New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-11
JOHN PAUL,S OBSERVATIONS
NEGRO HABITS. sUPERsTITIoNs AND DIA-
LECT.

AND ABEL.
LAKE AMMONIA, Fla, April 9.-Uncle Pey-
ton had started In to tell why tho darkeys OF ths part
Of the country wouldn't work when we were interrupted
by biting fish The reason why they won't work. ne
went on when had got his specified perch into the
boat and had taken bream us JUS cause theys
got Discouraged awhile after the surrender they TOOK
hop good but they briefly made up their minis want no
use an then they let right go again. NO use 10 "orA'
they calclate, when they can't make nothn'.'
| But why can't they make nOthinF ASKED DoA
they get paid for their work e.
| Well" Uncle Pcyton vent on after putting a fresh
topwaer" his hook. there's two KINDS o count
yOus see, book count an head count An tne oooA
counts bound to beat the head count every te' e'
Uncle Peyton, getting bite and carried away ny 'c
swing Of his sentence, flung catfish clean over MS ~
and lost him. "S'pOse man works for wagls ne uoh
get no cash moneyjus' meat an syrup an tobacco;
little as he goes long. He can't keep no DOCK count
JUS head count yOussce. At the en- OF the Fa 'ne Oo'
Gays, Uncle Bill Crockett wc's Jus bout even ohc'o
Bill thinks dats odd but dc boss shows MN &c DOOR
Whar's Uncle Bill Crockett then He can't say ho'nih'
An II man rents piece O. land and lows he'll make
crop-make a crop for hissef, understan' When the
crops done made the boss takes IL and says, Oncio
Joshua Harris yOu JUS two dorlors an nickel
But you Glib NE the dorlors an we won't say notnh
bout tho nickel An dars do book lOokn you rlehl III
de face all de while Now Uncle Bill Crockett an uhcio
Joshua Harris JUS lows dey won't do no more business Oh
kind then tells you foxes deys lazy an
won't work. Theys jus lghn' out every day ior inc
orange grove country whar they gets good wages an ea
cash money every night every week as they wants IT,
Jus look at de plantations run here; half on ems smut
up an they're 'sen' OF thar mules, for they can't get
| no hands"
Bat then how come your people 10 be so happy under
all this IT'S dancing and singing and laughing with
them all day and good part OF tho night Ihey ooht
| seem TO care"
On that's what you white folks thinks" he said
I Nv = "A
cullar people. They knows they's put upon but they
can't do nothn bout IT, they JUS lets it all 60 and gets
long an has As GOOD time az they can Ialnt Or
| long, nohow they says. But they knows they put
| upon"
| Won't It be different with the next generation =
asked. Your children all 20 TO school ana can all
read and write and they'll be able to keep book counts
too when IL comes their turn, won't they =
THAR. heap o. talk bout that" no said "bnt you
look roun' an you'll find faint II chile knows his
letters Il once knowed EN- myself but Use done forgot
EN- now he calls dat readin an wrn'. But he knows
nickel l., an he likes YIN roun to get EN-
better'n goin' to school An dc young gals
| But I'll not repeat what Uncle PeytOn said Of the
bouncing hrnettes OF this region until am safely out Of
the country for already have learned the folly OF card
Ing wool the wrong way. let it even be done accidentally
And the sensitive. Generally however may
say that gathered from the tone OF my aged trehds re-
marks that they rather Overfond OF dress ana dis
play OF dancing and partygong, less disposed 10 "OrA
than their mothers youth. ana given to an indl7
crectncss IN the matter OF irtations when was not
known when Uncle Peyton boy. Thus you see the
black young women differ greatly from the white ones
with whom you acquainted wish could write that
the former were ~ adOus their tastes as Che latter
but as in the matter OF Irritation they the color
line with 10 scrupe of and no respect Or race
Do you think that the black man OF the next genera
ton win 10 the equal of the white man 2" asked
NO. sir" said Uncle PeytOn. stoutly, " he never was
an he never viii You peoples too many for my peo-
ple every time An de book counts .oin to purVah
sure"
Having now enough fish for dinner and little chance OF
catching any more took in lines and started for
the island where left Alicia to look out for agator'
On our way Uncle PeytOn RECALLED with the story OF
how dog three-egged dog at that in de Old slavery
times whipped alligator and run him clean out the
lake The dog had gone in TO get duck. or something
that his master had shot, when an alligator took MN
down soon both the surface or the water ana II
WAS seen that dog had the alligator by the eye VIC
lently struggling they both went again But 1t was
only for n moment When next they up the allga-
tor swimming for the bank, and the dog after him
Nor did the dog mp until he had chased him over the
hank and into a neighboring lagoon And that alligator
wa. never seen again in that skenor was the dog either
fancy II lie discreet as three-egged dog should
"e MICRO TRAITS AND sUPERsTTIoYs.
All this while was thinking OF something else was
wandering whether or not should set Uncle Peyton
down n. a pessrnist. and In your next smiling supple
mt to,re more cheerful view OF things jingle bells
nd hangles clash the castanes and be gay or record
so,o. Of What hs saws and = little that myself have
aeon Truth to tell Inavc known elderly persons who
cere not negroes to talk in similar strain nave
known uncles and aunts within my own circle of rela
tves 10 lament the degenoracy or growing generations
and To dee are that never again would times be good
a. they had been But thi thing ia certain Fifty cents
,dav and rations (which means three and half
mounds of meat" and peck OF meal weeks not
much for working IN field from sunup 10 SHUTDOWN
Possibly 1t IL planters afford to pay but the
fact remains that il ID low wages nevertheless especially
II none of the nifty takes the shape OF cash
And as for twenty-five cents day, which is woman's
WA ertsils good laying hen would
that indoors so am surprised that laborers in the
corn aud cotton vineyards few and that perns Is
known in tho land Forit true beyond doubt that the
best way of keeping meal and meat-or even shngle
uals-in this warm climate, is to keen them under lock
and kew Still OF what might be called ROBBERY there Is
very little. do think that one OF my sable companions
IN the field found that cartridges for breechloadng
n mi KIT he unOaded and the contents made OF use IN
an old mzzeloadng musket, but think that could OF
aly time left my pockebOok lying ROUND loose
without missing much, and did leave my boots outside
nv door every night. with evidence In the morning
that one had touched them -
often been remarked upon Unlike the Indian, ne is not
10 he stamped out Even in captivity and in chains
rsnee Of The Acids he Continues to swell the census
turns in the most amazing manner Ana ma patlence
/ unuot injuries nus DcCOmt piONcivo,.
fully Ignorant and given 10 superstition. Sometimes
fancy that the whites owe 1t to themselves TO take little
more interest In h. education and enlightenment; for
Ignorance and superstition are powerful factors TOT
trouble. especially when they work In the dark All
arrie have quite time seemed 10 unite IN con
sderng negro simply huge joke, hut possibly we
NAV see hun otherwise II he suddenly looms up above
our heads like the Arte released by the fisherman of the
Arabian Nights from the casket found In the Better
when greater numerical proportions, have
him educated truthful than ignorant and suspicious
In the first place. don't put upon him ana then let
| enough light Ia On his life for him clearly to see
whether he Is put upon not Really there Is ned
for missionary work these cabins II our good people ana
but know It, Teachers and preachers they ought TO have
and white that let suggest for Just now tnere
Is deal blind leading the blind, and the dltch AT
good part Of the Nation 10 TAU INTO
'Do you believe In Witches Lady Jane = asked