Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-16
characteristics Of Colored Community
at Sandy Spring. :.
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Social and Economic Results of the
Opportunities Enjoyed.
AND CHURCHES

| A bulletin just issued by the United States
| bureau of labor contains an article on Tho
Negroes of Sandy Spring. Md showing
| the occupations. habits and general char
| acteristics of people whose freedom ante
! dates the civil war. The bulletin describes
| the community as being in Montgomery
| county. Nd due north of Washington city,
and extending back for several miles from
| The Patuxent river on the east, lying chiefly
| along the somewhat sandy ridge which con-
stitutes the watershed between the small
affiuents of the Patuxent on the east and
| of Rock creek and the Eastern branch of
| the Potomac on the west and south. The
| nearneSS to the national capital Is of great
| economic Importance to the inhabitants of
| the neighborhood. the southern corner of
which Is about eight and half miles in
an air line north of the northern angle of
| the District of Columbia.
| Here within a stones throw. 1t were,
| Of the seat of government, the narrative
| continues, is thriving agricultural COM
| munity, among whom live still the descend
| ants of negro families which have been
free for century and quarter 1t is
| this exceptional fact of a long-continued
free existence in the midst of surrounding
slavery which seems to warrant the spe-
cial investigation of the negroes of Sandy
Spring, In order to see what are the So
cial and economic results to them of their
opportunities during several generations.
The total number of negroes in Sandy
Spring who reported in response to ques-
tions from the bureau as to age, sex and
birthplace 960. Adding to this num-
Der no. estimated as not reporting, we OBJ
tain total of 900. This does not include
| a number of laborers, male and female.
| who live in various settlements just be-
yond the edge Of Sandy Spring. and who
constitute varying but considerable part
of the working force of the neighborhood.
except, of course. in so far as such laborers
were domiciled in Sandy Spring at the time
of the investigation.
There are 44s males and 512 females. q
proportion of LAB females to every 1000
males. If the u males and the 81 females
be omitted, this proportion Is very CON
siderably above the general proportion for
the United States-952.S females to every
1000 males.
School Facilities.
The Sandy Spring negro children have
easy access to three schools, of which two
are within the borders of the community
and one is a few hundred yards beyond
it's limits The buildings fairly good
for their purposes, are owned by the
county and are valued at 1850 There
were in 1SsS-99 five teachers for the three
| schools-a male teacher and a female as
sstant for one, female teacher and a
female assistant for another and female
teacher for the third school Two of these
schools considered as successful by
those most interested, and the teachers
| are regarded as fairly we'll equipped. The
school term for 1S9S-D was nine months
The teachers salaries average about 30
a month, and the salaries OF the assist.
ants about $50 The total enrolment OF
these schools for 1889 was 39l and the
| total average attendance was 22l-about
| one-seventh Of the average attendance Tor
the county. OF this total enrolment the
number of children belonging within SANDY
Spring as reported the schedules is Z4O.
The occupations in Sandy Spring are
those characteristic of progressive agri-
| cultural community near enough 10 large
city to export thther much of Its own
products In addition to milk and cream,
many tons of hay are hauled TO Washing
ton many crates of strdWperrles' many
bushels of apples, loads of chickens ana
. | eggs and spring vegetables, ana curing
he winter season of 1S9S-99 one enter
prising dairyman exported thousands OIL
, pounds of home made sausage Inc state
ment of these exports suggests the occu-
nations which are to be added to the uSual
routine of work in district devoted chlehy
to the cultivation of wheat and corn Dur
ing the winters, also, there Is d sooo zeal
. | of woodcutting.
, No Doctors There.
There are no negro doctors in the neigh
borhood but the training gained by long
experience probably entities the monthly
nurses to rank as professionals In their
, semi-medical ministrations. One of the two
2 preachers of the neighborhood has small
l church and receives a very small salary
about $50 a year. He is an unlearned man.
and his chief business, farming, mas caused
him to be enumerated among the agricui-
l turists The other preacher Is man OF
some educa tion and of great nuency Oh
speech. He has charge OF tnTee enuici as.d
ia active in the discharge OF his duties.
: Some of the members of his largest congre-
, CATION describe him as having zone
great work. since he took charge OF the
! l Church He is a Jealous advocate OF the
: temperance cause, and gives, SO far as tie
. investigator knows good example IN ms
, | private and family life TO those uhuer ms
. charge His salary is 5000 a year and;
: house and lot
az the five teachers enumerated four are
, | women One Of them IS principal OF the
+ | largest and the central school, and receives
= | the same salary $500 as her husband, VINO
= is principal of another school ana Is aiso
i active in politics, being memoer OF tne
6 | county committee of his party One OF the
n | other women is principal of the thlrd
school The two others are assistants, ana
their salaries are about $50 year of nine
t | months.
That 1.-The individual undertaken of busf-
ness enterprise is a new figure among ne
v groes" is, broadly speaking. true, particu-
8 | larly as applied to commercial life. But
h | IT must be borne in mind that the negro
4 manager or foreman was a familiar figure
d in the plantation life of the south In ante,
o bellum days; that the plantations, tra ahts
: PAINTERS and carpenters; that the negro
barber has long been almost as 1amlilar
| as his own red, white ana piue sign pore.
and that the negro cook and restaurant
keeper had for generations been frequent
even before the days of the old-tim metre IRE
uuenters of Wormley's Hotel IN Washlng-
0 | ton or of old Tom Griff1ns In Rlcnmond.
One of the disastrous effects of freedom
: upon the negroes has been that SO many OF OF
. | the older ones have failed to pass on 10
t their sons the industrial training which
they had themselves received. and which
t would have been of great value to the
The business of barbering is only one OF
+ the employments Of the Sandy Spring opera
tor. who has regular shop ana VINO
| does perhaps more work as calsomlner
and whitewasher than as a barber
= other Occupations.
It OF the six blacksmiths. two own their
ouyn shops. One of these, now well along
= in life. is somewhat out of the track or
: | trade. and he and his son, having but little
s work to do In the shop, devote themselves
largely to his little farm. The other owner
md