The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-05-05

origlnal purchase money; and he has
been offered Gl0,00O for the property
aad refused it. That is the kind of ruin
/ that has come upon the West India is.
lands because OF emancipation.
Then, sir, look at the moral condition
OF these islands. The moral condition of
Barbados will compare favorably with
that of any other civilized country. be-
lieve the criminal statistics of Barbados,
for the last FIVE or six years, would COM
pare with any other country under heav-
en-, without disadvantage. We seldom
hear of anything like serious crimes
Then, sir, the vice of iDtemperance is not
prevalent among the people. have a
membership of seventeen hundred coored
persons. and during the last two years l
have not had one single case of intemper-
ance reported to me, in connection with
our disciplinary proceedings.
Then look at our churches. Every
Sabbath, they are inconvenieDtly crowd
ed by people anxious to receive instruc-
tion. | know of no people in the world
who will make such efforts and exercise
such self TO obtain education for
their children as the people 10 Barbados.
| will mention ono little incident that oc-
Cured only day or two before | left to
come to this country. One of my own
church mcmters. colored man, bad just
finished manufacturing his little portion
OF sugar, grown on a part of the half a.
ere of land On which be raised the provis-
ions for his family, and be brought me
six dollars and requested that l would
receive tho money in advance as school
fees for his four children for the next
twelve months. That, sir, is the only in
stance ever heard of 10 my life of man
IN his condition. pre- paying the education
Of his children for twelve months. He
resolved, whatever else suffered, bis chill
dren should not suffer the loss of educa.
ton; he had secured it for them for the
next twelve months.
The people are willing to do all they
can to raise themselves. and they do
raise themselves. have heard since l
have been here, that colored people in this
country do not make efforts to raise
themselves out of their degraded position.
A voice-"That is not true" II it be
true, do not wonder at it. do not see
how any people can lift themselves up a.
gainst the weight Of discouragement that
seems to be cast upon them in this coun-
try. When [ came into Boston, two or
three weeks ago, went into hotel, and
the very first thing that arrested my at
tention was this:-A play bill hung in
the Office of the hotel. on which | read
"Colored peQple admitted only to tie gale
ry" That alone was sufficient to satisfy
me that they are laobring under discour-
agements, difficulties and prejudices which
must exercise blighting influence upon
them, and must necessarily keep them
down. The colored people of the British
colonies have outlived all this, to great
extent. Lord Mulgrave, when he came
out as Governor, in 1882, took noble
ground in this respect. The law which
had placed the colored people of the col
ony on an equality with the whites bad
just came into operation. Formerly. in
all those islands. as now in the South, q
colored man could not sit in the juy box,
i A voice-"He cannot in the Northern
States nor on coroner's jury; he
was not allowed to exercise the elective
franchise; he could not hold any Office
under our government, either civil or mil
itary, and up to within short time be
could not inherit any property. except
within very limited amount. Well. sir,
law was passed, aud went into force,
which did away with all their legal disa-
bilities; still, they were subject to the
same discouraging prejudices that fnd
existing here. to great extent. A white
man would have felt himself degraded
BY sitting down to table with colored
man. Lord Mulgrave determined to put
his foot upon this evil. and he invited
some of the most Intelligent and respect
able colored ladies and gentlemen, those
whose wealth, intelligence and position in
society entitled them to such mark of
distinction, TO his parties. He made it
point to dance with eolored ladies him
self, aud be introduced colored gentle
men to Lady Mulgrave as partners, with
whom she danced; and when some of the
gentry gave the cold shoulder to these
colored guests, be caused it to be intima-
ted to them, that if they expected invita-
tions to the Government Hou.e, his guests
must be treated by them with the same
respect and courtesy he manifested tow
ards them himself That, sir, did more
than anything else | know of to put an
end to the reign of prejudice upon that
island. Very soon, the colored people
began to mipgle upon equal terms with
the whites; they met together in private
parties; and soon the colored people, by
the exercise of the elective franchise, ac-
quired considerable degree of political
power; and now it would be the ruin OF an5
public man in Jamaica to have 1t known
or suspected that be cheriskes any Preju-
dice whatsoever against his fellow men on
account of color.
Sir, the colored people, removed from
under the discouraging influences to which
have referred, show themselves able to
oora r;th the white man undar anv cir.