Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-03-11
THE NEGRO As a FISHERMAN.
The Vshits. alss. Is Il Ease Imitation After
Eayir:; seer, !, Negro Fishing.

The N'hit~ aisn Is Ease Imitation After
Havic:; seen Negro Fishing.
To me the coloreil folks form the
most interesting spectacle in tie
south. They are SO abundant every
where you travel; they are SO ete1-
nally happy, Gwen against fate: they
are SO picturesque an. funny in dress
and locks ard speecIl; their faults
are so oyen and SO very human, and
Their virtues are SO human and adj
milanlc rs think Of them 81 doza.l
familiar scenes arise that are com
monrlas,e there, Yet 10 a northerncr
are most interesting. Think Of their
fondness for fishing
Somebody las called fishing lille
time not idly spent, and that n11: t
be how the southern colored people
regard it, for they seem to be eter-
nally ct it wherever they and any
piece Ci waterloo matter how small
are thrown together One would
scarcely expect to find the New Or
leans darlzies given to fishing, yet it
is constant delight to them.
They Go not merely dangle their
legs over the sides Of the lugge1's and
steamers to sit in ncditative r1pose
above G line thrown into the yellow
Mississippi, bet they fish in the canals
and open sewers III tho streets that
lie Just hey ond the leart Of the city.
It is delightful to sec them.
Those open waterways flowing be-
tween grassy banks out toward the
west end might seem offensive other
wise but when at every few hundred
feet calm ed placid negro man. CT
a nanny" with a brood of moon
faced pic!-aninnies sprawling beside
her, is seen l2cnt over the edges, pole
in hand, the scenery becomes PIC
turesGue and the sewers turn po-
etical After one has seen a few
Garlies putting their whole souls
into fishing it is painful to sec
white man with a rod and line The
white man always looks like an imi
tation and q fraud
From st. Louis to New Orleans,
and all the way through the gulf !
states, negroes and fish poles were
forever together, like the harpiest
subjects Of wedlcch At least one
darky fishing dotted the water view
Along the lower Mississippi many
colored men now own little farms Of
a few acres, with a leg cabin, rifle !
a mule. a plow, tome chickens and
children, wife and fishing rod. !
When | passed by the corn was
planted, the springtime sun was
pleasantly warm, and. these ebon
monarclls were seated in their dug
outs and skihs watching their lines.
Some hypclc1itti;cal white men were
apt to call attention to gaping rent
in the cabin roof, or to the fact that
a days toll at remunerative labor
would bring the means to put i'll
panes of glass where the window
holes were stuffed with old trousers
and hats. But that is according to
how one looks at life If happiness
is it's main aim AID the old hats and |
trousers keep the weather out, the
fishermen lave the best of the argu-
ment. The Indians on tho plains be-
ieve that the more man is civilized |
the more care and responsibility he
has, and the darky planters who take
nature into partnership on Sacre
claim know that the Indians are right
Down in Florida, where the st.
John river is narrow and very tor
t,lous, the passengers on the regular
boat one day were occasionally star
tied by stentorian yells. Hi, dar!
What you doin2 Can't yer see what
yer about2 Don't you come a-nigh
me- The reason was evident. A
colored man here and there had fallen
asleep over his fishing rod, and the
great muddy wave which the steamer
sucked along behind her had en-
guifed his little beat and startled the
fisherman cut Of half his senses.
Julian Eal;,E, IN Ea:per's Weekly