Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg Court House [S.C.]) 1877-1881, 1878-08-03
Liberia.

interest from Mr. Williams letter in
the Ncps and Courier on the manners
and customs of Liberian planters
MoNRovIA, LIBERIA, juno II =
When closed my last I was on my
way up the st. Paul's River, having
left Clay-Ashland, and started for
further exploration.
Five miles above Clay. Ashland we
stopped at the plantation Of Jesse
Sharp, native of Columbia, S. c.,
who left there as Il freeman, number
Of years before the war, when Il young
r,an. lie is light colorcd, and has Il
fine sugar plantation, which pleased
me more than anything of the sort
SAW on the river, giving evidence rs
it did Of thrift and care. IL" showed
us with much pride over his cane
fields. Of which hc has some 100
acres, which looked unusually clean
and free from weeds and grass. Their
owner seemed delighted to meet som G
one from South Carolina, and he and
lad Il long talk, comparing notes
about Columbia auyi Columbia
people,
The general life Of the older and
wcalthicr planters along the st.
Paul's resembles. i'll many particulars
that of the Southern planter i'll the
good old days" Having good
brick house built, and his coffee, or
sugar plantation well under wei gh,
the tiller oflhe soil generally takes
his ease, wears good clothes, only
exercising supervision Of his affairs.
! he spirit or wine lccanter is almost
invariably at ihc service ofhis guests
end when he goes visiting or 20
Monrovia, he steps into his canoe,
calls. his crew together, and travels
comfortably and scdutely. AS the
present generation is growing old, til Q
chiId,cn take charge after the return
Of lAasslcin &
shniatasF tonr.e "a u EisSisof all this,
II ,m 5idicVlous to SUPPOSE that tic
Li6elishs. are ;relapsing into barbar
ism. t0n the contrary, it is appar-
sents that each generation Is lssagiry
.htDs Sfesli5sf nearer to 1,es:ysct efps!,sp-
hon. While these old lords ofthc
soiEin their conscious or unconscious
:aping of their former masters former
dives, present occasionally ludicrous
contrasts to their models by ignorance
and lack Of culture, their son, and
daughters are growing up better
educated, trained and supplied with
the requirements ofinteIligent men
and women. | saw the Liberians
Especially the younger ones) brought
into contact, and consequently con-
trast, with tho .izor's immigrants. It
showed there and then that whcthe +
the negro is capable Of attaining tho
white mans level or moi, he is cap
able of becoming much nearer Il per-
feet man than he is in America. 1t
showed that there is more cnpability
i'll him for improvement than we
have developed. 1t is conclusiv e
evidence that there is vast amount
OF good mental ground lyin" faliow
wasting or running to noXious weeds,
i'll the negro. 1t is rs we'll to say it
righl hcre-despite their many ignor-
ances, their conceit and their i'm
providence and incrtncss, the aver
age Libcrian is in most ways i'm
measurably superior To the average G
Amcrionn negro, and those at Sierra
Leone arc rs far above him in ac-
quircmcnts rs the clouds are above
the earth. In the social refnemonts
the better classes Of colored pcopl o
there seem perfect. In one thing
could notice distinctly the three de-
gress Of progression, as illustrated by
the English Colony negro, the Liber-
ian negro, and the American negro
TIE OBSERVANCE OF TABLE ErI-
QUETTE.
This is small matter at first sir ht,
but it tells u story when looked into.
The Sierra Leone people display q