The Van Buren press., 1896-01-04
ARE IGNORANT.
How Little English People Know
About the South.
jeme of Their Blunders-Arp Meets Al
Ohio Man Who Was Afriad lie Would
BE Killed If lie Ventured
Too Far South.

tnlngS outside OF England. ne uohi-
lnant idea of the common people is that
nothing is worth knowing that is not En-
glish, and hence they do not disturb their
minds about our people or our country
One of our boys was over there last
summer and was amazed at the ignor-
anee of some of their educated people
His landlady had heard of our civil war,
but thought it was between North Amer
lea and South America. That was the
only North and South she knew of. Her
son, lad of IA, asked my son if he had
any boys at home.
YES" said he, 81 have four
"Are they black?" he innocently in
quired.
His mother apologized by saying he
had heard so much about the negroes
over here that he thought most all the
people were black.
A very refined and cultured English
lady dined at our home some years ago
and asked to see our cook, who had pre-
pared such delightful dishes. So Aunt
Ann was invited to her presence. She
asked her many questions that We're
proper enough. and after she had retired
the lady inquired how long Aunt Ann
had been from Africa. My wife was
surprised and said: "She never was in
Africa. She was born here, and so were
her parents and grandparents"
The lady then expressed her surprise.
"Why, | thought" she said, that they
gradually changed color from the infiu-
ence of the climate and in two or three
generations became almost white
We all smiled, of course, but she rallied
to her own defense and said: well, |
saw some down at the hotel who are
turning white" | told her that there
were a few creoles scattered around
over the country, and then l managed to
change the subject.
This reminds me of neighbor Freeman,
who fused at plymouth Bob for going
to meeting so much op work days and
Bob said: "Well, boss, we niggers is
tryin' to save our souls"
Freeman smiled and said: why, you
old fool, don't you know that niger
hasent got any soul? A man up in Ten
nessee has written book about that and
its done proved that Niger hasent got
any more soul than a monkey. So what
are you going TO meeting for?'
Bob showed his pearly teeth and laugh
ed and then came back at him and said
Look here, boss, has a mellater got any
soul?"
This perplexed the neighbor for a mo-
ment and he said: "Well, / suppose
that mulatto has got about half &
soul"
Bob laughed unanimously and said
"Well, boss, dat's all right; but l dom
see how a soul can be split in two"
The other day I Travelled in the cal
with an Ohio farmer who was very talk
ative and friendly. He was emphatically
a horny-handed son of toll, for his hand:
were seamy and cracked and his stumpy
fingers looked like iron claws. He wa'
on a bust, but not from drink. He haC
bought a cigar from the newsboy anC
from the way he managed it | knew ht
was not used to the article.
"Going to the expo'?" said l.
"Waal. yes" said he. I've got som,
neighbors along. We sorter wanted to SCI
the South now that things are gittins
along peaceable and there wasent an!
danger. Mighty clever people down here
seems like. We haven't seen any disturb
ance."
What were you afraid OFF, said l.
"Oh, nothing much, but you see it wa
a powerful long stretch from home ant
there was so many niggers down her
and our folk where | live don't like mig
gers. | stopped over a day in Chatta
nooga and saw lots of niggers and the.
seemed to be peaceable enough, and wa
havin' more fun than the white folk, s.
we concluded to come on further down
We want to get acquainted with yol
people and maybe we will like one anothe
better. Some of us are gittin' tired of 81
months winter and would like to chang
climate We have been talkin' about
several years, but some said the wa
wasent over down here and some said tn
niggers would perish us out and on
preacher said we would have to tur
Democrats the first thing or leave tn
country. I've got a good farm of IL
acres and | can sell it any day for SIG
000 1t pays a good interest on that
sold S400 worth of back wheat last wee
and 300 bushels of apples. 1 raise cattl
and hogs and potatoes and hops an
wheat and corn and fowl and everything
but my wife is runnin' down-hill; sh
works too hard and the doctor says sh
would live longer in a warmer climate S
Pm going TO look around for a farm afor
go back"
He talked fair and honest, and was
sample copy of thousands Of those peopl
who have been for half a century as ig
norant about the South as if we lived o
another continent. Now, that man ca
buy our best farming land for $50 a
acre; land that will produce everythin
that he grows in Ohio and cotton an
sweet potatoes besides, and he woul
have ten months to work in instead q
six, and no doubt his wife would liv
several years longer
But it is all right and has no dout
been a blessing in disguise that the It'd
of immigration went West instead c
South. As Mr. Loomis said. our peopl
have preserved their Americanism.
am no A. z. A., and never expect I
be, but do like to mingle with our sam
sort of people; what you call a HON,
geneous people, a people who value goo
principles and truth and fairness in trad
and respect for law and reverence fC
woman.
But l like that Ohio man l travele
with and his sort would find WELDON
down here in Dixie. He would hay
come long ago but he was afraid. II
dident know anything about us exceI
that we would fight. "They all kne
that" he said.
But just consider those English. Eve
their editors are ridiculously ignorant
our country. Only few day