The great West., 1889-12-20
BEFORE THE WAR.
Description Of a Day on a Plantation
Thirty Years Ago.

Negro Songs and superstitions-A Black
1ammy's Antipathy to Cooking. Stoves
Scenes That Have Passed Away Never to
Return-A Lawyers "reminiscences
John L. Peak, prominent Missouri
lawyer, recently read before literary
society an article portraying life in
the south in -bellum times, enti-
tied IA Day On Plantation Thirty
Years Ago"
1would not be understood, said he. in
anything shall say tonight as either
condemning or approving an institu-
ton which thirty years ago existed in
nearly one-half of the states of our
union, and which was mighty factor
in shaping the political. social and do
nestle life of these states.
In the ante-bellum days the tiller of
the soil who cultivated cotton, sugar
and rice, was called planter and the
land he cultivated was called planta-
ton. Not unfrequently a plantation
embraced from 10. 900 to $4,000 acres of
land and was cultivated by from 1000
to 1,500 slaves, all owned by the one
planter. In the border states of Ken
lucky. Maryland and Virginia. the
tiller of the soil was called farmer
and the land he cultivated was called
a farm. These farms usually contained
from 200 to 800 acres of land and were
cultivated by from ten to forty or fifty
slaves, all owned by the one farmer.
Instead of rice, cotton and sugar, these
farmers raised corn, wheat, oats. rye,
hemp, tobacco, hogs and mules. In the
border States where farm life prevailed,
the negroes though slaves, were allow
ed far greater liberty and larger license
than they enjoyed in the Gotten grow
ing states and the phases of social life
were quite different in the two Sec
tions. Let us imagine, then, that we
have spent the night with we'll to do
farmer in his pleasant country home.
We enter a broad hall with spacious
from the main build ing is two story
l. with a long broad porch in front.
We occupied the guest chamber over
the front parlor, and with our windows
thrown wide open, we slept sweetly
and soundly, inhaling the soft spring
air, laden with the perfume of roses and
violets.
Early in the morning, while dreaming
of fairies and nymphs, and flowers, we
are conscious of a stealthy footstep in
the room, and half awake we inquire:
"Who is there?"
''Me, boss; nobody but me-"
'Who is me?''
''It's me; Ize Sambo, come after yur
butts to shine them"
DO you get up here at midnight,
Sam boz"
"Law, boss, dis amt midnit; de sun
is nifty nj up"
'.All right, Sambo, make haste and
shine my boots, and will walk around
a little before breakfast"
But Sambo fingers at the door with
the boots in his hand.
"Say, boss, duz yu no Mars Sam
Robinson?"
mo, Sambo, 1 have not that honor"
''Kase he IL a nifty nice man, Mars
Sam IL. He IL shining up tn Miss Sally,
too. Mars Sam staid here mite afore
last and slep in dat sam bed whar yu
il dis mint. Next mawnin' when I
fotcht his boots up, Mars Sam says:
"Sambo, dar il something fur yu on de
korner oh de buro fawr shinin' my
boots 80 nice.' And sho enuf, goz du
de buro, and dar IL a nu, roun' silver
quarter jist blikin' rit into my il, an
I sez tn him: Mars Sam, IL all diz
here siler fur dis niggah?' And Mars
Sam says: Yes, Sambo, it IL all
your'n.'"
''Well, all right Sambo. I suppose
that is hint for me to do likewise"
Law, now jist lis'n tur de boss. I
amt axen yu fur no muny. Mars
would putty nigh skin me alive if I
was to ak gemman for muny. I was
jist tellin' yu what a nice man Mars
Sam was an how all de niggahs like
him."
Sambo departs and we hasten our
toilet, debating in our mind, mean
WHILE whether we shall reward him
with dime, which we know is more
than he deserves, or follow the exam
pie of his illustrious paragon, Mars
Sam. and give him a quarter. Finally,
however, the dread of the unfavorable
comparison he will draw between US
and Mars Sam determines the cOntro-
versy in Sambo's favor, and as he de-
posits the boots at our door we drop
silver quarter into his hand, and he
rewards US by a display of as white a