The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-24

and In nearly every negro's home, be IT
ever so humble, there hangs ife-ife
crayon .portrait Of himself on the wall,
right opposite the door, where you will
be sure to see it asyou come in the door,
The rest Of his surplus money he usual
" spends for entertainment; preferably
an excursion, but anything else in mo-
ton will do. I have frequently stood on
the street corner on cold; cloudy win
ter day and watched as many as fifty ne
groes, who twould not average DO cents
each, and none Of whom had on clothes
enough to ffsg a hand car, cinging to 8
merry-go-round as it went round and
round, grinding out that well known
and much beloved melody, 20, Bill
Bailey, Why Don't You Come Home, "
and their front teeth shining like the
keys on "baby grand" piano, while
hundreds of others, who did not have
the price of "a ride, were standing IN
half frozen mud shoe mouth deep, cheer
ing them as they came around. ?.
Epi Va Cireuses and Funerals.
All things are pleasing to him. A cir
GUS or funeral is equally enjoyable,
but q protracted. meeting followed by 3
big baptizing, or a term OF the, Circuit
Court followed by public hanging is
his chiefest delight.
The negro was once the white mans
slave, but that was only for q short
time, and was q part of the great
scheme which God had in mind to bet
ter prepare him for the enjoyment OF
the great things which he meant to be-
stow upon him in the future. By long
and close association with the white
man, the negro learned all Of his ways,
and his most innermost. thoughts, and
can now size him TO and classify him
just as accurately as cotton buyer does
the different grades of cotton, and can
do it much quicker. -:
He Gets What.White Man Has.
he is no longer slave to man OF
Mammon,. and verify that Scripture
which says: '''The last shall be first and
the first shall be last" has already come
to pass and the negro now has reserve
seat in the front row. IF any good
things are to be had he is sure: to get his
share. One day q negro asked me if
thought a negro had soul. l told him
I most assuredly did. And If he did not
have one it was the only thing I had
ever heard of white man having that
q negro did not get if he stayed with
him long enough. :; The negro has nc
great problems to solve. There Is nc
race questions SO far as he is concerned,
BE enjoys the society Of all races, ages
and nationalities, and will mingle freely
with any Of them. He enjoys with
equal pleasure the companionship of 9
5-year-old white boy, or an aged China
man who is unable to speak or under
stand single word Of English, for IN
either case he gets to do most Of thu
talking. &. =. s.
For q Silver Standard,
The tariff question or the currency
question does not interest him in thu
least. Silver is his standard and he doel
not want any other kind Of money
Neither does the Mexican situation wor
~ him any. All those things are thu
white. mans trouble. But if the white
folks want to whip Mexico or anybody
else. for any cause, or without any
cause for that matter, and will furnish
him with the arms and ammunition
and will. back him up in 1t, he will b'
glad to do it for him. -.
BIS One Great Trouble.
The road question is the only ques
ton that ever gave the negro any rea
trouble, but that was when he was sub
ject to road duty, and happily for him
that burden has also been shifted to th'
white man, and the roads of the Delts
are now being worked by taxation. ant
all he has to do is to pack them down
after they are constructed.
Neither does the leyee or the want o
q levee bother him. That is som'
more of the white folks trouble. Hw'
have an overflow, or do not have one, j
| is all right with him: If we ydo hav,
one, he Is the first to have boat ant
get out into it and paddle around from
morning until night with the blessed as
surance that there will be no more worl
done while it lasts, and that he vii
draw his rations from his landlord. O.
from the Government, and sor' etime
both, until it subsidies.
Whenever negro tires of countr.
life he moves to town, acquires char
coal bucket and q tailor's goose, form
an alliance with some white mans cook
and with his living thus assured, open
q cleaning and pressing establishment