, 1868-08-14
sambo In Authority.

1.-THE farce now being enacted in the
South were not likely to end In a tragedy.
it would be q scene Of infinite amusement 10
those whose acute sense Of the ridiculous en-.
abled them to appreciate the capers ofSambo
clothed with little brief authority aud
the angels that are in the habit Of shedding
copious tears over the antics of white men,
under similar circumstances, would hardly
restrain their risibles at the absurdities Of
the " man and brother" and would be cons
PEELED By the overwhelming righteousness of
the ihfong to 70 of into unlimited cachiua-
tions. Taken by the party of " great moral
ideas " out Of ihe quarter and popped into
the jury box with his former master. he
presents a singular aspect of uneasy assur.
ance, and watches old master" like a doc
waiting for bone. His sudden elevation
renders him somewhat dizzy, and be is very
shaky on his pins. Some think that, in
order to impress mankind 10 general, and his
late owners in particular, with a due sense
of his importance, that it is necessary to as
sumo a manner that will have the effect of
werning allmisguided persons from approach
ing on his prerogatives, rights and freedom.
His dignity is that of bear on his hind
legs lolling his head from one side to the
other, or of the owl staring into vacancy
with his mouth and eyes wide open.
Sambo's mind is rather muddy on the sub.
ject of his freedom, and he is not exactly
satisfied in the innermost recesses of his soul
that be may not wake up some morning and
find it gone; therefore, he is constantly as.
serting with querulous pertiuacity, " Use
free as you," and that important fact he
wants to keep before the public all the time.
He has also great idea of drawing strong
line of demsrkation between himself aud the
field hands, whom he looks upon with the
most sovereign contempt, and, like Malvolio,
tempers his familiarity with austere regard )
He is colored gentleman and bis wife a
colored lady; but the unfortunate field hand
who attempts TO put himself upon an equal
ity with him is disposed of summarily by
being denounced as niger To call him
niger is to make him your enemy for
life; he may forgive you for thrashing him
for any impertinence, but the idea of being
called by what he considers an opprobrious
epithet, rankles his soul, and is calculates
to make him show more of the white of his
eye than anything else except an account of
some piece of Ku>Kluxism.
To see him in his glory next to preaching,
see him as the member of the Legislature.
The uppermost thought in his mind is con-
stantly to assert himself He looks with
suspicion upon all advice or suggestion as
deeply,laid plan to do him out of some right,
and will vote for anything that is in opposi-
ton to his experience of the white man. All
sorts OF resolutions, votes, and motions, and
objections come from him without any refer
ence to the matter under consideration. He
votes no, when, if he understood the question
at issue, he would vote yes, and goes with
his race as a matter of self>defense The
white scalawag who presides over this club
and manipulates him he looks upon as the
embodiment of all the virtues and quite in>
fallble, and takes his cue from him when
ever that worthy gives it. Sambo, in short,
is eminently an initiative animal. His poll
tical opinions are taught him like parrot,
and, like that lOquacious but irresponsible
bird, he speaks to them whether they have
any bearing on the case or not. In his in
tercourse with those with whom he is an
authority he is naturally overbearing, dicta,
torial, opinionated, and tyrannical, and thinks
the only use of authority is to show it con-
stantly. Deficient, as he lie, in moral courage,
and with but small capacity for gratitude,
he has nothing to fall back upon in an emer-
geDcy, and is not moved by favors received
in the past, his gratitude being lively sense
of favors to come-LouisUiLLe Journal.
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