Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-01-18

not nave been much more.
Slave of a PEOPLE whose chief
thoughts We're of wealth and honor:
slave OF people whose chief
thoughts were Of wealth and honor;
slave OF a people whose very miserly
nature begrudged him even the
"prodigal husks" of his lowly log
cabin, that they were constrained 10
give him that ne might maintain
strength TO cultivate their crops. dig
their mines. and run their mills. by
which their Golfers were filled while
they lived I'm palaces. rode in car
riages, sang. danced and ate Of their
festal boards. This he had TO do.
because no white man. who thought
anything of imself. worked (mean-
ing manual labor.)
Follow me TO the dining room OF
his master. We open the door upon
the scene. All things are now ready
for the master and his lords We
already see the object for which we
are i'm searCh. but there are other
things. also that attract our atteu-
tiOn. The dining room is spotlessly
clean .-iOor. ceiling. walls. windows
doors and wainscoating. Every ar
tistic design and decoration that his
master could devise. We now see
The table. the cloth SO white. the
chinaware so clean. the napkins SO
neat. the flowers so beautiful. the
chicken So brown. the lamb SO fat
the oysters SO large. .thc salads SO
inviting, theh am SO savory. tle des-
serts SO dainty. the fruits so album
dant. the wines so rich. but. why
go on TO speak OF this sumpuous re-
past before as? The whole scene
speaks Co those for whom 20 is pre-
pared. Eat. drink and be merry for
tomorrow ye may die"
Now. Go facts. 10 is the law OF ma
ture that impressions and influences
are received from ones environment.
Following this course OF reasoning.
I believe the environment of the A.
merican Negro during his slavery.
gave 10 him most OF the character
i5tics attained by him at the time OF
his emancipation. Considering his
Intellectual condition. maintained by
the legal penalty attached 20 the at
rocious crime OF a Negro's learning
90 read and write, is Go wonder
that all the human Intelligence that
he could show was only imitativc2
is it wonder that ne became am inn
itator. .-aping. unconsciously into the
manners. customs and ecccntricitios
OF the people among whom he lived.
as the plant imbibes the moisture.
and even poisoned gases OF the
air around it.
He became an imitator. pure and
simple. necessitated by his environ
ment. Ills masters tastes became 60
him a second nature. Following
this course of natural law / am con-
"a. ..H
chicken. his master liked it. IL be
liked watermelon. his master liked
it also. We now see the reason for
his peculiar appet.,e But. Why did
he steal these articles so frequently
as TO have his name and those of his
following generations SO unpleasant
ly affiliated with them2 This is a
grave question, yet it can be answer
ed In one word. Hunger,
Surrounded by the Injuries of his
masters table, set. he was hungry
IN his log cabin. with those he called
his family THOSE he loved dearest
those who were his companions in
this the sore trial of his heart. soul
and strength, he ate the mean fare
allotted him by his avaricious mas
ter. VINO, at the same time revelled
in surfeiting luXuries. This "Laza-
rus" of the rich man" ate his poor
quality. and often insufficient guam
tity. and was hungry. More than
that the dear woman whom he called
wife" with abated breath. and his
dear little children. his flesh and
blood, ate with him and were hun
gryi Not only hungry for the ne
cessary varieties OF food such as his
acquired nature (the nature of mis-
MASTERY demanded, but often hungry
for more, even Of this meager allot-
ment.
These facts have been told TO me
by living testimonies, and / believe
them. / have often heard my par
ents say that they knew masters who
would not even give their slaves
meat 10 eat with their bread. That
they would place for them a meat
skin with which each slave was di-
rected to grease his lips. when pass
ing out TO work, that they might ap-
pear TO other masters and slaves as
if they were we'll fed. Moreover,
they were threatened with punish
ment If they did not appear happy
and contented. This cunning. hypo-
critical ruse is only one of many that
l have heard related by those whose
veracity l have an equal right TO
believe as that OF any authority liv-
ing.
In view of such life. he stole
food TO eat as pardonably as Chirst's
Disciples plucked corn from a field
that did not belong TO them and ate.
this on the Sabbath day, Have
ye not read what David did, when
he was hungered.a "A nd they that were
with him; How he entered into the
house Of God, and did eat the shew-
bread. which was not lawful for him
to eat, neither for them which were
with him? (Math- 12:3-4) +"*%*"and
are blameless?" (Math. 12:5.) Hun
ger made him steal,
What made him steal chicken? It
seems that at this time chicken held
the first place in the delicacies Of mis-
masters table. This illiterate beast
. \