Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24

spend their money freely on unconsidered
triHes, lay in little brown jug onsSatur-
days, and enjoy their Sunday at church
where they can Zine" in the singing at the
top OF their lungs, and give full vent to
their emotions by shouts and songs Of re-
joicing. In the church the brethren conduct
in all things. at is mighty onprOper tor
the sistern to put themselves on the public
notice" The brethren fill all the offices in
the church, dispose of all moneys and con-
tributions, and keep the sisters under proper
subsection.
The sisters take great comfort out of their
church, nevertheless. They are all on the
look beyond. where heaven holds all the
comfort and rest they long for, but never
obtain here on earth. They always get re-
ligion and Mysteries together, and the more
OF the latter the more sure it is that-as one
OF them says-''the conversion hez struck
in" There is but little of the home life, as
considered in the North.
The women usually work out as cooks,
chambermaids, laundresses, or in the cotton
fields, and are at home only at night, and
the children grow" as did Topsy. Wages
are paid to the'laborers by a little money
and rations of meat and meal, and they
rarely make both ends meet, but are deep in
debt most of the time.
ALWAYS IN DEBT
It is often asserted that unscrupulous en-
ployers take advantage o. their innocence
and ignorance, and inability to understand
that two and two make four, to swindle
them in such fashion that they can never
get out of debt This is the more easily be-
lieved when we remember the sorry tales of
the poor miners OF Pennsylvania who COM
plain of like impositions and cheating in
the way of weight and wagons and "pluck-
me" stores, and such matters incident to
their employment.
From what we have seen Of them we do
not think the colored brethren personally
care cent about suffrage, and would trade
off vote any time Tor quarter. Those
who have been educated are, of course, DIFF
ferent, and appreciate the benefits of
civilization, but as regards the great
up by the politicians, who desire to
use them, they would not bother their heads
about voting, and when they do, they do not
know what it is all about. The election OF
Harrison made pretty big noise through
out the country, but some of the colored
brethren here do not know who Harrison is,
nor to what office he was elected. And for
that matter incredible as 1t may seem, some
of the white tols-feminine of course-did
not know who was running against Cleve-
land until his defeat was assured.
Those of the colored brethren, however,
who do know of Harrison. have built high
hopes on his election. They seem to think
that his administration means big things for
them in the line of offices. They have great
ideas of being provided for and having soft
sits arranged for them. 1t does not seem to
occur to most of them that they are to take
care of themselves and that if man wants
anything he has got to push for it himself.
They have an idea that their time has come,
and that the offices are to be divided around
among the Republicans, while every Demo-
,rat is to be fired out-that the plums are to
lrop ripe and luscious into their hands.
EXPECT A SLICE.
How Harrison will cut up the cake so as
% make it go round and satisfy the souls of
he hungry, remains to be seen. But it
loes not require much of prophet to fore
ell that there will be mucL weeping and
Sailing and gnashing of teeth before the
administration gets comfortably settled in
is shoes. Solid South or not, Harrison can
hardly afford in these days of peace and |
unity to ignore the intelligent classes of the |
South and to foment the antagonism be- |
ween the races by bestowing the offices |
lpon the negroes regardless OF the represen- |
atlveS OF the South In Congress.
Education will do much eventually. As |
var memories die out, and the Emancipa- |
ion Proclamation, like the Declaration of |
becomes an old story, the
black people will likely have learned, as
Everybody else, that their advance in life
depends upon their own energy, enterprise
md exertions. They will have learned to
discriminate between parties and to choose
hat which will best advance their interests.
But it will take long years to leaven the
ump. so that its constituents will be gov
rned by reason and common sense, rather
han by buncombe and political fapdood1e.
And while they are learning, the white
olks will be learning also. They will be
eeking to adapt themselves to changed con-
itions, rather than by inventing ways and
1eans to evade and make null and void the
unpleasant fact of negro majorities.
MUST HAVE A CAT.
Among enlightened nations the evil most
eplored by the church is the decayof faith.
,ut no apprehensions need be ielt in any
ray as to the negroes of the South. They
ave faith far beyond the common in the
upernatural, and this faith is firmly and
Mistakenly backed up by the absurdest
lperstitions. They have fixed belief in
ne evil eye, in witches, in charms and in
antations. With bit of alligator skin
round the ankle, they have no fear of
makes. In bare feet they will penetrate
wamp, and jungle, and brake, and briar,
moving with all faith that it will carry
hem through i'll safety. That Mercedy
mn has the evil eye,is fixed article of
nth in those who know her, and they pay
er unlimited respect and deluge her with
resents to avert her power TO work them i'll
to ward away any desire she NAV have to |
reak up their love affairs, to incite hatred
to make marriage failure.
II can't cook no NOAH in house with
ut a cat," said very fine cook to her mas
'r, who abhorrcd cats but appreciated good
boxing. ''They amt no luck wha-ah thay
int no cat in the kitchen" As cook her
,rvices were invaluable, so the dislike to
ats was waived for the sake of good cook
ig. Things went on then finely until the
1T became decided drain on the family
lcome by eating the choicest things on the
y and by despolling the larder in the most
and despicable manner. By
Iysterious means the cat disappeared, and
len Lucy Louisa found she could in no
Use live where there was no cat, and that
one OF the delicious dishes Tor which she ,
as famous could be expected without no
1t" There is no reasoning with suDersti-
on. With the ignorant no argument
Vails. Superstition makes a man fool,
nd though fool were brayed in a mortar,
. is a fool still. The task that lies before {
lie South in eradicating superstition and
Ibstituting reason, intelligence and COM
on sense is tremendous. A century OF
lucation will not suffice, as the history of (
e world shows. BESSIE BRAMBLE.