Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-08-09
sRAziL's POPULATION.
THERE s No onEcnoS 10 COLOR IN
THAT RErUBLIc.


Had Othello lived In this country he
would not have said "mlslIke inc not for
my complexion" for no Brabautio
would have refused him daughter on
that account. In Brazil ones social
status does not depend upon the color Of
the cults, for Ia high life and low tbe
blood of the aboriginal brazilian, mixed
With spanish and Portuguese, has been
more frequently stained by that Of the
African than notified with Anglo oSaxou.
Here ''the shadowcd livery of the bur
nished sun" IL no disgrace, however In
tensifed, ani one often see In q slngie
family a. many shades of complexion as
there are numbers la u. Among the
creme de Ia creme of the aristocrAcy
there are negro and mulatio families Who
have been free aud rich from away back
to the senegsmblAn Congo of their an
cestor.. You need not b. surprised 10
meet on the fashionable Rua do Ouvidor
blonde beauties Of Brssilian-tiermsn az
Bra,ilisn-Engiish parcntage promenad-
Ing with negroes whose consplcuously
displayed diamonds seem to light up the
sauarw, or oyer-drcssed Senoras With
hattened noses and hair of natural
crimp riding IN emhlssaned carriages,
haunting their nnery In opera botes aud
monopolifing the choicest at hotel tables.
One of tb- iipest houses In I.io Il occu-
pied nv viscoant of fabaloas wealth,
the complexion of whose klnky-hsire'i
spouse Il would he stretch Of polite
nes. Ia call cafe au lalt. The other day
there VAS q fashionable wedding at the
Imperial CsplllA ia Gloria attended by
the elite of the capital, and the bride was
the lovely young daughter ut Spanish
planter. the groom buriy negro, black
ss the ace of spades.
Even IN slavery days BrsriliaDs were
not very particular about the amalgsms-
ton of colors, so that man or woman
possessed freedom and worldly goods,
dlnhero money being the standard
rather than blood. The BRAZILIAN con-
.titution never had anything 10 say
about color As basis of civil rights /;
hence q negro, though born In bondage,
once free could rise to any social or polit-
lcsl position by luck, pluck and energy.
And nov, having abolished slavery.
lIraril has no difficulties to overcome In
settling the social questions growing out
of u, such as have puzzled the United
states, because here the general fusion
WAS already far advanced and race
prejudice. do not exist. some of the mo.t
intelligent men of the country, who were
educated In Paris or at the Pourtnguesc
College % Colmbra, are the descendant.
~ African slaves. In the medical, Law
or theological schools Of the country no
race distinctions are made, and some of
the closest students are lately emsnci'
4 Jaied slaves. In the quiet room. of the
National Library one notices that the
hooks aud tables are almost exclusively
occupied by woody headed ssplrants
after learning, and IL must be confessed
that .o far AZ ambition aud suecessful
mental effort go u would seem that the
greater the admixiurr of negro blood
With the Latin the more satisfactory the
result.
The story Of the mullatto, Andre Re
iouca., the hest civil engineer BraSii has
ever known. illustrate. the entire abseoc.
~ race prejudice In this part of the
World. The profession of engineering
rank. among the highest In Brazil, aud
while yet q young man Reboucas had
fillcd numerous positions of trust abroad
and responsibility st home, and MAS on
terms of intimacy With all the dlgnltsries
of the late empire, 10 whose house he
was an honorcd guest. II happened
one time that he Was present at q ball
where, among the guests, were several
members of the imperial family aud q
party of tourists from the United states.
Among the latter was q young lady from
baltimore and the mulatto vas at once
charmed BY her blue eyes aud golden
hair. seeking an introduction be asked
her to dance aud ws. painfully en-
bsra..cd by q conspicuously Indignant
refusal. This little exhibition of race
prrjudice-so common In North America,
but hardly comprehendei Ia other coun-
trie.-was Observed by Count d'Eu,
husband of the Princess Imperiai-a
brave and noble gentleman, descended
from q line of French kings and he ai
once whispered something In the ear oi
hi. wife. She smiled graciously aud I'm
medlaiely thereafter Was seen waltIing
with the dark skinned engineer. The
whisper went around aud the proudesi
ladie. of the court We'd with one an
other In heaping bonors on the blu.hlns
Otheilo, while the fsir-haired Americans
looked on with scorn and amsssment.
In Brazil, which has never pretended
much In the way of rrpublicznism,
I,eboucas might promenade With royalty
aud be handling With nabobs and
statesmen. but when he went to the
''lsnd of the FREE" where the favoriis
boast IL equal rights and other losh, he
was refused admittancc 10 the hotels,
elected from sleeping cars aud Offered
other indignltIcs which the sons of free
dom are In the habit of indlcting upon