The herald., 1898-08-21
"CoLoRfD" SOCIETY
IT IS GRADED ACCORDING TO THE
MANS EARNINGS
The Walters in Swell Hotels Constitute
the 4OO-The Literary and
Sporty Sets

fore table in a restaurant the other morn
ing waiting for the waiter, had related to
the other mild adventure with Pullman
porter, when the conversation was inter-
rupted by the gliding approach OF a smooth
and smiling person in a spruce white Jacket
and a skin like a tan shoe.
NOW I wonder remarked one Of the
breakfasters to the other, Il wonder which
is the hottest stun in society. that waiter
or my Pullman car porter
This query led to an investigation into
the mysteries Of "colored s'iety," which re-
vealed the fact that the lines of social caste
among the negroes are hard and unre-
entng. and that they are determined al
mos. entirely by the weekly income Of dol
lars or cents, or both.
'Um, dat Niger amt nuthin... He don't
make IS week.
And with this the unfortunate s5-a-week-
man now is relegated to the other side of
the social wall, while he who Is paid $40
for seven days work. whether is be. for
scrubbing the floors of a saloon or busting
the pews Of a church, may bask in the
genial warmth of the interior.
One would suppose that the social rules
Of the black sphere could be easily learned
from almost any negro with wits Of fair
activity. But that's all a mistake. The
negro orator, the church deacon, the jack
of-all-trades, the literary" man and the
bootblack all contributed, and the latter,
because Of the possession of the greatest
number of facts and the glibbest tongue,
was the most productive source of infor-
nation.
Don't picture him as barefoot, ragged,
bootblack of the street. He is the pro-
prietor of stand" he makes sometimes
$40, sometimes $12, a week; he wears neat
patent leather shoes and narrow creased
trousers. and he is a graduate Of the Lin
coin high school.
The orator said:
1.-THE colored people are like the white
people. YOU will find in Kansas City COL
cred homes where there exist all the COM
forts, all the luxuries of the best white
class; homes where there is education, re-
fnement and culture; homes where the
men are gentlemen. the women ladies':
whore there are all those little things that
make home delightful and fill 1t with the
swee- incidents to be remembered in after
years."
But there are sono negro boys, aren't
there, VINO are Just a little sporty?" inter-
rupted the inquirer.
oh. yes, OF course. But the colored boys
are just like the white boys. I've shot
craps many a time at Jordons with the
scions OF the best families of Kansas
City,
The 0.acon said: I'm church member.
you Know. and l don't mix with the sporty
element, @ne at all. I've always lived with
church people and never had nothin' to do
with society colored fellers."
The Observation-Disclosures was "tired Of It"
(meaning he never was strictly 'In
s'ciety), and the Literary" man was
above It," but the bootblack was "onto"
few things.
He % a member Of the Douglass club,
which has Its meetings in ''club rooms" on
Independence avenue. John says that the
colored people Of Kansas City might be
classed roughly In three general divisions:
The literary set. including doctors, law
yers. teachers. some preachers-all Of
whom are church members; the strictly
Society" people, who are of various occu.
pations, and the lowest class of laborers.
who never try to be sporty" at ALL.