The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-17
RICE-FIELD SKETCHES.
THE LoW-COUNTRY NEGRO As IN
ELECTOR.
A Strangers Impresstons-The Kind or
Material that Forms the "Republt.
can" Strength In South Carolina.
Correspondence OF the Natlon.]
CHARLESTON, 8. G., June

Correspondence Of the Nation.]
CHARLESTON, 8. G., June l..
To q stranger In Southern latitude, ride
along the causeway of rlce-feld in the month
of May presents an interesting sight. The
rice.feld of to-day is in most respects the
rice.feld of 'sslavery times" In the vast
tracts of land lying along the coast the current
of life is almost as atagnant as the water of
their swamps, end, to outward appearance,
the past seven years have made few changes.
The month of May is the most favorable sea.
son for observation. for at that time single
Of the eye over one o .n9se eas so
process OF rice growing. From the causeway
Of one of the largest fields on Mr.. BIS place
was favored with Just such view. On one side
of the causeway hundred negro men were at
work, using their heavy, clumsy hoes In cut
ting down volunteer rice, one OF thepests OF
the planter; while upon the other side another
hnndred-all women-were performing the
same work, using the same Implements, and
receivinp the same pay as their male comrades.
The Won1an's Rights party should take cour-
age: Mr.. B. Informed me that the work OF the
women was fully up to that OF the men, aud
was apt. to be more thoroughly done. Both
sets or "gangs" OF workers were doing task"
work, and were paid at the rate OF fifty cents
task. In former times, a days work for
slaye was laid out in tasks, or half acres and
this custom Mr.. 3. still keeps up, finding II to
be the most satisfactory wherever the nature
of the work will admit OF it. BY rising be-
times. the negroes finish their tasks by one
o'clock P. NJ, after which no pay can Keep
working their own parcels OF land, In fishing
or in sleeping. The MY cents, however, Is
INIT a small part Of the pay-a the elements
which 90 to constitute negro happlness-house
and ire. bacon and rlce-are furnished him In
addition. Mr.. B. has over two thousand ne
groes scattered over fity thousand acres oil
land, snd each family has an almost unlimited
choice of O spot upon which to settle.
TO clear a space and build log-hut
chinked with mud takes but short
lime and nothing better is desired.
Each one can cultivate all the rice he
wishes upon the land set apart for the pur-
nose. and there are hundreds of acres OF wood
land through which his hogs may roam and
from which he cuts bis fuel. Their bacon
aud rice, however, are generally carriedi TO
Mr.. B, to be purchased. This he never falls
70 do even II he pays above the market price.
To him labor is a necessity, and he says he
ands that 80 long as the negro has enough to
eat. nothing can induce his further exertlon
until necessity compes 1t. But rice, bacon
and money gone, hunger and labor follow as
natural sequence, and even then, one who
works the six days OF the week Is the
rare exception. The foremen OF the gangs
WAGES VARYING according TO ability and rank.
Each field hand Is paid for his days labor IN
coming from his work, and either Immediate
ly or by Saturday night the money will be
spent at some one of the stores erected by
MIR. B, on different portions OF his estates.
The negroes can buy at them TO better adVan-
tage than elsewhere, and thus there 10 mu-
tual benefit.
The negro foremen are chosen either from
long experience or superior sagacltyi and 10
the rice-feld referred to, the head-ioreman OF
each gang, assisted by several sub -foremen,
was moving about correcting and assisting
the rest at their work. On the calseway sat
the white oVersecr on horseback -oTerlooRing
the whole. little beyonn where these hands
were at work, separated only oy an emoaoh, sMnd
for planting. Still further along were rice.
fields covered with The first or ''sprouL" flow
of water, and others again with the second
or "stretchn flow. From others the latter
had been drawn off, and the rice, weak and
faccid, lay fiat on the ground, receiving new
life from the burning rays OF tne midday sun.
Far away In the distance miniature neures
moved along an embankment, and nearer
gagged In the repair of u leaking gate. Earth
was to be removed, and TO accomplish this
an endless chain OF " "half-hands" OF both
sexes were slowly moving 10 and lro, each
bearing on lis or her head basket made OF
peculiar wlry grass filled With the dripping
scd. The sun was In one oi Ills Warmest
moods, causing the disturbed soil TO give 1ortn
q deadly miasma distinctly perceptlple 10 tne
senses. There were at least q couple OF dozen
of these halt.grown hands engaged In this
someWhat shlfCless manner on work Wnlch q
half.dozen Irlshmen with shovel and Wheel
barrow would have done better IN less Time.
Mr.. B. said it was Impossible TO Induce them
10 use WheelbarroWs, and that, 30 long as
such labor was TO be had IN abundance al
half price, 1t was hls best policy 10 keep them
II should be understood that the slow coun-
try" negroes are In many respects entirely
distinct from those OF any other portion oil the
South. AS O class, they are undoubtedly the
pnrest specimens of the native, unadulterated
African on Southern soil. Among the hun
dreds coming under my observation, SOW but
one mulatto, even the copper or taRny com.
pe5ion Of the up.country ID lacklngi coal
black is the universal color. In speech tney
make use of numberess contractions IN addi-
tion to the usual negro dialect, and the raWest
Yorkshireman Is not more distinguishable
than the low-country negro. wherever met
with. The vowels, too. are given peculiar
Significance, and to stranger these causes
combine to create great difficulty, II not
utter imposslbllity, In understanding the Sim
plest remarks. In appearance these negroes
are simply brutlsh-the word is not too strong.
The projection Of lip and fatness Of nose
struck me az remarkable even for the
negro, and l called attention to this
fscI while riding with Mr.. B. Stop.
ping a passing negro, he called him
up Close to the carriage, and, taking knife
from bis pocket, applied one end OF the han
die 10 the lIp of his nose, endeavoring at the
same time with the other end to touch his
chin. But the projection OF the lips was too
great. and the lower end OF the knile-handle
stood ont an inch or more from the chin. If
The opera,ion had been of daily occurrence the
man could not have stood It more stolidly,
and when told to move on did so without q
word or SMILE Now" said Mr.. B., "f
were selecting negro, and wished common
aeld hand. ali muscle and no brain, should
choose lust such a man, while II wanted In
telI,gence l would bring my knite into play,
the straightuess of nose and thinness OF lips
being indicative In direct ratio Of the desired
quality. The same experiment was repeated
q half dozen times In the course OF this alter
noon, always with precisely the same result.
The knowledge of an ordinary town negro
is limited enough; but 1t is wisdom compareo
with his country cousin. "Caln, said MI. b.
to one of his head former, in rice field where
upwards of three hundred "hands" were at
work, 'how many among these can read OF