The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-11-23
CHI A r L E S TON +.
MONDAY MORNING. NovEMBER %, 1868.
A Few Plain Words.

Our community will no doubt view with
much satisfaction the proceedings and reso-
lutions of the respectable portion of our
colored fellow citizens at their late meeting.
This action is eminently wise, especially at
this juncture, and if fairly carried out will
tend to sllay the excitement and end the
turbulence and disorder which have for
some time past disgruced our city, and
brought the colored people generally into
bad repute.
We say that this action on their part is
eminently wise. They are bound up in the
same fortune with ourselves. They must
live in the same community. and with the
white people they must prosper or fall. 1t
is the interest, therefore, Of both parties to
cultivate friendly relations, and to work to-
gether to promote each others peace, hap
piness and welfare. We need the colored
people, and they cannot do without us. We
should treat them with justice, kindness
and forbearance, remembering the general
condition Of ignorance from which they are
just emerging, and how readily, from ignO-
rance and ine1perience, they are led astrsy
by bad Influences and bad counsels, and
how many there are, "not to the msnor
born," who have come amongst us, for their
own base and selfish ends, and have been
busily and industriously thus influencing
and counselling them. And what the ef-
fects of these influences and counsels are,
is every day seen in the altered conduct Of
our colored people, and felt in their own
hearts in the bitter feelings which rankle
there, and must make them unhappy. They
are not happy-tbey cannot be happy in
the constant stats of excitement in which
they live; and they never will be happy till
they calm this down, and, according to the
Bible teaching, "Study 10 be quiet and to
ssdo their own business, and to work with
.stheir own hands" The colored people
should strive to convince the world, by their
good and orderly behavior, and by their
diligent attention to whatever occupation
they may follow, that they are worthy Of
the freedom bestowed upon them. To be
seen standing about idle, staggering
through the streets with club, making
night hideous with noisy uproar, and be-
having in other unseemly ways, is to de-
grade themselves below the level of decent
slaves, and to persuade the world that, in
spite of oil the civilizing influences which
have been for so long period thrown
around them, they are yet but little re-
moved from bsrbsrians. They must each
for himself cultivate a decent self-respect,
and inculcate this on one another. There
have always been in our community not
only free oolored persons, but slaves, who
have 30 conducted themselves in their sew
eral places as to win our esteem and enjoy
our regard; and there is no reason why
this may not be still SO as regards every col
ored man. Let him show himself worthy Of
esteem, and he will surely obtain it. The
same cause will produce the same effect, and
the colored man who conducts himself with
propriety and industry will be sure to be
respected for the one, and will certainly, by
the other, do more for himself and his family
than by lounging about idly, by talking poll
tics, or by swelling the "tair' and shouting
the name of some needy adventurer, who
cares for him no further than he can make
use of him, either to elevate him to Office
or to put money in his pocket. We thinl;
our colored people are beginning to find this
out. The sooner this discovery is complete
the better it will be for them.
We wish to say one thing more, and that
very plainly. If our cOlOred people want
matters to go on peacefully and harmonious
ly, let them begin to inculcate this at home
around their tables and their fresides. From
the children in the streets we learn what
are the sentiments and feelings OF home;
and when We see the conduct and hear the
language ofthese in public, we need no one
to tell us what is the feeling and the talk in
private. The colored boys and girls-not
those belonging to decent colored families,
but those who, to judge from their appear
ance, belong to the tag-rag and bobtaiI- ocracy
do the most mischief and create the most
disturbance. They are the only ones who
are defiant and disrespectful in the streets.
They are the first to raise shout-or send
up howl whenever there is meeting or q
parade of colored people. These are taken
up by the next higher in age or degree, and
so the thing goes on till oil are maddened,
and it would be thought that bedlam was
let loose. Watch the next crowd that makes
its appearance in public, and notice whence
| n,oo.ado oil the noise and shoutinp Now