Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-24
MIR. THOMAS NELSON PAGES
NARRATIVE.

MIR. THoNls NELSON PAeE's nara
tive on "Ihe Old Time Negro" in
SCRIBNER's MAGAZINE for November
grows more interesting as he proceeds.
He says:
When the war closed and the Negroes
were set free, the feeling between them
and their OLD masters was never warm
er, the bonds Of friendship were never
more close. The devotion which the
Negro had shown during the long strug-
gle had created a profound impress sion
on the minds Of the Southern whites.
Even between the Negroes and poorer
whites who had always been rather at
enmity, better feeling had grown up
The close of the war had accomplished
what all the Emancipation Proclama-
lions could not effect. The masters uni
versally informed their servants that
they were tree.
This was literally true among the
slave-ow ners Of the better class, but
among many others, LINCOLN was
cursed and SUMNER abused. Mr.. PAGE
came from the kind hearted Virginia
stock, where servants were treated as
human beings and 'concience figured
conspicuously in all earthly affairs.
He says further:
The old time Negro has almost quite
passed from the earth, as have his old
master and his old mistress. a few still
remain, like the last leaves on the tree.
but in no long time they, too, will have
disappeared. But SO long as he survives
the old family feeling of affection Will
remain in the hearts of those who knew
him. Every week or two the newspa-
pers contain the mention of the passing
from the stage of one or more of those
whose place In some old family has
made them notable in their lives and
has caused them to be followed to the
grave by as sincere pourners among the
whites as among the blacks. But how
many of them pass without any other
notice than the unfeigned mourning of
those whom they loved and served so
faithfully.
No South erner, whatever his feelings
of antagonism may be TO the Negro lace,
ever meets an old Negro man or woman
without that feeling rising in his breast
which one experiences when he meets
some old friend of his youth on whom
time has laid his Christening hand.
Nor has the old feeling by any means
died out in the breast of the old Negro
himself. Only as the whites look on
the young blacks with some disapproval,
the old Negro regards the younger gem
Grafton of whites as inferior TO the gem
GRAFTON he knew.
Mr.. PAGE could not have stated the
condition better. He tells the follow
ing amusing story:
Not long since friend in Richmond
told me the following story: He sand a
friend of his in that city invited him
iii tie shooting season to go down TO his
fathers place TO shoot part ridges The
house had beer burned down, but he
said old Robin was still living there,
and had told him not long before mat
there were good many birds on the
place Accordingly, the two gentlemen
one morning took their guns and dogs
and drove down TO the old Ball planta-
ton where they arrived about sunrise
Old Robin was cutting wood in front of
his cabin, ard nv TREND began 10 shout
for him: "Oh, Re- bin Oh, Robin" The
old fellow stopped, and coming to the
brow of the hill above them, called
"Who dat know me so much bettuh
den j know him?"
Come down here!" called his master.
When the old fellow discoveries who
it was he was delighted.
Eyes, sub" said he; ''dyah's plenty
Of buds down here on de branch. l sees
'em eve'y evenin' most when L comes