The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-06-03
THE OTHER SIDE OF GIRL MOTHER
QUESTION.

IN regard 10 the shameless depravity of the |
female portion of my hapcss race | can
not bring myself to contemplate them with
other than feelings Of resentment, and in
dgnation. Fifteen years of frcedom--ten
years Of which were spent in the schools of
your little city-havc done more for me
than q hundred years Of bondage and no
educational advantages, did for my down
troddcn, ignorant ancestors, they have
shown me what degradation means; they
have given me the power to see myself and
my race as we appear to you and yours
The hot blood of shame burns my swarthy
check in recognition of our depravcd condi-
ton, but the white blood in my veins rebels
against the denunciatory terms in which
you speak of us, Who made of us what we
are but you and yours Who instilled within
our very blood and bones and instincts the
idea that for colored woman to bear all
the children she could bear was to do her
self a lasting honor! Who, but our white
masters and mistrcsses? Think you the
training-the very religion taught and
beaten into a race of people for many gen
erations together, can be eradicatcd from
| the blood in one or two generations
You known it cannot Then why
are you so relcntless2 Have you no mem
DRY of our wrongs? Do you not know the
relation we, as a race, bear toward the whites
now To whom can we look for examples
of wisdom and of virtue if not to theme
Is not yours the power yet, as it has ever
been, for all good or evil, over u.s. If we
are not, as q people, as far advanced in in
telligcnce, morality or social elevation as
seemeth good to you, remember from what
plane we started. Have you set us, at all
times and In all things just the precedent
best for u.s. Indeed you have not. am
grateful for the blessings you have show
cred upon US, in the last few years; but |
do not forget to whom, alas, we owed our
need of them. The offspring of my mas
ter's eldest son, have inherited the pride
of my fathers family along with the dusky
complexion Of my innocent mother Who
taught her that bastardy was disgraceful
or degrading? No one. Did the aristo-
cratic white blood Of her masters race and
family teach her that her little daughters
very existence Was a shame; Not by q
"long shot Every child added to the
family of slaves on that plantation, was a
creature to be proud Of Nor was ours an
isolated case, as you must know,
nor ours an cXccptionablc family,
Did our freedom from slavery bring
us in contact with purity only! Look for
your answer in the bright-skinncd negroes
all over this country, Scan the faces Of the
babies IN these colorcd girls arms and see
how very small the per cent. Of black babies
voA will find. How does the white blood
get IN their veins can you tell me. The
answer is clear to you as to me, when you
admit, as you must that there are no mar
riages between white men and black wo-
men. Have you ever given the matter a
moments serious thought; and if you have
to what conclusion did you arrive as to who
were the fathers of these bright negro chill
drcn2 Let me tell you who they are; you
can find them among your professional
men; in your contingencies, and dry
goods stores; you bakeries and saloons;
among your railroad men and steamboat
men, your teachers and even among your
most Jealous rcligionists. Look around you
and if | am not correct, show me wherein
| fail Of being so. Do you ostracisc these!
DO you condemn them! Not much, you
don't Bring them to justice; then bring
us, So long as you hold them in good
social standing what fear have we
of being damned? None how
could we have. WHY should we
have? Do you teachers and preachers
lend their great power for good in condcm-
ing from the pulpit and desk, these white
fathers! Why should you expect or ask Of
: ours that which you do not exact Of your
own, Set us, first, the good cXample-wc
; are if little else, an initiative people. We
learn rapidly from example. The prosttu'
ton as you call it when you apply it to oul
i race, is one of the things we have had sci
: before us, all our Iives-taught us as a vir'
tue in fact, by the men Of your race
= DO you wonder the lesson is so readily
learned by the young of my people! Dc
not suppose that to me this seems right OIL
cnobling-thc dark skin is tingling witt
the heat of shame The baby girl that
love so well, will know no such shame, il
her mothers teachings can save her, There
is nothing disgraceful in her birth, and h'l
: life shall be pure if can make it so, dc.
, spite the almost resistlCss whirlpool of deg
; relation that threatens to swallow up al