The Press., 1889-03-07
THE LIME-KILN CLUB.

'I hev bin requested" said Brother Gardner, as the meeting opened, "to pre- sent to dis club dis eavenin' de query, 'Is de white man improvin'?' Pickles Smith will lead off de discushun.
 Brother Smith replied that he had been taken unawares. He had never given the matter thought. He had seen more or less white folks around him each day, but had given them no particular attention. He had a sore throat, bad headache, chilblains on both feet, and there were strong indications that frst-class boil was about to hit him in the leg. He would therefore ask to be excused from express ing anything like decided opinion on the white man question.
 Col. Anonymous Smith next followed. It was,a question which had bothered him not a little. Thirty years ago the white man got drunk. He gets drunk to-day. Thirty years ago the white man sold his vote. He saw several of them bought in at the last election. In the years gone by the white man swore, gambled, stole, rob- bed, lied, cheated and committed murder. If there had been any moral improvement the colonel couldn't see it. He had always felt a sympathy for white folks, and had always hoped they would do well, and it grieved him that no better progress had
 been made.
 Elder Toots said he was glad the ques- tion had come mp. The white folks were always concerned for fear the colored race was reafsgrading, but the boot belonged on the other foot. Within twenty years l the white man had invented the telephone, but alas the states had to pass laws to keep him from sending cuss words over the wires. The white man had erected
 wonderful bridges, improved the telegraph, | brought out new orders of architecture, improved in painting and sculpture, and | elevated the standard of schools and socie- l ty. but there was another side to the pic 1 ture. The white man had discovered oth- l or ways to beat the laws passed for the protection of life and property. Lying, swearing, stealing and embedding were hardly counted as sins. Visitors had pick ed pockets and stolen overcoats. Men
 who paid the highest pew-rent in church | were doing the heaviest stealing. Dress ing had become an art, but running ill debt and beating creditors had become greater one. The elder had nothing against the white man on account of his color. The Lord had made him white, and he was not to blame for it. But, when the white man stood on a corner and claim ed to own the earth, it was we'll to investi- gate his claim.
 Waydown Beebe said he had always felt kindly towards the white man, and had all ways been willing to extend him helping hand. He could remember back for a quarter of century. If there were any decided improvements he could not name them. If the white man was better edu- cated, so were all other men. Inventions were more numerous, other races had help ed to make them so. Take the white man as man and he had doubtless retrograded. He was losing his reverence for the Bible and the laws. He was living fast and loose, full of gossip, suspicious, and having no care how he made his money so long as he made it. If the white man had got nearer to the moon by means of the largest telescope in the world, he had also discov- cred new liquids to get drunk on and new ways to beat the law. If the soul had be- come more poetic, lawsuits for debt had also become more numerous. If the av- craze mind was living nearer to Milton and Shakespeare just as many bodies were being committed to state prison.
 Sir Isaac Walpole said the query had of.