Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-10-02
ANY OLD THING" WON'T DO.

L1Lt 4 VIII 4 AAAt0 N~OLt 4 0O-
Editor of PLANET:
Please allow me enough of ouI
valuable space TO speak of few things
existing amongst US and which are re
prehensible in the extreme. As PEG
pie we are altogether too prone To "a,
that ANY old thing will do" and to ac
upon that principle
How often do we see some one start
ing in business with all the surround
ings creditable and such as no one Of
any race need be ashamed of. But
when we look at the sign which is TO be
the index to the said business we blush
to find that the inscription is misspell
ed. lacking in proper grammatical
construction or the execution is sucl
as would not do credit to an expert
enced marker of dry goods boxes. TheI
again,whe none of these faults exist we
tind that NO taste whatever is display
ed in the selection of colOrs.
The undertaker's or funeral direc-
tors sign is painted in glaring red
yellow or blue. while that of the mer-
chant or general trades man is painted
in simple black and white Again you
find a little sign painted on an eighs
by ten inch piece of tin when the bust
ness would warrant large one stretch
ing clear across the front of the estab
lishment.
Our colored merchants are not az
solicitcus to please their colored Gus
toners as they might be They are
too punctilious and pay no attention
what yer to fractions. do not mean
that they do not understand frac ions
They understand them well enough. But
they disregard them-or possibly il
would be better to say that they dis
count them. but most always in their
own favor, For instance. il is not rea-
sonsble to suppose that any one is 60
ing to pay six cents pound for sugar
regardless of how many pounds he
buys when just across the street he
get as good an article at five and a halt
cents pound ifhe only buy two pounds
or more.
1t is a common thing TO hear our col
ored tradesmen say that they do not
C ere for the patronage of colOred peo-
pie, because they are too hard to please
That is reckless expression, when We
take into consideration the fact thai
nearly one half of the population OF
the great city OF Richmond are color
ed people. No viii merchant would
be guilty of expressing such a senti-
ment
The advancement of people in the
scale of civilization may be gnaged b,
the style and decoration of their vel
ing houses. The mounds of the an
Gent peoples of America and the ruins
of Egypt, Greece and Rome are inter
estlng TO us as they afford unerrina
KNOWLEDGE of the low state of civiliza-
ton of the one and the high state OF
that of the other. Our people ar,
building themselves homes, and most
creditable ones some of them are In
many instances the material is of the
most durable kind-stone. brick and
iron. The architecture is faultless, the
style becoming and pleasing, Ali il
we'll until you come to the street door
There you will pause with amazement
and puzz your brain in wondering
how any one could spend so much
money and display such good taste in
erecting their yelling and allow their
street doors to be finished with.a mere
daub instead OF Hastily and artistically
grained. And then the transom over
the street door, instead of being num-
bered in FURNISHED gold and shaded
according to science, is smeared on
by some school boy in some taWdry
color that Is simply revolving to good
taste. The idea of building such fine
residences as some have seen, cost.
ing thousands of dollars and then spoil
ing the good effect by employing in
competent persons to finish their from,
entrances for pittance rather thar
spend i've to ten dollars to have il
done as it should be.
Think, Mr.. Editor, of man who
would spend fifty dollars for a broad
cloth suit, i've dollars for silk hal
and bedeck himself in them and ther
refuse to spend money enough to pro.
vide himself with becoming and suit.
able pair of boots, but put on a cheaI
pair or rough. stitch down brOgues
and walk down the street The ides
Is preposterOus, but not more so thar
that of people spending thousands o
dollars to provide themselves gentee
homes and then finish their. front en-
frances in the manner described above
One word more about the gallantrN
or rather the lack of it, and | shall
have done. Our women are as beauti
ful and devoted as you can fl any
where. But can we say the same fol
our men as to their gallantr. ? /
think not. If any one differ with MT
on this subject, let him stand at any
of the transfer stations of our electric
railways on any Sabbath OF holida,
and he will be convinced There HI
will see the gay young beau with ont
or half dozen young ladies the NOR,
settled escort OF some elderly ladies
the young husband with his prettl
young wife and interesting baby tn,
J elderly husband with his stately, ma
trOnly wife; he will see all these EN-
barking or alighting, but in seven cas-
es out of every ten he will see the la
dies get on or off the cars unassisteC
by their escort,
We have had much to say agains
, the shameful way our ladies are treat
: ed by the hireling conductors of tn,
electric cars, and justly so, too. Blu
we ought 10 set them an example b,
, helping them ourselves whenever ",
are with them as their escorts. D.
, we expect these prelude d white mel
to be more cOnsiderate of the feeling
: and comfort of our women than we ar
ourselves ?
know very we'll. Mr. Editor, that t,
write in this vein will not make M
: popular with my people. But l writ
with the kindliest feelings tor my race
: Have you not, Mr. Editor, heard whit
people make remarks about your race
that caused your cheeks to mantl
with shame and yet you were dun
and could not Faise your voice in thei
defence, because you inwardly &C
, knowledged that what they said wa
true ? That. sir. has been my case 4
regard to most OF the topics of this ar
ticle, hence, l have written.
MANS life is but a vapor.
And full of woes,
He cuts oapsr,
And down he goes !"
Yours, for the success of our race,