The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-26
Southern Com plants Of the Negroes,

Southern Complaints Of the Negroes.
We print to-day letter from South
ern man who resents remarks made by
another sSoutherner' in q previous
letter to THE SUN In praise Of the sug-
gestion made by Southern woman
that monument should be erected to
"the faithful slaves who stood by women
OF the South so Loyalty during the civil
war. He goes to the extreme Of doubt
ing II the letter he criticizes was really
Of Southern authorship.
The suggestion that the fidelity Of the
slaves in the bitter period Of the civil
war deserves special commemoration
Is creditahe to the Southern women
who make IL. Women at that time were
often left alone on plantations remote
from civilized centers, except for the
negro slaves by whom they we're sur
rounded; yet they suffered from no
alarm on that account. The fidelity OF
tho negro slaves was really noble, and
Of course It touched the hearts Of the
women who had practical experience
Of It.
Our correspondent Of to-day, however,
recites many faults and shortcomings
Of the now emancipated negroes; and
unquestionably he does not exagger-
ate the loss and Inconvenience which
white employers suffer because Of them.
The blacks are exasperating; but even
in the days Of slavery the shortcom-
ings OF the negroes were frequent
theme OF conversation by Southern
planters and housewives. 1t Is doubtful
if they were not ss annoying to pune
tilious employer as those complained OF
by Mr.. BRISTOL as existing now. Mrs.
STOWE, in her uncle Toms Cabin, de-
scribed the wonder of Yankee visitor
at the easygoing tolerance Of SHIFT
lessness' In the slaves. OF course, free
dom has bred other faults In the negroes
as servants, but after all are they so
much more serious than those exhibited
by them in the days Of slavery
In the diary Of the woman Rice
Planter, from which we have published
extracts at various times, PATIENCE
PENNINGTON has related many irritating
experiences with free negroes employed
by her, but her treatment Of the subject
has been far from severe. 1t has been
humorous rather and kindly in its allow
ances. She represents the spirit Of the
old slave holding class generally. The
bitterness against the negroes which is
now manifested by some Southern
whites does not come down from the
people who held slaves In the period
before the civil war. The expression
Of tender remembrance Of tho fidelity
OF those old slaves which q woman
Of Mississippi has made In her proposal
Of monument to them recalls the feel
ing which was in the hearts Of refined
Southern men and women in the days Of
slavery. They felt a sense OF respon-
sibility, Of guardianship; and the weak
ness, the enslaved condition and the
very shortcomings Of the negroes. in
spite Of which they appealed to sympathy
by reason OF their simple naturalness,
bred sentiment Of affectionate regard
for them in masters and mistresses.
Unquestionably under freedom the
negroes OF the South are open to the
CRITICS ms made by Mr. BRISTOL North
ern people who 60 to the South are even
more intolerant Of their la1ness than
he is; yet would Southerners be salts
fed with domestic service as it is at the
North? II white servants should be
substituted would not the generation
which went through the new experience
look back to the days Of even free
negro servants with very much the same
sense Of loss as that which is felt by the
generation which knew negroes as
slaves-a golden age, as 1t Is In the men,
DRY Of the Southerner?
1t Is true, however, as Mr.. BRISTOL
AYERS, that the negro is now treated
more tolerantly at the South than at the
North, except as concerns the matter
Of voting. II he Is industrious he has
a better chance there than here. South
ern complaints of the annoyances due
to negro servants, however, are no more
frequent and no louder than are those
made a stock subject OF conversation |
by mistresses concerning white servants
at the North. Negro labor is open to
many and reasonable objections, yet it
is doubtful II the generation at the South
which has been served by it would be |
content with any other The negro,
with all his faults, is very human, and
he appeals peculiarly to human liking.
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Plenty Of Diamonds.