The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-02-07
Ghflrmnrrat-S Star
OLD SLAVE DAYS.
SOME QUAINT PHRASES OF THAT IN
TERESTINa PERIOD.
st. Louis Republic.

tlllN tOuIbll WV lNNN'i"i't
characteristic of the black people in
their days of bondage has passed away,
remaining only a memory with some,
but constituting an interesting chap
ter in the history Of a peculiar insti-
tuition.
The ''corn stockings, "''coon hunts"
and the out-of-do0r religious meetings
and baptizings as practiced by the
darkies in slave days, indeed, belong
TO a past era in the nations history.
And although the colorcd man is still
with us, and likely to remain so far
as indefinite time, If not always, many
of the marked characteristics that
were his during hls days Of bondage
have been obliterated. To the black
people of the present day, except to
the older ones who have had practi-
cal experience as slaves, the story Of
the bond servants customs, character
and fayorite pastimcs sounds like tic-
ton or the history of some other race
of human beings.
OF course, the colorcd folks of to-day
still have many Of the quaint man.
ncrisms that so markedly distinguish
them from the white race, but the
negro Of the present, at best, is but a
counterfeit prcsentmcnt of what he
was 50 years ago. 1t can be said in
deed that slavery possessed Il soul OF
its own which the proclamation Of
freedom virtually blottcd out of the
negro race, leaving it robbed of those
things that made it most interesting
to study and to try to understand.
The time now seems very long age
when the white children of the Soutl
found a rapturous delight in stealing
away at night to the little log cabins
and far from the main dwelling, OF
the plantation where Uncle Amos
Uncle Nip or Uncle Moses were Away
ready to gladden. childish hearts wit
enhancing stories Of Brer Rabbit
Brcr Fox, and the bloodthirsty "par
ther." These panther stories wer
told in such thrilling style and give
such terrifying color as to cause on
young blood to run cold in Il veins
and all of us to start with terror
anyone happened to open the cabi
door suddenly.
But after the feast of story-tellin
was ended and Aunt Dinah or Aun
jimmy tished out from some myStcr
Gus hiding place a plate of sweet cake
and a Jug Of blackberry jam. and bad
us all hep ourselves, then we forge
all fear i4 the joy we felt in ~partakin
of these goodies" Nothing bette
than these cakes and blackbcrr
Jam have we ever found anywhere
not ever at the most lavish banquet
1t was the custom Of white parent
in slavery days to only permit thei
children now and then to visit tn
negro quarters, and when 10 o'cloc
came then all must return to TIL
.'big house." All but those were tn
halcyon days Of the little white an
black child alike.
There is hardly a limit to the into
csting stories that could be told of til
acts of devotion performed by slave
toward their masters.
Uncle Jacob was the property OF
comparatively good man, who Wa
high tempered, and sometimes unju.
to his servants. In such a mood
one day punished Uncle Jacob. lIaI
pening to go out to the stable thu
night the master heard a voice an
paused to listen. Uncle Jacob W;
praying, and the subject of his pray'
was his own master. He was prayir
God to restrain his masters tempe
saying that he was a good man
heart, but sometimes mistreatcd Ii
slaves when he vas angry. Never d
more eloquent and purely unsclds
prayer ascend to the throne Of grac
and it was Immediately answere,
When Uncle Jacob concluded his ma
ter walked right in and threw h
arm around the neck of his slave ar
huinbly begged his forgiveness. III
old man was so embarrassed at havir
been overheard by his master that |
could say nothing, but the mast,
vowed then never to punish anoth'
servant when in heat Of passion, ar
he never did. When he died years a
terward, he was followed to the gra'
by his weeping servants, who motrnC
him as though he had been of the
W flesh and blood instead of the
sometimes harsh task master.
1t was one of those strange i
cidents in the record of Africa
slavery in this country that arc di
flcult to comprehend except by tho.
whose training vas such that it WI
made possible for them to unde
stand the institution in all It's pee
liar phrases.
A MILITARY BILL.