The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-18

zens yesterday revealed the fact that
the negroes in Worcester who occupy
positions in the professions and trades
requiring skilled labor, can almost be
counted on the fingers. There are in
this city three colored preachers two
teachers in the public schools and one
doctor. So far as could be learned
there were no colored carpenters. ma
sons, bricklayers, plumbers or build
ers of any kind, with the exception of
a solitary plasterer. The few negroes
employed in the mills and factories are
almost invariably engaged in a species
Of work Verging on drudgery, although
a few colored machinists are said to be
employed in the Whitcomb enVelope
factory and one or two other large
concerns. The highest calling reuuir-
ing skilled labor open to the black
seems to be that of barber. and in
most cases the colored barber operates
on his own race almost exclusively.
And Worcester is not an extreme in
stance among New England cities. The
same conditions with regard to colored
labor prevail in most every city of this
section.
Indifference is the word which ex-
presses most exactly the relation of
the whites to my race said Rev Louis
II. Taylor, Jr., pastor of A NJ. e. Zion
our freedom and enfranchised US, and
think they have done all that is re-
quired. They are now Indifferent to our
condition and do not seem to care
whether we have a fair show or not.
A colored boy goes to school and stands
high in his classes, but when school
days are over, the white boy, who was
perhaps the Ounce of the class, gets the
good job. If the colored boy applies
a ca he, 4
by the employer that personally he
would like to hire him, but his other
help would refuse to work with him
Why, | should like to know. can he
associate with white people in his
school days and not in his working
days? The distinction is absurd and
the excuse no excuse at all. The colored
boy, after suffering many rebuffs in
his effort to be somebody, finally set
/ ties down in some occupation which Of
fers no fair test of his abilities. If YOU
then saw him on the street. YOU would
never suspect that he was possessed
of any brain power. Many an ambi-
! tlous young clored boy goes through
the same experience 1t is a common
experience, and to me one that is in
eXpressively sad. / have known colored
boys to stand high in the best colleges
Of the land, to play on the foot ball
teams and become popular among their
| classmates and even heroes in q. small
way; but when they get into the world
they find the odds too hard and be-
come walters or servants. The negro
in the north is treated well in school
or college, but is not even allowed
to accept a minor position as clerk,
boOkkeepe1 or mechanic. This is all
wrong. / do not understand why it
should be so.
with regard to the race riots in the
south, ] will say that the poor white
! trash are mostly responsible for the
disturbances. The better class Of south
erners, like Gen. Lee, regret the occur
rences deeply. Most Of the race wars
result from some act committed in
drunkenness. The most deplorable fea-
ture Of the late riot at Wilmington is
the fact that several prominent people
We're engaged in the killing. clergy
man is even said to have been one Of
the number Of assailants. But in Mas
sachusetts we have nothing of the kind
to fear. We are treated as well in Wor-
cester as elsewhere in the north. The
only thing we complain of is that we
are not allowed to fill positions we are
ably qualified to fill by intellect, educa-
ton and training.
Rev. Hiram Conway of the John
Street Colored Baptist Church said:
"Colored people are not treated nearly
as well in New England now as they
were in the early sixties Immediately
after the war, when our race began to
come north in great numbers. The nor
therners then looked upon us as pro-
teges, much as they look upon the
Cubans and natives Of Porto Rico to-
day. They treated us most kindly. But
now they have thrown US upon our own
resources. That is all right; we are