The Boy With the U.S. Census

ilton stayed only a few hours in Washington to receive final instructions before proceeding t

ce he found the supe

ly well scattered district to cover. You said you wanted to get a chance to see Kentucky as it

t it was largely a negro distri

varieties, from old-time slaves who have never left the plantation on which they were piccaninnies during the war, to progressive negroes owning fair-sized tracts of

r," Hamilton said with delight. "How

ral schedules, I think it would be easier to do the work from a buggy. But with the field wo

him in a buggy except by tying the horse and walking, while in the saddle I could easily take short cuts. And I imagine, in a coun

g a horse, and I've been looking round for one for some time. I think I have the very one

e the owner, the bette

"and then they won't try any over-clever work. Horse-de

, "and I really don't know enough t

marked, "and so I've been around horses pretty much al

this somewhat irregular way?" asked Hamilton, remem

ervisor

most resentful about an outsider coming in wouldn't have been appointed under any circumstances. Indeed, the best of the three undertook to describe the other two. His letter w

as follows in

R.

s a going to make it & when I Got to the Postoffice ther

ept to be Suported by his wife & the Publick & has had his Last School to Teach in this Town. he is so Imoral People will not Tollerate him any Longer the Wrighte

n my applicati

aler in Coal & Feed & his Father has

der him for

e for Publick Buisness & I am an Indipendent Bele

Without feer of any of ab

ain Re

-

supervisor, who had just come back with his hat

rivals," he said, "that is, if our friend is right. His inform

d teaching enumerators was no light job, let me tell you. You take seventy-five to a hundred absolutely green hands, who have never done anything like it before, and it is a hard

olored enumerators, I sup

e that any of my districts warranted it. It may be different in counties where the proportion of col

orgia and M

ces about this very colored enumerator question. I found the supervisors over those districts about evenly divided for and against. I ha

here evidently," Hamilt

now. Out of twenty-one counties in my district, fourteen possess neither rai

whistle

ven in the mountains. But I'm glad, just the same, because these isolated communities ar

e building, "and you'll need four legs more beside your own two." He led the way to a stall ne

uty!" excla

ervisor

tableman; "it's a good thing I arranged the price before

an that," said the

friend, "I don't hear yo

y. "And the price is what you said to me

ands," his fr

," said Hamilton

r pulled out

ou saw her and to want her right away. I made out a check for the amount, and yo

hank him, but the sup

don't suppose you really need to, you had better read it over and return it to me when you're through with it. Now I'm going to leave you here with this gentleman," he added, nodding to the owner of the horse, "and you can arrange wi

erk, and went back to his hotel to study carefully the map of his district and the route suggested, and to make sure that he thoroughly understood the population and agricultural schedules he would have to use. T

e said half aloud, "or I'd find this pretty tricky. I shoul

ilton felt himself perfectly sure of his ground on the work, and he we

luck wishes before he went. The mare was a delight, being well-paced, and the horseman from whom Hamilton had bought the animal had taken a great deal of pains to get him a saddle tree that fitted him, so th

se he tabulated all through the month. As a typical example it impressed itself upon his memory. He began next door to the house where he had eaten dinner. The

as opened, "I'm the census-taker and I called

' noth'n but quest'ns?" answered the you

answered, "is it all

h. An' besides, that's fo' fahmers. An' yo' have anotheh jes' like it!" she continued, n

se other questions are about farms, just as you

jes' said he was too tiehed to do anythin', an' dat ar census list is the confusin'est thing Ah eveh saw. Ah thought Ah ought to do somethin', an' so Ah jes' took a big sheet o' wrappin' paper an' started to write the answers to the quest'ns on that, thinkin' some o' the

't got anything ready

in',

and put the answers down myself," the boy said

e woman suggested. "Yo'll ne

asier writing on a table. I guess I will come in. Now," he co

man replied, "seve

said Hamilton, entering a "1" in both columns. "Now for the hea

my husban'. We done b

is Stephen? What i

son,

lored, I

's quite dark

Stephen," in the name column, the word "Head" in the relation col

the woman replied, "he was jes'

the number of years married as "6," and "M. 1," to show that he was married, and married on

she answered; "we was m

our na

y, s

other

amne,

Wife," "F" for female, "Mu" for mulatto, "22" for present age, "M.

ave ch

' dumb. An' so quick an' clever, sah

they do such wonderful things to help them no

enough. But we're g

at is h

h, an' he's jes' fo'

m he could see sitting in an inner room, and noted down in the

inued, "were you bot

ttle Eddie. I'm f'om Delaware, an' mah Steve,

e get this straight. Stephen Lawson is from Maryland, you said, you'

s,

land but I suppose since you're from Del

swered, "he done live in

he same fashion those of the husband, while the filling in of the c

he went on, "of course you're both Americans. And you both s

band work at?" was

garden

d j

in the big n

lar wage

nine doll

to state whether he is paying wages, or being paid wages, or working on

he does," the w

do?

ings like that, which the ladies want jes' as carefully done!

that the woman was a laundress, and that she worked on her o

nk you said you couldn't write, and that you h

' to write much; mah mother was ill all the time, an' Ah had to stay home. But

did not know how to write, the information could be so easily secured. After jotting down a "Yes" and a "No" respectively for Husband

on, but Ah don't know anythin' about mo'gages an' Ah won't buy unti

the next house, "it would hardly do for one of Uncle Sam's census men to come betwee

t, sah. Is th

s all, and I'm ve

ad," said the woman,

plied, "but you see what trouble it would be for me with some one who wasn't willing to talk, and how hard it woul

passed out, "Ah jes' hope yo' don' fin' a si

rning," he rejoined and tu

amilton was able to complete the numbering of the village by nightfall, and he s

latter contained more detailed information and required a more accurate statement, still all manufacturers kept books. For the details needed in the agricultural statistics no books had been kept; the negro farmer seldom or never knew how many chickens he had, and the wild

household, although he had to listen to a great deal of unnecessary family history. There was no great difficulty, moreover, in finding out that the

e farmer said; "it was in hor

d, "what I want to know is how much of it is good

e Irishman answered; "what for should I

milton, deciding to try and get

nd it, since I came here,-ye don't mean to tell me that

ht, but it isn't counted in as 'improved land.' I'll put i

that ye couldn't improve unless ye

I guess," the boy answered, "anyhow for the time we

ad some story to tell about every yearling on the place, and they were inimitably told. It was with great reluctance that Hamilton found himself obliged to head off the man's eloquence and make him stick to hard facts. An inquiry as to the number of eggs sold was somewhat of a puzzle, but th

s boy keep six hives near the orchard and field. A good share of the honey had gone to the neighbor, and the family themselves had used all they wanted, but still the boy's profit for what he had sold amounted

derground but he had made the common mistake of supposing them to grow on the roots of the peanut plant like the tubers of a potato, instead of really being a true nut, developin

his sister at work when Ham

ing, "we're goin' to buy a big patch o' peanut land. Ah'd like to grow peanuts every year, but these hyar gov'nment pape

a very trou

aw up to Colonel 'Gerius' place the other day, one the gov'nment puts out, thar's a list showin' this country has to send to foreign countries fo' twelve million

rl and her younger brothers not only knew enough about the peanut business t

u people-" and he stopped suddenly, realiz

g. Colonel 'Gerius jes' does all he can, an' he gets us gov'nment seeds an' papers, an' advises every one fo' miles aroun'. Yas, sah, we're gettin' on. If yo' have

surprise. "I'm glad to hear it, fo

everythin' to the folks at the Big House and to Mistah Ephraim Jones. Yo'l

id Hamilton. "Let's see, I did

d them all, sah,

ghout the rest of the day the census-gathering was of similar character, and it was drawing toward dark when the boy saw before him a well-ordered a

ains the visitin' strangehs, sah, an' if yo' go right on to that big yalle

thing else to do, and he rode on to the gate. Tethering his mare to a tie-post in front of the house he started up the walk, carrying his portfolio, so that in the event of any

orse. Tom!" he called, "yo' take the gen'leman's horse to the stable, rub him down with

"for taking all this trouble, but p

s' as yo'

here I could stay the night and begin work in the morning. A man I met on the street told me th

gen'lemen that come hyar do me the honor us'ally, sah, of bein' my guests. Ah hav

thought had been in his mind, and in order to cover any possible s

right,-it wouldn

t him quietly and a littl

know. We find, sah, that it is mos' desirable for every one concerne

of Bullertown on the day that th

he would have received in any town not entirely a negro community,

no quest'n hyar, sah, about colored and white people bein' the same,-we know they're different. An' we believe, sah, that it is in preservin' the color line, not in tryin'

all the l

cate does,

ave some wealthy

n was begun, sah, by the k

t is, he is-" began

tire self-possession. "Colonel Egerius, sah, was a plantation owner, befo' the war. Ah was one o' his s

started

k to the old plantation. Some of the slaves had gone, but thar was quite a few left still. He called us to the big house an' tol' us to stay by t

rius was a kind master? How could t

worker. But his slaves was his slaves an' they had no rights. Thar wasn't any whippin' or any o' that

milton. "Your description of him doesn't sound as

ted as slaves. Now that the negro was not a slave any mo', thar was no reason to make him live like one. He used to say the Sou

fair as anyth

no money in the place, the slaves hadn' had wages, an' yo' can'

rld did you manage

a surveyor from the town an' hunted over the plantation to fin

the town got i

ther, an' the Colonel showed us how to make a sort o' syndicate. Then he sol' us the land jes' as low as it could be made, payment to be in labor on t

a fair price, got the money back that he put into buildings, established a regular s

bought up all the surveyed property f'om the Colonel. Now, sah," continued the preacher, "if yo' will excuse me, Ah will see that yo'r s

y girl, black as the ace of spades, waited at table, and in conversation Hamilton learned that she was the adopted daughter of the eldest son of the negro preacher, the son being a professo

ils secured, he closed the census portfolio. "Do, you think the negro ought only to learn a f

g fo' colored lawyers an' doctors, an' if the standard were high-higher even than in white colleges-these men would get standin'

the boy remarked. "Surely you don't believe i

he city. He can't beat the white man, an' thar's no chance o' his securin' a monopoly o' any trade. Thar'

cities," the boy remarked, "they're mostly el

ble lies," the old man said,

outh has settled the race question? I thought it was the

o preacher s

ed States was grown by negroes ownin' their own land? An' the cotton crop of America's one of her biggest sources o' wealth. Th

e negroes as owning land at al

the New England States is owned by the colored race," was the reply, "ma

at land wo

h, Ah was told at the last censu

oes own the land and is making money, he still goes on living in a shiftless way.

l the negroes in the South still live in one-roomed cabins, cookin', eatin', and sleepin' i

've been told, that is always a cash crop. But why does every one lea

work, an' it has to be done in summer, an' thar's no shade in a cotton fiel'. Right from the sowin'

" asked the boy, who had never seen a cotton pl

high an' thar's always a lot of it that's shorter. The bolls hang low, sometimes, an' yo've got to go pickin', pickin', stoopin' halfway oveh an' the hot sun beatin' down on yo' neck an' back. Since the war the planters have tried all sorts

king scene. Working under a blazing sun and a haze

all the negroes

' the trade schools would provide fo' all the workers in towns in the cotton district, an'

just make the cotton section solid negro. Wou

the mos' o' the colored people are, they're willin' enough to be let alone. Thar's a lot o' talk about a race war, an' it might come some time, but not likely fo' a good many hundred y

behind his host, "if that isn't a whole lot more likely t

orses' hoofs, and looking up, saw a tall, stern-visaged soldierly-looking gentleman, with iron-gray hair, riding a powerful iron-gray horse. Beside h

I'm the census enumerator for this dist

a week ago from the supervisor, whom I have known for some time, telling me that you were a friend of his. I wanted to

ton b

, Colonel Egerius," h

s in the country. By the way," he added, "have you hea

d, "I started out with my

lunch," the planter continued. "You

Egerius," th

I heard of your expected arrival I have been looking forward to your visit. Now that

and consulting his watch found

l Egerius," he said, "and shall look for

trust," said the old gentleman, s

wered Hamilton with a smile. The old soldier nodded approvingly. "Re

ccasion to remark on the

ind a village so well managed and

ow could they do anything different? I have shown them every s

uldn't have done

ived as far back as time goes in one of the most fertile and well-watered countries of

ggested Hamilton. "I hear the negro is getti

ly a few-of the tricks of modern civilization, and those only outwardly. The few cases of leadersh

shington was a pure neg

tes that his father was a white man. His mother was a negress. H

will ever marry enough with t

d. "It is a crime in many States

's going t

elation to the cotton crop. You say they are succeeding in it. Perhaps. But did they learn the uses of cotton, did they develop machinery to clean and spin it, or devices for weaving? Was it negr

o be getting a b

epend on the man that buys the crop, and the cotton exchange wouldn't be run for the benefit of the negro. In slavery days, too, there was some

was better in

ad to support all the old, the sick, the children, and the poor workers. Under present conditions you hire just whom you want. The cost is about even, and the res

ered the old neg

him in,

h him a gaunt, emaciated negro, who cringed as he enter

dropping unconsciously into the familiar form o

olonel said abruptly "Peter,

, Ma

queried the old soldier. "He looks to m

," said the negro, "he's b

embering suddenly that the matter was not his

don, sir," he s

indignantly at the boy's interruption, but his immediate apology caused the old gentlem

tell hi

emember Missis, an' Ah've often heard mah mother cry when we was l

," said the Colonel, "I

ar were sixty of us hired together. The pay was good. The day we come, we were put into a group o' huts with a stockade 'rou

irt

I know of five, an'

t what you've heard," admonis

irst but the worst come later. About three years ago a lot mo' huts was put up an' the stockade was made bigger. We thought things w

ked the lad, "but can that be true? Does any

ly, "and Florida is on

ther an' decided to escape, but when it come to doin' it, only three would go. One got away entirely, one was shot, an' Ah was caught. They took me to the stockade an' whipped me 'mos' to death, three days runnin'. The third day Ah was so near dead that they didn't tie me up, an' when,

looked at th

story than I had to. But it's easy enough to see that you have been abused, and that y

s,

field hand, beginning from to-morrow, but don't send him to the field for a couple of week

retched frame showing up miserably in the strong sun

lavery I ever heard of," bur

the old veteran. "

still

n operation last year," was the reply,

usually seen in Southern States, though the