The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-13
QUEER BELIEFS OF NEGROES.
HARD TO BREAK EHBIR FAITH
IN EG0D10S AND HRNTS.

Tho South stun Fun q Deetsrs Whs Deal
| I'm Charms and Lsve Ps0sub, seys
the Man Ffsm Down Thseo-0ne et1sn8
Belief 10 That Hespitas Are Bad.
! 1T win be hard for uaoss 'Nosthsgnsrs
e understand that. aid . 6outhsrnsr
who pointed out Q brief nsws despatch
telling Of Tho arrest Of nsgTo burglan BY
the police and explaining that their extraor-
binary boldness was dus to thser conf
tence In the hoodoo bags which they wore
and for which they had paid - much -
S12s each.
But be went on, 1T b easily COM
prehef,sible to those who know tho negroes.
A very large part Of the fight for the better-
msnt Of the negro has to be made against
bis blind supenstitions, to which be holds
- firmly a. he did In the old slavery days.
Indeed, there is very much more Of IL
now than there used to be. because the
smart negroes, especially tho so-called
doctors play heavilysupon tho credulity
Of the less intelligent Of their race
and multiply the charms and things which
they sell. The doctor In the Florida case
made a small fortune by the sale Of the hoo
doc bags. This IL not single or an excep-
tional case.
.Ths negro doctors who flourish lest do
not deal In criminal hoodoos but play safely
upon the affections and love aspirations Of
instance. is a large source q income to
thousands Of the doctors They always
charge good prices. and the colored men
and women who buy them will not complain
the little dosss Of -four faii to produce the
prosecuted, simply because they have no
acclses. Then there are the good luck
charms and the health charms and the thou:
sand and one mixtures Of herbs which will
scarcely a town or village between Mason
and Dixon's line and. TIE Gulf Of Mexico
that has not its herb doctor and Its profess
sional interpreter Of superstitions
-One thing that cannot be eradicated
his fear Of graveyarcs and houses in which
supposed crimee nave been committed. !
recall going bunting with negro who had
belonged to my family. We were very late
Getting home on account Of the tides and , the
have made half mile, but Bob insisted on
keeping close TO the further shore, and IN
reply to questions no said he was afraid Of
the 'ha'nts.' Argument made him admit
that ghosts did not exist or that Il they did
they were harmless, but nevertheless he
wanted to keep away from dead people:
Every old negro will tell you Of the ha 'nts'
he secs whom he walks too close to grave
we have in our family to-day q negress
Of intelligence. One Of the children she
nursed has become leading surgeon. The
old woman became III, and the surgeon.
being very fond Of her, went ahead and
made arrengsmsnts for taking care Of her
in the finest hospital In the largest South:
ern city. He explained that he himself
would perform the operation and that she
would have ! private room.
@Whsn tho hospital ambulance came for
her No found her door looked and heard
her in an agony Of prayer within. She
to Be her slave FOREVER u only we would
save her from the hospital She believed
firmly that hospitals we're places where they
cut oolored people up. on tho dissecttng
table and The surgeon has never been able
coiored people believe that II q surgeon
operates upon them they VIII pot be able
TO. take 4 whols sod 70 heAyep. They
think he may out some Of n or