The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-25

current number % Harpers weekly con-
tairs much food FOR thought for those
Northern prorls woo think thls thc me-
gro resolves better treatment Do the
North hln in thc South The history
o. fhe negro .u Sew York csy is re-
viewed from Ccouial times 70 the
present 7. .s shown that hts condition
now Is worse 'hln BE- WIS when he was
slave. a. re any time since be- was given
h.s freedom Hs opportunities for en-
n.oymeus are less ana bis material condl-
zion Be- worse.
Dr. iSo ara al late ~ ls5o ho had al
most exclusive control o. certain occupa-
iiors 10 ls5 Doe was the caterer, the
barber. me bootbI8ck. the waiter. thc
coachmau and the whtowusher. To- the
homes ~ the rlch ana weii-to-do people
negro men ana women were employed 60
vcry great extent a. servants The
negroes had comfortable. although
cheap. homes and the percentage ~ crime
among them was bus little greater than
frat. among the whites.
An q this D. changed There are very
few negro caterers now ana those who
DO carry on the business have very few
customers outside 90 people OF their own
color Barber chops conducted hy NO
erocs. except for negroes are aimoss un-
known white men have taken the place
of negroes as coachmen and the Italians
arc about the only boothhcks seen on
thc streets A for withdrawing. mat
ls an occupation of the past The paint-
ers DO what there ls Of IL 20 boz done
There are q few negro walters. bu' a.
rule. whtc men are employed in the
hotels 10 the homes white servants have
superseded negro servants. IL is well
known. a. course. that the irodca unions
40 not admit negroes 60 membership
Therefore. there are no negroes seen On
the trades
II might bc asked what DO thc negroes
hnd 20 DO Tor n living? The question
would 30 a dlHcut ono 90 answer Il S.
. fact that very large percentage Of
them does little or nothing They are hud-
dled together in out-of-she-way quarters
of the city ana lead "a most miserable ex-
istence. A. consequence Of their
crowded condition tho percentage Of Grim
inals d very large. ana vice nourishes -
an extraordinary degree
In 1880 the population o. New York city
that is Manhattan borouEh-was i.5l5-
aN. OF ,his number 25.64 were negroes.
In 1000 the population Of chat borough
was aj0ooD ana the number of negroes
was about s5o0 u VIII be seen from
these figures that tho negro population
Is very small In comparison 20 the white
population. And &, does not grow nearly
as fns az the white population. II wonld
not grow az nll II g were not FOR Access
sions from the on side. The birth rate is
smaller than the death rate The death
rate S % go tho thousand while that OF
the whites IS only 10 And 81 Sc said that
the negroes that go 90 New York are Al
most wholly o. the worst sort-she oilers.
tho deucnera,es and the thieves. Negroes
who are honest and Industrious DO not
20 20 New York. because they know thas
about an Of the avenues Of employment
there are closed against them Il is
different in case Of white people. The
arnhitinns and the ssrong Of the white
race seek great cities because the oppor-
tuuities FOR improving their material con
dltion there are better. ana the rewards
OF salient and industry ore greater
As matter o. fact. the negroes In
New York city are steadily sinking 10
lower depths OF degradation. Their homes
show that They cannot get house IN
any neighborhood until an OF che whites
are ready 10 desert 81. The old rookeries
are then leased 20 them ana no repairs
are ever made on them.
No doubt the steady dccadance Of the
negroes 81 New York city IS largely due
20 race prejudice. II shcy cannot get
respectable employment they must resort
to means not strictly lawful or decent 20
get a living. They must starve or steal.
,a,s a. :!.ey sink lower in the social
scale ihe prejudice against them becomes
stronger The writer OF the article 20
Harper's Weekly says that he was sur
prlsed to hear native Americans say. i'm
medlately after the recent race riot In
New York. that they were sorry that
more OF the negroes were not killed.
II is eviden, that the South is much
kinder 10 the negro than the North. lie
may have two or three privileges there
which ne does not have here, but these
are nothing to che superior advantages he
has IN the South for improving his mate
rial condition In the South every ave-
rue for earning a living is open 20 him.
and n hc have the ability he can rise 20
considerable prominence as "a farmer or
a business man. ana IS certain 20 receive
an she respect 70 which he s. entitled.