The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-08-04
The Negro Dreams.

From the Atlanta tGa., Intellegencer, July Is.
The sun is shining very hot on the dry
and parched earth To fly the scorching
rays the negro seeks the shade of an old
oak which stands before his cabin. Lazily
casting his hoe beside the door, he stretches
himself on the ground, carefully locating
bis feet in the shade, and exposing his head
to the blistering heat of the sun. In an
instant he is asleep. The hot sun burns on
his face; the flies hover fearfully about the
hideous cavern of his mouth; a droning
beetle huns a lullaby in his ears, and the
poor African thinks it is the syren song of
an angel, telling to him charming tales Of
freedom and idle ease. In fancy he wan
ders through valley of Incidence, and
sees the Utopia of his life. Music, more
enchanting than the most loved and sweet
strains that memory wove with the charm
ing melodies of the plantation, echo within
his heart. The rude imagery of negro
heaven unfolds diorama of varied scenes
before bis contracted and stupid mental
vision. In romance of perpetual youth,
the folly of free Incidence weaves its web
about him, entangling bis senses with gol-
den threads of imagination, and strangling
him in their dreamy listless bands.
Far away
$50 far as but to seem
The faint exquisite music of dream"
He hears the bells and sound, and the busy
hum of city life. Red walls and high
spires guide his eyes and thoughts to where
he dreams heaven of bliss and enjoyment
shall be bis heritage forever. Up through
the thick mists Of sleep, that invest his
brain with leaden mantle, slowly evolves
the idol of his heather nature. The pagan
gods of his forefathers assume sway over
bis mind, and the superst tons of his Fe-
fish worship all influence him to forget
the few principles of morality which he
learned only after centuries of laborious
teaching and careful management. In his
dreams he lapses into barbarism, and in
his wakeful hours he will be guilty of its
ATTITUDES and perpetrate its irresponsible
practices.
Whilst he sleeps the weeds grow and
sap the strength and life of the corn.
With the moon the negro wakes; it is the
night time. The sound of revelry, and
music, and dance invites him with their
fascination and free pleasures. To the
city he HES away, and in the presence of
increasing herds OF listless, idle dreamers,
all care for the future is forgotten. The
free negro looks from and into sleepy,
hazy eyes, and muses. away the hours, and
days, and months. Indifferent to the
pinchings of hunger, or to allay which,
careless of the rights of his neighbor, he
steals the pittance which he becomes even
too INDECENT to prepare properly, he coon
becomes victim to his own folly, and
welcome death.furnishes him with happy
solution to the great problem of life.
The red earth covers the body of the
dreamer. In the far off Elysium, whittier
his fathers have gone before, his spirit
wanders in perpetual dream, and at
last the negro finds that free and happy
home he longed for, and literally dreamed
and starved bis life away to reach.
Thus the Negroes stupid dream is not all
a dream. In the dim mist in which his
narrow, contracted mind becomes befog-
ged, there is a deep pitfall, where death
charitably closes the scenes and sorrowful
days of the deluded and despised victim
of freedom. Aud thus the dream becomes
a waking, daily recurring reality.