The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1865-12-12
ADVERTIsING RATEs. \
The Negroes Of Dahomey.

A French paper publishes letter writ
ten from Daliomey by n missionary en-
gagged in his evangelical mission As we
have no doubt that political, friendly CON
iidential relations may soon have TO be
established with that enlightened Power,
Ms much entitled to It as san Domingo, we
will, for the benefit of our readers,
place before their eyes this interesting
paper: Won iaH lH.Ht .iF
The negro. here. il not quite as savage as
on or near the sea coast. Before the white
man, chiefly before the missionary, he Is as
timid and gentle as a lamb His doubtful
devotion, most generally simulated compels
his master TO be constantly ON his guard. |
say ''his MASTER" because, here they are
always slaves to each other. Peter has
Paul for his slave--PauI has John--John
has Anthony. But Peter who, through his
own slave Paul, has perhaps'.a hundred
more, is himself the slave of the 'Cabes-
sary," the country ruler.
Those savages are generally of large
stature and elegantly built up tn the neck
but when You reach the head, they look
| like monsters.
Thick lips, large mouth, Nat nose woody
head and no beard. They shave their
heads in every possible and fantastic style.
They all bear on the face anumber of marks
or incisions made by u sharp instrument,
some as many as twenty-five,
Here the female is All abominable crea-
ture without modesty, without shame, and
as wicked as viper. They are seen every
| hour of the day, pipe In mouth, running
| from dance to dance and plnnging in every
| imaginable debauch and crime.
| There may be hopes of reclaiming the
men, but nothing is to be hoped from these
| women.
| The black, when he hoe TO work, ba-
comes so disheartened that he can hardly
stir.
| The ''rattan" is Just as much needed by
them as food is by the whites. They work
/ little, but live on little. The country pro-
| duces without any labor all they require
for support-wild fruits and nutritious
roots
The white man, on the coast of Africa,
can only travel In hammock or be carried
by the blacks. If the trip is somewhat long
you require very large number
i When l went TO Godome, Kotona' and
Poro Novo, there were eighteen to carry
me. They sing, they dance and keep up
the most diabolical hoise. l.
Il Sometimes it happens that the white man
is not pleased with his people. Then he
| rises seiZes his rattan, and administers each
one sound beating. They cry, they weep,
i they beg. One would believe they have
been nearly killed--but, be easy. When he
lis done, they take him up very gently, lay
min back In MS liainTnock and start ut full
: speed, singing, dancing and laughing more
! than before,
Thirty blacks will allow themselves to be
: whipped by one white. as school boys by
the school master, although, one black is
: four times stronger than one white. One
; white with rattan will run of easily one
} hundred blacks. Yet, what would there be
z required of the negro to avenge himself on
: the whiteY Very little-Only drop down
J the hammock and run of. They would be
? sure that he never would leave that spot
} and would soon become n prey TO the wild
beasts of the desert. But, on the contrary,
they would all give their life to preserve
1 his.
: Family ties, or organizations are utterly
= unknown. Every man has As many wives
or women as he can buy and keep Every
man can do with his women rs he pleases,
S sell them, swap them, dispose OF them any
= way. Every woman is bound to support
= her own offspring, and when that offspring
G has grown up and is fit for market, the
h common father of the whole crowd take'
$ il 10 the coast, where, for a few "cauris'
n (shells), he transfers the whole family
D mother and all TO the slave dealer.
i IL is but Just to add that sometimes tn
= ''mothersr seize upon the joint stock hus-
= band and sell him themselves.
: This is the condition of the African IN
;. his native state. As he has been ON earth
g as long rs the white, will the friends OF
d equality tell us why he has remained IL
: this day what nc was three thousand year,
\ ago?