585 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
1897 
"THE NEW BLACK MAN." 
WHAT HE IS TRYING TO DO. 
A “ N e g ro Conference” in Alabama. 
Part II. 
“ Let dem talk about sum fin on dis round y earth ins ted oh 
gettin away up yunder amongst de stars!" 
The speakers all seemed ready to admit, with the 
utmost frankness, that, as a race, the negroes have 
been and are immoral and loose in their social re¬ 
lations. The most earnest discussions were as to 
whether any reported improvement was really true 
and permanent. One of the hardest things that 
Tuskegee-has had to combat is the fact that thousands 
of large negro families live in one-roomed houses or 
cabins with little or no possibility for privacy. Of 
course, any effort to improve the morals of a family 
housed under such conditions was idle, and one of 
the first suggestions offered was the building of 
houses with two or more rooms. Plans for cheap 
cottages of this character were drawn and circulated, 
and teachers and preachers were induced to make 
much of it. This simply shows how crude was the 
material of which The New Black Man has been 
shaped. 
No one expects a slave to possess a strong moral 
character. Mr. Washington tells a story to illustrate 
the negro’s conception of morality in property rights. 
A slave stole chickens and gave as an excuse that 
both he and the chickens belonged to his master. 
There was, therefore, no loss—it was simply “less 
chicken but more nigger”—a transfer of property 
from one form to another. A fair man would hardly 
expect to take such an idea out of a race in one 
quarter of the time required to put it in. 
The social aspect of negro life came up for a free 
discussion at this conference. There was no attempt 
to dodge it or smooth it over. It was discussed with 
freedom and vigor that might have shocked a white 
audience, yet here it seemed entirely in line with 
the true spirit of the meeting. 
“ What are your ministers doing ? ” 
That question was asked of every speaker. At the 
conference held four years ago, “grip-sack” preach¬ 
ers were discussed. These preachers are a sort of 
itinerant class that go from place to place, carrying 
what appears to be an ordinary grip-sack, but inside, 
it is filled with bottles of whisky. These they sell 
to the people after the services. Whenever a speaker 
referred to his home church, he was always inter¬ 
rupted with a question like this : 
“What sort of a man is your minister, and is his 
influence for good or for evil ? ” 
As one might well suppose, the answers were orig¬ 
inal and varied. One man, when pressed for an 
answer, said: “If you force me to it, I’ll tell the 
truth!” When asked to say just how the ministers 
behaved in his neighborhood, he said: “Well, their 
religion is all right, but don’t ask me anything about 
their morals ! ” 
This started up a white-haired church deacon, who 
put the case about as follows : “ Ef you preach the 
gospel of Christ an’ Him crucified, you does mighty 
poor business so fur ez de nickels in yo’ hat is con¬ 
cerned. Ef you git up en dance, you gobble up all de 
nickels an’ a good many chickens, too.” This man 
said that he knew of a church where there were more 
preachers than members ! His advice to those who 
are teaching in religious schools was about this : 
“ I want you to teach de preachers to go out amongst 
our people an’ teach dem less about heaben an’ how 
we’s gonter do up dere, when we don’t know nuflfin’ 
about libin down here. Let dem talk about sumfin’ 
on dis round yearth instid ob gittin away up yonder 
amongst de stars. Let em talk about sumfin dey 
knows a little sumfin’ about, ’cause it’s only a chance 
game ef dey gets to heaben anyway ! ” 
You may judge from this that these speakers were 
outspoken and frank in their statements. There are 
not a few white ministers who could well take this 
old man’s advice as a subject for prayerful considera¬ 
tion. One of the buildings at Tuskegee is devoted 
entirely to the education of colored preachers. Men 
come there who have been “ preaching ” or exhorting 
at churches or school houses for years, and are yet 
barely able to read and write. They know a few 
passages or chapters from the Bible almost by heart, 
and some of their sermons must, indeed, be original 
and striking. I was anxious to learn what conception 
of religion such men could possibly have. 
Briefly stated, I should say that they conceive of 
some vast and terrible being who controls the destinies 
of the world. This God, to their minds, is a stern and 
fearful master, rewarding those who obey Him, with 
extravagant promises for a hereafter, and terribly 
punishing those who disobey Him. It is a crude and 
awful religion of fear. In teaching these men, the 
effort is made gently but securely to turn this idea 
around and teach a religion of love rather than of 
fear. It is taught that man should serve God, not 
because he fears Him, but because he loves Him. 
One might say that these ignorant preachers form 
a most unpromising stock upon which to build such a 
belief. Yet the leaven is working ; there can be no 
question about that. The evidences of it are too 
plain to be ignored. I saw these men working at the 
forge and in the shop during the day and studying at 
night in order to fit themselves for a double purpose 
in the development of their race. After being gradu¬ 
ated at this school they are qualified to go out 
among their own people, set up a modest shop, culti¬ 
vate a small piece of land, teach the school and 
preach a gospel of help and hope. These men are 
like human bacteria. Their example and influence 
will spread throughout the neighborhood or com¬ 
munity. It will not do to say that this is mere 
theory, for it is an accomplished fact in dozens of 
instances. I have been told by those who sneer at 
the idea of negro improvement that these graduates 
will in time become car-porters and waiters. I would 
never expect to see a car-porter graduated from the 
anvil or the carpenter’s bench. The Tuskegee idea 
recognizes the fact that the negro is by pedigree and 
condition a laborer. He is to do the work of the 
South. That section has crippled itself financially 
by paying for skilled labor. The New Black Man is 
a skilled workman with strength and depth rather 
than polish Let us see something of his education 
Dext. _ h. w. c. 
Prizes for House Plans. 
$15 $10 $5 
THE following letter will explain itself. 
Comfortable Farm House Wanted. 
Husband and I have been reading about an 
up-to-date barn, in The R. N.-Y., and discussing 
its merits. We often see good plans for barns, 
but I wish to ask for a plan of an up-to-date farm 
house—not a house for the retired farmer, but for 
those who are bearing the heat and burden of the 
day; one where all the employees through seed- 
• ing, planting, haying, harvesting, thrashing and 
caring for the stock in winter, can be fed and 
lodged conveniently and economically to the 
farmer’s wife, and comfortably to the family the 
year through. There are so many demands upon 
the farm house that it ought to be the best struc¬ 
ture that can be designed. I am not asking for 
an expensive house that would be out of keeping 
with the price of land and farm produce, but for 
a convenient, comfortable, shapely dwelling for 
plain farmers. a farmer’s wife. 
The R. N.-Y. will offer prizes of $15, $10 and $5 for 
the first, second and third best plans for such a house 
as is called for in the above letter. 
We want drawings or photographs and estimates 
of cost. 
The contest will close on December 1, 1897. 
The judges will be the woman who wrote the above 
letter, the editor of The R. N.-Y., and a third party 
to be selected by the two first-named judges. 
Put on your thinking cap, and build your farm castle 
AMONG THE MARKETMEN. 
LATEST AMENDMENTS TO THE NEW YORK GAME LAWS. 
The last New York Legislature did the usual 
amount of tinkering with the game laws, adding 
amendment to amendment, twisting and changing 
around, making exceptions here and there, until one 
must needs be a pretty smart lawyer to know where 
he is at on this subject. Be it understood that The 
R. N.-Y. is in favor of the protection of the game of 
the State, especially in the interests of the farmers of 
the State who have the greatest proprietary interest 
therein. But there are so many changes every year, 
and some of them so ridiculous, that it is almost im¬ 
possible for the ordinary man to keep posted, and the 
first he knows he is violating some law and subject¬ 
ing himself to a heavy penalty without any intention 
of so doing. Often, too, one is liable.to violate the 
law in spite of himself. For instance, certain -laws 
prohibit the catching of certain fish at certain times. 
One must not fish for, catch or kill. Supposing that 
the farmer’s boy goes fishing—as farmers’ boys have 
been in the habit of doing from time immemorial ! 
He may be simply fishing for anything that will 
nibble his bait, or for any particular fish ; but if one 
of the fish which the majesty of the law says he must 
not catch happen to get on his hook, he is at once 
liable to arrest and to a fine of $25. Certain restric¬ 
tions are all right, but some of those in the new laws 
are preposterous, and the fines are excessive. 
X X X 
Among the fish laws is one forbidding the fishing 
for, catching, killing or possessing of Black bass or 
Oswego bass, except from June 15 to December 31, 
and prohibiting the catching or attempting to catch 
in the Schoharie River or in Fox’s Creek, within 
three years, from May 31, 1896, except in the month 
of August. Pickerel, pike or Wall-eyed pike must 
not be taken except from May 1 to January 31, ex¬ 
cept as provided in some other section which not one 
man in 1 0,000 knows anything about. These provi¬ 
sions “shall not apply to the Saint Lawrence between 
Tibbett’s Point lighthouse and the City of Ogdens- 
burg. ” The penalty for each fish is $25. No fish 
must be taken from Chautauqua Lake from May 1 to 
June 15 each year, except by authority of the State 
for propagation. This act is solely for the protec¬ 
tion of fish in Chautauqua Lake. Aren’t there other 
near-by lakes that need the same protection ? Then 
there is another act in relation to fishing in the 
Saint Lawrence River. An act regulating fishing in 
Canandaigua Lake has a $100 penalty attached. 
Then there is an amendment to an amendment to 
an amendment to a law passed in 1892, which pro¬ 
hibits fishing with nets in the Hudson or Delaware 
Rivers or Rondout Creek, except that between 
March 14 and June 15, shad and herring may be 
taken with hand nets only ; but these must not be 
drawn between sunse t on Friday night and sunrise 
on Monday morning, except the weather prevent the 
drawing of the nets before sunset on Friday. Then 
there are exceptions which apply to certain waters, 
specifications as to size of mesh, etc., that furnish all 
sorts of loop-holes. The penalty attached to this is 
$50. One act relates “ to fishing in certain waters in 
Warren County,” one “ to fishing through the ice in 
certain parts of Owasco Lake,” another to taking 
minnows for bait, etc. The open season for trout is 
from April 16 to August 31, but there are some ex¬ 
ceptions to this. On the same day this was passed, 
another amendment was enacted to the effect that 
the open season is from March 29 to August 31. As 
these are amendments to the third and fourth de¬ 
gree, they may be all right, but in the name of com¬ 
mon sense why not make it plain whether we can 
catch trout from March 29 to April 15 or not. The 
long and short of it is that it isn’t intended that 
these laws shall be understood by the layman. 
X X X 
The laws protecting deer are again amended, and 
they may not be killed except from August 15 to 
November 15, and no one may kill or take alive more 
than two in one season. No traps or other device for 
enticing them shall be used, and dogs shall not be 
used. Some of these provisions do not apply to Long 
Island, and in the counties of Ulster,Greene and Dela¬ 
ware, no deer shall be killed for five years from May 
10, 1897. Then there are other restrictions and ex¬ 
ceptions. The penalty is $100. In the towns of Dres¬ 
den and Putnam, Washington County, deer must not 
be killed before March 18, 1907. Quail must not be 
sold or possessed except during the months of Novem¬ 
ber, December and January, and in a number of coun¬ 
ties not at all until November 1, 1898. The penalty 
is $25. In a large number of towns in the Adirondack 
region, it is unlawful to light fires for the purpose of 
clearing land during certain periods and without cer¬ 
tain restrictions. Some of these laws are good and 
all right, but they should all be brought together and 
put into such shape that any man of ordinary intel¬ 
ligence can understand them and know whether he is 
violating them or not. f. h. y. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Farmers who have used lowdown farm wagons tell us they 
are the most convenient and best labor-saving implements on the 
farm. The low wheels make loading comparatively easy, and 
the broad tires prevent cutting into the ground and making deep 
ruts as is the case with narrow tires. The Havana Metal Wheel 
Co., Havana, Ill., make an all-steel wagon that can not rot out or 
dry out, and is difficult to wear out. They are all fully war¬ 
ranted and guaranteed to give satisfaction in every way. 
At first it seemed to be a hard matter to get a machine that 
would relieve our wives and mothers from the thrifty, though 
tedious work of knitting a supply of stockings and mittens for 
the family. The first machines did only fairly well, but improve¬ 
ments were made from time to time as experience suggested, 
until now we believe a machine has been perfected that gives 
general satisfaction. This is the Gearfield Family Knitter, made 
by the Gearfield Knitting Machine Co., Clearfield, Pa. They offer 
inducements to agents for selling it. Any one interested may get 
full information by addressing the maker as above. 
Water on the farm at all the buildings has always been one 
of the essential conditions of farm life as it must ever be. In 
towns and cities the people cooperate and secure water from a 
common source; but the individual farmer must in most cases 
provide it for himself and at his own expense. The man who has 
a good spring or brook convenient to the buildings or so located 
that the water can be conducted to the house and barn is, indeed, 
fortunate ; but when he has not these advantages, a well is next 
best. But a well is a poor thing if it goes dry in a drought as 
many of them do. They fail at a time when most wanted. This, 
of course, may be avoided by drilling the well so deep that it will 
be beyond surface conditions and at a depth where water cur 
rents and reservoirs are not affected by surface droughts. This 
gives a constant and sure supply at all times, and is making 
drilled wells popular throughout the country. Loomis & Hyman, 
Tiffin, O., make a good outfit for well drilling, and if you are 
short of water in dry times it would be well for you to write them 
for information in reference to the matter. 
