The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-05
PART TWO.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
HIS OPTIMISM OFTEN MAKES HIM A
VERY LAZY PERSON.


Ole Of the sad features of the home life
OF the negro is the miserable character of
children that are turned out from the aver
age home, even when it stands for a con-
siderable period of time. These children re-
fuse to work on the farm, as a rule crowd
into the alleys and poor quarters Of the city.
there to become loafers and criminals, and
so often summon the old father and mother
TO meet them at the bar rail Of the criminal
court, or ou the steps Of the gallows.
Yet such is the nature Of the negro that.
with all his poverty, his ignorance and his
humble surroundings, he is perhaps as
happy and contented man as can lie found
III America to-day in the meuIal walks of
life His disposition is optimistic TO the
verge of insanity. His character is jolly,
and he does not grow thin wearylng about
the burden of tomorrow. So long as he
has something TO eat to-day be seems to be
happy. Go into the negro quarters of any
town OF city and there is the intending pro-
CessOn of the festival, the cake~walk and
the frolic. The scraping of the fiddle can
be heard as it echoes from gayIy lighted
cabins III which social lestivity reaches its
climax from night to night.
When they grow dissatisfied they migrate
in large numbers. This disposition primar
lily arises from insufficient food and lack OF
work, produced by overcrowding in certain
quarters Then they move. A railroad
immigration agent comes along, tells them
of the glorIes Of a promised land 10 Ala
bema and Mississippi, or, perhaps, s3me
western territory, and sometimes from
30 600 to 1000 OF them bundle up, bag
and baggage, inside of a few weeks anu
are carried away, singing songs, as though
they were being transporter TO the very
gates Of heaven itself. Then, after prlva-
HH- k~,vvs w.rrE 10, er.A
of their little savings, they come struggling
back, one by one, TO tell the story and 20
remain the balance Of their days near the
place Of their birth.
1t would seem that they move because over
crowded'in certain districts, and yet in the
most crowded districts Of the south there is
always dearth Of domestic laborers.
TAKING LIFE EASY.
The negro cook in the south is an iudepend-
emf parsonage, compared with which the
Bridget of the northern kitcnel 10 a slave
OF the humblest degree. The negro servant
of tue new generation OF the south leaves
without even notice They work, as a
rule, a few weeks, and then quit. They
have made a few dolars-it seems to last
them for months Sometimes even a
months labor win bridge over a whole
winter ana there will be no more work till
next spring and then there will be a spell :
in which it is necessary to labor. And then
when Strawberries and blaCkberries come,
and all the fruits of summer, there ls no
more need for work until frost.
In the negroes church life in the south he
is again unique character. They are
practically all MethOdists or Baptists. They
are intense parJisans; they are denOmina-
tional first. The struggles of these churches,
as rivals, form the raliying center of the
social storms in the negro quarters of the
town and villages. How often have heard
our cook hum this tune:
Mefodis, Mefodis is my name;
Use a mefodis till Gie;
I'm goin' to live and die the same
Mefodis till die.
Brothers are sometimes separated into rival
churches as 1 knew two IN a certain viii
lage of the south. In times of great revival
they become nightly concerned about
their brothers salvation if they are
not members of their denomination. l re-
member with what concern an old negro
went to see his brother who was a Metho-
dist, on one occasion, when he was nightly
stirred on the subject of religion This wac
the message carried TO hin: ''Look ahere
brudder, EFF you don't come and Jine us the
Lord won't have you!"
RELIGIOUS DISSIPATION.
1t is a sad fact that their religion for the
most part consists in emotion, superstition
and certain savage music which seems a
part of their soul.
Ethics are fatally lacking. It seems to
be all emotion. 1 know Of one officer of a
colored church who was convicted of
burglary, and it was proved that he had
systematically robbed at least half dozen
stores through a whole winter; that ne was
the ringleader of a success -ul gang OF burg
lars who had operated through a number of
years. He was tried and convicted, SEN
fenced to the penitentiary, served his term,
came back aud entered upon his church
1,,Nf, yk,au.n ho 1nFF MP
with the state had not affected his standing
in the sanctuary.
Their chief religious events are the big
meetings prosracted meetings" as they
called-which continue from night to
night, through weeks and sometimes
months. The scenes at these meetings are
indescribable. 1t takes them till ABOUT
o'clock in the morning TO get in ''weav-
ingn way, as they say. About that hou"
the meeting is in full swing. he preacher
has finished his wild appeal. They have
had three or four hymns sung with wonder
full effect. The benches in front are cleared
back, with an open space around the altar,
and the mourners are invited up. have seen
that open space before their affairs
literally piled with the bodies Of these
mouTners, some Of them lying APP
parently dead, others moaning, grooming,
shrieking. shouting, screaming, with every
possible accent every possible degree Of
exaltation or insane emotion. Presently a
woman leaped on bench ana shouted: II
see Jesus up a treem Another answers
from the other side OF the house: Hold
him tell git darn Another shouts 'Glory"
Then some one fell in trance" as they
called it. And certainly it Is a species OF
epileptic emotion, in which they are held
at time. for three or four hours, and l have
known them to be incapable Of rising until
next day.
GETTING RELIGION,
The ulconcerned and stiff-necked young
men looking on are frequently seized by
there spasms and are proslrated until they
git religion" as they express it. l shall
never forget Oh one occasion the action of
distinguished negro buck about the town.
de was notorious criminal. he drank
and gambled aud was a source Of corrup-
ton not only to his own race but the white
youth of the town. he was one over whom
they were much concerned. This fellow
was seated in the church one night while
one OF these big meetings was in progress.
Inc excitement was at It's hight. Men and
women were falling PROSTATE in every part
Oh the house. They were shouting, scream
lng, singing, Ia tue mist Of inns a paroX-
ysm seized this fellow. He jumped from
ais seat kicked over a bench, plunged