Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-26

/ tretty OctOrOOnS.
There is in New Orleans Il race and
distinct race which is no race. It has
It's one hand upon the whites and the
other upon the blacks, and it occ1pies
a position betwiXt and between, belcno-
! inc to both and to neither. The whites
refuse to acknowledge them, and they
hold themselves so far above the blacks
that they will acknowledge no relation
ship with them. Like the bat, they
are neither bird nor animal, but occ 9py
position entirely distinct, and very
lonesome one it is. These are the octo-
rooms, which in New Orleans means
not only q person whose blood is one
eight negro, but all of that class who
are almost white, but in whom negro
blood is perceptible. Down here they
| don't say negro blood-it is negro
''taint" They are not white enough
for the white nor black enough for the
| negro.
Their position. especially that of the
women OF the race, is very peculiar.
! No matter how white ali octoroon girl
may be, = white man may not marry
! her. She may be as beautiful as We
nus, and accomplished in every posi-
! bic way; she may SING like Patti and
! paint like Rosa Bonheur, but no white
man would marry her and remain in
! New Orleans. 1t would be ostracism
for her and for him also. She could
not be received in socic,y, and he would
| find himself on the wrong side of the
wall at once The law is fixed and the
barricade is impossible.
The women of this mixed race are
WOndrously beautiful. Their complex
| ions are dazzlingly white with q shade
OF olive underneath the skin that shines
through toning down the white to a
shade Of brown that is as beautiful in
| the matter of color as beautiful can
| be. Their teeth are marVels of white
ness and regularity. The figures are
invariably perfect in their yoluptuous-
ness, and the whole woman is as near
| physical perfection as anything ever
! permitted on this earth to the tempta-
ton OF men. ST. Anthony would have
! stood but poor chance had he under
| gone his temptation in New Orleans
and had the arch enemy employed oc-
! tOrOOn women to his fall. There is
nothing in WOmanhood more delightful.
| The men among them are in various
| employment and many of them have
! achieved success. They have had adj
yaMtages above their haIf-brothers who
| are darker in color for they are all nee
essariIy the sons Of white men, many
Of whom have for their mothers sake
! been liberal to them in the matter
of education and means to commence
life with after education was compIet-
! cd.
TO understand this the status of the
! octoroon woman must be understood.
| She cannot marry 4 white man, nor
| can white man marry her She can
rot associate with the race with which
she is allied, for she has had opportuni-
ties far above them. She looks upon
the ''nigger" proper with even more
contempt than does the pure white.
| Her contempt is tinged with bitterness;
for she cannot help thinking that, were
| she without that one drop of negro
| blood, her beauty and requirements
would give her any place among wo-
men she might desire. But, while q
white man cannot marry her, there is
no laW-human ut iCast-that prevents
his living with her. AS the poor girl
cannot marry white man, and will
not marry q negro, she does what
| seems to her the next best thing, and
the only thing she can do; she accepts
the ''pr0tection' of 4 white lover and
lives with him. The next thing is for.
the white lover to buy her house and
furnish it @orge,alsly and make it real
~ his home. He does not take her to
the theater or balls of his own class,
nor is he ever seen with her on the
street; but her house is really his home.
! She bears him children and those chill
dren he cducates and provides for, in
many Instances, better than his legal
offspring; but he may not recognize
them. The black blood in them bars
| than.
When he is tired Of his illegal dame
il is the simplest thing in the world.
The house and its furnishings are hers
| and whatever money he has given her
becomes hers in her own right;
and the middie-aged woman who
has lost her beauty accepts the sitUa-
ton, lets the furnished rooms to single
gentlemen, and lives in comfort all her
life from the proceeds. 1t was for this
that she entered into the arrangement
to begin with, and its ending satisfies
her. She accumulates money, her chill
dren would pass for white any
where except in the south, 90 else
where where their talent has scope and
become actual men; and the daughters
may emigrate also. or they may stay in
New Orleans and go through the same
experience that their mothers did be-
fore them. -"Nasby," IN Toledo (O.)
Blade.