederckstod, on
the west fifteen miles (the whole length of the
Island is twenty two miles,, through the most
prosperous and rich portion Of the Island II
was near eight in the morning. We passed
group after group of coorod children, with
their little baskets or pals of dinner, going to
school. Each group had colored woman
Nth them, whose duty ii was to dec them to
the school house IN good season and in good
order, TO take care Of their dinners, and to
bring them safely home again when school
was closed at night, These, children were as
welI-dreased, ae neat and clean as the same
number of country children in our Western
States many of them too much dressed for
school. As we passed them, not one failed to
lift the hand, and wish us good morning, and
with bright, pleasant smile, as if in their
hearts they were happy
The school house was large airy building,
set upon high ground, we'll ventilated, with the
usual lattice work to let in the air and shut out
the sun--eapable, should think, of aceommo
dating two hundred children. Such school
house would be an honor to many a country
place, even in New England. The yards were
very clean and neat and the out-bulldings com
Portable Shade trees were near
The children seemed 20 come from two or
three miles on each side. At nmc we ceased
to meet or pass these groups OF children. We
passed three of these school-houses--saw them
we'll filled and the children quietly studying
their books or standing in rows recitug their
lessons, while their nurses sat unJerthe shades
watching their dinners, sewing or chatting, with
evident enjoyment.
These schools are established by the Danish
government, and all under the charge of the
Morayans. There are Rine Of them on The Is,
iaad These were children OF the field hands,
Mark that az on evidence of degradation
Then we turned to the field laborefs We
saw them ploughing hoeing, planting, weed.
lug and gathering. We saw no whips, no driv-
ing, no nakedness, no gloom The women
wore oolored dresses, of calico or cotton goods,
striped, blue and white Every one had her
head protected either by fancy colored hand
kerchef in shape Of aturban, or hat ofstraw
or palm leaf The dresses were long, reaching,
when unconfned, TO the feet but in the fields
they allworo them ounniugy looped up about
the hips with IA cord, making at once "a puff,
aounce and a Bloomer. Many wore leggings,
fastened below the knee, earrings necklaces
aud finger rings were very common, indeed uni
versal One girl wore three while skirDs,
oOped up so as TO show the three embroidered
edges, making full display about her knees,
as do our public dancers These embroidered
skirts were plean aud white, aud her plaid gng-
ham above thBm sat neatly 90 her form and was
well made. Her turban was put on with care,
and her gold earrings, with their long coral
pendants, danced merrily as she aOurshed her
hoe among the cane hills with the air of a
princess / saw in all this not false pride, but
a sublime self respect-a desire TO do as the
white people do, 10 whom all people bow, and
who lDii not lgsar ne ahaias Of SiaUes
Their houses on the estates looked comfort.
able, and through the open doors we saw tables,
chairs, beds pictures on the walls mot from
Raphml's hand, to bo sure); around their doors
chickens, ducks, turkeys and young goats,
which they have the privileges Of raising aud