The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-12-27
Negro Apprentices.

w nile d large nuuUer vi peOpic umOhB 10 ui0
busyug themselves in forcing negro apprentices
from the persons to whom they have been bound
by the proper authorities of this State, the press
and people of the more northern States are call
ing loudly upon their Legislatures to enact laws
similar to ours for forcing negro children to be
bound out that they may learn habits Of indus;
Try, anu receIve mat mofaI training which will
render them useful in after life No one who
will look at the statutes of Maryland, SO far as
they relate to white and black apprentices can
come to any other conclusion than that they
were enacted for the very purposes of beneftting
this class ofour population. But to such an ex-
tent has this opposition to the negro apprentice
system gone in this State, and to such an extent
have those people been annoyed with writs and
processes, that scarcely any person will take these
children under any circumstances Now, every
rational man knows full well that this meddling
with master and apprentice has done the ne
gro children a thousand times more harm than
it has done them good, and that it will continue
to injure them SO long as it is practiced. In some
instances it maybe doubted whether the intention
is not more to annoy and prosecute the master
than it is 10 benefit the child We have white ap-
prentice system also among US, but we have
never heard of the same anxiety being manifest
ed for them which seems of late 10 felt for the
black child. We have no doubt that there are
instances where both are abused, and where the
law ought to interfere for the protection of each
for it ought not to be forgotten that there are
large number offriendless white children among
us, as we'll black, who need the protection ofthe
humane equally with the blacks. If there was
any more reason why the one should receive
more protection and care than the other, then
there would be no cause of complaint, but seeing
that each class are equally friendess and helpless,
why not treat both classes alike; why give all
the sympathy to the negro and none to the white
child 2 Yet we have heard of no one interfering
in his behalf no matter how much he may have
been oppressed. On this subject of negro ap-
prentices the Columbia {Pa.) Herald has the
following
We have classic locality within the limits of
our borough known as 'Tow Hill" inhabited
at9Gafs nht66fmS erRsd o9ef hoasand few years
ago bat at present We cannot muster over half
that number. Since slavery was abolished in
Pennsylvania they have had all the advantages
of the whites, except suffrage and the natural
repugnance 10 social equality There has been no
legal restriction except as TO suffrage, and yet
their progress affords positive proof that the race
is entirely incompetent to procure living by
their own efforts in temperate zone, and their
condition reflects an everlasting disgrace on our
State for permitting them to die out from want
exposure and disease. Three-fourths OF them are
idle all the time and live by begging and stealing
from which they exist without much inconyeni-
ence during the summer.
In the fall, the larger portion ofthem are COW
cred with rags, without means to procure fuel or
food, when they commence species of foragng
the female ''manhoods" travel about the country
with bags during the day for the purpose of beg
ging and ascertaining the places where the
chickens 'roost low, p and the buck "manhoods''
travel over the same grounds in the night, in
pursuit of live game. In the winter ope-half
of them have no clothing, except old clothes
given them, and suffer for want of bedding to
keep them warm. Their children are beggars
and thieves from education and necessity, grow
mp in vice and dissipation, which shortens their
lives and thus the race is dying out for want of
proper care. We hold that nine-tenths of the
blame for this degradation and misery must rest
on the white voters eff our State for their almost
criminal negligence in allowing the children of
these NEGROES ogrow up in idleness, vice and dis
sipation. They have no trade, they have no
knowledge of farming they are Improbable la
borers, if they are disposed to work, they are
vagabonds from education and their degraded
condition is forced upon them by the negligence
or misapplied philanthropy of the whites.
Let US have law passed by which our young
negroes will be compelled to work on farms or at
trades until they are of age and then they will be
in condition to earn living, but so long rs we
allow them to grow up by begging and stealing,
we can expect little else than drunken vagabond
niggers for our "Tow Hill Manhoods"