Show AV A bebb WONDERFUL fc TOP a 1 man who could cazia of OB an HIS haebel head in batou baton Booge forthe wo we were with ith tho the negro r the black person who has solved the secret of the law of gravitation and to whom the feat of balancing a whole mayday may day yd moving upon his or her bead heads is a little trifling incon seq matter maiter in other communities muni inual ties the district telegraph boy and the express wagon symbolize the business lessof of small transportation but in the southland the steady headed beaded colored person stands for that frame affia the first ant day of our visit in baton Batou bouge Rouge was prolific of wonders ia an this particular eular line on OIL the main street OS of the town we met a black woman of 60 or thereabouts who conveyed upon her head a huge basket with what seemed to be the washing for seven large famines families piling in a peak like above her moving form she did not deign to steady this enormous burden with her hand irot but marched on erect as a grenadier probably giving her head bead imperceptible motions to keep the basket true to center but so tar far as we could see doing absolutely nothing to lasure carriage in another street we encountered a jF young fierro woman who held beld in her arms a 8 2 cearold year old child and wha wh was cove over afflicted with the custody bust ody of a distract distracting bag dog which ran and barked and sauced everything in sight and which she was obliged to reprimand at every tenth stride she seemed utterly oblivious of the great bundle which surmounted her head and gave it no more consideration than a wh white ite wo woman nn of loftier station would accord to a theater bonnet weighing less leso than wn ten pennyweight A local resident who noted our looks of wonderment Ei stopped topped and with that courtesy to which we have become accustomed cus tomed ventured some information on the subject they learn leam it from the cradle almost he said As soon as they are able to walk these colored folk are taught by their elders to tote in the course of time and under proper instruction st a negro ned and especially a negro woman Is able to carry an entire inventory of a third class grocery upon her head bead and to be happy and pleased about it it is a very interesting thing to see two tw 0 or three af these black women each of whom is transporting such a huge bundle that she takes up most of the street meet upon a corner comer and chat about affairs they cannot approach close to one another to speak confidentially for their head burdens are so unwieldy that they crowd their carriers aloof from one another they gradually ric acquire quire high skill in this business I 1 once knew a black man named na m harve allen alien who could carry two wooden buckets of water upon his head one set upon a small board which covered the top toj of the other he could walk along the street and make postures gestures with his hands tor for he was an illiterate but rudely eloquent preather preacher and recited and rehearsed his sermons as he performed his days work sometimes you would see him whittling or tying a hook to a or performing some other function which required the services of both hands while aloft be bore perhaps a tub of water or six or eight dozen of eggs or something equally risky |