The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-02

tor them to prove the marriage of
their parents and to comply with the
requirements Of the law in other re-
spects.
In Western Louisiana there has al
ways been serious trouble with the
people known as the Red Bones who
claim to be Indians and who undoubt-
edly have Indian blood but in whom
the negro features and characteristics
are much more pronounced than the
Indian. 1t can be stated with safety
that there was in Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi considerable mixture Of In
dian blood with the composite Afri-
can, taking him away from any of the
original types and making him an In
do-African.
Finally came the mnxture with the
whites. which De Bow, a New Orleans
man. attempted to bring out when he
was superintendent of the census. In
the census just before the civil war
and again in 1870 an attempt was
made to enumerate the octoroons.
quadrOons, mulattos and negroes sep
arately. 1t is admitted that the work
was not thoroughly done for the ne
gro himself rarely has any knowledge
OF his ancestry, and the test of color
while generally good Is not always
accurate.
But even making allowances for
errors. the facts given were of impor-
tance as showing the intermivture OF
races. The mixture was confessedly
greatest in Louisiana and particularly
in New Orleans. The last enumeration
showed that the negro and colored
population Of New Orleans was about
two -fifths white and three-fifths ne
gro, or not quite the proportions Of
an average mulatto. Nowhere in the
country, for that matter nowhere in
the world, were there more octoroons
and quadroons, persons in whom the
white blood predominated who would
haev been called white in Latin Amer
lea, but whom the Americans classi-
fled and treated as negroes.
Through the mixture Of the differ
ent African tribes with a dash Of In
dian and white blood and also because
OF the better treatment they received
the negroes had changed when in
slavery to better, stronger and high
er type. Slavery perhaps has most to
do with this change. To the slaves
owners, particularly to those breed
ing slaves for the southern market
II was important. indeed necessary
| TO take good care OF the negroes
just az this Is necessary with horses
and cattle. Care was taken also TO
sec that healthy young women did
not mate with weak, delicate, under
sized or old men. The consequence
was an improvement In the race. The
same reason induced the planters to
take good care Of their hands and
feed them we'll on solid and substan-
tial food, not luxurious.
The negro race added from two to
| three inches to its height and an aver
age OF twenty pounds to the weight Of
the full grown man or woman dur
ing slavery Whatever the wrongs OF
the negro may have been, in the opln-
ion Of persons who have studied the
| matter, it is safe to say that perhaps
no race was in better physical con-
dition when emancipation came, and
none had made greater progress
physically from the day negroes were
imported from Africa.
The white and Indian blood. per-
haps the mode Of living, mlnimized
the features Of the negro, and he i'm
proved in looks, and by 1870 this
blood mixture had affected the entire
negro population Of the country. J..
Stall Patterson, one Of the few per-
sons who have made a study Of negro
ethnology. insists that the white blood
among the negroes has been so we'll
distributed that there is scarcely a me-
gro Of pure African blood in the
country. AS he puts it,
Even now they (the negroes) are
no longer negroes. One-third have a
large infusion Of white blood; one
third have less but still some, and of
the other third it would be difficult TO
find an assured specimen OF pure
African blood"
Any one who knows the negro type
will recognize the truth Of this state
ment and will recognize the tolly Of
classifying by color. An average negro
family with any considerable proper