Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-12-21
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NEGROES IN EUROPE.
They Excite Curiosity and Receive More
Nearly Equal Treatment Than Here.

NEGROES IN EUROPE.
They Excite Curiosity and Receive More
Nearly Equal Treatment Than Here.
From, the New York Sun (Den'.).
"a Negro is good deal Of novelty
all over Europe, except in some OF the
big cities on the Mediterranean coast,
and because of this an American is
likely to see odd incidents and mani
festatlons in connection with the few
Negroes he may happen across, said
traveller He may not know, perhaps.
that most of the well-dressed, coal
black Negroes he may see in London,
or perhaps in noted public school
town in England, are princes, or at
least sons of chiefs, but this is gener-
ally the case, and often accounts Tor
the Difference shown to them. But
even the colored cook of sailing ship
stopping in Liverpool or London, or
any continental seaport, is made much
of by the people with whom he comes
in contact.
zone of the odd things l saw in Liv-
erpool last spring was a burly, coal
black Negro, attired in gorgeous and
fantastic garb, who was being driven
about in an open landau by liveried
white coachman. He was seated beside
fashionably dressed Englishman, who
was showing him the sights of the
| town. The Negro sat on the right hand
| of the white man. He was dressed IN
flowing robe of brilliant, orange-col-
ored silk, and had on his head smok-
ing cap of crimson velvet embroidered
in gold AMI with curious flap OF yet
low velvet hanging from the cap over
the back of his neck. On the opposite
seat sat another Negro, a young man
of about ls years, dressed in the latest
London style, with silk hat and white
gloves. Evidently the elder Negro was
an African chief of some Importance,
and the young man his sou, and the
old gentleman had been brought over
to England to see the sights. | was
told that such sight was not unusual.
"Many sons of chiefs in British AT
rica are sent to England now to be ed
ucated They go to the public schools
for time, and very often spend year
or two afterward in a big manlfactur-
ing city, like Birmingham or Manches-
ter, seeing and learning something OF
the commercial and manufacturing side
of civilization. Altogether the young
men spend five or six years in England,
coming when but little more than boys,
SO that they may the more easily learn
the new life. just what is the result
of their training in England, when they
get back among their own people, and
especially when their turn comes to
govern. | did not learn. Their asSoci-
ates in England are largely Of the mid
die class, and often they are made So
cial lions.
"But the ordinary Negro or colored
person, who may come from the United
States or the West Indies, or anywhere
else where he has lived among the
white population, is treated in much
the same way. There is absolutely no
prejudice against him because OF his
color, but rather he is an object OF
especial interest and regard At a big
hotel in London where stayed last
September there was young coiored
woman from New Orleans, but originally
from the West Indies, and she was the
object of much interest to all the other
guests. In particular Englishmen
neglected the white women to help the
Young mulatto woman map out hel
excursions for the day, and to inform
her as to the best routes to take, the
best things to see, and as to the best OF
everything generally. She seemed to
me lust an ordinarily intelligent colored
woman of fair education, and all tina,
attracted attention to her was her
color.
81 noticed the same thing to some
extent in one or two hotels on the
Continent, in Germany and in Holland.
And often in my travels in Europe
have been amused to observe the curl
ositv with which Negro is watched by
the grown folks and followed by the
children on the streets of European
cities. big dry goods store in Liver
pool has has imported Negro iron
Africa for doorSeeper. He stands on
the principal street in Liverpool, ano
always there is a little crowd OF people
Gu the sidewalk watching him, open
! ,1outhed. True, he is something OF
dandy. wearing his wool long and
sticking out at right angles for SIX OF
eight inches from under the edge of hi:
cap, but the same curiosity is evincec
) toward every Negro. BY the way none
of the young Africans | saw had nj:
hair clipped close, as do those OF then
race here They wear it about as lone
as the Engiishmen do, and look the
better for it. think.
81 am of the opinion that much O
the stir Miss Ida B. Wells, the anti
lynch law agitator, created in Englanc
last summer was due to the interest II
her simply as colored woman. hav'
: even heard of marriages betweel
! Negroes and white women in England
and of the latter being very proud o
their husbands. but never saw such
couple. But the Negro cuts differen
figure in Europe from what he doe
here"
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