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

We clip the following extract of
interest from Mr.. Williams letter in
the Nc,os and Couricr on the manners
and customs OF Liberian planters
MoNHovIA, LIBERIA, June IT -
When | closed my last was on my
way up the St. I'au's River, having
left Clay-Ashland, and started for
further exploration.
Five miles above Clay.Ashland We
stopped at the plantation OF Jesse
Sharp, 4 native of Columbia, s. C.,
who left there rs Il freeman, q number
| of years before the war, when Il Young
| rlan. lie is light colorcl, and has u
fine sugar plantation, which pleased
me more than anything OF The aort
saw on the river, giving evidence is
il did Of thrift and care. IL" showed
us with much pride over his canc
fields. Of which he has some LOO
acres, which cooked unusually clean
and free from weeds and grass. Their
owner seemed delighted to meet some
one from South Carolina, and he and
| lad Il long talk, comparing notes
about Columbia ani Columbia
people.
The general life Of the older and
wcalthicr planters along the st.
paul's resembles. in many particulars
that of the Southern planter III the
good old days" Having good
brick house built, AMI MS coffee, or
sugar plantation well under weigh,
the tillcr oflhe soil generally takes
his ease, wears good clothes, only
exercising supervision Of his affairs.
The spirit or wine Iccantcr is almost
invariably at The service ofhis guests !,
and when he goes visiting or 20
Monrovia, lie steps into his canoe,
calls. his crew together, and travels
comfortably and scda,cly. rs the.
present generation is growing old, the
! cnlId,cn take charge after the return
q lAcs&hcir srasA ..,s ,sI'iooiIis anu
"iiniaiasa toure In vie@.of.all this,
It liz 5idicuIous to SUPPOSE that the
Liberianst. are frelapsing INFO barbar
ism. :<Op tl}o contrary, it is oppar-
,ent that each geucratiom Is l4aagiry
.Mim sfqaaffifge nearer to lsqysct cirt1ia,-
hon. Willie these old lords ofthc
soil.in their conscious or unconscious
,aping of their former masters former
lives, present occasionally ludicrous
contrasts to their modois by ignorance
and lack Of culture, their son, and
daughters arc growing up better
cducated, trained and supplied with
the requirements ofinteiligenl men
and women. saw the L;hcrians
especially the younger ones brought,
into contact, and consequently con-
trast, with the :l-or's immigrants. 1t
showed there and then that whether
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 i. more cnpability
in him for improvement than we
have developed. II is conclusive
evidence that there is vast amount
Of: good mental round Ifinr ialiow,
wasting or running 10 noNious weeds,
in the negro. 1t is rs we'll to saw it
right hcre-despile their many ignor-
anccs, their coEccit and their i'm
providence and incrtnc$s, The aver
age Libcran is in most ways i'm
measurably superior to the average
| Amcrioan negro, and those at Sierra
Leone arc rs far above him in ac-
quircments rs the clouds are above
the earth. In the social rciiucments
the better classes Of colorcd people
there seem perfect. In one thing /
could notice distinctly The three de-
grcss Of progression, rs illustrated by
the English Colony negro, the Liber-
ian negro, and the American negro
TIE OBSERVANCE or TABLE ErI-
QuETTE.
This Is a small matter at first sEht,
but it tells II story when looked into.