The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-29

| in their cabins, bedecked with some miserable
| remnant of tinery or half clad IN some wretch eC
shoddy clothing, of once brgnt colors, but nov
worn TO transparent shreds. Here they spend
their days and nights in idleness, filth and low
] lebauchery The marriage tie, which, under the
| old system the planters found it so much tc
their interest to encourage and preserve is utterly
| disreparded Family ties and affections appear
| large increase and proificness which character
lied this race under the old system. On this plan.
tation where there used to be yearly increase OF
ten per cent, there has been born no child which
| has lived three months, and the young ones who
were alive then have since all died Off, Instead OF
| the hospital and primary which constituted so
| useful an institution under the old system, the
negroes now claim the right OF doc oring them
selves and their children. They buy every
wretched nostrum which is hawked around by
some Yankee peddler, and give and take medicines
without the slightest knowledge of their nature or
effect Their medical system partakes of the
grossest superstition They believe in charms and
incantatons. There is no ethcacy III the medicine
itself. but it depends on God or the devil with
whom they imagine there is fearful conflict over
the unfortunate patient.
In medicine as in religion and politics, they are
no longer willing to look to their old masters for
instruction. On the contrary, they distrust every
thing that is said or offered to them by their en-
ployers except the money which they get for their
labor Their religion is the most wretched un-
meaning, besotted and demoralzing caricature of
Christianity, or rather compound OF very low
IGNORANT and vague idea of Christianity intermix-
ed with some of the grossest features of barbaric
idolatrv, 1t is impossible to learn what the dis
tinctiye features OF their religion are but it is
very obvious that truth honesty, temperance
chastity or virtue, form no part OF their system,
and are not regarded as obligations thereof
They are never taught or inculcated by their
preachers, their shepherds and shepherdesses
whose bowling jargon and shoutlngs constitute the
only religious teachings to which they will hear
ken. These preachers and shepherds and shepherd
esses are invariably the worst negroes on the
plantation-the qualities most needed in them be-
ing hypocrisy cunning, gllbness, audacty and
loud voices. They have no sort OF relish for white
preachers, even though Of the Abolition persua-
sion. There are few white men SO degraded as to
he able to suit their notions of religion. All IDEAS
of the Lord, Of an immortal spirit, of virtue,
charity. good will of the rewards of a pious and
honest course of life are utterly foreign to or in
comprehensive by them. The grossest material
ism porvades not only their religious but political
ideas. And as the agents OF the Freedmon's
Bureau, and the emissaries OF Radcalism on polit-
ical questions address themselves to their mate
rial ideas and interests their political harangucs
are listened to, when their religious teachings are
utterly disree arded. The only interest they have
in politics, the great tie which binds them to the
Radicals, arise from the constant promises which
are made to them by the rascally political preach
ers, of division Of the lands of the white proprie
tors, and an eventual allotment to each
one or them OF IuHy equipped 1arm.
You have no idea Of the extent to which this
deception has been carried. Nearly every
adult negro has his certificate for 16O acres of
land for which he has paid some Radical emissa-
ry two dollars and half. Those who are willing
or able to pay S. obtain staff enveloped in pa
per United States flag, which at q certain time will
entitle the holder to stick it into the ground and
to claim all the land within certain area 1t is
thus the poor negroes are flched out OF their
wages. The preachers, the quacks, the political
share. Next comes whiskey-whch claims the
great majority OF them as its constant votaries
and early victims. The prevalence Of drunken
ness-of constant tippling-the excessive use of
The vilest compound OF alcohol and nicotine--is
beyond all imagination. Negroes who, under the
old system were sober and industrious (gcneralD
those of the best class, the mechanics and head
workmen), have since emancipation become incur
able drunkards- shave been driven from the planta-
tons, and their places are supplied with white men,
With so many drafts on their wages, the freedmen
have little left to promote their comfort-to pro-
cure good comfortable clothing-to lay by for q
rainy day. Their general destitution leads to a
wholesale system of thieving and pilfering. which
has produced two results, both very prejudical to
the welfare Of this people. They no longer cult
vate patches of corn and vegetables, because the
industrious and thrifty preyed upon by the lazy
and thieving, and the planters lind it more eco
nomical to buy corn and potatoes than to raise
them, to be stolen by the negroes who keep horses
and pigs to be fed out Of their masters cribs.
I have only given you the outlines of one of
the saddest scenes of change, desolation and
which the history Of modern times
presents.