New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-24
THE NEGROES OF CHARLOTTE.
SOME OF THEIR TRAITS AND WAYS OF LIFE,

SOME OF THEIR TRAITS AND WAYS OF LIFE,
,vRon AN OCCASIONAL COMMENCEMENT OF THE rH1BUSq
Charlotte, n. O., March 1e.-Charlotte, the third
city IN size in the State Of North Carolina, has
population of about 13,ooo OF whom fraction moro
than onehalf are negroes. asked colored man
why 50 many Of his people aooked into the cities.
aWe, you see, boss, they's socisble he answered,
and they lkes to be where's lots of other ooloIoA
folks. Sides, in the country, works scarce, 'cept
I'm ootton-pickin time, and its hard whenever yoa
git n, and there's money, and man can't sit no
chance to git farm for hissclf and yere we al git
something TO DO at odd Jobs, and tho women foIks
has work at washing, and wes all together, and We
see our fiends Saturday afternoons snd church night
snd Sunday"
Few Of tho negroes in and around Charlotte ars
prospecting. There are dozen families Of them there,
abouts who have fine properties, but the hand ID too
dear within radius Of I'VE miles OF tho city fos
them TO acquire much Of IT, In the town itself ana
In Its suburbs, hundreds Of them their homss
"a lot or two and echeap frame house. But ths
majority are rs poor as Jobs turkey, and have no
prospects Of rising from the depths Of their penury.
Many Of them live IN ramshache cabins, Of one o.
two rooms and IN these saualid dwellings often
dozen persons crowd Huddled together, earees
OF cleanliness regardless Of modesty, they live sfs
fashion of their own, and, II they have the coKS
monest neoessaes Of Life, they seem to be contsnted.
In the country, the negroes who have no land %
their own rent farms at ruinous prices. They AZ
called acroppersS because, when they do not sgree
10 give q certain sum of money for the use Of tbs
fields they TIL, they turn over to their landlords
half their crops goodly number Of them have q
land ciazes They are eager TO have places OF
their own, even though rented ana 50 pressed by
necessity 10 work at the occupation they under
stand, that they viii promise psg high Is thee
dolHra n yez mar fnr LAM hat Soud h0frht
for ten dollars IN aens. And so they ton on from
year 10 year under their latest taskmssters, sinking
deeper into sdcbt a. the years go by
In the town, they follow the rudcst voeatons-l
isborers the railroads, drivers Of drays, stone;
breakers the roads, porters IN Stores toers 1t ths
cotton gins, etc, etc. Whatever demands hard work
and gives little compensation Is theirs TO do, although
OF the wheeiwrghts, carpenters blacksmlths
shoemakers, and make out fairly we'll. One Of
them hsge is q physician lie IS graduate OF Shaw
University, at Raleigh, and appears to 90 building
up paying practice
Labor Is cheap in Charlotte, that Is, negro labor.
The mon get from 200 to so5 month; the women
who live out as domestcs got from SO 10 $s month
and dinner, and have 10 SO home al night for supper
and bed and return In the morning after getting their
own breakfasts. Swapping big girls, from sixteen
to thirty years. Will give their services as childrens
nurses for two or three dollxs month and found.
negroes viii offer to do the washing of an average
family for seventy i've cents week.
One day entered the humble dwelling Of . woman
who lives in the outskirts Of the southern part OF
Charlotte. remarked that she must be rather 5one-
some, living SO near the woods Dress the Lord,'
she replied, IT TOO busy to be lonesome. hse to
WORK, and got plenty Of work. and I thankful 70
earn my living. My husband, no dead. and he lef:
me this home, and I work 10 keep me and my oid
mother, who lives In her house pear here, tnes ncr
husband he left her, and sister she teaches schooi
Se ssr ep n my s Ss %ss rather unwilling to
sell vacant lot which she owned shs had any thongss
Of building on It for herself No." she Tpned,
that lot Is too hear the white follH; Colorn nl1
laes 70 be near oolered folks lust LIE whi@ iG,s
like 10 live with colorod follz, would your
The negroes Of North Carolina are poor workers In
the days Of slavery, the men were oompene9 " "
industrious, and, having task, were uasni NV
holds Of their masters to be excellent COOKS dining
walters, and chambermaids Since tney nave
been without interested instructors they have deeeno
rated rs lsborers. The men are lazy The women,
seeing nothing better than the cookcry IN tner
for the table The messes they mako arc ss~oU
enough, but they do not look appeosng -, 4,
The negroes have an excellent padcd :chooi "
Charlotte, and IN the Western suburbs Btddle Uns
yersy dominates the ety. Ewing assss qsoR e sSoos
men. who nearly all aspiring 70 % tessners oans
the coiored people IN the city and nOm ,.inc ~
rounding country take possession OF the ssS,rss
and to hoSncb with their acquaintance, Few wh ss
20 shopping on that day, consequently s WI
looks then as 81 Il were inhabited almost eAO''sS'
by colored people