Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-01-12

ThORe are 5000 ec1orUd people
Washington. In no city in the Unite
States not evsa Nee Orleans. ID thez
. lager oolored population. Many /.
| them have eettlsd here since the civ
var ended. A better opportunity ca
nowhere bs found for STUDYING the 81
| feCt Of freedom and the legislation SUI
s-quent to is than here. The oolore
people hero enjoy all the social an
political rights that Law can give them
without protest and without ANNOYANCE
Tho public cOnveyances are open &
them. and the theaters, the jury boz
the spoils of party power. are theirs
Many OF these men are wealthy, AM
the aggregate wealth of tho colore;
property owners in the District amount
to millions Of dollars. Hundreds owl
comfortable homes, and some handsom,
residences; their churches are many, in
Guiding three or four buildings that ar,
ornaments to the city. As class they
are industrious, find plenty to do, and
are beginning 70 show capacity for Thrift,
and saving.
But the color line is rigidly drawn in
what is known as sooiety. Learning
wealth, official place. give NO colored
family the right or privilege of enter.
ing the best or the commOnest white
sooisty on terms of equality or endur.
ance. In this respect the colored race
lives ~ separate and as exclusive Q lie
~ in the days Of slavery. and, a. drop
Of African blood was once held to make
a man q negro, 90 now it taints him
and makes an insurmountable barrier
against social recognition. The most
striking illustration of the tendency Of
the race to initiate the white people ID
seen in their own social rules, Glasses
and customs. First of all, We find that
in this large colored community social
lines are as riRidly drawn a. they are
between themselves and the white 60
oiety of tho West End. There are
three recognized social GLASSES among
the colOred people. Neither ackn0wi-
edges the others, and it il the ambi
ton Of those in the lower to be received
In the higher circles. Just as among the
whites.
The upper crust, 90 to speak, consists
of men of wealth, learning, and high
political place. Theee people exchange
calls with all the ceremony Of the whites,
some of them driving in their own car
riaRes, leaving cards with scrupulous at
tention to etiquette. They dine with
each other. and are waited upon by COL
init uG other relations than those Of
master and servant. Probably the lead
ing family in the highest eolored society
here is that of ex .SenatOr Bruce, who
is now the Register of the Treasury.
Bruce 10 a hRht-complexioned, intelli-
gent looking man. He is eaid to be
worth about 6 hundred thousand dol
lars. He lives in q handsome house
that he owns on N street. Il is richly
furnished. A superb piano stands in
the reception room, and choice oollec-
ton Of books lines she wall Of the libra
~. Mrs. Bruce is handsome woman,
with not suggestion of her race in her
face, and whose manners are regarded
a. the contamination Of ease, grace and
She dresses as richly and
As any woman in the city.
In official circles Nj. Bruce is always
received with courtesy and az q political
equal. but there the line is drawn. Mr..
Bruce entertains his friends handsomely
and his wife pays and receives calls from
those of her select set with unyaryinQ
regard for prevailing etiquette. Another
of this social circle 10 John T.
Cock, the Collector of Taxes for the
District. He lives in excellent style and
entertains handsomely. Prof. ]. n.
Gregory, professor of Latin at the How
ard University, and John n. Langston,
the Minister to Hayti, with their fAmi-
liee, are recognized members Of the best
cOlOred society, while DR.. Chas. b. Pur-
vis's society and that of his wife are ca
gerly sought.
DR.. Purvis is very busy man, being
the surgeon in charge of the Freedman's
Hospital and tho Professor of Materia
Medica at the hospital snhooi. Nearly
all Of his scholars are white.
DIR. A. T. Augusta and his wife also are
received in the highest circle of oolOred
society, while DR.. Augusta az physician
the respect of his white bIoth-
r~n in the profession. Mr.. Henry Smith,
for many years Librarian Of tho House
of Representatives, entertains q great
deal, and his wife calls in her own oar
rage. Il. L. Greener, q member Of the
District bar and graduate Of Howard,
and his wife. who is an accomplished
musician, are much in society. The Rev.
DR.. Alex. Crummel, rector of the lead
ing oolOred church of the Episcopalian
dissemination, Ia always Welcomed. He
ia regarded as the most learned c0lored
man in the District, and is highly re-
spected by the white clergy of his de-
OF course Fred. Douglass
ranks AZ the leading colored man Of the
District, but he goes but little into so
ciety. He lives ON his fine estate on the
Eastern Branch Of the Potomac. Doug
lass is worth about 100000. While his
wealth and ability make him easily the
foremost man of his race, he is not pop
ular. He is regarded as guilty of the
Same sins toward the colored men of
which he accuses the whites, namely:
refusal to recognize them or have per-
sOnal relations with them.
Mr.. M. NJ. Holland, who il An officer
in The POstoffice Department, 10 saia TO
be the best classical scholar in the Dis
trict, and his attainments bring him tho
highest social recognition of his poo
pie. Wormley, of Wofmlsy's Hotel, 10
q leader Of the best set on account Of
his wealth, rsputed to be $15O, 900, and
his relations with prominent white
mon. smith WOrmley, one of HE sons,
in large owner of real estate, aad an
other son has an excellent practise ~ .
Because Of their exclusiveness, wealth,
learning and prominence, this circle 10
not looked upon with any favor by the
majority Of the ool0red people here.
The usual remark, which may perhaps
be attributed 10 envy or to disappointed
ambition, that ono hears among colored
people, 10 that this exclusive cot 10 mot
good enough for white society and too
good for that Of their own raoe. Fortu-
nately there are enough Of them 10 make
. sufficiently large circle for the social
life they desire.
There ID another and . much larger
society here that may be designated -
Of the second rank. While holding no
social relations with the set lust men
toned, they are equally exclusive - re-
CARDS thOoe whom they bold beneath
them in the social scale. This class h
composed OF Government clerks and Of
people In comfortable circumstances.
There arc . good many c0lored men in
Government employ - clerks. These