Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-27

ROYAL BAKING POWDER Co, New York.
that is apparently to be with them for
many years TO come, "the negro ques-
tion." We Of the north where the
per centage Of negro population is very
small, can, we think, be very thankful
that such is the case. While there are
of course many bright, intelligent and
thrifty negroes, the greater share of
them are lazy, indolent and shiftless
and we are inclined TO think ii will
take years Of education to raise the
standard very much. Colored house
servants almost exclusively are en-
ployed here and we think they would
soon drive the average neat northern
housewife nearly to the point OF insan-
ity. Our landlady informed me that
the custom was for them To come to
the house in the morning and return
to their homes in the evening after the
days work was completed, as they
thought it was too much semblance to
slavery days to lodge in the house
where they were employed. She said
if they were all removed from this Sec
tion she did not think the whites would
ever wish them back, although she
no easy matter to get along without
them at first. Ia the course of a con-
versation with "A gentleman from west
Tennessee | remarked that / came from
a city Of over 1900 population which
did not contain a single negro and he
thought it SO wonderful that he made
note of it SO that he might tell his
tea Wia2rtt Nae the Z old pSententiary built in
1928. 1t had IA very dilapidated look,
our guide informing US that new one
had been built further out and close to
some coal mines, the intention being
TO abandon this one entirely, so no re-
pairs had been made upon it in some
time. According to the information
| obtained, they have as much if not
more trouble in finding employmeot
for their cOnvicts which will not make
trouble in the ranks of free labor as
we do here in Michigan. There were
over 800 prisoners confined there,
about seven-tenths of whom were
negroes, and the making of hosiery
and stove founding were the principle
occupations. When they get removed
TO the new prison, coal mining will
take the lead.
A novel sight to northern eyes was
seeing SO many negroes going about
the streets carrying all sorts of heavy
burdens balanced upon the head. They
would pass along streets quite well
filled with people but we saw none
jostled sufficiently to lose the balance
Of whatever they were carrying.
1T was a noted fact also that you do
not see more than half 50 many wear
ing glasses and spectacles as you do in
the north. The only explanation |
could form for this was that the south
ern people as a rule are less energetic
than their northern neighbors and not
inclined to overtaX their eyesight.
One more thing that attracted our
attention was the large number Of
handsome, well dressed ladies to be
seen everywhere. The south certainly
takes no back seat in that respect.
The weather during our stay in
Nashville was not only cool, but actual
y cold during the night and in the
iorenoons. The reports were the same
there and ut all other points where we
stopped, it had been a very cold and
backward spring with so much rain
that it had delayed very much the get
ting in Of crops. If'you expect to find
any very marked difference between
the weather of Nashville and that OF
| Michigan you will be doomed to dis
appointment. Their winters are less
severe and springs consequently con
siderably earlier, that is about all. A
resident informed the writer that they
seldom had much snow but il was not
such "A very infrequent thing for the
| mercury to 90 down To zero and below,
being AS he expressed ii one of the dis
agreeable features Of their winters that
such cold snaps alternate with spells
OF very much warmer weather. Vege-
tation had the appearance OF being
from four to six weeks in advance OF
that at home. 1t was nearing the end
OF the strawberry season and good
berries were quoted in stores at five
cents per quart.
A brief visit was made by the writer
at Louisville and we cannot say that
the impression made was overly favor
able. The residence portion is very
nice, but the business portion is not
what is expected Of city Of the size
and Importance Of Louisville. Some
OF their street car lines are equipped
with electricity but most OF the cars
are what are known rs bob-tailed (nC
conductor) and on quite number oI
streets they are drawn by mules as oi
yore. AS we spent Sunday there, We
also had a chance to observe that sa
looms were kept wide open all day and
evening, theatres were in full blast
and In fact it was hard work to-realizC
from the general appearance Of things
that IL was not a week day instead o.
Sunday G. II q