Connecticut western news., 1896-12-31
THE COLORED QUESTION

Early in the fall we received the following letter from 'Inhabhant" but it arrived at the same time that Rev H. P. Thomas, the colored preacher, was about to go among the blacks of Shelf field New Guinea, and as we deemed It rather hard on the race, and inappro- priate to publish in connection with our notices of the colored preacher, it has been on the shelf ever since. But the recent escapades of the Rev Thomas led us to read it through again and we think perhaps "Iuhabitant' knows as much about the subject as we do. and vs give you the opportunities of his opinion-EprroR.
 The Sheffield ''coons" are a subject of much comment at present and l notice that several articles in the Courier and NEWS have been pointing out the state of their degradation and suggesting plans of missionary work among them, and also criticising, to an extent. the good people of the com munitiee round about for their lack of interest in the darker brother. One article mentions the need of drawing the picaninnies into the Sunday schools. Now people who have been interested in the missionary work among our our own blacks are observ- ant that it is no trouble to fill two or three rows of church pews with black Sunday school children previous to @ picnic or the Christmas time. They are in some instances accompanied by their elders, but if these colored people be of the class to whom . ray of light of the gospel Is most needed 1t is a good wager for a sporting man to lay odds that the ''chilluus" will alch slumber- ing farmers chicken when they return to their novels from a days picnic or after the beautiful Christmas tree in the evening. It is also observed that the elder ones attend church and ingrstiste themselves into the sympathies of the Church people, then those Church peo- pie living nearest to the dusky popula- tion will be waited upon by one or more of the blacks, some cold morning asking for food and clothing, which will be willingly rendered, as the Church folks have noticed the appli. 
 bly some good may be working under that chocolate colored skin; but that same niRger will come back that nigh, and steal the good mans wood. I am opeaking of that class of blacks te whom the name "nigger" fits like the wool to their heads, and not of the re spectable colored people, who are iu every town ard right here in Canaan too. How to elevate the lower order ol benighted blacks and their children oi uncertain parentage is a question un answered by Booker Washington him self and no more a source of study t the good people of Sheffield than te the good people of any community. ''bad nigger" is . hard subject to labol on if "bv your fruits shall ye know them" It is possible to make good citizens of the young ones if they car be gotten away from the immoral in fuenoes and utter disregard for trutf with which the outl lying colored settle ments are impregnated. But as to i'm proving the "tone" of the negro com munities themselves only a rigid en forcement of law seems to bring an, result Instances of the Sheffi.lC kind are rare in the north, where th, blacks are seldom a menace to tn, whites, and the horrible object lessor taught the blacks of the South-witi the rope and the match-hsve immuret the wbite people from any amount O danger from the black fiends, except il sparsely settled parts of the country.
 INHABITANT.