The Golden age. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1906-1915, March 22, 1906, Image 1

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rv 1 1UUUm111,mnTnm TTn I - THE .. S 1 IL.Ii zT the stat£> VOLUME ONE. N UNVE 7? FI VE. TYPE THAT IS PASSING By S. T. DALSHEIMER. URRENT publications, politics and con versation deal with different phases of the “race problem,” and its relation to the future of the country, more especially to the South; for the commercial and domestic interests of this section are necessa- —rily influenced by the so lution of this very problem. What this solution will be it is difficult to conjecture, and in the meantime the citizens themselves must suffer all the pangs of a transition state between the old and the new order of things. It is helpful, however, while waiting for some satisfactory condition to re sult from the present maze which over-education, over-civilization, even, have produced, for us to rest a while in careful contemplation of the past. That wonderful past before the ques tion of either enfranchisement or dis franchisement of the negro was ever used as a ponderous plank in the po litical platform; that past, over which hangs all the glamour of the long ago and which the younger generation, al most unconsciously invests with a halo of romance—that past embraced in the magic words “before the war!” Only one “War” to the American mind, of course—“ The War” means —that conflict between the States which left the South not only the bur den of political reconstruction, but also the gigantic task of financial re construction as well. It is of that time that we would think, if we are to have either help or pleasure from the recollections of the part played in our history by the negro. Fortunately, too, that time is not so distant but that some of its actual conditions, as well as of its recollections, exist to day. But this is true only in the per sonalities of the few old “mammies” and “uncles” of that dead era who still live and move among us, almost in the old way, and themselves almost unconscious of the vast differences which separate youth from age, the past from the present. It is in study ing such a one that we of today gain our real knowledge of a type that is passing, but which is as distinctive as any to be found in the record of any land or any people. Our writers and our poets, even, have en deavored to preserve this type in song and story, and so faithful have been some of these attempts, that they have rightly taken their place in the folk-lore of our country—that phase of litera- - . IBMF fez/ i m " z H sss %3SI * IWk ' '1 I i W iwWlrl WB ■ |i| t ii S ’ B w 4 * bC -1 -r. '. ! flfei ,| _ ilil ATLANTA, GA., MARCH 22, 1906. ture that perhaps more than any other will typify our real selves for the generations of the future. I would extend genuine pity to any southern man or woman whose childhood and youth never knew the touch and tenderness of the old black mammy —second only to the mother herself, did the chil dren love “mammy.” By a curious and inexplica ble fact the mother-love was developed in these old “ MA MM Y " servitors in a most remarkable degree, and although the race itself is a most prolific one, the number of offspring of the old mammy’s very own in no way northern man, wanted mammy, am] she was “lent” for a few months—her experiences were wonderful to the < d woman. With her limited mental vision everything was a revelation, A sleeping car filled her with astonishment—she could never adjust her self to it—an elevator was literally a miracle and Tiv- v \A\ e _ iFEAIt. A COPY. lessened the fountains of her love and deep, unselfish devotion was given equally to her own and her “mars ter’s” babies. If a shadow of differ ence in degree could be traced, it was always to be found in favor of the lat ter! A curious psychological phenom enon it is that permits development along but one line of mentality—for these old negro nurses were often pos sessed with the most limited intelli gences—many of them could never be taught to count above ten; but few could ever be persuaded to learn the alphabet, and perhaps not a single one could read a line or sign her own name. But think of their unspeakable intelligence when it came to the care of a baby! Compare it to the elabo rate ‘‘training” of the professional nurse of today, ami science itself will stand hack before the blind, but beau tiful knowledge of the black nurse of p'-te-hellum days’ Is it to be won dered nt .that smdi an element in a boi'S'd'old was invariably loved and honored, trusted and respected? As the oii'dnal generation which pro duced this prodigy began to pass, the individual nurse was carefully pre served for the new members of the growing families. In a special ease, which I have in mind, the family con sisted of six daughters, each of whom married, and each one divided the dear old mammy’s time and attention for the fiist few years after assuming her re av duties of wife and mother. Our vet'>r<* is taken from this particular in livi ’iud, who is so typical of her class that she may well be used as an ilb’st rat ion of it. Her “white folks” being necessa rily scattered alter the war, her own home rem-’ined for years with “ole m’ss” and the eldest daughter and the el-’est granddiild. It so happened that tins part of the family remained for yr- rs at the old home, so mammy had but few new expeiiences until com paratively late in life, and then the changes came! One of the other daiiL’hteis, who had married a