The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-08-24
BILL ARP on POL|IENtSS.
Says it Costs Nothing and Pays
Well.
SOME GOOD ARGUMENTS
10 Show That il Pays 10 Be Polite at All
Inns. TO All Persons and under All
Circumstances.

wen. Wnetner IL Is natural or artin-
cial. II always makes an agreeable i'm
preston. The old.ime negroes are yet
the politest people | know. but they
nave nearly all passed away. There
are two that We meet or pass almost ev
cry day, and they are favorites with
my folks because they bow humbly and
give the sidewalk with alacrhy. One
OF them goes bent with age and de-
formity. His body is nearly at a right
angle to his legs. He is set just right
for digging a ditch or chopping wood
and makes fair living at it, for he is
no besgar and says he loves 10 work
when he is well. Sometimes | drop
dime in his trembling hand, and he al
ways says, God bless You, massa; you
is a gemmen, sir" His gratitude and
his compliment always reward me. The
other day l overlook him as he was
struggling along and, as usual, he shut
fled to the edge of the sidewalk to let
me pass. l didn't have a dime, but
half dollar came into my hand. Out of
l said: Uncle Jordan, dident
you drop this money back there on the
sidewalk?' NO, sir; no massa. |
knows | dident, for bless God, l dident
have no money like dat. jes had two
nickles, sir, and Ise got dem yet. l
was jes gwine to Mr. Stanford's, sir, to
buy some bread for Sunday" 1 reckon
you must have dropped this money"
said :. but If you dident,yo had better
take it. You will want sCme meat to
go with the bread" His old gray heeh
his bent form, his astonishment made
a picture. l would give dollar for it
in photo. looked back at him and he
hadent moved. He hadent taken it all
in and seemed afraid lest it was a trick
to get him into trouble That old negro
carries me back to the days of my boy
hood, when l went to school with his
young master. Roddy Gresham, at the
Manual Labor School in old Gwinnett.
The Greshams were good people, and
cid Jordan was happy until freedom
came. Nobody cares for him now, save
charity-the charity Of the old-time
white folks. 1t has always seemed
strange to me that negroes were so in
different to the poor and afflicted of
their own race. They will bury them
with great satisfaction and ceremoney
They will hire the finest hearse and
carriages and buy q coffin with silver
handles and have dress parade and
weep and wall at the grave, but that is
all.
The other negro whom we pass and
repaSs is a curiosity in his way. He is
love crazy-as crazy and as devoted as
Shakespeare's Orlando who wandered
about carving the name of his love on
the bark of the beech trees. This darky
flame is a cook for one of our neigh
bors, and she will not notice him. In
fact, she hides from him. Day after
day he walks past tine house to and frc
all day long hoping to get a glimpse
of her ebony face. The corner of my
garden overlooks the backyard of this
neighbor and there he comes ant
stands and poses in despondent atti
tudes. 1t would be romantic and pa
thetic if it were not so ridiculous, fol
he gees dirty and ragged and is morta
ugly. But he is always humble and po
lie and that will give favor and ;
friend even to vagabond. These old
time negroes Will soon be the missin,
link between the slave and his master
Shuck fcot-mats and horse collars an,
baskets and brooms have already gone
The new set have neither good man
ners nor politeness. Education and tn
ballot have aliena,ed them. Our chill
dren and the children of the old slave
have no common bond to bind them
and the animosity between them deep
ems and broadens as the years roll or
l reckon it is time to separate, but no,
| is it to be done and who is to do it? O
course these good old negroes will nc
| wish to go, and it would be cruel t
force them. l remember when tn
| Creeks and Cherokees were forced to g
| and how some of the old Indians wer
| laft behind l remember old Sawny o
Sawny mountain near Cumming. an
how his old wife and four of his grand
| children were allowed to stay wit
| him. When the old folks died thes
grandchildren followed the tribe. Blu
Of course, force is not to be used wit
the negroes, and it is certain that an
considerable number will go. Bisho
Turner says they will; Booker Wasl
ingtcn says they will not. One negr
paper in Atlanta Processes to be in f;
vor CT going. The other is opposed
1T. Their exodus is yat afar off, fl
Congress will not vote dollar to
bt,. If their ballet is eliminated mayl
we can get along in peace. Suppose v
try il. White primaries should be Il
watchwc-d in every town and count
and then We can elect legislators az
municipal officers who are not afra
of the Iagro. As it is now, neither o.
lawmakers nor our mayors or ma
shals will do their duty for fear of G
Tending the negro and losing his vot
Dirty, oderiferOus negro men and bo
wont give the sidewalk to white ladi
on one OF our business streets. The
is a regular den On another street tn
leads to two churches and all the neg
vagrants of the town gather there al
as many as possible stick their feet
their posteIiors on the railing Of u
PIAZZA and spit tobacco juice on I!
| sidewalk to the disgust and annoyan
of the ladies who have to pass thei
TIE ladies have complained Ii lie
] asain. bld. this den cant be abolish
while the negro has vote. When t
trains arrive cur ladies can hardly e
l <hn hri do he