The western recorder., 1898-03-31
"A VERY LEVEL HEAD.
WONDERFUL FeATs OF Me-
CROES.
exhibitions al Baton Rouge-A Man VIII
Could Garry Two Buckcts of Water ON
His Head

Could Garry Two buckets of water ON
His Head.
In Baton Rouge for the first time we
were brought into collision with the
equilibristic negro-the black person
who has solved the secret of the law
of gravitation and to whom the feat
or balancing whole May-day moving
upon his or her head Is little. trifilng.
ineonsequential matter. In other com
munities the district telegraph boy and
the express wagon synbolize the busI-
hess of small transportation, but In the
southland the steady headed colorcd
person stands for that traffic The first
day of our visit In Baton Rouge was
prolific of wonders In this particular
line. On the main street Of the town
we met black woman OF 90 or there
abouts who conveyed upon her hend u
huge basket with what seemed to be
the washing for seven large families
piling In peak like Popocatnpetl
above her moving form. She did not
deign 10 stendy this enormous burden
with her hand, but marched on, erect
us Il grcnadler. probably giving her
head imperccptible motions TO keep the
basket true TO center, but SO far as we
could see doing absolutely nothing to
insure steady carriage.
In another street we encountered n
young negro woman who held in her
arms 2-ycar-old child. and who was
moveovcr afflicted with the custody OF n
distracting dog. which ran and barkcd
and sauced everything in sight and
which she was obliged TO reprlmand
Mt every tenth stride. She seemed ut
terly obllvious OF the great bundle
which surmounted her head and gave
1t no more consideration than n white
woman Of loftier station would accord
to theater bonnet weighing less than
ten pennyweight
A local resident who noted our looks
OF wondermcnt stopped, and, with that
courtesy 10 which we have become nc-
customcd. venturcd some information
on the subject.
They learn II from the cradle, al
most" he said. AS soon as they are
able to walk. these colored folk are
taught by their elders TO tote In the
course OF time and under proper In
struction negro-and especially n ne
gro woman-is able to carry an entire
inventory of third-class grocery upon
her head and to be happy and pleased
nbout It. II Is a very interesting thing
TO see two or three OF these black wo-
such n huge bundle that she takes up
most Of the street, meet upon II corner
and chat about affairs. They cannot
approach close to one another to spenlk
confldentlally. for their head burdens
are so unwleldy that they crowd their
carriers nloof from one another. They
gradually acquire high skill In this
business. ! once knew n blnck man
named IIarve Allen, who could carry
two wooden buckets OF water upon his
head-One set upon small board
which covered the top OF the other. He
could walk along the street and make
gestures with his hands, for he was an
illiterate but rudely eloquent preacher,
and recitcd and rehearscd his sermons
ns he performed his days work. Some
times you would see him whiting or
tying n hook 10 a flshline or perform
Ing some other function which required
the services of both hands, while aloft
he bore perhaps Il tub Of water or six
or eight dozen OF eggs or something
equally risky.
Another colored man used to get
drunk sometimes and then II WINS n
study to see him. \ studyl II was n
veritable treat. He would weave and
staggcr and roll about upon his legs,
hut however extensive his dose OF in
toxicatlon he would triumphantly bal
nnce Colonel Wesley's weeks wnsh or
n load OF marketing intended for Major
Marvin with as much security as
though the cargo was nothing more
than his old yellow slouch hat. Once I
saw him going home from the river
with great tubful Of water, intended
for bis wife's ncxtdny wishing. He
was as drunk ms any middle-aged man
an ,rat lot nj
this time he was not content to use
both sides of the street at once. but he
wanted all other claimants for pedes-
trim privileges to walk upon the roofs.
This naturally stirred up some hostil-
ity, and the policeman who first saw
him sailed I'm to arrest him. He grab
bed the negro about the neck and tried
to convince him that his way was not
the right way but the negro was n
giant. muscled like n hippopotamus.
and he gave that little. puny, white
policeman twirl which landed him
across the street, sitting down. The
officer went and got help and three OF
them set upon the carrier of water and
hewer of of wood, who waited calmly
for them. and one after the other he
got rid OF them. He got rid of one by
sailing him over n fence, like missile (:
the second was thrown into the dust
of the street, and the third he doubled
up and treated like hoop and rolled
him on before him, after the fashion
OF happy child. The whole proceed
ings occupied twenty minutes of first
class fighting, and In all that time he
seemed to be quite unaware Of the
twenty gallons of river water which
he was toting upon his head. When he
had finished with the last policeman
he resumed his somewhat hazy home
ward Journey, climbing over five
barred gate to get into the yard. He
arrived without sweating a drop Of his
tub Of water. although the wooden
vessel was filed to ring within an
inch OF the top. | always called that
first-ratc lancing."-Chlcago Record