National Baptist world., 1894-11-02

houses and homes but Of mansions
which are superior in appointments
and conveniences for comfort to the
great houses in which their former
masters dwelt. One Of them has an in
come from the government Of upwards
of $4,000 per annum, and has held
lucrative and responsible positions for
nearly quarter Of a century. Another
wealthy colored man owns handsome
house on Connecticut avenue, our most
fashionable thoroughfare, and he could
easily sell it for four times its actual
worth, because his wealthy and aristo-
cratic white neighbors would be glad
to crafty the sense of resentment
which is SO common in some quarters
against the lately enslaved race.
The schools for colored children are
separate from the schools for white
children, and an entirely separate but
coordinate system of education is main
tanned, from the primer school room 10
the high school, where diplomas are
issued upon par with the diplomas of
the white children's high school, and
which -indicate a curriculum of the
J1kne extent and value.
HUpon Fifteenth street, within few
blocks of our most pretentious hotels
and practically in the most fashionable
quarter of the city, there is a very
large church maintained entirely by
colored people, which, in appointments
and furnishings, is equal to the best
churches furnished and maintained by
the white people; and this church is
particularly famous for it's strong, and
in some respects excellent, quartette
choir.
Upon the same street and within
stones throw Of the church referred
to above, there is a less pretentious
church for colored people, that is to
say, less pretentious in external ap-
pearance. But within it is simply gor-
geous, and it's audience is composed of
some Of the wealthiest men and women
in this city belonging to the colored
race.
Down in the southern and southeast
investigator can find every class Of ne
gro, from the ignorant believer in hoo
docs and fetch worship to the intelli
gent but uneducated negro Of the plan
tation variety. They come to Wash
ington from every section Of Maryland
and VirsiniS while hundreds, if not
thousands Of them, find their way here
from states more remote. In the al
leys, and on the unused public reserva
tions, the lower orders Of negroes are
found. They are all good natured,
oE% Il -
kind; and yet within their ranks the
worst, most degraded and brutal Grim
inals are to be found, and are known
to be existent by our police and detec-
tive officers. So thoroughly have these
people been watched and studied by
the guardians Of our peace that it is
not likely that any crime can be COM
mitted by one of their number and the
guilty be allowed to escape.
In these lower orders Of colored peo-
pie there is to be found on every hand
the strong belief in might DOCTORS"
which terrorizes SO many Of that class
Of people. They have somehow become
SO thoroughly convinced that the
agents of medical colleges are out
everv night in search of live specimens
for the doctors to operate upon, that
they look upon every stranger who
may come into their neighborhood
after the setting Of the sun as might
Doctor in search of victims.
This belief in might doctors" nearly
cost young colored man his life few
weeks ago. Some systematic burglaries
had been going on within our city for
some time. The marauders not only
robbed houses, but destroyed furniture,
cutting and slashing carpets, curtains
and furniture in a manner indicative
Of demoniacal possession. The police
men of the city were directed to make
every man found upon the streets after
one o'clock in the morning give an ac-
count of himself. A young colored
man starting out to work shortly before
five o'clock in the morning was accost-
ed by q man across the street from him,
whom, in the gloom, he could not dis
tinctly see was an officer in uniform.
The darky took to his heels, the officer
fred, struck his man, arrested him and
took him to the hospital 1t was
learned that the young man instantly
ran without giving any account Of him