CHAPTER XXXVII 



RACE PROBLEMS IN THE WEST INDIES 



Varied nationality and character of the inhabitants. Condition of the 

 native whites. Possibilities of the white race. The neyroes. Their 

 general character, habits, and mural condition. Obiism, or witchcraft 



I BELIEVE it was Froude who remarked that the West 

 Indies might be a very interesting field for the con- 

 templation of the naturalist, but for the student of people 

 they presented little that was of interest. I cannot 

 wholly agree with this proposition. The spectacle of the 

 political conditions of the natives of the West Indies is 

 indeed pitiful, but the people themselves are interesting, 

 whether perturbed Cubans, despondent San Doming >;u is, 

 hopeless English, atavistic Martiniques, or the vast hordes 

 of blacks of many kinds. I have tried to convey an idea 

 of how each of these islands is breeding a different species 

 of mankind, but a volume would not suffice to amplify 

 this topic. Not only upon each island, but, as Hearn has 

 shown, in mountainous Martinique "people are born ami 

 buried in the same valley without ever seeing towns but a 

 few hours' journey beyond their native hills, and distinct 

 racial types arc forming within three leagues of each other." 

 The West Indian people represent many original stocks, 

 which have developed variations of habits and customs in 

 their New World environment. They are practically 

 divisible into three great races, the white, colored, and 

 black, modified by Spanish, English, and French civiliza- 

 tions. 



