Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-11-19

scornful reprobation, has, with the pass
ing of time ousted him from his stool,
aud he Is no longer the new ISSUE"
but the general type that prevails com
monly-the Negro with his problem; a
problem which it may take all the wis
dom, all the torbearance, and all Soe
resolution of the white race TO solve.
"Some of the Afro. Americans, with
the veneer of a 50. called education, 10
judge from recent works written bv Ger
tam OF them resume 10 look down
somewh hat scorntully on this notable de-
yeiormeut OF their race, and assn ne a
line SCorn of the relation which once ex-
listed all ov r the South between the old
time SOutherner and the old time Garky.
aud which still exists where the latter
still survives
They do not consider that large mum.
bers of tins class held positions OF re-
sponslulllty and trust, which they dis.
charged with a fidelity aud success that
is the strongest proof of the potei t,ality
of the race They Go not reckon that
warm friendship which existe between
master and servant and which more than
any other one thing gives promise of fu-
ture and abiding friendship betwe II the
races when LETT 10 settle their relations
without outside interference"
Mr.. PAGE errs, if he presumes that
all Of the afro Americans" of the
new issue" type underestimate the
value Of this frienc ship between the
better class of Whites and the ''old time
Negroes" Mr.. PAGE portrays he con
ditions we'll when he says:
lone going through the South now
] even through those parts where the old
time darky was once the regular and
ordinary picture, unless he should hap
pen TO drift in TO some secluded region
so far cut OF the sweep of the current
| that Its lite haC been caught as IN an ed
| dy, would never know what the old lite
had been. and what the old time Ne
groes we're III that life. Their memory
is still cherished in the hearts of those to
whom they stood in a relation which
cannot be explained and cannot be un-
| derstood by those who did not know it
as vital part of their home ife. Even
these will soon have passed from the
stage and in another dec ade or two the
story of that relation, whose roots were
struck deep in the sacredest relations of
| life, will be only tradition kept alive
or generation or two, but gradually
fading until it is quite blurred out by
TIME"
He says further:
Cautiously whatever the SGpsAsrners
may think of slavery and there We're
many who reprobated its existence
whatever they may think of the Ne
gro of to-day, there is scarcely one who
knew the Negro in his old relation who
does not speak of him with sympathy
and think of him with tenderness. The
writer has known men begin TO talk of
new conditions fercely, and on falling
to talking Of the past, drift into RENT
nisceHces of old servants and turn away
| TO wipe their eyes. And not the least
part of the bitterness of the South over
the Negro question as it has existed
grows out of the resentment at the
alienation of what was once a relation
of warm friendship and tender sympa-
thy"
This is true, nv. PAGE. They desire
to consider the Negro only in that
friendly, servile capacity. They weep,
| it is true onGccouut of old remember
ana Il more
because the 5eryant is gene forever aAd
there is no one TO take his place.
The same feeling is present in the
breast Of a person, who leaves his birth.
place in tho days Of youth and returns
in old age 20 find that all OF his friend
are dead and gone. He ootes upon che
signs left standing anG with throbbinp
breast and fearful eyes leaves the spo,
forever.
Mr.. PAGE we'll says:
Ofslavery it might be said that what
ever its merits and dement's, it divided
this country into two sections. with on
posing interests, and finally plunged II
into a vast aud terrible war Thi.
is condemnation enough.
Ole need not be an advocate ot
slavery because he ppsets ideas that hav,
no foundation whatever in truth anc
sets forth facts that can be substan
uated by the experience of thousand.
who knew them at first hand.
Mr.. PAGE emphasizes what we sale
il our speech before the American
Bankers Association at New Yorl
when he says
1t is well known by those who knew
the old plantation hfe that there wer,
marked divisions between the Negroes
There were among them what might b,
termed different orders. These wer
graded by the various relations IN wheel
} the individuals stood TO the whit,
tolks'--thut is. TO the master and mis-
tress and their family.
The house-servants represented a elias
: quite distinct from and quite above TIL
, "held hands," Of whom they We're won
TO speak as "cOrnfeld niggers," Will
among the former were degrees as cleal
~ defined rs ever existed in an English
) gentleman S house, where she housekeep
er and the cutler held themselves abov
tie rest of the servants, only admlttin
TO occasional fellowship the lady
J maid.
, Among the first in station We're tn
nanny. the butler the carriage driver
the ladies' maids, the cook. and the gar
dener, with the "boys" who were q.
tached to one or the other position as as
sistants and were in training for tn
places when the elders should fai
Among the field hands, was, first, tn
"head man"
The head man" was the equal of an
/ other servant-a rank due, perhaps
Tarflu To his authority