New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-05
LIFE IN HAYTI.
THE INHABITANTS OF The 5LAC"
PUBLIC AND THEIR CHAHAC-
TERIsTICs.
v,rur, .s,sro~sA1s OR PEAsANTs-Nor FOND
or THE sTATEs'-A LAND OF
REVOLUTIONS

~ Frederick Douglass ever nan o'''7. $50.
ponrnsnt In his life. IT was the oaN ~ 'a'' 49,.
- -, ty..rs,rcA IN ,he harbor OF Port an Prince |
,s tho nawly appointed United states Minister wv
tho panubic Of Hayti then just recovering from
revolutlon That was in october. let' iho"Sauu
of Hirpolytes soldiers were encanlpeo y" Wv
s.reets nor did they cheer the newly 'pfo"
Munster IN. famous man Of their race when MS
carriage drove by their gutter camps "tciiup7
Tor = mousnt the roasting of bananas or gam
40 cards The absence OF enthusiasm at the ar'Na'
If Frederick Douglass in the BACK hepuone "
better understood by him when he kne" 'he my
ans better when he had learned that the fre"."
or Iatinized negro Of the West lndes ip1 h.''e ~
common with the negro OF our oou'ie'"
his descendants .
Tho Hsvtian Is either an aristocrat or peasant
master or slave In a certain sense-tne isnoranoe
degradation and poverty of the pcasan''s ,'
them HELPLESS tools in the hands OF me arls'o
under whose despotsm the dominant lhuuS''
the Republic Is carried on-that OF reVoiu'iohS'
Haytian OF means and influence Is, IN way
PARTISAN He frequently visits Paris, his fanny
res,6es there good deal, and his children are eiu
Gated there He hates Newly orK' throus" VIZ"
he makes a speedy transit, ana "hers ns
with no exceeding grace the anrohts "ns"'
naoro he must receive II he venture TO ask anm's
sion 70 nrst-oIass hotels. the opera enc fiedei.N
Douglass counted upon welcome from MS rae
n was A phase Of race development ina, he -"
countsred in the Black Republic with winch III wa.
rot familiar but to which he dscreeuy apJus.eu
himself IN time He must have seen. what some
uo,,ld-he elevators o, his race have nov YET oiS-
covered that something more than culture enuca
Tim and material prosperity is DEMANDED lor tne
hiSher civilization Of the negro Tot NOUNS :"
check those racial tendencies which MAKE rolc q"
Prince n sink Of moral pollution. For years p'ue
had been saving in reply 70 the charge tnat ,ne
negro could never thrive apart from me "nle man
Look at Hayti There he Is the ro'er OF n'' y"
pa,,hlic and has been for one hundrei years
Having looked at Hsyti for himself. at iast hd.'nS
aeon the Nth Of streets. m" corruption OIL II"
officials both natl )nal and municipal having met
GOODNESS and treachery where ne looked for hroner-
Is greeting tho heroic resolution or rrepeil.n
DoueIass no, 10 lose faith in his race In spite OF II
all reveals the bitteres, struggle Of his me fer'
bans he never know his race until he had oeen
United States Minister to Hayii
INFLUENCE OF THE ROMAN CHURCH.
There ia no. A more dominant influence in the
Rlack Republic than that ot the Roma" cA''.o'.'
church as exercised through the French priest
hood-t through the religious orders or ootn men sn'
u,orer whoa schools and charities. admirably
conluc,ed are centres Of bcnofcent influence DO
irving is the climate and so exhauStins u Inv ""'
of tho French missionaries foT the splrI'uaI 'a''
OF Haytlans Is trivial task, nor 'he e""Ca'o"
Of Uaytlan boys and glrls-even those OF the pe'''
class) that n system has been established by ,he
Mother Church OF calling home the missionaries
after some three years service and giving them sue
cessors trained by themselves for the WORK Inc
community houses OF these religious ORDERS 'he'
valled-ln gardens under the great palm trees ''e
methoIical scholarly peaceful lie OF the bfohe's
and IN. Sisters in the midst OF saualor and revolving
degradation. make bright spots In sombre picture
And therein lies the secret OK the prosperity OF the
Catholic missions When the Protestant missions
have learned 20 gather their co"orke's a ia''ieS
into community houses making these head centres
for charitable and educational influence. ana Keep
- thc mis-
white race then the Protestant missions may bear
comparison with those OF the Roman Catholic
The Heytian speaks a musical Creole-a patois,
but sweet as a singing brook to the ear he reads
plSefn ISSss o have i' s
Interest in anything n Inc 1ssS ,Ss on. al Port a
Prince seven years ago IL would be hard to md md;
pltd " and Reform School for Boys. What might
have seen age aes snas The
not done with Iarse approprixion Of Government
f hepnbid go and /" the ssS ci,y"eos a, Hsyti
Nowhere on the face OF the earth Is there more
SsuI pn siaH s Prince sVs i. mssnen the climate
superb and tropical fruit, abundant TnsTe are
glimpse OF the ruins OF plantation villas. when
The lash Of the master made the Island produce
immense crops Of coffee and sugar
THE LAZY. HAPPY NEGRO.
There IS no orc to make the negro work now the
peasant spreads his mat under the banana tree.
gathers handouts OF Wild coffee berries when he
feels ike H. trudges miles foot TO market with
them and few vans and other things. and lives
the NE he likes best. and is happy az The day un;
then the poor peasant is bound and dragged 10
take place in the army OF the side that nrst gets
The beautiful Pauline Bonaparte. as the bride OF
General lie Clerc commander OF The French forces ic
followed speedily in the wake Of the Terror, made
her wedding Journey to Port au Prince. and l'ed
mo hs a "A
In the harbor on the south villa was built for
n S m ans o hSr and the
Dsh up and down Mhc ssg was xo SSIred nn r
Wss h%omesick oO With the French soldiers dying by
hundreds daily OF yellow fever. Some twenty thou
n and sSm sIr why of Is wamns NTH sh
The water supply OF Port au Prince is uneqiaed
dnoed IL T ppe from % the Sshs oyerooss fh
thy %nes n at Ss side. O
~. these streams Of water are too often little bet
,h,, ,hev become s;agnant pools Again where
unhindered. tn" naked little darkes froc in them
and lot 1t be remembered of the Haytan peasan'ry.
their children are not stransers - CLEANLINESS
person and dress. no MATER what may be he con.
n men St o mr Of de as TO see some
them emerge from the huts they I've In. late At
or mo'6er who COOS OUT" Nashne knse.deap in
the river is to take In chnrsctsrist- feature ~
i, is seven years since the writer WAS in Port an
Prince Then the ran - tho revolu'ionst over
, /, all but deeper than tHa havoc made by cannon
balls was the impress 81 the race who sole
rulers OF the Island our Republic can never he
overthrovn BY an outside Power" said wealthy
young Haytan. ~ Hippolyte's retainers. n
the invader comes can hide In The mountains.
the climate and yellow Jack viii defeat him with
little eXertion part
Hsvtians pretend believe ~ Least :hey would
Ike to make the few white soiourners In their
capital think that they do that there is gold hidden
in the bosom 81 the island and other minerals Of
great value There may be but the negro can
hardly be counted upon 70 dig for it The white
man will surely not be permitted 10 10 so ~ pres
emit and the future OF the Black Rspuhlic-~ho can
| tell'
NAVAL BATTALION NOTES