Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-12-08
THE NEGRO IN EUROPE.
His COisr Secures for Him Prece-
dence Over tine White Trash.
Modern Society

Modern Society
When | was first at Vienna, some
years ago, | remember that the favor
ite and constant playmate of the |
young Archduchess Valerie, daughter
OF the Emperor, was Il young negro
named Mahmored, who had been en-
ployed in the Egyptian department of
the international exposition of 1873,
where he had taken the fancy of the
Empress to such degree that she at
tached him to her household. Not.
withstanding his color and inferiority
OF his rank, he was treated with a
greater condescension and familiarity
and admitted to much more intimacy,
not only by the imperial children but
by the Empress, than if he had borne
one of the most illustrious names in
the ro-Hungarian nobility.
At Lisbon have been present when |
the King solemnly and in the presence
OF his whole court invested three
full-blooded negroes from the coast of |
Africa with the dignity of knighthood
OF the Order of Christ, and one of the
principal personages of the kingdom
was an aged negress who had been
with the Queen ever since her mar
riage, and who was chief OF her
majesty's attendants and maids.
The man of color enjoys favor and
consideration in the old world that
those who have never visited Europe
will find it difficult to comprehend. |
He is made much of, petted and adj
mired, especially by the fair sex. Be- !
fore we had been in London l found |
that my negro attendant, who was
acting for me as valet and courier, was
making money at a rapid rate and in
a somewhat peculiar manner. Some
OF my readers may be aware that tn
soldiers of the London garrison sup
plement their scanty pay by taking |
servant girls out for walk i'll Hyde
Park on Sunday afternoons. On that
day the girls deck themselves out in
all their finery, and aping their em-
ployers, promenade in Hyde Park,
usually up and down the banks of the
Serpentine. The girls feel the ne
cessity of suitable escort, not so |
much for the sake OF conversation as
the look OF the thing. The conse-
quence is that they secure the services
of a soldier, who promenades them in
the park for a couple of hours for q
stipulated sum, after which they |
escort them home and leave them at
the back door of the house where they |
are employed. There is regular
tarif-an infantryman having to con.
tent himself with a shilling, whereas
the far more stately and imposing |
life and horse guard receive as much |
as hall crown.
While my black servant Mike was
in London he seriously interfered |
with this source OF revenue of the |
British army. 1t seemed as il all the
cooks and servant girls in South |
Kensington, where l was stopping,
were bent on having him walk with |
them on Sunday, conscious of the fact
that his color would attract far more
attention to themselves than an ordi-
nary trooper, or even sergeant Of
the horse guards. So active was the
competition that have known Mike
to be paid as much as 6 or 7 shillings
for promenading with sour and ma
ture looking cooks for a coupls OF
hours along the Vanity Fair OF Hyde
Park ON Sunday afternoon.
In Paris the attention of the fair
sex to my colored gentleman became
a source of considerable embarrass-
ment to me and had great trouble to
prevent chem from completely turn
ing the boys head. They served,
to convince him that he was i'm
measurably superior to all other men
servants of the white race. His con-
ceit became amazing, and I remember
that especially when, on the day after
the death of the King of Hanover in
Paris, 1 went to his msjesty's house in
the Rue de Presburg to write my
name on the visitors book. 1 was
astonished to see Mike in the act OF
coming out. had not time TO speak
to him at the moment, but micute
or two later, when inscribing my
name, / was Mortified to see, in a
large and scrawling hand, that OF
Mike at the top Of the page, figuring
just between that of Lord Lyons, the
British ambassador, and that of Due
d'Aumale.
On reaching home 1 Immediately
WhAb Oi nc iilthht Uy
such piece of presumption, where
upon he was good enough to inform
me that he had overheard me saying
that it was the correct thing to do,
and that inasmuch as the Crown
Prince of Hsnover-now known as the |
Duke of Cumberland-had tipped"
him on several occasions quite literally,
Mike considered it only proper to take
this means of conveying to him bis
expression OF sympathy for the loss he
had sustained.
JOHN Dryden, under sentence to five
years in the penitentiary, and one OF
the most notorious criminals in the
northwest, escaped from the Seattle
Jail. Three street preachers held ser
vices at the Jail and when they left he