McDonald smiled, and then prepared to defend himself, first by restating briefly his opinions upon the white populace in case there should have been any misunderstanding of his position. 'In short, our islands have become the midden for the detritus of the parent country.' At this point Mr McDonald paused for effect, and then continued. 'But this is not totally the fault of the white arrivant. Constant association with an inferior race will weaken the moral fibre of a white man and debase the quality of his life. A mere glance should be sufficient to convince an observer that the West Indian negro has all the characteristics of his race. That he steals, lies, is witless, incompetent, irresponsible, habitually lazy, and wantonly loose in his sexual behaviour, is apparent to even the most generous of those who would take sambo's part. It is only the dread of corporal punishment which keeps these incorrigible thieves in order. To each other they display unimaginable cruelty, and when they fight they are particularly adept at kicking and biting. All attempts at mental instruction having failed, it is to be regretted that only a hearty laying on of that hateful implement, the whip, will rid them of their rebellious thoughts.'
I listened intently, and observed Mr Rogers nodding in agreement with some of what the doctor prescribed. Mr McDonald went on and claimed that the clearest evidence of West Indian moral turpitude was to be found in the social evil of miscegenation, a practice contrary to the Anglo-Saxon nature, and one that gave rise to a sub-species of hybrid. Some white men, though considering negroes little more than beasts of burden, had no objection to making these negroes partners of their illicit intercourse, and then condemning the issue of such unions to shame and degradation. The female offspring invariably take the name of housekeeper and in turn become the mistresses of white men, while the male offspring merely drag out an existence as scarcely tolerated spaniels permitted to lick the feet of their masters, but just as likely to be kicked out of doors on a whim. The mothers of such children face an even
worse destiny, having been used by degenerate Englishmen who no doubt simply came to make a quick fortune and return rejoicing at their success. Such women are abandoned with little to sustain them socially but the significance given their litter's skin, and seldom even the most meagre of allowances. These dingy women may soon grow fat upon the bread of prostitution, and when their bodies become diseased, and their constitutions weakened by dissipation and excess, their sources of support fail, and the curse of poverty falls hard and heavy upon the afflictions of decrepit age. Their lot, truly, is wretched, more so when one considers that in the tropics, unlike England, immorality is impossible to conceal, for all is known and speedily rumoured abroad.
I must concede that there followed a few moments of silence. Both men appeared to wonder if their talk had not gone too far and had, perhaps, angered me. For my own part I felt privileged to have witnessed such a debate between two responsible men, one clearly dominant over the other and likely to win any argument by force of personality, the other gifted with a more temperate spirit, but unable to stem the tide raging against him. Mr McDonald added a coda to his argument, in a most witty and informative manner. The separation of castes in India, he claimed, is not more formally observed than the careful division of shades in the tropics caused by indulgence in this miscegenation, or race-mixing. The offspring of a white man and a black woman is a mulatto; the mulatto and the black produce a sambo; from the mulatto and white comes the quadroon; from the quadroon and the white the mustee; the child of a mustee by a white man is called a musteefino; while the children of a musteefino are free by law, and rank as white persons to all intents and purposes.
Mr
I listened intently, and observed Mr Rogers nodding in agreement with some of what the doctor prescribed. Mr McDonald went on and claimed that the clearest evidence of West Indian moral turpitude was to be found in the social evil of miscegenation, a practice contrary to the Anglo-Saxon nature, and one that gave rise to a sub-species of hybrid. Some white men, though considering negroes little more than beasts of burden, had no objection to making these negroes partners of their illicit intercourse, and then condemning the issue of such unions to shame and degradation. The female offspring invariably take the name of housekeeper and in turn become the mistresses of white men, while the male offspring merely drag out an existence as scarcely tolerated spaniels permitted to lick the feet of their masters, but just as likely to be kicked out of doors on a whim. The mothers of such children face an even
worse destiny, having been used by degenerate Englishmen who no doubt simply came to make a quick fortune and return rejoicing at their success. Such women are abandoned with little to sustain them socially but the significance given their litter's skin, and seldom even the most meagre of allowances. These dingy women may soon grow fat upon the bread of prostitution, and when their bodies become diseased, and their constitutions weakened by dissipation and excess, their sources of support fail, and the curse of poverty falls hard and heavy upon the afflictions of decrepit age. Their lot, truly, is wretched, more so when one considers that in the tropics, unlike England, immorality is impossible to conceal, for all is known and speedily rumoured abroad.
I must concede that there followed a few moments of silence. Both men appeared to wonder if their talk had not gone too far and had, perhaps, angered me. For my own part I felt privileged to have witnessed such a debate between two responsible men, one clearly dominant over the other and likely to win any argument by force of personality, the other gifted with a more temperate spirit, but unable to stem the tide raging against him. Mr McDonald added a coda to his argument, in a most witty and informative manner. The separation of castes in India, he claimed, is not more formally observed than the careful division of shades in the tropics caused by indulgence in this miscegenation, or race-mixing. The offspring of a white man and a black woman is a mulatto; the mulatto and the black produce a sambo; from the mulatto and white comes the quadroon; from the quadroon and the white the mustee; the child of a mustee by a white man is called a musteefino; while the children of a musteefino are free by law, and rank as white persons to all intents and purposes.
Mr
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