New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-11-28
NEW REPuB1IOAN sATURDAY. NoyhBER

b of all that appeFtains TO plantation life, or
if they were not, it was their own fault, fol
they were made living and active wit
nesses and participants in what was daily
transpiring around them. Many of then
had opportunities of becoming fair me
ehsnics, and could build comfortable
farm bouses, make plows, tan leather, MAKE
shoes and do great many other things tina
was profitable and useful. Besides that
} they excelled as house servants. AS slaves
not to be taught to read and write, they
were valued according to their intelligence
and skill to labor. They were educated in
the branches Of work above enumerated
and were rated according to their prof.
cheney, a good mechanic or house servant
frequently commanding as high price as
$2500 when sold, while an ordinary field
hand would not bring more than $500 OF
$1,000. II, as slaves, without knowing the
alphabet, they were worth this much to
masters, how much ought they to be worth
to themselves and country as freemen, with
the privilege of knowing hew to read and
write? This is a question they will have
to solve themselves, and in doing so they
fix their own destiny. If they labor as
diligently for'themselves at some useful and
profitable occupation as they did for their
masters, and observe fair economy-that
is, save portion Of their earnings-they
must in few years come to be COM
paratively Independent. If they save
but one hundred dollars a year for
Eve years it will make FIVE hundred dol
lars, and this is low estimate of what can
be done if a person will but put forth the
eiA to do it. He can do tfis and live COM
fortably besides. He then has the means
to buy him some land and make home
for himself and family and become truly
independent. This can not be done, how
ever, if he fritters away his time in idleness
and Improbable pursuits. If man is
constitutionally lazy and prefers to beg OF
steal, then the poorhouse or prisonhouse is
his inevitable doom, and in either case be
becomes burden to the State and is lost
to freedom. Men may work, and by
spending their money in the grogsbop, at
the gambling table, in buying lottery
tickets-which is the worst species of
they will never advance them
selves; and if by bad associations they do
not reach worse fate, old age will creep
upon them, and when too old to work they
will find themselves thrown upon the cold
charities of the world and learn, when it is
too late, the fOllies of such course of
life, In the same way they may fritter
away their time-which is money
n politics, and encouraged by
men who would lead them to
believe that that was tie broad road to
wealth, happiness and distinction, when in
act ii most often proves the broad road to
Let us begin, then, with will to educate
'ur people to work. We would have the
white men of the South educated to believe
hat it is noble to work. We have never
gone back on cur own, race nor do we in
end to do so. They are foremost in our
thoughts, and if we can be the means of
Inspiring them with knowledge OF their
rue condition and real wants at this time,
'e should be most happy in doing so. We
hould like to see them prosper and be-
ONE oontented and happy once more. Let
nr young men and women be taught that s
is honorable to work. Let our bows t
'arn good trades or learn some useful and t
roRtable calling that will secure for them 9
honest living after they have arrived at 6
lie age of manhood. 1t is with sorrow
lat we see many of them dressed to l
cath, wasting their best days in standing /
bout street corners, ogling the fairer sex c
Id indulging in indecent and uncharitable 2
marks. They could be better employed. t