The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-21
Bill Apps Letter.

TOT poor 1OlkS and nlggerS he nlggers
can always get a half a dollar. They
dont want much more than nat at one
time, and DON envy them their enjoy
ment at a circus. They will talk and
laugh about IL for a week, and work
with more alacrity while they are talk
ing.
Two years ago some Ohio men came
down to Georgia to build a railroad, and
they hired gangs Of negroes and put
Z bosses over EN-. and the bosses wouldent
let the darkeys talk, cor laugh, nor Joke
while they were digging. They stood it
for a few days and quit, and the work
was about TO stop for lack Of labor, when
a Georgia man told the head boss what
was the matter, aud they repealed the
law. 1t l. tie negro nature to talk.
They are the most talking people IN the
world. The Swedes will work together
all day and never say a word. They are
as silent "a a graveyard, aud almost a.
solemn, but they work well, aud save
their money, and buy them good homes
and at night whcu they get round the
family fresidc, they are as merry a.
crIchets. There Is Just as much differ
! ence in races o. people as 10 breeds Of
horses and cattle. They have their
AidlASs dbI IbSAtt4EIS, anu HdDlt>- anu NnCN
don't change very much-aC least they
haven't IN the past aud | reckon they
won't in the future. The ALglo Saxon
Sands at the head for sense, and prog
ress, and invention. The Spaniard Of
to-day is the same old Spaniard, and the
jew has worn out ages In preserving his
ways and his identity. Dhe negro has
mixed and mingled and been in close
,,.t,.t y,,tI -, ,rrrt, 49,. N-.I
South, for $50 years, and be is the same
creature still the same good, easy, in
d~userious, Iihing, lazy working man,
whe can pc. along without leaning and
Depending upon the wh',e man, and be
tones TO him, and don belong to him,
AID loves him to day and don't love him
tomorrow, and who enjoys his religion
just Ike he enjoys his dinner. Some
folks don't like the darkey, but do. |
like TO have him around, have him &C.
look III 70 me and depend upon me. and
| like to play boss over him, and Ike
70 protect him. and take care of his wife
and children.
lost neeroes are nothing but children
"a long a. they live, aud have to Ee treat
ed "a such. | owed one fifteen dollars
not long ago ard he told me he had
picked III a ten dollar trunk in town.
and - | gave him an Old trunk and told
him | was going TO spend his money Tor
some shoes and blankets for him and his
old mother, and he surrendered cheer
fully, and admitted that it was better.
Second-clasS clothing merchants get near
iy all heir earnings IN payment for Sec
Onc Class clouhing. at first class prices.
Last year there were about a hundred at
VIC k on a railroad close to me, and what
the railroad store dident get out of EN-
they gambled away every Saturday night
aud Sunday In their shanties and the
gamblers who won their money were
some smart, educated darkles from
town.
\ man died IN the Daborhood the other
day, aud as they took him out of the
house to bury him, the screams and
bowls of his wife We're amazing. | was
lelr enough to hear her say, ''Neber
come in dat door any more brIngln me
sugar aud coffee ne5er bring me any
more snuff or tobaker, neber go any more
vid me to Mt. Zion. All my Jesus,
| take keer Of me now, for de old man
! gone"
My darkey was looking wishfully at my
killing hogs in the pen, and as | came up
he enqulred, with great S~ollcltude, BOSS,
how long are it before hog killing timer
They do love hog killing time. A fat
hog has a power of comfort IN him
comfort in prospect.
An old philosophic darkey was talking
one day about rich men who squeezed
their money and held onto it till they
died, and he remarked: Boss, dat rich
man Just like a fat hog in de pen. He
no count till he die. When fat hog die
and you seal him and clean him. den
dar is spar lib and backbone, and ham,
aud midlin, and souce, and ~sau-age-meat,
and lard, and chitlios, and liver. and
sweetbread, aud ever so many good
things. but while dat hog in de pen alive,
he amt worth nothin to nobody De
rich man what don't let out his money, is
les like lie fat hog in de pm, but he
bound to die sometime-dat he is and
den all his kinfolks cum in aud harvest,
and some get rib, and some backbone,
and some get ham, but dey all get sum
thin"
A darkey's comparisons always have
something TO do with his appetite, but
they are always originally at the case in
in point. love to hear these old time
negroes talk to themselves and philoso-
phiZe. BILL ARP.