New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-28


dah's Phil, for sho', an Pills de big, ugly
black nigga wild de bauskets o. Gavin.
When you say Phil you mean mostas biz
nigga what wuks in de fell, and plays d.
banjo, and goes tishin'; but when de hog.
says Phil deg mean big black fella, vic
| big yell into him, an de bauskets O. Gavin
An you better b'lieve dat makes 'em jumI
up an clap dab hans for joy. jes' like
nigga does when he gifts religion huff L
| make him shout, an no. huff to keep him
often de hen roos's. If nigga gifts religion
'nuff to keep him from stealth, it's a mis-
take. Dey don't never mean to do it, an
when dey does dey ain't glad a bit, an dey
hurres up an sens de surplage back"
Phiis respect for what he called
''niggas' was exceeding small, as the
reader will have discovered ere THE
and it was his greatest pleasure in life tt
demonstrate their inferiority and emphasize
their shortcomings, in q hundred ways. Hi
was "head man" of the hoe hands, which il
to say he hoed the leading row of tobacco
hills, and was charged with the duty of gu
perihtending the work of the others. II
was his delight to keep his own work go fal
in advance that he must now and then sci
his hoe in the ground and walk back to in
spect the progress and critcise the perform
ance of slower workers than he. In all this
there was no spice of malice or uncharita
blepess, however He wished his fellows
well, and had no desire to hurt their feel
ings; but he keenly enjoyed the fun of out.
dong them, and laughing at their inability
to cope with him.
1t was during wheat harvest, how.
ever. shat Phil was III his glory. The
rapidity with which he could "cra.
die wheat was a matter of astonish-
ment to everybody who knew him, and
what was more wonderful still, he was able
to MAINTAIN a distinctly squirting" speed
all day and every day.
Phil" his master would say as the men
entered the field on the first day, II want
no racing now. It's too hot"
Now you heah dat, You slow niggas!
Mosta says Phil mustn't kill his niggasNan'
de on'y way to save yo' lives is for you not
to try to follow me. Jes' take yo' time,
boys. Race little 'mong yU'selves if you
want to, but dom you try to git look at de
heels o. my boots if you don want to 20 to
de bushes"
A negro exhausting himself in race lies
down in the shade to cool off and re-
cuperate, and hence the winner of the race
is said 10 send the others "tu the bushes"
Phils preliminary remarks were sure
to exasperate his fellows, and put them
on their mettle. Silently they would de-
termine to push" him, and the utmost
vigilance OF the master WAS taxed to pre-
vent dangerous over exertion If the
reapers were left alone for half an hour.
several of them would be sure to overtask
their strength and retire exhausted to the
friendly shade OF the nearest thicket. But
they never succeeded in coming I'D with
Phil, or in so firing him that he was not
ready Tor dance or tramp when night
came.
He was strong man, rejoicing in his
strength always, bat there was one thing
he would he not do; namely, work for him
self. Ills master was one of those who
hoped tor gradual emancipation, as many
Vlrginians did, and thought it his duty to
prepare his negroes for freedom as far as it
was possible to do so. Among other means
to this end, he encouraged each to make
and save money on his own account. Each
was expected to cultivate patch" as il
was called, of his own, their master giving
them the necessary time and the use of the
mules. whenever their crops needed atten-
ton la this way he thought t. train them in
habits OF voluntary industry and thIitt, and
some of them, having no necessary ex.
Penses to bear. accumulated verv pretty
little boards of cash from the sale of their
crops year after year. But Phil would not
raise crop for himself.
What l want to raise a crop for?" he
would ask. II dom want no money, ony
quarter sometimes to buy banjo string or
a fish line, an ! git plenty o. quarters
pitched at me when l takes gen lsmen's
bosses. don want no money-an' woulnt
know what to do with it if | had il. Nv
mosta takes good car O. MEANS long as
tar's piece q meat in de smoke house
Phil knows he's gwine to have glenty to
Sat. My mOsta gives me mo- clo'es an
kin war out-an' what de devil want to be
maxim money for, 'elar' dunno"
IL WAS OF no use to argue the matter. His
mind was quite made up, and there was DO
possibility If changing it.
PILLS marital philosophy was rather
unique. He changed wives perhaps half
dozen times while knew him, but one get
Of general rules governed his choice in
every instance. There we're certain aualiti-
cations OF u rather singular sort which he
deemed essential 10 wife. She must not
live on the plantation, for one thing, or on
one of those Immediately adjoining, .'oause
den we're sho' to see too much O. one anud
der, an II git tired o de 'rangement." In
the second place he would marry none but
Did women, "'cause de young uns is ne
count any way. Dey don't half take car
D. dere husban's stOckin's an things. #
you want holes in yer stockin's an buttons
always Offn yer shut collahs. ies' marry q
young gal" The third requisite was that the
wife should be slave, and the daughter of
slaves on both sides: This qualification he
insisted upon even in the choice of mascu-
inc associates. His contempt for free
niggas" was supreme-almost sublime. He
neglected no possible Opportunity of villify-
ng them, and practiced no sort of economy
n bis expenditure of invective upon them.
Most of the negroes, in Virginia at least,
we're very religious. Naturally their reli-
,ion was intensely emotional in it's charac-
'er-ecstatic. sou. ore, gloomy; and quite as
naturally it was coloIed with superstition.
But religion of this kind had no charm for
Phil who, az the reader may possibly have
guessed, piided himself upon being strictly
ogiral in all his views and actions
BRO Ben," he said to one of his fellows
me day, "yOu's done got religion, heah.
Any way yer face 3 twice as long q it ought
% be. Has you got religion fer sho'a'
NOW, Phil, 1 don't want none o. your
Rickedness. Bless de Lawd, is got reli-
,iOn"
"Oh! you is got it, is you9 Now let me
* you question or two. You's got reli
zion. you sayP
B-n-YAs. rs got religion.
Phil.-Well, deR, you're gwine to heaven
liter 'wbile--wben you dies3"
Btn.-Yes, rs got de 'sursnoe O. dat, Bro
Phil
Phil.-An' you'd "a gone to hell if you
hadn't got de- 'sursnoe, as you calls it,
Ben-If ia ~ died in my sins, course
I'd "a gone to hell.
Phil.-Well, now, for q nigga what's ies'
made his 'rangemen's To keep ont'n hell an
git to heaven, you g got de mos Onacoount.
able long face l ever did see, an OATS all
shout it.
When Ben had retired in disgust, I re-
with Phil.
"What do You tease Ben for Phili" l
lsked. "You know be, ter than to make
'un of religion"
"COurss i do, most8 an data ies, IT,