Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-26
THE IDLE PRINCESS.
WHAT THE SOUTHERN LADY DID FOR
NEGROES BEFORE THE WAR.
Her nosp,sais, crsehss. and Bible Read
ings--social and Intsiiectuai Liz
On the Rivor Plantations.
rcorvr,sn,. 1soa. by varins A. Davisl

ICopyright, 1893, By varins a. DaviAl
There was q decided difference In the
character OF the negro before and aftef sne
war. In the former case the mistress was
an a measure the architect OF their Tor
tunes and her own, whereas ~ preso"'
both mistress and servants may Do 'n' VIZ
tins of former mismanagement'
That the preponderance OF gooo over
had seryice was greater then IS owing 70
the longer apprenticeship and tho more
,horoycb and conscientious teacher VINO
held sway at tina. time. and the oonvlctioh
that her relation to the servant was 10 10
lifelong. r,.r
tation was obliged 10 DO o Judge OF human
nature as we'll as born educator. IL was
No more possible to choose the bouse-ser-
wants from mass of field hands" IN On
nd c1pinndun manner than IT would be 10
make the same selection from among
COMPANY of road-menders. A grl VINO
micht be an excellent seamstress would
often prove an extremely poor bousemaid,
or "tressurs" in the dairy turn out
torment in the preserving-room.
THE LADY AT THE "BIa HOUSE" AS NURSE.
PHYSICIAN, AND APoTHEcARY.
The close familiarity with her slaves
from infancy enabled the mistress TO
nudge more accurately than modern
housewife: thus che could adapt the
person TO the occupation with great
nicety. This was less remarkable. as
ia first little clothes were usually pre-
pared either under her direction or by
her She visited the mother during
her period of illness, and If the case
promised to be serious she personally
assumed the duties of nurse. When the
mother was we'll enough to return TO her
work IN the field the little one became
still greater charge upon the lady mp at
the 'big house." Most plantations had
sort of creche established, where some
Trustworthy old negress watched over the
vounp children in the absence OF their
parents. but, as in all things else, the eye
of the mistress was necessary TO the
guardianship Of her interests and theirs.
In the diseases of infancy which attacked
the little ones she must be at once nurse
and medical. adviser. for on the river
places. and still more go further back III
the country, il was often impossible TO get
the aid of doctor in time TO be OF much
service. ;,
There were indeed occasions when medi-
cal assistance could not be procured for
love or money!: sometimes tho water
was up" and the physician could not pass
through the swamp, aud sometimes, as
was the case in q cholera epidemic, the
physicians could not leave the majority OF
their patients in the towns.
Alone the master and mistress fought
the disease as best they could. going their
rounds day and night for more than
month and playing the triple parts of
nurse. physician, and apothecery until
they themselves sucoumbed to the pestl-
lence. The rubbing, which formed part
of the treatment, had to be done under
their personal superintendent, and the
death-watch with the twitchlng corpse fell
oIeO 4o thair shara astha neprOes were too
frightened ito stay with dead folks that
move" $500
Did smallpox break out the idle
princess was obliged to put by all
thought of the danger to her beauty and
do woman service TO the stricken negroes.
Although che might have children OF her
own, the scarlet-fever must not alright
her when it appeared in the quarter, nor
measles. which is as fatal to the negro as to
the soldier on his campaign.
To qualify themselves for these duties
southern women studied the approved
medical works and have for generations
proudly maintained their rule III the sick
room, which even now they are reluctant
TO abdicate IN favor OF the trained
nurse" of our new civilization.
THE PEIEsrEss OF THE PLANTATION.
The fight for the lives of her slaves was
not the greed of property nor the mere
professional instinct of nurse. Her at-
fections were enlisted; she was the priest
ess who carried the consultations of reli-
Cion to the dying. comforted the bereaved,
and instructed the ignorant.
Though there were negro, and also
white. preachers often on the plantations,
vet that part of her duty could not be re-
legated to either of these. 1t may be that
10 many tired and malaria-rdden woman
those long Sunday hours in room full of
darkies, hot and redOlent OF the bouquet
d. Afnc. will be "Reminiscences of her
hardest trial.
The inability to touch their consciences,
the readiness with which the imagiuations
took fire. turning into superstition the
beauties of belief, rendered 1t doubly diff
cult to convey any adequate idea of the
Bibles teaching TO the mass, although
there were on most plantations, certainly
on every well-regulated one, souls whose
purity and simple faith were wonderfully
beautiful; of half-awakened minds and
wholly dormant consciences there were all
too many.
A hot summer afternoon spent in ex-
pounding the story of Ananiss and
Sapphira, and the Nervousness of lying had
no further effect on one plantation than
the christening during the MISTRESS
absence OF two babies by the names oil
these prototypes OF untruth. To her IN
dignant protest on her return one OF her
congregation answered that ~ Them came
out of the Bible and it w'd bring the chill
dren good luck to have saints Names"
There were, however, grayer discourage
ments which met her than those of misap-
prehension IN her missionary work. Every
good woman takes much more than a mere
humanitarian interest IN the children sac
has reared, and II was O heart-breaklng ex
perience for her to see the little girl who
Lad grown up with her own daughter drift
back TO the primitive morality OF her race
with callousness and levity that was fear
full.
Then. indeed, the mistress herself stood
in direct need of the consultations of re
ligon to enable her to pass thu ough thu
dark hours In which doubt assalled he
about the methods she had pursued, th,
word too much or too little which she ha(
spoken and the dread of having IN SOM
way proved unfaitbful TO her trust. How
nobly she did perform her task is evinceC
by the conduct OF the negroes during thu
war, when even that earthquake which
dislocated every other social relation wa
unable to break the tie which bound TIN
mother OF her people to her dependen
children.
JUDGE and MEDIATRIx.
If quarrel occurred between husband
and wife che adjudIcated it: if there wa
fight she reconciled them to each other
In every tronble of these excitable being
hers was the task to comfort or command
their confessions, and she often mediateC
between the offender and his punishment
HER "HoUsB WEDDINGS" For HER SLAVES
She participated also III their joys, or a
least ministered TO them. AS a rule. he
personal servants had the honor OF hous
wedding. The mistress superintendent tn,
preparations for the feast, and usual,
gave the bridal gown and veil which las
was adjusted by one of the white famil,
with great solemnity. The oriental love o
pompt, even of this simple order. mad
this form of marriage much desired oil
plantations. But the delights of such
ceremony were tempered by the custom
which rendered house marriage" BY
special permission doubly binding ON the
contracting parties. for they were as tickl
as they were emotional.
Besides this love for ceremonial tn
negroes have an admiration for Ion!
words that amounts to mania. On
certain place in Mississippi they useC
to ask their mistress on the eve of bal
20 read the dictionary to them. ant
when she came 70 a pollysyllablc wore
thew hapOad 10 bava 1 renaafe5 ire