﻿The 
  Colored 
  Race. 
  49 
  

  

  were, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  gift 
  of 
  freedom, 
  instead 
  of 
  contributing 
  

   to 
  their 
  advancennent, 
  has 
  tended 
  to 
  repress 
  them 
  by 
  reason 
  

   of 
  the 
  prejudice 
  and 
  opposition 
  of 
  the 
  whites. 
  Whatever 
  

   may 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  — 
  and 
  we 
  do 
  

   not 
  believe 
  it 
  warranted 
  in 
  any 
  portion 
  — 
  that 
  impression 
  is 
  

   entirely 
  without 
  foundation, 
  except 
  in 
  conjecture 
  or 
  mis- 
  

   representation, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  North 
  Carolina 
  is 
  concerned. 
  If 
  

   any 
  people 
  anywhere 
  possess 
  a 
  full 
  measure 
  of 
  liberty 
  to 
  do 
  

   for 
  themselves 
  as 
  to 
  themselves 
  seems 
  best, 
  without 
  let 
  or 
  

   hindrance, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  colored 
  people 
  — 
  men, 
  women 
  and 
  chil- 
  

   dren 
  — 
  of 
  this 
  State. 
  In 
  all 
  public 
  places 
  they 
  are 
  cheerfully 
  

   allowed 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  assume 
  but 
  to 
  assert 
  their 
  rights; 
  and, 
  

   as 
  a 
  consequence, 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  " 
  happy 
  as 
  the 
  day 
  is 
  long," 
  

   as 
  the 
  old 
  saying 
  goes. 
  They 
  sing 
  at 
  their 
  work 
  and 
  at 
  

   their 
  play 
  without 
  objection 
  from 
  their 
  employers; 
  and 
  to 
  

   listen 
  to 
  their 
  melodious 
  strains 
  on 
  the 
  raihvay 
  cars, 
  in 
  

   which 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  always 
  moving; 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  to- 
  

   bacco 
  manufactories, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  cotton 
  or 
  other 
  plantations, 
  

   is 
  a 
  pleasure 
  that 
  is 
  worth 
  a 
  long 
  journey 
  to 
  enjoy. 
  They 
  

   are 
  contented 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  prospering. 
  They 
  are 
  a 
  class 
  

   still 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  whites, 
  and 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  they 
  must 
  

   remain 
  so; 
  but 
  the 
  kind 
  consideration 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   every 
  where 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  the 
  many 
  opportuni- 
  

   ties 
  the 
  State 
  affords 
  — 
  educationally 
  and 
  industrially 
  — 
  for 
  

   their 
  advancement 
  to 
  a 
  higher 
  plane 
  of 
  existence 
  are 
  cir- 
  

   cumstances 
  that 
  are 
  helping 
  them 
  to 
  push 
  upward 
  and 
  on- 
  

   ward 
  rapidly 
  in 
  the 
  scale 
  of 
  being. 
  Schools 
  and 
  churches 
  

   for 
  them 
  abound 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  towns 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  villages, 
  

   and 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  avocations 
  of 
  life 
  they 
  have 
  an 
  equal 
  chance 
  

   with 
  their 
  former 
  masters 
  and 
  their 
  descendants. 
  Com- 
  

   mencing 
  with 
  nothing 
  but 
  their 
  ability 
  to 
  labor, 
  many 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  now 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  farms 
  and 
  farm 
  stock, 
  stores 
  

   and 
  other 
  business 
  establishments, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  

   what 
  they 
  have 
  acquired 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  fairly 
  protected 
  as 
  are 
  

   the 
  whites. 
  With 
  all 
  the 
  primary 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  tobacco 
  

   interest 
  they 
  are 
  prominently 
  identified, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  

   reason 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  devoted 
  so 
  much 
  space 
  

   here 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  their 
  welfare. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  majority 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  hands 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  facto- 
  

   ries 
  and 
  warehouses 
  here, 
  are 
  colored, 
  are 
  well 
  treated 
  and 
  

   receive 
  good 
  wages. 
  Blackwell's 
  Durham 
  Tobacco 
  Co. 
  em- 
  

   ploy 
  about 
  500 
  men, 
  women 
  and 
  children. 
  They 
  have 
  large 
  

   and 
  flourishing 
  churches 
  and 
  schools, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   writer 
  can 
  ascertain, 
  are 
  contented 
  and 
  prosperous. 
  

  

  