Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-07-25

there ensues a suspension until enough men
who want to see some 'little thing" of theirs
in print, get together to have the portion of the
outfit owned by the opposition. Then the
sheet, which is about the size of a pocket
handkerchief, comes out, sometimes giving
fits to Rowe, and sometimes to those who
make the rowe with Rowe. There's politics
and literature.
| WAGES IN THE COLONY.
Now for society and the relations of the
two races. The lower class of blacks, such as
laborers, clerks and salesmen, are very much
like our own negroes. A common day labor
er earns shilling (25) cents per diem, good
clerk or shopman from e3 to e5 ($15 to $z5)
per month, and all seem to live very comfort
ably and contentedly in their respective states
of life. The Mussulmans are the principal
apriculturalists, and, outside of the thirty
miles of British possessions, work their farms
with slaves, either bought or inherited. The
slavery is of very light nature, the nearness
to John Bulls line making it easy for the
slave to run offifill-treated. He is, therefore,
generally exceedingly we'll cared for.
THE ORDINARY NEGRO.
There is one point in the Sierra Leone
negro far surprising the American citizen Of
African descent. He washes himself always
once and generally twice day. He general.
ly lives on rice, preferring the native grain
which is parboled before being beaten out,
which process ruins it's clear white, but rem.
ders it more nourishipg and pleasant to ea:
They say 80, and think 80. If the ordina.
ry negro is in your employ for FIVE minutes OF
FIVE years he always addresses and speaks Of
you as "masser," touching his cap when ap'
preaching you, and taking it off in your pres
ence. He makes respectful, ready, cleanly
and faithful servant, works cIeaply, and is
delighted by "tip," bowing almost to the
ground, scrapiug, and grinning from ear to
ear when presented with six pence or shil.
ling, He never calls you "boss" or speaks Of
YOU as "ole -" Yet be knows his rights
too. People can, and do, call him an infer
nal fool, bloody idiot, blasted son of gun,
and an "onery cuss," and he takes it patient
ly and good-naturedly. But they are de-
prived of the sweet consolation Of calling him
"a burned nigger." The latter is an oppro'
brious term, and he will Immediately have
you summoned before a magistrate and fined
from five to fifteen shillings. We we're not
very favorably impressed with the morals OF
this class, however, as the "drummers" at
the wharves offered chickens, ducks, cabbagea
and young women all in the same breath and
with the same business.like air.
"sTRUcK ALL OF A HEAP"
So much for the lower clauses, now for the
other. An English gentleman, with whom /
became acquainted, invited me to his house
to dinner. He was a prominent man, and
there is no doubt as to his social and business
standing being of the best. On going to bis
house, l was "struck all of a heap" by being
introduced to his son and daughter, both un.
mistakahly colored. In the expressive Ian.
gusge of Mrs. Gump. "You might a knocked
me down with feather" Blue Moses Here
was I who had never, never, never, sat- at
meat with anything but pure Caucasian who
had never called colored man or woman
"Mr.," "Miss" or Mrs" (resorting often
times to ingenious devices to avoid doing 80
without giving offence, such rs asking boy
coming to the door "who lives bere2' in Or
der that be should say "Mr. johnson" and l
shouldn't have to.) /, who had been explain
ing to my host, while on the way home, why,
in my judgment, social distinction between
the races was natural and proper; here was
suddenly confronted with this appalling pro-
blem. Of course there was only one thing to
be done, and went blindly and recklessly in
and did it-that was pretended that there was
nothing unusual, and that I didn't know
white from otherwise. She did the honors of
the table very gracefully, and afterwards per-
formed several airs on the piano with correct
ness and taste. was so afraid she bad no.
ticed my involuntary start at first, that l as
sured her with tears in my two cen that her
music was the sweetest I had ever heard.
CONCERT BADLY MIXED.
After dinner that night, (that way Friday,
June ~ went to concert, magic lantern
and ameteur theatrical performance in the
courthouse hall. The room was about thirty
feet square and divided by an ordinary rail.
ing. Outside of this we're rough benches.
Here were the shilling, half price seats. In.
side the railing, the walls were decorated with
cocoa tree branches, and there were chairs,
which formed the two shilling seat, occupied
by the elite. Against the wall, opposite the
entrance door, was stage, on which the sheet
on rollers, used for the magic lantern, was
placed. This part of the performance was
over. In the centre of the stage sat Cover.
nor Rowe, on the right a British officer in
uniform, an old, and middle aged colored
woman, and on his left an octoroon girl and
another young British officer. Against the
wall on the left was another and smaller stage
for the theatricals. The audience was Of all
colors, mostly black, there being a slight
sprinkling of English officers, one or two
white civilians, the curate and, in fact, every
body. The play was farce entitled "John
Dobbs," and the actors were all black, the
female parts peing assumed by men, (shades
of Manager Ottolengui y When the farce,
which was perfect farce in every way, was
over all went home, several of the colored
damsels being escorted by white men, while
others of the latter race and gender stood
about the doors (after the manner of empty.
headed young men in general uncovering
and bowing.
LITTLE SUPPER.
I met there an Americana New Yorker
and "Copperhead," who had been living
FIVE years in Sierra Leone, and be carried me
off to "ittle supper" in delightfully."- cool
upstairs room somewhere, where miniature
fountain played among green shrubs in the
centre of the table, and we ate roast fowl and
salmon, and drank claret from porous clay
utensils in company with two men black as
crows, one of whom addressed my friend by
his last name There's social equality, and
nobody seems to feel or see any difference:
My American friend says, "You soon get used
to it," The fact is the colored people in Sier-
ra Leone are so thoroughly Anglicized in
every respect that the English find no Difficult
A.. 49,. ,L;,, ,;,,t Fpo1ioh