The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-02-19
Slave Life in Brazil. -.

Brazil being the only civilized coun-
try in which slavery exists in full force,
but which even there may be reckoned
in n few years as thing of the past, a
sketch of slave life may not be unin-
teresting.
The staple produce of Brazil for ex-
purtation is coffee, which is the result
of cultivation on plantations, Fnown rs
fdzemddS. When ripe for market, the
coffee beans are forwarded in bags to
Rio Janeiro for sale and shipment
The real interest in the work on planta-
lions is centered in the method of slave
labor, which, though doomed to eX-
tinction, is still in full force. A law
passed in 1870 declared that after 1871
the children of slaves should be born
iree; so at the present moment there
are no slaves under eight years of age.
An average fasetada in Brazil will have
from 200 to 300 slaves-men, women and
children. These live in quadrangle or
quaflro, divided off into number of
small rooms, each room being inhabited
by one or two slaves. The first bell
rings about 3 80 o'clock in the morning,
when they get up and make some coffee.
At four O'Clock the second bell rings.
when they have to form that is, they
are drawn up in line and inspected, to
see that none is missing. The field
laborers are then marched off, each one
with Il basket on his back. The work
that these have to do is the hardest I;
toiling all day in the hot sun, hoeing
the weeds between the coffee trees
planting Indian corn or picking coffee.
They work in gangs of eighteen, each
one with q feitor or overlooker, who is
himself generally II slave, and is pro
vided with a whip and pal,ndt0rio
This latter instrument is made of wood
shaped like the palm of the hand. and
fastened to handle about a foot long.
The wood is about half an inch in
thickness, and has three small holes
bored through it. and is common mode
of punishment, especially for the
women and children. The field hands
are out all day, stopping an hour and n
half for breakfast, and an hour for din
ner. But the slaves who work in the
fields are not more than twenty five
per cent. of the whole number; the rest
being carpenters, blacksmiths, machine
hands or infirmary patients. Though
slavery still exists in Brazil, it is, per-
haps, less uncomfortable than that which
exists in certain other countries, mas
much rs Il good man has the chance of
getting on and ameliorating his posi-
tion. He may become feitor, and then
he would have separate place to live
in or he is put to work about the house
or in the garden; while the most intelli-
gent boys are made to learn some trade,
and often turn out good Elacksmiths,
stone masons, etc. At 7:30 o'clock the
bell rings to leave off work. Until nine
O'Clock they can do as they like; then
the second bell rings, and they are
locked in for the night.
The punishment mostly used on fns
e,adaS, and one which the blacks stand
most in dread of, is the stocks. Each
plantation has two pair-one for the
men, the other for the women; and it
is most curious the dread the blacks
have for them. They would much
rather be beaten than pass one hosr in
them; and accordingly this punishme mt
is reserved for grave offenses, such us
stealing and fighting in fact if it were
not for this latter, the stocks would
have very few occupants. But the
slaves are very quarrelsome; hardly Il
day passes but two blacks have a set-to,
which ends in one going to the intirmary
and the other to the stocks. Most
faeenC'as have chemists shop or botica
and two intirmaries, one for the men
anu phc ouiioi iol lic Wohieh. n SlcoI
many slaves suffer from rheumatism
and heart disease. The former comes
from the exposure they have to endure.
The slaves are also good hands at sham
ming they look upon week in the in
firmary as a sort of holiday, and once or
twice a year each man is seized with a
pain in the head or in some part of the
body, which gets wonderfully better to-
ward the end OF the week. The own
ers do not mind them shamming now
then; they say they work the better for il
afterward.- - Chambers Journal.