The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-12

then pay. rent, and all when the cotton is sold.
Inc result u that the negroes do not occupy
the old slave quarters, which IN many cases
have been allowed To 80 to ruin, 1Ut they build
new cabins for their tenants IN the cotton fields,
so that the negro tenant live near 10 or
directly upon his field This SCatteTs the fami-
lies. which Is often 4 good thing. The negroes
who work well and at all economical Go
Eu-y well, and the planter gets more
than he otherwise would. There are, however,
many bad features. Ti,e cabins provided
not even good the old log quarters They
are built Of boards and are about twelve b.
fifteen feet have windows at all IN most OF
them. and when there anv, which j. very
rare they have glass IN them, only blinds.
In these little bare dwellings a whole family
viii be reared Sometimes two families. children
from infancy 10 maturity, grow up there with
the grown people. of course. Their can be no
privacy nor deCcncy OF living, and the morality
Of the family IS injured. This must Dr changed
before the negro viii improve morally / think
they do better almost than white people would
with the same surroundings Living isolate,;
there are many OF them that never 90 10 church
or have any religious teaching. Fortunately
the Southern negroes are naturally Of a religious
turn of mind, and where there Is church near
them some OF them go They send their children
To school remarkably vel. however and Of
course they get some morality Taught them, hut
on the whole they are not under good moral
teaching - they were l.; slavery DAYS. May 81
tic parents have little or II. ---z--- -. -
children. even II they desire to have, ana th'
boys especially viii not work II they 60 work
liielI TAreig mem others
do. 80 they often leave home rs soon As they
are big enough 10 pick cotton mi 20 where they
are rot under any restraint rIey can live On
50 little and really need little. ti4t a fe,r
days steady work viii provide them for some
time. and often they do not Ike 10 WORK
they grow up losfers 30 that even where there
large numbers OF idle men and hOys, it IS
impossible 20 get them 10 20 to work. There
Is no WY OF forcing them tG work. The
women do most Of the field work. especially in
the iiceiT'G and picking seasons There viii have
to be = WAY found to compel these idle TO
work by some law. Things can't 20 on this
way many years These field hernes have seldom
any gardens OF any pleasant surroundings and
50 love dt home Is not fCstered- Their landlords
often cheat them in all manner Of ways. and
try to bring them IN debt. bnt notwithstanding
All these drawbacks. II ! fact that the negroes
getting into better shape financially Many
now their mules and implements and have
10 have less 2nd less advanced them They VIII
socn buy land OF course. they are the exception
yet Ii they were ali treated honestly they would
gain faster In every where they do get
ahead. you it IL thcir surroundings, i
better house with two more rooms 4 garden
patch and a few flowers. This shows that II
allowed they will redeem themselves These
little cabins are going up through this State
by hundreds / counted i:ty-three new cabins
in fields between here and Selma today. either
competed now building The young c0lored
women seem to spend all the money they have
on gaHdy dresses, hats etc Their WAYS Of get
ting money honestly are few and their morals
are bad, and in this Is the great curse Of former
slavery manifest, and II i 4 greater curse to
the whites than to the negroes This only
be changed by giving them chance TO make
real home. and the whites haze got TO help
them do this. both by law and BY noner. bat
the white people generally do not As yet COM
Vrehend the question. Sclf-reSpect must be in
culcated. and that only be dore IN decent
surroundings