The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-29
Che Mortolk 2ost.
THURSDAY. MARCH %, 1865.
We publish the following letter by re-

! address at the meeting of the Boston
| Board of Trade. 1t exhibited great be
| nevolence of character and a degree O
| commercial Information which l canno
pretend to-but myself and my ancestor.
| have been for one hundred and seventy
| Ave years steadily engaged III dealing
| with the negro. At the final collapse OF
| the Confederacy, owned either directly
or indirectly seven hundred of them
| nineteen-twentieths OF them were born
| In the iamiIy-not one had been brought
into IL, that can recollect of. by pur-
chase Ca few were by marriagel, and ]
cannot trace any, as then belonging to
me, who were not the descendants OF
negroes or Indians purchased IN Boston
between the years 1880 and ITO. i had
lived with them and personally attended
TO them for twenty-eight years, having
exactly at the day, all the material
mnistratons of religion were had, and
even a regular Sunday school kept up:
such was my personal influence, that
do not remember Of ever having been re
belliously treated by one of them. | no
more thought of resistance, or of insur-
rection, than you would from your child
ern around your table; and as for arms,
had n0ne--owned none-either often
sive or defensive during my residence
among them; and / think ] may sum
up the whole of my government (of the
adults, for children are to be indoctrin-
ated by n moderate use OF the rod), WAS
confined to the prevention of poligamy
in its various forms, pifering and a dis
position to escape from work; the two
| II rst are the especial weaknesses of the
negro, the other he has, perhaps, in n
greater degree than the white. Almost
my sole order as to them, to my over
seers, was confined in the words, 'Be
fairly strict and strictly fair; and bear
in mind punishment to an adult, by
whipping, may be necessary, but II ad-
ministered unjustly, Is great injury to
the negro and a sensible deterioration
of my property" Thus lived among
them making it a rule to listen TO all
complaints, although found them at
times very childish flor negro is an
infant from the cradle to the grave,
until the emancipation proclamation
| was promulgated, Wien instantly there
| was fatal change; all subordination,
all order, was at an end. To remedy
| the evil, ] at once engaged to give them,
az body, one third of the gross crop,
|
| the food and deducting IL from their
third. Even this did not avail, for
many of them forewent the advan-
| tages of that arrangement for the
| uncertain gains of fishing and the like,
Others thought they could do better by
| wnn,!, ering about, and some deliberately
| went Il, sheer idleness, lying in then
| houses An d doing away the time. The
church ana the school were abandoned
This wa. the result i'm what am rather
| nervous to say was, i think, the bes'
organized large gang 81 negroes on inc
Continent. This result can only be at
tributed to the fact that a experimenting
control was withdrawn from them
W hat can be substituted for me parenta
control OF the master? ObvI, us'y no
thing, unless it be with military iorce
or that rule which Mr.. Toby seen. US $
well to understand, namely: He .. IA
| will not work, neither shall he eat" 4
| take it the black colonies Mr.. Toby
speaks Of are of the first head-they
must be governed by something stronger
than moral sudsion, and If by military
force, administered by young men from
the North, they would be the theatre OF
scenes at which Heaven will weep, mud
will be unproductive, most probably.
There must be some control, aud the
necessities Of nature il the only thing
left us to fall back upon, for it seems the
sensibilities of the North will not per-
NIT the whip, although mildly admin
istered. The conviction of its following
delinquency in a great degree obviates
its exercise. Such has been my expert
ence, for l believe have passed years
without an adult whipping, although
| ,,aunr r.alf ahIa In asoIiab Tho pa.,rx,
from constitution or habit, rather prefers
the whip to military punishment.
"Why did they not whip him like
Christian mem" said an old woman OF
mine when hearing the soldiers had
bucked fellow. Fortunately for us,
our climate favors the trial of W hat may
be called the discipline of necessity
support, shelter and clothing are mat
tets of more stringent necessity than in
| Jamaica-but the negro must be con-
WINGED by his own experience that this
discipline UiW be administered; hemusi
| feel that there is no escape; for he is not
of those wise very wise) men who
profit by the experience of others. OF
! course there will be great suffering be.
fore many Of them will be brought to
steady industry by dint of their suffer :
ing. Much may be hoped from the
effects of early discipline with the mid
die aged, for strange as 1t may appear.
| the old and the infirm have given me
| more trouble than any other class. Be
! fore the mass are brought to proper
state there will be much mortality, and
| it is unavoidable. Mr.. Toby Is right in
supposing that there will be dreadful
falling off in productions for several
years, and greatly fear the full amount
will never be realized. Mr.. Toby is
right in thinking it will take years be-
fore white labor can take the place of
| black. There is, |. fear, another
difficulty in the way, namely: the
unhealthiness OF many parts Of the
south as to white labor--even as far
north as / am---had L this moment the
otter of full supply ofit,I should fear
employing it. White men, who can
Il, continuously labor on our farms in our
al, MINER months, are the exceptions. /
M, ,e had year to pass over my head,
o,,d with three hundred operatives. i
had not single death. I should be
foolisl TO expect very considerable
mortah ty and much sickness with
whites 1t seems to me that the negro
must bee ome peen. and the sooner lie
does this the better for him, and the
white and for the country. This never
will taEe place while the negro is
Thought to / e morally, physically and
intelIectualIy. the equal in all respects
of the white. Had j supreme power ]
would leave II ie whites and blacks &c
" ould withdraw all con
troll. ALI intertert nee. / do not doub
there won Id new be much suffering or
I.L :l ,x,.ov rouot poinfa RI T..