Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-31

city, arranged an interview with the |
President for her. and then escorted her |
back TO take her train home.
Here is case where Democratic
President appointed Negro at the very
doors of the White House., and TO a po-
sition from which he had been removed
by Republican Chief Executive. In
this case, there was no howl from the
Negro haters of the Southla. d, who
have since made themselves hosrse
over the appointment of DR.. w. ID.
CRUM as Collector of the Port at
Charleston, South Carolina
Mr.. PAGE relates another incident:
On the part of the old plantation
which L have attempted to describe has
lived for the past thirty years, free of
rent, the leading Negro politician in the
upper end of Hanover County. His wife
was Hannah, my mothers old maid,
the war served US with fidelity and zeal
of which 1 can give no conception. 1t
| may, however. illustrate it to state that,
although she lived a mile and quarter
from the house aud had to cross creek
| through which, in times of high water,
she occasionally had TO wade almost to
| her waist, she for thirty years did not
| miss being at her post in the morning
more than half-score times.
Hannah has gone co her long home,
and it may throw some light on the old
relation between mistress and servant
| to say that on the occasion Of the golden
wedding of my mother and father, as
Hannah was at that time too ill to leave
| her home, they took all the presents in
! the carriage and carried them over to
show them to her.
Indeed, Hannah's last thought
was Of her old mistress. She died sud-
denly one morning, and just before her
| death she said to her husband, open
| the do, its Miss -" The door was
opened. but the mistress was not there,
exceps to HanDah's dying gaze. To her,
she was standing by her bedside, aud
her last words were addressed to her.
Mr.. PAGE remarks:
| 1t is a continual cause of surprise
among those who do not know the South
| intimately that Southerners should be so
| fond of the old Negroes and yet should
| be so intolerant of things which North
erners would regard with indifference.
1t is matter which can hardly be ex-
planned, but if anyone goes and live at
he South, he will quickly find himself
! falling into Southern ways.
Let one go on the plantations
! where the politician is absent and
the "bloody-shirt'' newspaper is un-
known. and he will find something of
the old relation still existing.
The above is an absolutely correct
statement. The case is very much like
the young fellow and his best girl. He
will kiss her, but-he doesn't want any
one else to do the same thing.
| The Southerner will eat with his
Negroes, drink with his Negroes and
play with his Negroes, "But sab, I'll
be d--nedifI want Northerner to
dot. - it atnt right. and south
ern customs, must be observed only
in tile south and only by us, BY Gawd.
Mr.. PAGE says:
L have seen a young man (who hap
: pened TO be lieutenant in a volunteer
Z company kiss his old nanny on tn,
parade ground in sight of the Who'll,
regiment,
, Here you have the testimony Of al
unimpeachable witness. How does thi
compare with President ROOSEVELT.
attitude towards Prof. BOOKER Il
WASHINGTON in the now famous lunch
ing incident at the White House?
The white lieutenant could kis
Negro woman before a whole whit,
regiment, but white President is no
: permitted to eat a meal of victuals Will
a Negro man WITHIN the privacy of hi
own official mansion. Mr.. PAGE spok
s truly when he said that such inconsist
ency ''can hardly be explained" L
can be summed up as being enc of tn
:. incongruities Of race prejudice.
: MIR. PAGE cites another incident:
,, Some years ago, while General Fitz
L hugh Lee was Governor of Virginia,
wedding took place In she executive
q, mansion at Richmond. At the last mo
! ment when the company were assem-
. bled and all had taken their places
. waiting for the bride TO appear, it wa
! discovered that nanny Celia, tn
brides nanny had not come in, and n
less a person than General Lee, tn
. Governor OF Virginia went and fetche,
. her in on his arm to take her place be
:, side the mother of the bride.
a This is true and occasioned no advers
y comment at the time.
!, He concludes as follows:
: Unhappily, whatever the future ma
!, produce, the teachings of doctrinaire
n and injudiclous friends have lost tn
y Negroes of the present generation thei
Q manners and cost them much Of tn
8 friendship of the whites.
f None of US knows what relation the IL
o ture may produce between the two race
9 in the South, but possibly when the sell
It righteous shall be fewer than they ar
@ now and the teachings which have 81
n tranged the races shall become NOR
t sane the great Anglo Saxon race. who
v is dominant, and che Negro race, whic
T is amiable, if not subservient, will &C
,, just their differences more in accordanC
9 with the laws which must eventual
prevail, and the old feeling of kindl
ness. which seems, under the stress {
antagonism, to be dying away, will ono