Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-25
THE SEA ISLAND NEGROES.
Their DeplOrabIe Want OF Virtue
The Marriage Relation Disregarded
How the Serpent was introduced
Among T1sem-A Startling Picture.


How the Serpent was introduced
Among Tisem-A Startling Picture.
Correspondence Of the New York Times.
BEAUFORT, S. c., April IL, l867--The
gravsst fears are TO be entertained by every
thoughtful person concerning the future
condition of these Sea Island people, be-
cause of one terrible evil, which if not
speedily restrained is sure to end in the
moral and material destruction of the ne
gro race. refer to the want of chastity by
which the entire race are being rapidly
demoralized. ] am speaking of facts, not
for sensation purposes nor that may
make point against the propriety of their
enjoying human rights. | am living with
my family on a plantation among them
where have lived for the past four years,
and | am speaking for their best good
The facts / would state are these: Among
the two plantations of people adjoining me
on one side there is scarcely one young
woman who has arrived to the age fifteen
or sixteen years who has not become a
mother outside of wedlock. OF these
children thus born the large majority are
half aUhite and Were born during the Wdr
But this terrible work, superadded TO the
habits Of slave life. is now going on apaee,
and | know on these same places of eight
married women who have the evidences of
their infidelity about them. In some of
these cases the husband takes umbrage at
the conduct of the wife and leaves her in
others not The worst feature of the mat
ter is, that this conduct does not OutcaSt the
actors in it, nor is it so frowned upon as to
render them obnoxious. Some of the older
of them and better of the people see the
end and lament over it, "but desc young
people be spiPd by close freedom" These
are not exceptional plantations. 10 aoas not
so nth them ghen first came here. This fear
fIL condition wds brought about BY Union off,
GERS and soldiers. No people were so when
under my supervision, because | was careful
TO keep them away from Beaufort and from
camps. Those people who have been ha-
binally away from Beaufort are free from
that sad blight, at least measnreably so.
But the horrible condition in which their
marital relations are thrown by the system
of slavery and the breaking up caused
by the war, enhances the difficulty ofreform
greatly. Husbands and wives are constantly
returning TO their former companions to
find them in new relations of long stand
ing, and with new sets of children. Many
church leaders, who are not ministers, are
in the habit Of marrying or of giving per-
mission TO live without marrying until
minister shall come around. Such things,
together with the results of the system of
slavery, have fearfully lowered the dignity
and solemnity of the marriage relation.
Divorces are granted by permission of
church authorities composed entirely of
blacks, so that it is impossi bic for them to be
settled on any such permanent foundations
as cases of such momentous importance call
for. Under the Freedmen's Bureau there
is no practical system of divorces adopted
mot here, at least Persons who are mere
exhorters marry with impuEity. Persons
legally married separate at will, and again
marry other parties, in all the forms of law
sometime, so loosely are such things allowed
to be conducted here. Persons by the score
live together Just So" without any form
of marriage. Now i am not talking by
way of prejudice, and am prepared to
vouch for the truth of every one of the
alova otafamanfc