The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
ALABORPR0BLEM SOLVED
HOW A MISSISSIPPI LANDOWNER
OBTAINED workbench.
He Made a Successful Appeal to the
Negroes Love of Finery and
Personal Adjournment.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

1
Mississippi looked out expecting to see
the usual crowd Of negroes and brick-col-
ored Caucasians chewing tobacco on the
station platform, with a razor-backed hog
or two filling in the vista in the street be-
| yond, but my eyes lighted upon the most
extraordinary assemblage they had ever
| beheld. Here at the left end Of the plat
form and overlooking into the street stood
some two hundred coIored ladies and gen.
tlemen. for they certainly were entitled to
that description, t. that outward shell Of
gentility, elegant garb, can give war
rant, and by the same token their gentility
was not parvenu and of fresh creation. for
their garments ranged back through many
a sartorial epoch. The major part OF the
men wore some sort Of a frock coat, but
in being frocks all uniformity ended, for
they were of all cuts, lengths and colors-
black, blue, bottle green, gray, dahlia and
brown. L take back what 1 said above
about uniformity. They did agree in an
other particular. All were out Of style in
| cut, color or fabric, or all three. Again,
every man wore high hat, and yet again
in their headgear there was no uniformity
save that all were plugs" 1t was a re-
markable collection, historical example
| of the diverse colors, shapes and material
| used in putting forth high hats during the
| last thirty years. The waistcoatS were
| high low, with broad and narrow open
| ings OF every atrocious hue which de-
| PRAYED fancy has selected and hung IN
| show windows marked THE Latest Fancy
| Vest" There were screaming plaids and
| lurid reds, blues, yellows and greens; solid
| color, or figured and embroidered with
| horid designs.
| WERE WEAK ON TROUSERS.
| In pantaloons and shoes there was less
1 II 1oI CHI
but most were razor-toed. There were the
wide, flowing trousers, popular in $780, and
the skin-tight trousers that came in later,
| but in general the trousers were not up to
the elegance of the rest of the attire, and
it was even true that two gentlemen. re-
| splendent in gay waistcoatS and fine coats,
| wore cheap wOrk-a-day trousers.
| AS for the costumes of the ladies, I'M
| familiarity with feminine modes hinders me
! in speaking of them. L was dimly con-
scious, however, that not one bonnet or
| dress was of the season, and that all were
| bizarre and outre in the extreme, especial
| ~ in color. While the hats were immense
| and gorgeous, even a masculine eye could
| see that they were of cheap materials and
| that right through the outfits of the wom-
| en- did not represent nearly great a
| value as the outfits of the men.
There the assemblage stood, silent, SOL
be merry was entirely curbed, What in the
world could they be? There We're too many
| of them for a "show," even an Uncle
| Toms Cabin" troupe Moreover the white
| people at the other end of the platform
| were all looking at the train and paying
| no attention to them, so it was plain they
| belonged to the vicinity. The rattle of a
| carriage and the beat of rushing hoofs was
| heard. An immense jet-black man stepped
before the assemblage and raised aloft a
white plug hat.
Now" exclaimed the big negro in cor
| rect full dress, and loud shout of acclaim
rose from the crowd. and greeted a keen
| faced young fellow who sprang from a
carriage that whirled up to the platform,
made a hasty bow of Acknowledgement and
| leaped aboard the train which was al
| ready beginning to move. He entered the
car and took a seat In front of me.
| Would you be so kind, SIR" said I. "as
to tell me who and what those extraordi-
| nary people are?'
with pleasure They are my field
| hands,"
Your field hands?'
HOW HE SOLVED THE PROBLEM.
MY field hands. Tt you are interested in
the industrial problems Of the South, per-
haps you would like to know how 1 have
solved one of applying psychology to
planting. Psychology was always my fad
up at the University of Mississippi, and
| though some Of my kind said college edu-
cation was a waste of time and money,
they don't say so now. Cotton-raiSing made
the ante-bellum South the richest part of
| the Union. The main trouble with IT to-day
| is not soil, weather or market 1t is labor.
| We cannot force the negro to work as I'M
| der slavery and he is liable to quit work
| at any moment, leaving the planter with
| out help at critical time, perhaps causing
the loss OF the entlre crop Beyond sheIter'
| food and covering, mans wants are arti-
| fetal and belong TO the domain of psychol-
| ogy. You generally want things because
| other people have them Nobody is actually
| contented-no white man, L mean-until he
| is the richest man in his community. The
| Mississippi negro is pretty nearly in the
| savage state. He practically has no more
| wants than an animal of the woods and
| can satisfy them almost as easily. / saw
that the way to make him keep at work
| was to make him some new want in order
that he would seek money to crafty it.
Suppose the Mississippi country negro
| did have money, what would he do with
1t? What does he see in the country stores
that he wants? The clothing is all plain
and ugly and of sad colors. Before he cares
| for household adornments, he must have
| a house to adorn and he has only a shan
| ~. He has a body TO adorn, however, and
| of all things, he loves fine and gaudy
| clothes L decided that to get him to want
to work, l must get him to want some
thing to spend money for, and clothes
seemed to be that thing.
NO GOODS FOR SALE
II hired an old vacant store, with win
dows on two sides, and one morning those
windows were hung full of the most re-
markable collection-well. you saw it on
that crowd back yonder. No sales went on
in that store. 1t was locked all the time
and the clerks were bulldog and a man,
who stayed there together nights. Each
article bore a tag telling it's price, and the
only way to buy anything was to present
| the price in warrants issued by me for
work on my plantation, and no sale was to
be made until after picking was all over
The goods / had were just the thing to
| appeal TO the barbaric taste of the negro.
| Every little while tailors convention gets
UP some monstrosity and labels it The
| Latest
Il had no trouble to get hands to do the
| planting and put in the biggest acreage
| anybody had heard of around here and
| everybody said l was q fool. / paid out
| warrants and / paid out some money-a
| little. Things went along splendidly until
| several fellows quit. The coveted fine
| future that they got discouraged and
! to see them and POLITICALLY picture to them
how grand they would look arrayed i'm
! that raiment. But my wife said no Before
she was married she had taught school.
and she hshed out lot of big cards with
/ broad gilt borders, intended TO be filled i'm
| with writing, certificates of merit or
| proficiency. She got some red and blue ink
| and wrote letters on those cards to all
| those fellows who had quit, telling them TO
/ press on and win the prize, told them how
| fine they would look. etc. You understand
/ the psychological effect Just like soan
| stationery and candy in fancy wrappers
When those cOOns read, or had read 10
them. those gilt-edged letters before their