The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-21

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brethren came forward and gave us the kind
est shake OF the hand, and renewed their In
vitation to come back to their church when
ever we were In the city. .t
debted is Mr.. l.. N. Haskins, who Is mos
| Jealous Sunday School worker.
This church has seventeen hundren mem
bers. Several new members were received
that day. Among the number were fiaxer
haired little girl, about eight or nine year.
| old, who came from a far-of seat in the gal
| lery, and n Chinaman, whose name, as wei
Wung Chung. He undertook the obligation
by means OF all interpreter. and We have nc
doubt that this converted follower Of Confu
cious, now has o clear idea of the Christian
plan of salvation.
MIR. Haskins Insisted on taking US home
with him to dinner, which invitation we &C
cepted. and then partook with him OF regu
lar, old fashioned Presbyterian Sunday din
ner. It had been prepared, as were the Sun
At this house-as at everywhere else that We
talked-the negro problem came up. While
the other members Of the family were more
desirous to hear than to speak, the son-in-laW
said he thought "a negro was as good as
white man." We did not pretend to dispute
with him on that subject, as we had not dis
cussed that division of the subject, nor refer
red to 1t at all. But we thought that some ne
groes were O great deal better than some
white men, and that 1t depended somewhat
on the character as we'll as on The color or the
man, az TO who was best.
While taking an active part In every good
work In his own church, Mr.. Haskns has not
forgotten the old church, some two miles dis.
tant, OF which Sunday School he was, we be-
lieve. Superintendent for many years. In the
afternoon we went with him to that church
which we believe IL known as the Fourth
Ward M. e. Church, and of which Rev
George Lansing Taylor fs pastor, and Mr.. Ed
Rogers, the active and courteous Sunday
School Superintendent. DR.. Taylor impress.
ed us as natures nobleman, imbued with the
Christian religion. In looks and manner he
reminded us OF South Carolina's beloved Dr
Adger. which Is the highest praise chat We
can bestow.
On the train as we returned home. we occu
pied seat with q gentleman who. as did all
others that we met, talked OF mellow and the
negro. He also spoke OF President Harrison
ex.President Cleveland, Postmaster General
Wannamaker and others In and out OF Wash
ington, and seemed thoro ughly informed as
to affairs at the Capital.
In reply to his enquiry as to the condition
of the negroes, we said that many OF them
were Industrious, economical and thrifty
that they were as a rule, peaceable, good
workers; that we knew no more of typical
negro than we did OF q typical American
that there were as many kinds as there were
individual negroes-no two being alike. Gus,
here we would add, that Northern people
seem to think that every negro is exactly the
counterpart Of every other negro)
tional privileges which were granted TO them
we said that they paid only small per cent
OF the taxes, but that they received large
share OF the school f1nd-perhaps forty pei
al purposes, and that we believe in the past
some OF the Democratic State officers had
boasted that the negroes had more schools
than the whites.
We told him that we we're not orthodox on
the subject OF public education, and our SEN
timent did not represent public sentiment
in South Carolina; that we were not crazy on
the subject We volunteered the opinion that
the negroes needed material prosperity more
than educational facilities; that education al
ways follows material prosperity; that gooo
houses and plenty OF money almost inVaria
bly, insured good manners and good morals;
that families who were born, lived and died
In one-room houses. might be vtrtuous and
good; that family OF boys and girls from
one to twenty years OF age might stay In the
same room with their parents, and still be
what they should be, but that there was nc
denying the helpful influence Of good houses
In which the sexes were separated In tne
sleeping hours. and where the parents lived
to themselves. Good houses and good furni:
ture would do more for the civilization and
Christianization Of any people than any
amount Of education, as long as families o.
from five to fifteen live In the same room. II
gro TO greater efforts for good houses and
better furniture, they would be OF Infinitely
more benefit to the race than II they furnishes
schools, while the whole crowd did nothing
together In the night.
We met very few acquaintances on our tri p
In Richmond, however. we found one gentle
We bad wltn entered the capIto bnding With
view to being shown through by the Janttor,
who was good looking colored man OF per-
haps sixty years, and whose head was slight.
ly tinged with frost. Entering one Of the IL
braries, the first man we met was an acquaint.
ance. It was quarter to three o'clock. Talk.
ing to him, or more correctly speaking, listen
ing to his interesting talk for about fifteen or
twenty minutes, he finally seemed to think
was under obligation to show US around the
historic city. On the ground that he had q
business engagement that afternoon, he ex-
cused himself from the extreme pleasure
suffered no dissappoin tment, a? IT had not oc.
cured to rs to throw ourself on his hands, but
before leaving him, he impressed as with the
deslrableness Of seeing the new. reservoir,
and viewing the intervening sights. We
should 20 by the electric cars. Thanking him
for his kindly interest, and never doubling
that his suggestion was good one, we bid
him adieu, and turned to look for the janitor.
He had retired to the rotunda-Q presume
that is the way to speak Of it}-and we re.
newed our proposition to continue our jour.
ney through the building. He said 1t was
now too late; The doors were locked at three &c
the grandeur Of his grace and In the condos:
cension Of ,his conduct, he said he would
show MS the pictures on the wall, All the Vir-
glnia celebrities from the beginning Of the
world down to the present time were there,
and he knew an interesting scrap Of history
or legend Of each. When he had finished.
we asked him where he got his Information,
whether be gSt 6y reading sooks Or 95a dr1 Sa
replied: "Dldn't I get the facts when took
the pictures down to take them to New Or
leans?' We then asked If he would not show
us the Legislative halls. But he said, no.
lYa Ho1 hnf ~ n a m
and now was five minutes too late In the az
ternoon. But we cared little for this disap-
polntment, since we had learned that to see
the reservoir was enough to satisfy oIdinary
sight and then die-or else close the record to
ordinary terrestrial events
Giving the kingly janitor a quarter; we
ways a VS. seemed to itaIicize the word.
That morning, after coming out OF the no
tel, and while standing on the sidewalk, we
noticed a street car coming down the hill,
Richmond had caught on to the Columbia
plan OF turning the car loose at the top OF the
incline. In little while we saw car wi TIL
out horses, coming up the hill as fast as the
1t was cable car. AS 1t passed uS and up the
hill, we proposed to board 1t, but IT made no
stop. The passengers and conductor nonced
our discontinue, but said nothing. A negro
on the sidewalk. seemed to sympathize with
us, and said: "They don't stop on the grades. "
We rode on the horse cars up to three o'clock.
At the suggestion of our friend, we made q
second attempt to board the electric cars, and
in q little while we we're on the road to point
In the country much more distant than we
had expected.
Going, going, goIng-passing through street
after street, on each side of which were mass.
i've buildings as close as they could stand. and
then passing woodpile after woodplle-of all
sizes and shapes-we came TO beautiful build
ing lots, and venerable wooden structures Mt
intervals which must have cost when new at
have been nicely whitewashed at sometime
since the war. We then began to pass scrub
by undergroHth, and between an occasional