The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-09

weeks wages. Here he picks up all
the gossip Of the n"ighborhood, tells
what little he knows and finally
shoulders his load of groceries or
ties them in front Of him on his mule
and starts homeward. He will 20
ten miles on Sunday to church, max
ing a whole day Of it-not that he
cares about or realizes the religious
part it, but because he meets others
and has social intercourse, for the
same reason he will start for camp
meeting perhaps at a time when his
little field needs cultivating, or the
crop of his employer is ready to har-
vest. That cuts no figure with him.
IIo can give no sensible reason for
neglecting his duties. The store,
the church, tho camp meeting amuse
and interest him. He rarely thinks
Of the harvest ruin q by his neglect.
lilo knows he may be discharged by
his employer, but that seldom lnnu
cnccs him. The thought Of saving
up for the future never enters his
head. If he has enough for today
he is contented. Worrying is un-
known to him. The average farm
hand does not get Il dollar day in
wages, though he may have family
Of half dozen children. Sometimes
he receives 81 to So week in money
and the rest IN supplies from his en-,
ployer. Yet on this sum he and his
household have enou h to eat with
what they raise from their own gar
don patch, are seldom i'll and when
not Influenced to become discontented
are satisfied with their lot-provided
they arc not harshly treated, and
have confidence in their employer
AS already stated the negro in the
rural districts of the South is child
mentally in the majorlty Of cases, al.
though mar physically. He reasons
as child and has the simplicity of
one-when he is not corrupted. If
he trusts Il white man he will be-
lieve in ev rything the latter says or
does. If he doubts him in one thing
he doubts him in all. His physical
growth develops his animal traits to
a much greater degree than in tho
educated white man, for The latter's
strength of mind keeps in check thos
passions that have not been retarded
in their growth by education, for the
average country negro has had only
the smattering of II ''schooling," if
any at all. Under these circum-
stances he is very susceptible to in
fluence Of every kind. That of na.
ture benefits him, and his life amid
natural surroundings tends to make
him fairly industrious, peaceable and
contentea. But mans influence on
him is Frequently for the worse.
The South is cursed with two
classes VITO are largely res 'onsble for
much of the lawlrssuess that has
prevailed. They are the "white
trash" and the Glow down niggers,"
to use the terms applied by the
darkies themselves. Tho "white
trash" are worse than the black.
They are outcasts Of society, lazy,
vicious and natural enemies of the re-
spectacle industrious classes Of
either color. A Glow down nigger"
is the scum of the colored race, al
though he is frequently a mulatto or
quadroon. While all that is animal
in his nature has been developed to
the utmost, he has lost the simplicity
and ignorant innocence Of the farm
hand through association with the
degraded whites and negroes, and is
practically a human beast. This is
a strong term, but it is not in tho
least overdrawn. So nctimes he in
herits part Of his wickedness from
a depraved white father or, at times
q black father and white mother
Some Of tho whites mako them more
effective for evil az they can use
thoir intelligence in influencing tho
negroes for their own ends. Many of
the most shocking crimes committed
in the South can be traced to their
truly devilish designs. They know
the negro's weakness, and as many
of them have grndgcs against their
betters Of tho same color, make the
ignorant black a tool to work thoir
revenge.