EMORY UNIVERSITY
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
IN A
WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY
SOME ACCOUNT OF A TRIP TO THE
LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN
FOURTH EDITION
BY
WILLIAM S. BROOKS
Copyright by
WIIOJAM S. BROOKS
Minneapolis, Minn.
A. £>., lB9y.
To THE BELOVED PARTNER OF MY
UFE, WHO HAS BEEN NOT ONLY EN¬
COURAGEMENT BUT INSPIRATION,
THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS INSCRIBED.
PREFATORY NOTE.
Rev. No all Lathrop, A. M., one of the
senior members of Northern Minnesota Con¬
ference, well and favorably known for over
forty years in the state, writes the following:
I have carefully read the manuscript of
4'What a Black Man Saw in a White Man's
Country." and enjoyed it. Mr. Brooks is
outwardly, at least, a very black man, but his
book will read white for it contains careful,
honest views of things the author saw on his
interesting trip.
The manuscript reads to me as though it
had been prepared for oral delivery, and I
think he might do well to deliver it in thai
manner. This, however, is no objection, as
it gives it vivacity and clearness.
I commend it to readers who may wish to
be instructed and amused.
Noah Lathrop.
npHERE are black men and men that are
black. There are white men and men
that are white. You can not be absolutely sure
when viewing the exterior, whether you are
in the presence of a white man or a black
man. The greatest character of the ages
said to the carping critics of his day, u Ye
are xike unto whited sepulchres which indeed
appear beautiful outward but are within full
of dead men's bones and all uncleanliness."
They were, I suppose what in modern par¬
lance would be called black hearted. They
say the black man came from the curse of
Ham by his father, Noah, way back just
after the flood; but later developments of
this scientific age show either that the
6
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
curse is being removed by the will of the
Almighty in his dispensation of modern
civilizing influences, or that it was formerly
misinterpreted. Let us hope, at least that
that curse, if upon any one, was upon those
who were black inside. But I did not start
to give you a homily, but rather to tell you
in good plain English, what one of the black¬
est of men, externally, saw in the land
some of the whitest of men, externally.
I was reared a traveler. My first lessons
in the world were in traveling—running
errands. I early evinced a desire to travel
far and wide in this world. My neighbors
undoubtedly had the same hopes and ambit¬
ions for me. It was the inexpressible
and romantic pleasure of the author to
visit the land of, and to mingle with, the
fair skinned and flaxen haired sons of Sweden
and the Northland. The voyage, wonders of
IN A WHITE MAN'S 'COUNTRY.
7
a foreign country, and the delightful people
who chanced to be my traveling companions,
gave me so much pleasure, that I would fain
share all with my fellow men. My experi¬
ences on the Scandinavian peninsula have, as
we would say in homely parlance, "stuck to
my ribs."
On the 14th of February, 1895, my valen¬
tine was a railroad and a steamship ticket
authorizing the railroad and steamship com¬
panies to carry " 'Dis colored pusson" by
way of Chicago, Washington, Baltimore and
other American cities, to New York on the
way to the "Land of the Mid Night Sun."
On February 27th, in company with Rev.
J. O. Bergman, a brother beloved, I boarded
the palatial steamship "Majestic," of the
White Star Line, for Liverpool, England.
As the hands of my watch pointed to the hour
of nine A. M., the whistle blew its musical
8
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
blast, the bell struck the call, the last cable
was unloosed, the machinery started, the boat
became, as it were, a t!i:ng of life, and we
pushed out and down the channel of New
York harbor to the sea. Goodbyes were
shouted back and forth, handkerchiefs were
waved, kisses were thrown, and all the hum¬
orous and sad ceremonies of parting passed
through.
We lost sight of the Yankee home shore
just as the sun was nearing the western hori¬
zon. Black night came on and the ocean
seemed to be irritated, nay, actually to be
angry. Whether because a black man was
going to a white man's country, or whether
the ocean god mistook me for a Jonah, flee¬
ing from the face of the Lord to escape some
unpleasant duty, it is not for me to determine.
One thing, however, is certain, we could not
keep on our feet, but grabbed for ropes and
The Only Black Man on Board
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 9
railings, in short anything to keep us from
being washed overboard and drowned in the
depths of the sea. Before ten o'clock that
night over four hundred souls on board that
ship were as pitiable, sorry-looking, sea-sick
.set as you could well imagine. Sea sickness?
I'll not undertake to describe it. I'm not
equal to the task. I doubt if any man is.
The nearest to a description that I remember
to have heard is given in the experience of
one of America's great descriptive writers,
Mark Twain: "At first I was in terror, for
I feared I should die, but the second day out
I was afraid I should not die." I said, like
the homesick boy: "Oh, if I was only on
the hill over by Daddy's, I wouldn't be here."
But I was there. The sailors said the ship
behaved very nicely, but my experience was
such that I shall never for a moment doubt
the absolute truthfulness of Psalm 107, 23-31
IO WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
nor that other verse in the same Psalm,
"Their soul abhoreth all manner of meat and
they draw nigh to the gates of death."
As to the accommodations for passengers
on board steamship, the comfort of sailing
depends upon the individual, or rather the
freedom with which he loosens his purse
strings. Nothing in our great hotels could
be more sumptuous, or could attention be
more obsequious than that furnished to first-
class cabin passengers; but when it comes to
going in third class, as perhaps three-fourths
of the number making up our list did, it is
quite another thing. Given one tin plate and
one tin cup which must be returned in good
condition or paid for, and you have the third
class passengers outfit. Whether it be tea,
coffee, soup, potatoes, New Orleans molasses,
or these and some other things mixed to¬
gether, he must dispose of them by th£ aid
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. II
of these utensils. But enough of this, I
must go on with my story.
On Sabbath, services were held in the first
cabin for the benefit of the elite and the first
class sinners. They consisted of reading by
the captain, of the ritual of the church of
England, but from these services the vulgar,
or common third class sinners, were excluded.
To these, however, Rev. Bergman, my com¬
panion in travel, and myself were permitted
to minister, and these, being as I have al¬
ready stated about three-fourths of the entire
number of passengers, 'we had at least the
largest congregation, if not the most elegant
and fashionable services. Indeed our ser°
vices were of the good old Methodist style.
We preached, prayed, sung, had the mourn¬
ers bench, some got converted, many got
happy, and we literally fulfilled that scripture
which says: "Cry out and shout thou in-
12
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
habitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One
of Isreal in the midst of thee." I have no
doubt the day of reckoning will show that
good was done by our services on that voy¬
age. I gained among them the title of "The
African Prince," and as I was the only black
man on board, I suppose the condition was
quite changed from the old days of slavery.
It was a great privilege to preach Christ
among these people as we sailed over the
deep blue sea. After a voyage of seven days
of varied experiences, we dropped anchor in
the Mersey at Liverpool. A short sojourn
was made among our English cousins, then we
took shipping at the sea-port town of Hull,
to cross the North sea. The voyage from
Hull to Gottenburg was uneventful and con¬
sumed about two days. On our arrival a
crowd filled the quay of the quaint Swedish
town and many rushed wildly on board our
in a white man's country. 13
ship. I seemed to be the center of attraction
or as one might say, the Lion of the occasion.
If I walked toward the bow of the boat the
crowd rushed in that direction, and if I
wended my way toward the stearn, the crowd
sternly followed.
I began to quake. It looked as though it
might be dangerous to land. What was I to
do? After a time, however, they learned
that the hue of my skin was not put on for
the occasion and that I was not to blame for
being black. The Ethiopian cannot change
his skin any more than the leopard can change
his spots, or the Swede his flaxen hair.
Finally they assumed a more friendly atti¬
tude toward me, and I went on shore, per¬
suaded that God had not only made of one
blood all nations of men, but also of one
heart, even if he had not made them all of
one skin. I had hardly set foot on their soil,
H
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
however, when one man approached me and
said, " Huru star det till?" I though he
said, "You story tell." I did not relish
being called a. liar, and, minister though I
am, my Yankee blood was up. I said: uyou
are mistaken, I am not the man." Still he
repeated "Huru star det till?" I think he
had a few J's and other consonants stuck
around in his expression somewhere. I kept
as cool as I could under the circumstances
and answered him, "What about?" He
still insisted on it "Huru star det till?"
and reached out his hand. I thought he was
about to attempt to arrest me and so I a.-
sumed a daring attitude of pugilistic defences
At this juncture of affairs a friend near by
came to my relief, saying, "The man is
simply saying, 'How do you do?' "
Whether I was fully sanctified I will not
say, certainly I was not fully posted in the
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 15
language and etiquette of these brothers be¬
yond the North sea.
It was a new revelation to me to land and
tread the narrow streets of Gottenburg. This
is the second city of the Scandinavian penin¬
sula, having a population of about 100,000.
It is situated on the west coast of Sweden,
east of the north point of the Denmark pen¬
insula. It is an enterprising and very beau¬
tiful city, and was founded by Gustavus
Adolphus about 1620. Its mercantile inter¬
ests are considerable, its museum invites ex¬
amination, and its horticultural gardens are
worthy of note. The chief park is very beau¬
tiful, having many specimens of tropical trees
and shrubbery, which one would suppose
could not be grown in such a climate. Got¬
tenburg is visited in the summer season by
many tourists from southern climes. One
sees all kinds of funny people there and hears
16 WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
all kinds of funny languages. The Swedish
language itself to me recalls to mind the in¬
cident said to have caused its origination.
It is as follows:
Of course we are supposed to know that all
languages originated at the Tower of Babel
when God, becoming displeased with his
children's attempt to build the great tower to
the skies, scattered them by the confusion of
tongues that he created amongst them. It is
said that the Swedish tongue originated in
this wise: One of the masons working upon
the tower shouted to his helper for more mor¬
tar. The hod carrier beneath the scaffolding,
not fully understanding the order looked up
with mouth wide open. Just at that moment a
pound or so of mortar slipped from the trowel
of the workman above into the gaping mouth
of the carrier. Of course he spit and sput¬
tered and ejaculated several gutteral and con-
A First-Class Sinner. [See page 11]
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 17
sonant sounds in tlie ejectment of the mortar,
which combination of J's and gutterals, it is
claimed, by the enemies of our Saxon-haired
friends across the sea, was adopted as their
language.
The Swedish language, much like the Ger¬
man, is confusing in as much as the meaning
of the sentence is not clear until the end is
reached. Verbs are placed last. Every¬
thing comes in before the predicate. The
peculiar construction of their language was
forcibly brought out by an incident in a ser¬
mon of a Lutheran minister in a church I at¬
tended. The minister was orating in a high
key, phrase after phrase, until I imagined I
ought to know something of what he was say¬
ing; so nudging my nearest neighbor, who
could speak English and also understood the
Swedish language, I whispered: "What is
he talking about?" He shook his head in
18 WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
refusal to answer my inquiry, and listening
intently all the time; after a few moments,
through which the speaker still maintained
his high key, neither dropping his voice, nor
indicating any inclination to draw breath, I
again interestedly asked my neighbor what
the speaker was saying. Still he waved me
aside with a shake of his head. Finally the
continuance of the performance again inclined
me to nudge him with my elbow, when he
whispered hoarsely: "How can I tell what
he is talking about, until he comes to the
verb."
The people in the Norwegian cities con¬
gregate in multitudes in their parks and gar¬
dens to listen to bands of music and pass a
social hour drinking coffee together, though
some of them at times indulge in something
stronger than coffee—something, they tell
mc that v/ill scrape the icicles off of the in-
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 19
side of the epiglottis. u Forty rod whiskey"
and "Jersey lightning" aren't in it with the
"real thing''' in a Scandinavian city. Most
of it looks like liquor from a tan vat. Imag¬
ine my amazement on my first visit to one of
these gardens in company with other clergy¬
men. We were invited to sit down and be
served with beer. Now I called to mind that
with one of these same clergymen, I had only
a night or two before attended a temperance
meeting and we had thrown hot shot at in¬
temperance and the liquor habit. This un¬
pleasant and embarrassing predicament
prompted me to make as full and thorough
a study of the temperance question among
these people as circumstances and opportun¬
ity would permit. I found that from aristo¬
crat to peasant there are special and different
drinks for special and different classes. I
spent some time among the more temperate
20 WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
inhabitants and temperance societies and
learned that for sixty or more years, their
temperance work had been going on. Some
thirty years ago a law was passed in the king¬
dom making both the manufacture and sale
of spirits in country places, illegal, though
the law can, as in our own country, by obvi¬
ous means, be easily evaded and saloon men
are no nearer to sanctification in Sweden than
they are in America. I think, however, the
law on the whole has a beneficial tendency.
So far as my observation goes, the country
people drink a very mild home-brewed beer
and drunkenness is almost wholly confined to
the cities and larger towns.
I must not neglect to illustrate some things
belonging to table etiquette. Perhaps by re¬
lating one or two personal experiences, even
though it be at my own expense, I may be
able to convey to my readers a more definite
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 21
idea of the peculiar customs of this people.
I had been invited to dine at one of the fash¬
ionable homes, the hour being three P. M.
Unfortunately, I did not learn until too late
to remedy the defect, that even at so early
an hour, I should appear in full dress coat
and white cravat, and that concerning this
usage, the Swedes were very particular.
However, I got through the occasion alive as
you shall learn by the following. I was con¬
ducted to a small table called in the Swedish
tongue, "Smergos bord," which being inter¬
preted means "butter table,"—a sort of a
side show of highly seasoned dishes to whet
the appetite for a good square meal, at the
regular time. It consists ordinarily of rein¬
deer meat, fried sausage, smoked salmon,
boiled eggs, rye bread (usually old), raw
onions, two or three kinds of cheese, pota-
22
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
toes, butter, horse meat, besides other dain¬
ties too numerous to mention.
Around this board we took our places stand¬
ing, according to custom. Only two knives
and forks were on the table, which must be
used in common by the diners. I was cordi¬
ally invited to help myself. "Var so godt,"
said my hostess, making a graceful bow. I
was at loss how to begin, but kept an eye up¬
on the hostess thinking it would be safe to
follow her example. She bowed, then I
bowed. She took up a knife and so I
took up a knife. „ She took a piece of bread,
and so I took a piece of bread. She put
horse meat on her bread, and I put horse
meat on mine. She began eating her horse
meat and so I began. Alas, that I did. I
was in a dilemma, or a dilemma was in me.
I can scarcely tell which it was. Sea-sick!
Tis said a drowning man will catch at a
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 23
straw, I caught at a cup of milk. A drink of
milk was my salvation. Blessed be the man
that invented milk. I recommend it to you
should you ever in like manner be sea sick.
The regular dinner is usually served at the
same table, but it is better supplied with
dishes and spoons, and is also more elaborate
and more ceremoneous. It is customary for
each gentleman to escort from the table to
the drawing room, the same lady he takes to
dinner, and then comes invariably the charm¬
ing custom of hand shaking. Every guest
is expected to salute the hostess with a grasp
of the hand and express thanks for the sup¬
ply of food. The ceremony is repeated in
honor of the host and the rest of the family,
then the children of the household follow the
■same order of thanksgiving to their parents.
Being at loss as to the significance of this
hand shaking, I neglected to observe it, and
24
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
so was guilty of a second indiscretion, thus
committing two blunders in connection witli
my first fashionable dinner. I went in with¬
out suitable attire and came out without suit¬
able thanksgiving. Ignorance is no excuse
in law, but I hope it is for social errors, for I
confess I was never built for a drawing room
dandy or kingly courtier. My style of archi¬
tecture is more of the Moorish than the deli¬
cate lace work of the Corinthian. My dreams
have been of bread getting rather than of the
light fantastic toe.
I came next to Stockholm, sometimes
called the "Venice of the North." There
are few cities in Europe, if in the world,
more beautiful than Stockholm, the capital
of Sweden. One writer says, 41 Some cities
of Europe are situated, like Berlin on a plain:
others like Edinburg, among hills; still
others like Copenhagen, upon islands. But
The African Prince. [See page 12]
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.1 25
Stockholm in its site unites all these. Parts
of tlie city lie upon islands, other parts upon
rocky hills, several hundred feet in height,
while a considerable portion is as level as a
rairie." Here is the official residence of
the king and the royal court, the seat of
government, the highest court of appeals and
the meeting place of the legislative chambers.
This city is also the largest commercial and
trading center of the east coast of Sweden,
and carries on an especially extensive trade
with Russia, Finland and North Germany.
It has no docks, the tideless lake forming a
natural harbor of repose. The ships are
ranged along the quays in the open water.
The beauty of the city is much more in its
situation than in its buildings.
Hardly any of the buildings to my mind
-display architectural taste. Most of them
are portentous, stuccoed structures, without
26
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
grace or elegance. This is remarkably the
case with the great palace which is an un-
symmetrical, huge, square, flat-roofed group
of buildings around an open quadrangle with
lower wings in the same style projecting
on each side of the north and south fronts.
That you may not think me unfair or biased
in my judgment or taste, let me say that Mrs.
Andrew Crosse who writes rapturously con¬
cerning the beauties of Stockholm, says: 4'It
is the fashion to admire the Royal Palace,
built on the highest of the three islands of
Stockholm, but it has too much the appear¬
ance of a vast barrack." The inside how¬
ever, makes up for lack of outside ornament.
The rooms are gilded, gorgeous, magnificent!
They are filled with costliest furniture, in¬
cluding drapery, china ware and ornaments
of all descriptions. Perhaps the best skill of
the oriental people has been taxed to satisfy
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.' 27
Swedish indoor ornamentation. Surely these
white men of the north are not changeable
like the dude who puts all on his back and
nothing in his head or heart. In one of the
rooms that I had the opportunity to visit, all
the furniture, even the edges of the chairs,
were trimmed with Dresden china, and I was
informed that this ornamentation was due to
the taste of Gustav III.
On my visit I stood transfixed at the gran¬
deur of my surroundings. To me, however,
the most interesting building of all Sweden
is the Riddarholm church. The most con¬
spicuous outside feature is the graceful iron
spire, one hundred and two feet in height.
The tower was erected in 1835, when the
building was repaired after being well nigh
destroyed by fire. Riddarholm church might
be called the Westminster Abbey of Sweden,
being to Sweden what the Abbey is to Great
28
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
Britain. It contains the banners and trophies
of many a hard won victory, the tombs of the
kings, queens, nobles, heroes and statesmen
from the time of Gustav Adolphus in 1G30,
to the present time. The church is no longer
used regularly for church services, is cleared
of furniture except the pulpit and is a picture
of gloom and desolation.
After tarrying a short time in Stockholm
for rest and recreation, I became possessed
of a longing to see and visit with a real live
king, not so much as a matter of idle curi¬
osity or personal vanity, I trust, as to pay to
the head of the nation before traveling
through his domain my own and my coun¬
try's respects.
I learned that it was usually no easy task
to secure an audience with royalty, but I
ventured to address him a note saying I had
arrived in his country, that I desired to spend
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. %9
some weeks visiting and studying its institu¬
tions, and that, although I was only an hum¬
ble private citizen of the United States, by
descent of African blood, it would be exceed¬
ingly agreeable before traveling through his
kingdom, to pay to him my own personal re¬
spects and greetings from my people. About
four P. M. of the same day, I received a card
from the Master of Ceremonies of the Royal
Court, saying "His Royal Highness" would
be pleased to meet me at the Palace at one P.
M. the next day. At a quarter before one
the following day, the royal carriage drew
rein in front of my hotel, and the prancing
steeds bore me, an humble American sover¬
eign, to the palace of the sovereign of Swed¬
en. On approaching the court, the large
double doors were opened and I entered; the
doors being closed behind me I found myself
face to face with His Royal Highness.
30 WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
The king is a man of medium size, nearly
perfect in bodily form, very fair skinned and
flaxen haired. A typical white man who
might be called handsome. He was very,
very unlike the author. We were in appear¬
ance almost perfect antipodeans. He stood
rigidly upright making only a slight bow,
but there was a pleasant light of recognition
in his eye as he proffered me his hand and
warmly shook mine, saying: "Welcome to
Sweden." He was dressed in the full uni¬
form of a general of the army and bore on
his breast the star and blue ribbon of the
seraphim, the highest order, as I am in¬
formed, there is in Sweden. He bade me be
seated and taking a chair himself, asked me,
during our conversation, many questions
about the negroes of America. He said.he
had known but little of them and was glad
to hear something about them, and to see me
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 31
as a representative of the race. He said lie
was sure I would find his people kindly, per¬
haps warmly disposed toward me, and hoped
that on my return to my own country I
should have nothing to regret that had oc¬
curred in his. After a pleasant chat on dif¬
ferent topics lasting perhaps a quarter of an
hour or more, the doors opened, the king
immediately arose and bade me a kindly
farewell and my reception was over. The
courtier conducted me by the arm to the
royal carriage and I was quickly conveyed to
my hotel.
I had visited a real, live king. I am not
positive that I behaved any more decorously
than I had at the table of my lady friend,
but I at least acted in a manner I thought to
be gentlemanly; and the king did as well as
could be expected under the circumstances,
though he failed to salaam to this direct and
33
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
royal descendant of Ham, the Son of Noah.
As a monarch, I outranked him, though I
could not trace my lineage back down
through and among the limbs to the root of
the tree.
That reminds me that there are Kings and
Kings. That a king is but a man any way,
and a real man, one of God's real noblemen,
is not only a king, but more than a king.
An old Egyptian idolator, thousands of years
before the coming of Christ, had chiseled
upon imperishable granite, which he erected
to commemorate his victories, the sacreligious
sentence: "This land, Sesostris, King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, conquered with his
arms;" yet the world has almost forgotten the
name, number and acheivments of this king
and self styled God, in the present glorious
music of the hymns of the disciples of the
man, the Son cf God, born in Nazareth:
He Forgot to Sala'am to the Son of Ham. [See page 31]
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 33
What a King? I'd rather be a man. If I
were a king, I would rise, the first jump,
if I could, to the dignity of manhood.
After a few days of sight seeing in Stock¬
holm and the adjacent towns and country
seats, I took a short day's journey to the
province of Darlarne, lying to the north west
of the capital. Here I found a people pecu¬
liar to the Swedes themselves. As to their
manners and customs they are much more
oriental than Swedish; and by giving rein
somewhat to your imagination, you might
suppose yourself in the land of Solomon,
king of Isreal rather than in that of Oscar,
King of Sweden.
In mechanical tendencies they are said to
be superior to other Swedes. The men for
the most part, are smiths baskei weavers arid
cloak makers , while the women excel espe¬
cially in hair work and make long journeys
34
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
on foot to dispose of their wares. Many
strange stories are told of them, but space
will not permit me to relate them. They
seem to be warm hearted and sympathetic,
but are more or less superstitious about
strangers, and a man of my complexion was
so uncommon to their eyes that their super¬
stition was not a little aroused by my presence.
I am quite sure they would not have approved
of my applying to myself the words of the
Song of Songs, "I am black, but comely,"
for though they would no doubt have had no
difficulty in admitting I was black, I do not
flatter myself that they thought me comely,
at least they did not tell me so in words that
I could understand.
It was my pleasure to deliver a number of
addresses among them, and there were often
present at these meetings, from a thousand
to fifteen hundred people. They were ex-
in a white; man's country. 35
ceedingly curious and wanted to examinee m
to see whether I was really a black man or a
man blackened for the occasion. It was not
credible to them that so black a man could
come from America. u He is lying" they
said 44 He must have come from Africa.'}
The Rev. K. A. Johnson, a Protestant Epis¬
copal minister, however, spoke in my defense
assuring them that there were several millions
of my race in the United States of America.
Thus I convinced them, I think, that I was a
Simon-pure black man, and at the same time,
an American citizen. They propounded
many questions, some of which I have not
been able to solve unto this very day. They
embraced ethnology, physiology, and some
of the other ologies that are altogether too
deep for me. Among them these: Why are
the insides of your hands white, and the out¬
side black? Why is your hair so kinkey?
36 WHAT BLACK MAN SAW
What is the color of a negro baby when it i»
first born, or is a negro baby black when it
comes into the world. If any one of my
readers can solve these questions for me, he
will bring me under everlasting obligations
to him. As it was, I had to leave the awe-
stricken peasants of Darlarne as much in the
dark as I am myself. I might have referred
them, had I thought, to some Boston philo¬
sophical society, one of those that discuss the
"Whenness of the Now." You remember
the other day that one of those societies pro¬
mulgated a definition of Transcendentalism.
"Transcendentalism" said the learned pro¬
fessor, 11 is a Supersensious insight into the
penetralia of essences.'' That ought to fetch
'em.
To describe the religious condition and
character of the people, I find a difficult and
delicate task. They differ among themselves.
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 37
The most striking difference perhaps being,
that the poorer people are much attached to
their churches and pastors, while the middle
and higher classes are but little interested
in either. The poorer inhabitants fill the
churches on a pleasant Sunday morning,
many of them going by wagon or boat a dis¬
tance of ten or twelve miles. All the people
are accounted members of the state church,
nearly all have been confirmed in the church,
and every one is expected to commune at
least once a year and even if a man belong to
another communion than the state church,
lie is expected to pay an annual assessment
to that church.
There seems to be a lamentable deadness
so far as vital piety is concerned in the
Swedish state church. The buildings are
desolate looking in many cases, though
among the Methodists I found their buildings
38
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
well cared for and the people seemed to be
spiritual in life and active in christian works.
They number about one hundred and thirty
congregations. The Baptists also have a
number of churches and are accomplishing a
good work. I heard of but one lone Roman
Catholic church. There is an absence of a
strong church feeling in the state churches,
which I attribute to the constitution of the
church itself. It is part of the state machin¬
ery. The ministers are state officials and the
poorest paid among the servants of the gov¬
ernment. Their social position is not ac¬
counted high, the incumbents are mostly
from the peasant class, and in many instances
are said to be inferior to the average of their
congregations.. It seems to me, the minister
is essentially a preacher, and if he fail to
extract interesting discourses from the few
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 39
texts allowed him by tlie government, he
must of necessity make a failure.
I must not neglect to make some allusion
to wages and the wage earner. The price of
a day's work is sixty-two cents, in many
cases only fifty cents. Women often carry
the hod all day long and get for their labor,
the enormous sum of thirty cents. Servant
girls give faithful services for twenty-eight
dollars per annum. As good, better, in many
cases, as American girls give, who receive
five or six dollars a week. I was much inter¬
ested in some of the Northern towns in
visiting what is sometimes called the Swedish
slave market. During April and October,
the peasant boys and girls seeking employ¬
ment for the coming year, go into the cities
and larger towns and as in the parable of the
laborers in the market places, they stand all
day until some man hires them. Pieces
4o
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
of paper are pinned to their garments or held
in their hands indicating the fact of their
desire for employment. Those wishing Jo
hire laborers pass along and examine the
persons and papers of the candidates before
entering into an engagement with them.
Most of these peasants are dressed in coarse,
homespun clothing and call out as you pass
among them, 4'Wants the gentlman a ser¬
vant?" flaunting their recommendations
before such as they might wish would employ
them. One of these recommendations I
noticed, read as follows: "This my home
leaving son Charles has this warrant of me,
his father, to hire out for the next year at any
honest calling, and he is an honest young
man." This was signed "John Carlson."
I can but hope that Charles got a good place;
that he did not have to stand in the market
place idle because no man hired him. And
Among the Peasants of Darlarne. [See Page 33]
rN A WHITE man's country. 41
I also trust that in the time of final reckon¬
ing, the Great Employer of laborers in His
vineyard will find young Charles worthy to
receive a penny for the work of life's day.
After pleasantly spending many days in
Sweden, we reached the borders of Norway
and passing through the smaller towns we
came to the plains of Lapland. The Lapps
arc a peculiar people and differ widely
from the highly Teutonic races who inhabit
the greater portion of Scandanavia. They
are a \~ry ancient race, and once domi¬
nated almost the whole of Scandanavia, but
have now dwindled down to some 30,000.
I found no one who could tell me when they
came to the land, but believe they were
formerly called Finns, or at least were allied
to the Finnish races. It is said that in the
fifteenth century an effort was made to con¬
vert them co Christianity, but notwitristand-
42
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
ing missionary effort and educational influ¬
ence, they, to a great extent, retain the
habits and customs of their ancesters. They
are divided into two classes, the field Lapp
and the sea Lapp. The first lead a nomadic
life and rarely marry outside of their own
class. The second, as the name implies,
subsist chiefly by fishing, and are more like
the Norwegians, with whom they consort
and intermarry. I visited them in their huts
which are made of stone, birch bark and
turf, without windows, but with a hole at the
top to let out the smoke and to let in the air.
They remind me in some respects of our
American Indians.
The reindeer is one of the chief institutions
of Lapland. He is horse, cow, "beef critter",
in fact almost everything. As one visitor
among them puts it: "The reindeer is the
physical salvation of the Laplanders. They
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.
eat even his intestines after carefully clean¬
ing them. His skin is used to make gloves
and shoes. The sinews are employed for
threads, and bladders make their bags. The
horns and hoofs are sold for glue." The
same traveler tells us he was advised to drink
the reindeer milk. That he had drank milk
on the western plains of America from which
there were removed three kinds of insects in
his presence and found a fourth in the bot¬
tom of the tumbler and had risen with com¬
posure, but when he saw the Lapp ladies
milking the reindeer, he made up his mind
that unless there could Lo invented some way
of washing the milk, was more than he
could do to dare to touch it. They are
indeed very far removed from cleanliness in
habits, manners or houses. They are much
given to drink, and drunkenness is too com'
mon among them, though the missionaries
44 WHAT A BI,ACit MAN SAW
have done a great deal to reform them in
this respect. They are rather skilled in
manual labor, and are kind and hospitable in
some respects, though mean and treacherous
in others.
On June 10, 1895, at Luleo, I boarded the
only railroad train that crosses the Artie
circle, on my v/ay to Mount Avasaxa, the
popular and favorite point of the Swedes for
viewing the Midnight Sun. Our route run
in part through well cultivated fields, and
scenery that is varied and picturesque. The
mount is situated not far from the gulf of
Bothnia near the Artie circle and is about
six hundred and seventy feet in altitude and
and gives a most beautiful view of the valley
of the Throne Elf, and the hills that frame
it is like a picture. The church register at
Jubes Jarvi has in it many entries of interest
mad* by travelers from time to time who
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 45
have been curious to see the "Midnight Sun.''
The earliest is by Reignard the French sa¬
vant in 1681, who concludes with the latin
motto: "Sistimus hie tandem, nobis ubi
defuit orbis." (Here at last we halt where
to us ends the world.) (We have come to
the jumping off place). Charles XI, of
Sweden visited this spot in 1691; Linnens,
one of the greatest of naturalists was here in
1732, while in 1796, nearly a century before
the date of my visit, the unfortunate mon¬
arch Louis Phillippe of France, paid his
respects to the Midnight Sun.
The strangest, grandest sight my eyes
ever beheld was the Midnight Sun. I doubt
if eye of man ever beheld anything more
grand on the footstool of the Great King. I
was awed into reverence and after a sojourn
of seven days- or perhaps I might say one day
ot sevcu days length, for "there was 110 night
46
WHAT A BI^ACK MAN SAW
time and they needed no candles," I came
down from the mount somewhat more trans¬
formed I trust into the immage of God than
when I ascended. I scarcely wonder that the
old Northmen worshipped the sun and set
apart one day for that worship and called it
Sunday. I know not how to describe the
appearance of the Midnight Sun, nor the ef¬
fect that the view of it has upon the beholder.
Perhaps I might quote from others more elo¬
quent who have looked upon and studied the
phenomenon. Dr. James M. Buckley one of
the great travelers and writers of our day
whose views however were made at the North
Cape, where he was in the Summer of 1884,
thus describes the appearance. uThere was
not a cloud, and only a scarcely perceptible
mist upon the water's edge. The scene was
brilliant; three old travelers declared it equal
to the vision on the Bay of Naples. The
aN A WHITE: MAN'S COUNTRY. 47
motion of the suii was similar to its move¬
ment as it approaches its setting in the West,
but while its direction was obviously toward
the horizon, it was slightly toward the East."
We were on the summit on the 25th. Hence,
when the sun sank to the lowest point, it ap¬
peared about three times its own diameter
above the horizon. The sun instead of travel¬
ing from East to West, dissappearing in the
West and reappearing the next morning in
the East, travels from the Western point
toward the horizon ac if it were about to set
but with an Easterly tendency. Instead of
going out of sight its Eastward tour is per¬
formed above the horizon.
The effect on Dr. Buckley and others like
him may be to some extent appreciated by
reference to what he says concerning their
approach to the spot where their view was
taken. They had on board their boat a brass
48
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
band and as they were going ashore the band
ventured to play, but the passengers said Sh!
Shi SH! "Teaching the band," as the
Doctor puts it, "that, though speech was
brazen, silence was golden." "When in con¬
templation," he says, "the scene had reached
the culmination of the sublime that vile band
began to play. It was the only time in my
life that I hated music. The fall of an
avalanche, the explosion of artillery, or the
deep tones of a great bell might not have
diminished the impressiveness of the occasion.
But the band drove me from the spot."
Langley Coleridge writes as follows: "The
effect of the Midnight Sun has been variously
described. Carlysle revels in the idea that
while all nations of earth are sleeping, you
stand in the presence of the great power
which will wake them all. Bayard Taylor
delights in the gorgeous coloring, and each
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 49
traveler has some new poetic thought to
register. For myself, the Midnight Sun has
a solemnity which nothing else in nature has.
Midnight is solomn in darkness, it is a
hundredfold more solemn in the glare of sun
light, richer than ever is the sun under tropi¬
cal skies. It is 'Silence as of death,' not a
hum of a bird, not a buzz of an insect, not
the distant voice of a human being. Silence
palpable. You do not feel drowsy though it
is midnight. You feel a strange fear creep
over you as if in a nightmare, and dare not
speak; you think, what if it should be true
the world is in its last sleep, and you are the
last living ones, yourself on the verge of the
eternal ocean.'' When you reach the top you
felt—well, I don't know how. It compares
with the sensation experienced when gazing
on the Mount of Olives; or on Damascus from
the Mount of Mohammed or on a sunny morn-
5<3 WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
ing when rounding the golden horn and Con¬
stantinople bursts in view. "These are
memories that never grow dim." And I am
inclined to think that when the tourist finds
himself in a small boat at midnight, drawing
near to the North Cape in the midst of the
most gorgeous sunlight ever seen, he has found
a sensation which will be green in his mem¬
ory to the day of his death.
On my return trip, I visited some of the
smaller towns and delivered lectures. Before
sailing for America, I spent several days in
I/ondon seeing the sights and studying, so
far as I had the opportunity, the great city,
its people and institutions. I visited among
other places of interest, Westminster Abbey
and the British Museum. It would be
neither modest nor wise in me to speak with
positiveness in reference to these things, but
this much I think I may say: The church
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.
of St. Peter and Westminster Abbey is said,
by Dean Stanley in a legend, to have been
established in this wise:
"An old monk lying asleep; in his slumb¬
ers St. Peter appeared to him and comman¬
ded him to tell the king it was his pleasure
to restore the monastery. There is, said the
apostle, a place of mine in the west end of
London which I love. The name of the
place is ' 'Thorney''. There let the king at my
command make a building of monks, stately
built and amply endowed. It shall be no
less than the House of God and the gate of
Heaven.''
When he awoke, the old monk went and
told the vision to the king. Upon hearing
this, King Edward went to Thorney Isle,
west of London, and built the monastery and
church called after the Apostle Peter. It
52
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
took fifteen years to build the first St. Peter
Church.
Henry III did most to build the Abbey.
Having extravagent tastes and ideas, he sent
all the way to Rome for the mosaics and en¬
amels which are still to be seen on the shrine.
The first workmen came from Rome and
made the twisted columns around the shrines
in imitation of tombs in the great churches
of Rome.
In 1065 it was completed, again enlarged
in 1269. Years afterward a magnificent
chapel was added by Henry VII, and called
after him. He was buried there and later
Edward VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Mary
Queen of Scots.
Then there was that other Mary rightly
called ''Bloody Mary" of Catholic fame, who
made indiscriminate slaughter of all who did
not embrace Romanism. Her death was the
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 53
death, of Romanism in England. Her funeral
was almost tlie last catholic service rendered
in Westminister. About a month after her
decease, her sister Elizabeth ascended the
throne, and there was rejoicing throughout
England. They then had a protestant queen.
Since that time they have realized the prop¬
hetic significance of the words of Ridley and
Latimer when bound to the stake while the
flames were lapping them, "Courage brother
Latimer" said Ridley, "We are kindling a
fire in England this day, which, by the grace
of God, will never be put out."
Here, too, lies the so-called "bashful"
Earl of Essex—a man so bashful that when
absolutely forced to make a political speech
in his home county, said: "People of Essex,
if you are so backward about coming forward,
you'll be behind, as you were before." This
54
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
is supposed to be the shortest, perfect politi¬
cal speech on record.
The great Sir Issac Newton was buried in
the Abbey, a man of great learning and a
benefactor of the human race. A latin in¬
scription on a plain grey stone marks his
resting place. "Hie depositum quod mor-
tale fuit Isaac Newton.'' ( Here lies what was
mortal of Isaac Newton.)
St. Peter's Church is not isolated on
Thorney Island, but is part of the mass of
Westminster Abbey and with its nave and
transepts full of monuments and graves of
great men, is a remarkable memorial in¬
stitution. I can never forget the picture of
gloom the Abbey presents, with its twin
towers looming against a generally leaden
s k'ybut the part that it has played in the
history of so great a nation makes it radiant
with interest. It is the resting place of such
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.
precious bones as those of Lord Shaftsbury,
General Gordon, David Livingston, Alfred
Tennyson and Shakespeare, whose ocean¬
like mind washed all shores of thought.
Those noble names shine aloft like stars
of the first magnitude. Illustrious names
that were not born to die. There, too,
was Handel, Lord Beaconsfield and Wil¬
liam Pitt. And there was King Henry
III, Oliver Cromwell and Dean Stanley.
A ghastly retinue of kings, queens, princes,
statesmen, warriors, scholars and poets
sleeping beneath marble slabs let into walls
and floors, which interested tourists year
after year scan and tread.
I did not meet the Prince of Wales; the
prince does not move in our circle, you know.
The prince sent up his card but I looked up
the list of eligibles which I had prepared
before deciding to go into society and found
56
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
a blue pencil mark through his name,
so I had my valet announce to him that I was
"not at home." I thought afterwards that
my social rebuff might have caused the prince
a spell of nervous prostration.
The house of Parliament, the House of
Lords, and the House of Commons, cover
eight acres. The buildings are situated on
the Thames and are marvels of architectural
beauty. We visited the zoological gardens,
the largest in the world, which were very
interesting indeed and language fails me to
describe them. No expense seemed to have
been spared to increase this vast collection of
world wide specimens, invaluable and in¬
numerable.
"All are but parts of one stupendiouc whole,
Whose body nature is, and God the soul,
He heats the sun, refreshes in the tbreeze;
Glows in the stars and blossoms in the trees.
H. R. M. The Prince of Wales. [See page 55]
[Now King Edward VII]
[He doesn't move in our circle]
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY. 57
Breathes in our soul, sustains our mortal part
As full, as perfect in a hair, as in a heart.
To him no high, no low, no great, no small,
He fills all bounds, connects, and measures all."
Pope.
My impressions of the old country as com¬
pared with our own are: First, that English
hospitality is not so genuine and spontaneous
as American. . Second, that the Englishman
is not on the average, in as much of a hurry
as the American, and is more contented with
his enviroment. Third, the Englishman is
generally more economical than the Ameri¬
can. And fourth, the average Englishman
sets a higher value on life than the average
American.
On the 10th of September I started on the
home run, having spent six months and four
days on the other side of the ocean. We
• came by steamer, "City of New York," of
the American line. The great ship moved
58
WHAT A BLACK MAN SAW
by sympathy with humanity, and the fire
of patriotism that burn in the hearts of true
Americans, has since volunteered to fight for
human rights and the freedom of Cuba. I
felt better sailing under the stars and stripes,
than under the flag of Britain. Our voyage
was uneventful, and on the 16th of Septem¬
ber we dropped anchor in the port of New
York, and I was home from a foreign shore.
I was in my own home, my beloved country,
my native land—the land of Washington
and Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, Ulysses
S. Grant, and Admiral George Dewey, and
the glorious galaxy of patriots and martyrs
for freedom and human rights. I had been
under several national ensigns and I had re¬
spected them all; I was now under the ensign
of Freedom, I was under the stars and stripes
and these I worship as the "emblem of hope
to all the mis-ruled world." Why should I
IN A WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.
not worship at this shrine? Under the stars
and stripes, the millions of mine own people
were made free. A nation was born in a
day, for one day they were things, chattels,
contrabands of war, the next day they were
men, citizens, soldiers of the Union army.
Hail, all hail to the flag that made them
free, I would nail this emblem to the mast
of the ship of state, just below the cross of
Christ, and cry with the poet:—
" Sail on, sail on, thou ship cf state,
Sail on, O Union, strong and great,
Humanity, -with all its fears,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate.
We know what master laid thy keel,
What workmen wrought thy ribo of steel,
Who made each mast, each sail, each rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat;
In what forge, and in what heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope.
Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
'Tis of the wave, and not the rock,
'Tis but the flapping of the sail,
And not the rent made by the gale!
In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore
Sail on, our hopes, our prayers, our tear«,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears
Are all with thee, are all with thee."