The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-02-14
5elrft MisrrIlnnll.
Changes in the
Old Time Negro.

Ifan\one Lad left the South thirty
years ago and come back now for the
first time. of all the changes he would
notice none would strike him so furcl-
hIv as he complete change OF the ne
yroes. II would te hard to !"lieve
them lie same ople. In place OF
the kind and polite greetings he use'l
to see from pleasant, good natured,
smiling faces, he would receive scant
nod, If any notice at all, from surly,
ill-natured ones, except in instances so
rare AS TO mark the rule
Nothing would be so conspicuous as
the absence of the old colol ed gentle
man, with his smiling politeness and
strict observance of the amenities OF
life, and of the kindly old mammies,
with their heads tied up in many COL
ored "head handkefchiefs,' politely
bowing and courtesying, with pleas
ant smile on their fat, good-naturcd
faces. They were such polite, gentle,
kindly people that it was impossible to
treat them otherwise than kindly, and
from this disposition negroes have won
their chief consideration from the white
people since their freedom, and its op-
posite behavior is fast losing the kindly
feeling the white people had for them.
There is nothing Southerner hates
more than an airilied, impudent negro.
He will overlook almost any thing from
a polite, weil-behaved one, and nothing
from an insolent one. They were also
kind and considerate toward each other,
and especially so toward their parents
and the old people Of their race, while
since their freedom | have known of
numberless instances of the most cruel
neglect of their parents and several
instances of personal violence toward
them.
But | set out to write of the old
"color d gentleman gentle, polite and
considerate. While always respectful,
there was nothing servie in his man.
ners, but always that indescribable
something that won equal politeness,
except from those who couldn't under
stand gent.emanly manners, and for
the latter he showed a refined cor
tempt that was full of singing rebuke
that even the coarsest felt. He was
never referred to 10y ladies and gentle
men as a slave, and never thought OF
himself as one in the sense that tie
word meant any thing servile or de
grading. But the position lie held in
his masters household or on his plan
tations was one of which he was eX
ceedingly proud and bore the respon
s;bili,y with becoming dignity. He
was part and parcel of the whole cstab
lishment, and strove to do his full dut y
in maintaining that position. He felt
far more keenly any slight or insult
put upon his master than on himself
| and the master was a very poor excuse
for a man if the colored gentleman die
try to copy him in words and looks
DADDY BEN.
There was one particular old maj
who made the greatest impression upol
me. | used to 90 hunting or fishing
J with him, and 90 about with him OF
the plantation when attending to hi
duties as stockminder. Many an eve
nng | have sat up on the rail fence
around the hogpen as he called up th'
hogs with his horn, and between lh'
! footing of the horn listened TO wonder
, full stories of "Ole, ole marser ant
missus" remember one of his storlt
was:
| "Yo great grandpaw WIZ er power
rul man. Nuttin' like desc trit1in
mems YOU see now. He had two bi:
saddle hosscs en- ef one er dem mad
him mad when he wuz ridin' he woul'