New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-29
LECTURE ny a COLoKED LADY.
MADAME Parqua, OF Hay ut the Tenn
pIe-Enterearing Historical SkelcA of

the Black AepublIc.
We copy this report from the ST.. Louis
Democrat of Friday:
In these progressive days, when female
lecturers are received with so much favor,
and the fifteenth amendment is hailed as
the dawn OF new era OF equality, il will
not appear strange that a colOred lady, all
the way from San Domingo, should be found
upon the rostrunl talking intelilgently upon
matters affecting the interests CT both whites
and blacks.
NADINE E. C. L. Parqu9, Who lectrTed
last night at the Temple, was born III the
Island Of Hayti. Her father was Carib In
dian of Hayti, and her mother negress ct
Madagascar. She therefore Unites in her
self the blood Of two races and of two hemi.
spheres. Her father was sea captain, and
commanded vessel in the African trade.
He saw a comely young negress at Mada-
gascar, and becoming smitten with her
charms, took her home with him and made
her his wife. A few days after giving birth
TO her first child she died. Mrs. Parqua'a
father was killed II one OF the revoiu
tionsof the country, and the lecturer is the
Last of her family.
HRS. Parqua is apparently about twenty
five years OF age, d widow, and about the
eiZe OF Anna Dickinson. She somewhat re.
sembles Miss Dickinson in the earnest We
hemence of her manner, but the black SIS
ter has q more musical voice than the white
one, and Is more OF a natural orator. Ia
complexion she resembles q Cuba six
q dark olive, ClouGed IN spots. She has 8
wealth of very black and glossy hair (not
WOOL, which curls ike the tendri!s of vine,
and hangs over the back brain in tangled
yet graceful mass, forming Il huge natural
waterfall. The high cheek bones and
Straight nose proclaim the Carib blood,
while the large mouth and prominent teeth
are derived from Africa.
The lady WAS arrayed in a fashionable
robe of chsngeaDle silk Of orange and
green, which we'll suited her complexion.
The sleeves came g little below the elbow,
and being wide at the bottom allowed the
frilled uDdersleeve to be seen. She wore q
very large lace collar, fastened at the front
with yellow bow, and her waist was en-
circIed by yellow ribbon. Her feet were
encased in the thick-soled leather shoes.
and her dress trailed behind, after the style
OF Miss Anna Dickinson, but was not so stiff.
A chemise with heavy frills at the bottom,
and petticoat of red hanrel were occa-
siopally visible. Like Miss Dickinson she
spoke without notes, and used no desk or
table. She wore white kid gloves, and
, spoke with foreign accent on some words.
Her enunciation was clear and distinct, and
at times she became quite eloquent when
speaking OF the wrongs OF the black race.
8 The audience was quite meagre-there
being less than an hunured persons in the
hall, and these were principally colored,
with small sprinkling of white ladies,and
three or four white men. O.
THE wooDsoN FAMILY
who are of the pure, unadulterated African
race, volunteered and furnished vocal and
instrumental music. Three of the Misses
Woodson sung some choice ballads in good |
taste, and played on the piano.
THE LECTURE.
The subject Of the lecture was Eight |
Years on the Borders of the Caribbean |
Sea- The lady was introduced by Mr.. |
Moses Dixon, yellow man OF intelligence f,
and Enterprise, who acted as manager on the |
occasion.
We have room for only brief synopsis Of !
the lecture. The Haytien lady commenced |
by saying that no colOred person can stand
before an American audience without ex-
periencing the disadvantage of color. She
was aware that she could not entertain her
hearers like Mise Dickinson or Miss Field.
She gave an interesting sketch Of the history
of Hayti, the island which Columbus called
San Domingo, and the French Dominique.
On landing at the island, the first object |
you will notice is the palm tree, the most
beautiful ana lthe most useful tree i'll the
world; the leaves growing twelve feet in
length, and the tree furnishing berry used
without windows or doors. aud fire is never
needed except in cooking. The first sound
you will .hear will probably be the tom
toms of the idolaters--a sort of drum.
beaten with sticks. Some have small
caiabashes filed with stones, which
they rattle as they go about. Two persons,
3 man and a woman, enter circle: /. strug.
gle for a piece OF money ensues, and the
woman gets it. She described the different
kinds of idolators-the Carib, who worships
only animate things, such as birds and
goats, and the African, who Worships wood
and stone. The former class viii probably
select bird as an idol, and during that
year all birds OF that species are regarded rs
s&cred. The next year goat will probably
be selected. The idolators have magnificent
temples in the mountains. The idolators
sometimes sacrifice infants. An African
mother, threatened with danger, or sick near
unto death, will promise to sacrifice her in.
FAINT if her lifeis spared. The infant is taken
to the temple, and its throat cut with q
nlie;; and the blood is caught in golden
vessel and preserved on the altar. This,
said the lecturer, Is called superstition,
but she found great deal of su-
persti'lon in America. They suppose |
the priests hold. good and evil in their
Lands. You go to the priest and tell him
that such one has done you wrong. He |
viii tell you to come on Friday to the temple.
Ou ~, VIII Wlltp |
chickens and black cats, and a cloud of
incense arising from the altar. He will
give you sword or a knife, and tell YOU the
slightest scratch from il will be the death of
your enemy. In fact, he has poisoned the |
steel, for they know every poison perfectly
we'll They sometimes put person to death
without any one knowing the means. They
VIII stroke your head in soothing manner,
and you VIII fall dead as if in it-the
priest has powdered poison in his hand.
The climate OF hayti is perpetual spring.
Planting 10 done at any time OF the year
when there is sufficient moisture There 10
10 set time to harvest anything except cot
Zee, and that is gathered twice a year.
is raised there that is raised in
this country, except wheat and apples.
At four O'Clock "a the morning a cool land
Ireeze blows, and it lasts until eleven p,
,'clock, when it dies away, and the heat sets {
n, and the people seek the shade; all
business is suspended until two O'Clock,
yhen the sea breeze comes IN, and business
6 carried on until i've O'Clock, when il closes
or the day.
The lecturer described the vegetable
bread and butter Of Hayti, and the luscious ,
Sults; the process OF cooking, washing, etc.
The Haytien mode of burying the dead
gas described. The corpse is stripped AID
mbaimed with the juice OF the sour orange,
nd after it is placed in the coffin no one is
flowed to look at it. Professional mouruers 5
re employed to attend the funeral, and they
weep and wall with the greatest seeming
gony. The funerals always occur AT night. !
IN returning from the funeral the family of )
he deceased invite their friends TO i
Ileasant party, where cake and wine are 6
erved.
The marriage relation is as sacred in t
iayti as here. There are two kinds of mar. i
lages-one among the aristOCrats, when the