The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-14

OF the negro race IN their ndAds-
| wish them TO be fully aware OF
their very serious responsibility ~
this matter. And We must confess
that We have. all OF u, been rather
impatient Of the ill-etTects 81 free
dom in our households. The ILL
blood bred in the political contests
OF the last ten years has been telt
in all our domestic and social al
fairs. 1t has been hard to 10 the
negro bare justice-we had no
superiority of kindness to spare for
him. But now surely we may
afford to be generous, and feel as If
we could extend a helping hand to
a helpless race. As christians ~
duty calls lis to this work. As
polite householders we have no
other choice. If we mean to thrive
and enjoy our prosperity.
We have lost half a generation
already. The negroes who have
grown up "slnce the surrender
and have grown great by feeding
on the meat furnished by their
political friends, arc Of little or 10
account. and are not likely eye to
improve. The old negroes raised
and trained in slavery and the lit
tie ones. are our best chance now.
The best of the former class are
living BY this time IN houses Of
their own, and are not otten tempt
ed to olive out We must try to
save the children. The very first
lesson the negro race should learn
is that unless female chastity
comes to be respected and honored
among them, their fate is sealed to
be forever a degraded people.
What girl among them loses caste
or position for having a child? |
believe they do meet, and turn the
offender out of church, but at the
next revival she goes in again, and
if Il Baptist, gets immersed over
again, and is all right, TIL next
time. Can We not help them to
take better care of themselves ?
At best can we not try that the
children who are coming on shall
have different raising? Between
the pert young woman of color who
has been going to school or college,
and can read and write, and has
advanced opinions on the subject
of dress, and ~civil-rights, who con-
descends to superintend your do
nestle concerns to astrictly limited
extent, feeling herself quite as good
as you-between her and the poor
half-clothed humble thing rom the
country who has never been to
school, and knows absolutely moth
ing except how to chop cotton or
hoe corn, there would seem to be a
wide gulf. The fact hat neither
of them has any notions of female
honor makes them exactly equal
or the balance is in favor of the
ignorant country girl. The fine
lady makes your kitchen a rendez-
vous for various lovers-the poor
cinder wench will surprise you
some day.by having a baby just as
you have your house full of COM
pany. Poor wretch.
Friends, wives and mothers of
our good farmers . let us have much
patience and be very sorry for these
poor specimens of womanhood. l
saw picture the other day in
Stewards Journey round the
world" which | could have cried
over. 1t was called "IAe Rem
nam Of a Tribe" and represented
a solitary gaunt, half-naked Indian
woman in front of a wigwam, with
a bow in her hand, kneeling by her
baby tied in its bark cradle. Moth
er and child-most piteous, desti-
tute, desolate figures, suggestive Of
how much of abject misery, star
walton, cold, abuse and degradation
yet bound to each other by the
most sacred and tender of earthly
ties-and thus appealing to the