Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-28
WOrtester 4ailg Spy.
THE DAILY SPY.
The Freedmen of South CarOIin0-Their
Moral Condition and Religious SentI-
ments-SmnIIs of the Planter.

condition of family relations among these
South Carolina blacks have been among the
most delicate which came up for decision be-
fore the constituted authorities. There was,
/ have been told, no such thing existing as
polyganly; no man had or pretended to have
two wives at the same time; but in a number
of cases, men desired to cast off the ''old
wives" whom their masters had given them,
and take up with other women. One made
the point in such case that no marriage GER
emony had ever been performed to bind him
to this woman; that he exercised no choice in
her selection even; and no doubt they did
come together here much according to the will
o. tile master, or oVerseer, who parcelcd out
yves as he parceled out blows or tasks in the
held. In some cases the people were regu-
Larry married; IN very many, not.
l he rule made in a general order to apply
to these Is, that where men and women were
regularly married they must be faithful to
each other, and the man must support his wife
and children. Where no lawful marriage ex
listed, this ceremony is performed by some
minister; and if two women claim man, he
Is ordered to cleave to the mother of his chill
dren. Concubinage and unfaithtulness to
marriage VOWS are made punishable offences
Now there come up such cases AS this A
man who is somewhat notorious as ''rough'
dlhOiI5 HIS peOplSs d SITOnRJ Seli-Wllleu, deter
mined tellow-an exception to the rule, so far
as character is concerned-comes to head
quarters, and says he has never willingly lived
with the woman who, according to custom,
was his wife; he does not love her, and she
is not fond OF him, for they never agree-and
he, l believe, sometimes beats her. He now
wishes to marry; but he has chosen a young
woman for wife with whom he has been living
secretly for more than year, and she is about
to become mother. 1t is made evident by
inquiry that these two have a strong affection
for each other; he is extremely anxious so
marry her before her child is born The for
mer wife does not object, but consents
No law was ever framed which did not bear
hardly on some one. | have reason to believe
that such cases as that have just recited are
decided In manner to cause as little suffer-
ing and to do as little mischief as possible.
The marriage relation is, in general, held
sacred. have spoken in previous letter of
negro now serving term of ten years in the
District of Columbia penitentiary, who slew
the seducer OF his wife. He was held justified
for the act by his fellows, and that's, perhaps,
a fair index of the state of public sentiment
among the people on this subject.
The young women are, SO far as | could
judge from careful inquiry not emnently
chaste. Public opinion did not compel them
to virtuous courses under the old slave sys-
tenn. There is no reason to believe that u-
discriminate intercourse obtained TO any ex-
tent among the slaves, but it was held no
shame to girl to bear children under any
circumstances; the planters, | suppose en-
Outraged that which put money in their purs-
es; and different and more rigid sentiment
has not yet, think, generally OBTAINED. One
OF the ableSt of the superintendent told
me that he was i'll the habit, as the people
were at first very destitute, of giving to each
mother an outfit for her newborn child of
course something very simple-a dress, and
one or two other articles perhaps This was
the custom Of the planters; and he found it
best to continue it, at least for a time. ''But,"
said he, 81 made it rule to refuse such gifts
to the young unmarried girls who applied"
Ii you think for moment, you will under
stand what is implied in this remark.
10 establish different, higher standard of
virtue among people is slow work. These
have many things to learn, and many to I'M
learn.
They have habit or proneness to lying
which is, think clearly one of the old effects
OF slavery. They can see no wrong in telling
that story which shall seem in their Judgment
best calculated to produce any desired effect
to obtain favor, to please friend, or to
AdlHi an enemy 1noSe who are familiar
with the character of the common Hindoo will
appreciate this; for in this the negroes and
they are precisely alke-and in both the
spirit which has no faith in the efficacy or
value OF truth is bred of servility, and is the
fruit of tyranny. One of these blacks, fresh
from slavery, will most adroitly tell you pre-
cIsely what you want to hear; to cross-eXam-
inc such creature is a task of the most deli
cate nature; II you chance to put leading
question, he will answer to its spirit as closely
as the compass needle answers to the mag
netic pole. Ask if the enemy had fifty thous-
and men, and he will be sure that they had at
least that many; express your belief that they
had not five thousand, and he will laugh at
the idea of their having more than forty-fiye
hundred. 1.-The intelligent and reliable con
traband" is the dread of staff officers, who
pump him vainly for information on which
rhey may depend.
In Irish trials you find the witness box
full of such witnesses as these, ready to
swear to anything which may serve the side
tor which their sympathies are enlisted.
4he traditional 1rishman of the novel is pre-
clsely such an "inteligent and reliable crea-
ture.
1hey have not, as a general thing, a
craving for strong drink Some have learned,
while living among white men, as officers
servants &C., to love whlskey; but they
cannot be called an Incorporate people. 1t
might be easy to make them so, however:
believe, with Captain Hooper, .'that if
ably-managed dram-shops should be estab-
lished at suitable points on these islands.
the negroes would very soon acouire the
habit of intemperance-and thus ali dist;nc.
tons OF race in this respect would be swent
away
They display desire to learn reading. II
is not uncommon in Beaufort to see the work
men on the wharves, at odd moments when
they have nothing to do, busy with primer
or reader
Their religious feelings are strong and east
ly excited. They all like to sing; are fond
of devotional exercises, and have much of
that curious excitability which is often de-
veloped in the western and southern camp
meetings. What is called ''shout" Is one
way in which this excitement manifeSts
itself; and this seems to be an effect of
the same nature as what was called ''the
jerks in the west and SOUTHWEST kind
of nervous affection, which, according to
the best authorities, swept over nearly the
whole of the southwestern states some
twenty years ago, affecting not only a doz-
en- and hundred, but sometimes a thou
sand or two thousand people at once, when
they were gathered together in their open-air
meetings.
This exctability appears to many observ-
ers peculiar to the negroes; l think the peo-
eple here show it perhaps more readily than
any whites l have seen; but any one who has
hnan anrustnmnd "a, corn0 toaotinp enoooe IN