The Portland daily press., 1871-09-07

CHANGES - NEGRo SUPERSTITION - INCL
DENTS.
A correspondent of the Springfield Repub-
licau writes from Amelia, Virginia:
Before the war Amelia Comfy had more
slaves in proportion to its size than any other
county in the State; and now, the majority of
the freedmen is estimated at about seven
hundred. Powhatan, the adjoining comfy
is represented in the house of delegates by a
colOred member whose literary attainments
rank no higher than those of the shoemaker,
justice. Times have indeed changed for these
proud Virginians; the wonder is they accept
50 well their situation. As may be supposed,
the negroes take kindly to the new order of
things, though somewhat slow in adjusting
themselves in their new relations. Many
manner in which their simple fbAs fsfh and Hf ere &
dulity are often sadly imposed upon. Not
long ago, one old man was arrested on the
charge of bgamy. Greatly astonished at be.
ing considered to have committed any mis-
deed, he applied to his former master for as
sistance. "You see, massa, my old woman
dun leave me. She dun run away to Rich
mond, and so take another wife. l don't go
for to understand why this amt right now,
jest as it used to bel"
swell, unblushingly rejoined his master.n
this trouble all results from your voting the
Republican ticket. have nothing to do with
iG. You helped make the law, and now moth.
ing remains for you but to serve out term
in the renitentiary;" and with this expIana-
tion the poor, old, perplexed negro was oblig-
ed to be satisfied, though he "dun' reakon it's
mighty queer"
These freedmen have some singular super
stitions, one of which is a horror of burning
the wood of the sassafras tree, or squared
wood" as it is universally called. slave
trouble with somebody, sure, before the fire
goes out" Are they afflicted with bad
dreams or melancholy presentiments, they
tell you the old hag has been ridin' me-" A
bright little child, the daughter of friend
here, was one day pratting to US of home af-
fairs, and telling about servants leaving be-
cause afraid to stay in the house. "She said
the old hag rode her. OF course there is no
such thingp declared little Miss disdainfu-
ly. Everything is dated from the surrender.
"You have nice crop OF tobacco, Carar."
swell, yes; but nothing like it was the year
before the surrendah."
young woman, wto pointed out the school
house to US. "Pse twenty-nine years old be-
fore the surrendah," was the prompt reply.
| Sally had been to school, and proudly inform
| ed us that she knew how to read. 81 'spect
you be from de Norf," she added, cycling us
curiously. Being asked her reasons for this
| opinion, she answered, "Well, thought so.
| All de Norfern ladies so kinder independent
like" She respectfully bade us good evening,
| lit was about two o'clock in the afternoon)
when we turned away. 1t seems to be a
| Southern fashion to say good evening after
| twelve O'Clock in the morning, and to call a
| surprise "sunup." The religious meetings
| of the freedmen are held in their school
house. They have one singular devotional
| exercise called "pulling rope TO Heaven.
| All the people in the congregation rise, and
| with uplifted arms and swaying bodies, imi
tate the drawing OF rope, accompanying
this motion with monotonous, Wailmg
| chant.
| Watching the negroes at work driving Their
teams through the fields or over the planta
ton roads, you will hear now and then the
| ejaculation, You mule, pull up strong dab p
| If the lazy beasts need stronger appeal than
this, they are urged on with "Dog on your
skin p and various other similar elegant obu
cations; while the signal to halt is always
long drawn out "y-e-e e." In the freedman
dialect, everything not good is termed "indif
ferent;" large quantity is cheap" or
''chance" or fright smart lot" Some o
these expressions are not confined alone t.
the negroes. but are INDUCED in by many 0
the "high-toned" themselves.
Education of the freedman is the call now
a-days, and we heartily respond, amen! Blu
it must be confessed there is another class il
the South that are-well, just little behin
the times. We thought so the other da
when an individual, who reoices in the pos
tion of storekeeper's clerk, took up our cop
of the atlantic Monthly, and after deliberate
careful inspection of the contents, returnel
the magazine with the remark, II say, that
a novel, amt it?"
Who siehs for a mission?