The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-02-10
ANTHROPOLOGICAL
DR.. MCMasters Points Out Points
of Florida People
INTERESTING STUDY
Southern Folk Hold Memory of Late
ldmented John A. Johnson in
High Esteem

lamented John A. Johnson in
High Esteem
MIAMI, FLORIDA, Jan. q. Dear
Welles: Your readers may like a few
words regarding the social conditions
hereabouts.
The question of color is of course
the first to present itself. Black and
white; rouge ct noir. Each of these
are again divided; SO that we have
two classes of whites and two of
blacks. The resident white whose
home and voting precinct are here,
and the winter resident who may vote
in New York or in the Isle of Man.
Society for the stranger refers only
to the latter class. He meets the
tourist from every state, and he is
apt to be lonely and inquisitive and
SO are they. So they get along nicely
and ignore the conventionalities so
necessary and so irksome at home.
You may engage in conversation with
the Lucullus, or the Croesus, from
the north, his wife or daughter, with
no fear of being snubbed. The lady
with the latest couture and a pound
or so of diamonds, will chat pleasant
ly with an entire stranger, glad for
the time being to be released from
social restraint, and taking copious
notes with view to future use. You,
if you are wise, will follow her ex-
ample.
Occasionally about the most expen-
siye hostleries or on the boulevards
or docks, you may meet an aged
couple walking hand in hand and
wearing the garb of Quaker or
Shaker, or some other queer sect.
They have friendly greeting and a
pleasant smile for all, and though the
dear cid iady's street suit may repre-
sent but six yards of material, and
her millinery but one sunbonnet or
shaker, they could likely attach their
signatures to check of five or ten
figures, and smile when the assessor
makes his annual call. All tourists,
regardless of race or condition, are
pleasant, good natured and social, al
though many bear the marks of a
strenuous life.
OF the actual resident the stranger
has little knowledge aside from church
utilization. You may and probably
will meet with the business man, but
his family are in the background,
looking after domestic affairs and
polishing up the 'Lares and Penates. F"
The church is the base and medium
of social intercourse and is we'll sup
ported without regard to sect, or de-
nomination. The little parish OF
Trinity here has had two services
every Sunday with a full vested
choir all through the winter; and yet
they have had neither rector nor sup
ply.
The people of the Carolinas, Geor-
gia and Florida have a strong predi.
lection for the English church, and
even in the rural districts services
are held weekly. The various guilds
are we'll kept up, and the Sunday
schools are largely attended, and the
same is true of most of the denomi-
nations. From my own observations
/ should say that the devotional spirit
is more extensive in the south than
in the north; at all events more men
attend services than with US.
There are also two distinct classes
Of Negro, the native and the Nassau:
As labofers the native ranks highest.
He can and will work if closely watch.
ed, He receives, $3.50 per day, a
princely stipend where nature supplies
more than half of the necessaries OF
life.
The Nassau negro, being reared nn-
der paternal government lEngiiSH]
is always more or less educated. He
can read and write and has some idea
of elementry arithmetic. AS he re-
|ceives bnt Is cents siday In Nassau,
the higher wage over here naturally
attracts him, and it is estimated that
ten Thousand of them have crossed to
=
this peninsula. They always arrive
dead broke, but aftersia residence OF
five years return to their insular home
independent. These Negroes are born
into the English church and are able
Ito repeat the creed the LORDS prayer
and the ten commandments. OF the
latter. they never ibreak more than
nine in any one day. AS regards the
social status OF the Negro, he knows
his place and keeps it. The white
man holds all the trumps and general