The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-08-09
Exodus to Africa.

Exodus to Africa.
A Charleston, S. c., letter to the New
York ,Suu says: The negroes are alive al
present with anticipations of return tc
their ancestral jungles. Ever since the
last election the popular sentiment
among them has been in favor of an ex'
odus to Africa. Here, lately, the senti
ment has taken definite shape, and organ.
lied efforts are being made to obtain as
sistance from the Liberian and American
Governments to assist in furnishing YES.
sells to transport the emigrants. An
agency has been established in this city
purporting to be branch of the Coloni-
zation Society of Philadelphia, at which
the emigrants enroll themselves and pay
their fees to defray preliminary expenses,
Some of the colored churches have taken
up the matter, and in one Of them every
member has signi6ed his or her intention
to accompany their pastor. Every idle
negro is loud in his assertion, 81 am
gwine on de fust ship which starts"
On the 4th of July the negroes held a
mass meeting on the Battery green in
this city for the propagation of their en-
igration policy. There were from ten to
fifteen thousand colored persons in atten-
dance. Every speaker who addressed
them spoke favorably Of the exodus ex-
cept a white missionary from Vermont,
who was scarcely allowed to proceed after
he was found to dissent from the popular
idea. The meeting determined to adopt
the old Jewish precedent, and send two
men to spy out the land. Accordingly
an assessment of a nickel was levied upon
each poll for that purpose, and collected
on the spot.
The battery is a beautiful spot, COW
cred with grass and regularly shaded
by oak trees. Over the heads of the
nations wards hoated the beautiful flag
of the Union. On the green sward they
were gathered in groups of one or two
hundred, enjoying their peculiar dance
of "Tula, Lula Lu." They were SO in
tent on this enjoyment that they paid
little attention to the speakers, except to
throw in the nickel, and thus confirm
their readiness for the expedition. AS 1
strolled among these crowds of happy
beings, I could not refrain from asking q
sedate old negro, rs not this better than
Liberia ?" The old man answered, "Boss,
dis is berry nice, but dey say we must go
back to our peoples home"
The propagandists tell the negroes that
Africa has a golden shore, upon whose
beach old ocean daily throws the golden
sands she digs from the deep sea. Dia-
monds are said to pave the rivulets.
Bread grows on the trees. Meat runs
wild in the woods, and one elephant will
suffice whole family for year. Mon
keys nurse the babies while the mother
rides in q golden chariot drawn by white
ostriches.
The less credulous and more industri-
Gus people are told that cotton and rice
grow without replanting, so that two
crops are gathered each year; that coffee
is perennial, and only requires picking
and sacking, and that in few years
they will all be as rich as their old mas
tiers were before the war.
The most intelligent are appealed to
upon social principles. They are told
they may stay among the white people a
thousand years and they never vii! be
anything more than "niggers," and if
they go to Africa among their own people
their superior intelligence will soon give
them place and position in their father
land they will be kings and queens,
lords and ladies, among people whom
they will elevate by their association.
Major Delany, the first black field Off
Ger of the late war, who has explored o
considerable portion of the promised
land takes a philosophical view of the
matter. He says he begins to realize
that slavery was great civilizing process
to the African race; that they were
brought to America, Christanized in bon
dage, and are now able to return and
Christianize the old folks at home. He
sees trouble in the fact that those who
are most willing to go now are those who
are unable to communicate either moral
or religious culture to the Africans, and
he thinks those who are able so to do
will likely desire to remain in this State.
He favors a partial emigration of supe-
rior intelligence, so that the pioneers
] may become practical missionaries. AT
terward he thinks a general exodus may
be effected.
The whites look on, with different ideas
as to the effect of an exodus. Most of
them quietly say, "Better let them go,
and then the country will fill up with
white people, and the old State will COM
mence new lease of life" Some, how
ever, cannot see how they are going to
get along without negro labor, and many
Of them, who yet look on their old slaves
rs foster children, cannot bear the idea
of parting with them to return to barba-
rism.