The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-16
oHAkLESTON
Its Beauties and he Charrs ana the
Trinsf rmatIon which Il Coming.


had IN opportunity carefully 10 observe
and study the town. During the last twenty
FIVE years have passed through II several
times, and therefore can speak casually OF
it's present conditions a. compared with the
state Of things In the period when II was
still suffering from the results OF the Recon-
str7iotion policy.
In the first place, and generally, do not
hesitate 10 say that Charleston IL the most
iat,reftag city In the Union and In many
respects tho most delightful. II has an
architecture peculiar TO itself, and In social
tone IL IL suggestive OF England, with mod-
hoations especially Southern. The high
walls about the gardens Of the older places
Of residence betoken English eXolusiveness,
vet a more generous and more hospitable
people have found nowhere 10 this country
and, happily, speak from a knowledge
Of Charleston society obtained from much
intercourse with these char1ningly courteous
people.
No otherIsrge community Of the South With
which | am familiar retains 80 much OF
the character It had before the war. Re-
atively, Is a centre Of trade and commerce,
| Charleston may have declined In importance
since then, or rather, may say, II Is stu
barely at the beginning Of the movement
which has brought about or IL bringing
to pass very radical changes throughout
! the South. social and industrial A like
change IL destined 10 come 70 Charleston
also within comparatively few years; but,
| fortunately for the student Of Southern
| life and character as they were affected
| by the influences Of the old slaveholding
! aristocracy, Charleston as yet remains
| in tone very much as it was in the old days.
Slavery has passed away, yet after
( brief experience Of excuses In the period
/ OF Reconstruction, the negro population
has been compelled 10 accept a place Of
submission and subordinttion in which
the white race Is determined permanently
| 10 confine them as Is suggested in the city
directory. where the two RACES nre kept dis
tinct hrst the whites on white paper and
nett the negroes on chocolate colored paper.
In no other city Of the South 10 which !
havo been, however, have found so well
! behaved negro population and none 30 we ]
oontented, apparently. The relations DO
tween the two races arc also harmonious,
and I have heard from whites many
expressions Of kind and even anectionate
sentiment toward the negroes; but the
black man mus: keep his place In Charles
ton and never overstep the bounds.
With such feeling universal among the
whites, Il is easy TO understand the offence
offered to them by the appointment Of
! DR.. Cr7lm as Collector OF the Port l have
heard no special resentment expires ed
and no unfriendly criticism Of that ofiicer.
Only two gentlemen have ever spoken to
me on the subject and neither found fault
with Or. Crum on any other ground than
his mediocrity and essential ino0np etency
for his post but both OF them expressed
surprise at his appointment by Mr.. Roose-
welt after the most cordial and enthusiastic
reception which the President had received
on his visi: &c Charleston at the time OF
the Exposition.
Inc putting Of Dr. Crum at the head Al
the Custom House, however, will have nc
effect % change the policy Of the white
people Of Charleston toward the negroes
who make up about three ifths Of the
populs ton OF the town. The color line vii
be drawn even more sharT y. the bounds u
which the negro s arc confined will be rc
less restricted Negro social equality a.
Il Ia termed in the South, is even more Inn
possible now than It was in the days Of
slavery. All talk about social equality
Is a fiction, Of course. II exists nowhere
What the South means Is rather caste spirit
and that spirit is intensified by the sharI
distinction Of race and color
II must be remembered, too, that 20 IA
the white population Of the South is almos
exclusively American. or the present
population Of Charleston, somewhere about
90 900, only about three thousand an
foreign born. In South Carolina as a whole
with population in 1900 Of toward millioT
and a half, less than six thousand W ire Of
foreign biz. h. The white community H.
therefore. rec lliarly homogeneous for thi
country. The caste spirit which draw
50 sharp a line Of separation between whit
: and black extends through every ranI
and condition Of the white society, anC
Il ia strongest in the class which was known
: before the war as the poor whites II
Inc ranks OF the old slaveholding sristocracy
there still remains something OF the pa
triarchal spirit OF the days OF slavery
noblesae oblige, but where the gulf Of seplra
/ ton In conditions Of life. education, refine
ment and occupations is less broad anC
less marked the caste spirit is always in
tense.
! Accordingly, l seem to observe in tn
South less OF the intsrmlXturs Of the race
than was apparent formerly. II iH tru
D that in the negro schools Of Charleston
which I visited by the courtesy Of one o
1 the members Of the Board Of Education,
E saw a few children in whom scarcely trac
{ Of negro blood was apparent to North
erner; but generally the African type wa
pronounced. The many physically attrac
tive Quad ON and ootoroon women whom
= used to see in Southern cities do not en-
. counter now in Charleston. though they ar
4 frequent in Washington. A stigma seem
to have been put on all association wit
0 negroes. The negro race is growing dsrke
= rather than lighter. The two races an
d drawing apart further than ever; and unles
there shall be a radical change in the com
, position Of the white race, this distinction
will become steadily more marked.
; find, however, that in Charleston grea
care and expense are given TO the publ
school instruction Of the negroes. Tn
teachers in the schools visited are whit
, Young women Of refinement, and some o
e. them are members Of old and distinguish,
E S,uth Carolina families. The boys and
= urls are remarkable for their neatness o