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4ompson Co.
Clinton. S. C.
sopteiber 18, 1938
w. C. F.
DAVE ;MMUS car; TENANT
ve la now livin in aempecn ounty, ten miles
north of Clinton nt one ile from the. Clinton.mith.
field highway. The 4.room cottege le the only house on
a private road a ouarter of t tile frolu the public rood.
1;e ft rms vs z shere.tenant of one of the progressive
leud.avners of tte section sad has been in the community
one year. There are five children in the fnaily. The
youngest, t girl of three, Ans playing in the sand.
,he oldest, t strrenteen year old boys vta lounging on
tau': poroh. Pour of the childre ttend the consolidated
grc:ilaar edhool three milse tway. They heve formerly
lived in hobeson sna uplia auuntles.
atii that he worked in town for while but
ttr-t he hze stuck to the farm since iii mtrriege. Ho
vile sty they prefer thr frrm and thin they
zet r better living in the country tha they could
get in town. -Their people hotfl tlwryt follotved thv plow.
“ave Impropmsd .ge fraz the first no rn intelligent
Ileac end I sondere why he hej never owned t home.
•duention WAO tlbove th::t of th:- Wier1 tenrnt of
the section, either white or colored. Not ertiefied
with the six grades offered by the neighborhood plohoolo
he bed ettended t yepr pt the Leurinburg Nome' inhool.
At present no megesine or omper comes to hi" hone, but
this es due to P look of money Tether then r leak of
interest. The wife left school in the fourth grrde
end 1 poked her if phe ,.wuit to help her fer:ily with
the ffrm work. She 'pushed rnd hesitantly meld, *1
luit to git serried.* Dome meld he would hpve his
children finish the seven gredep offered in the loorl
school. The neprest high pohool for Negroes is in
Clinton but there ir no school bus for Negro children
from this oonnanity into Clinton. 147* wild that he
could get e fern an s bus -line when his oldwit boy hed
finished the loon school. AP this boy wee Plrepdy
seventeen I concluded thrt be would probrbly not plen
to enter high school. The only edvontege Levis thought
his children would get from high school wrs a greeter
enjoyment in life.
Dpv* he been s shere.tenant for seventeen ye,rs.
He ewe he would prefer r hone to r or but he he*
never been kb'e to hpve either. He he not *p. id outs
in the lest two years. This yerr the trouble wrs r
hell storm in June followed by weeks of rein -plus low
orioes. He he bought no clothing or furnishings for
the house mine. 1936. He he 2.8 eCree of tobs000t
5.5 sores of cotton end six of cern. Kis landlord
furnishes P mule, half of the fertiliser end all of
the peed nd tools. The tenant gets half of the
tobr000, cotton and corn and Al the chickenL, garden
produce, hogs, and the milk. They hove one oow. There
ere on the piece one hog and five pigs, with enough
corn to feed them. The family has sold no eggs or butter
during the lest pips.
The landlord allows his tenants r generous supply
of fruit end a garden. As the garden ha no fence it
has to be boosted some distance from the range of the
chickens. Drees wife had canned only 80 Nierts of
vegetsbles and fruits this summer. This family will
evidently live on potatoes, 'meet and Irish; and most
of the rest of the food will be from the supplies
',defaced by the landlord. I "eked Dave what interest
his landlord charged am for food advanced. He "newsy.
ad, *He is not supposed to charge any interest.* This
family seemed to me to be living on the ragged edges
of dire poverty, but they bed tried, both the city and
the Gauntry tiad had no desire to leave the farm.
Both husbrad and wife are ovosed to the ',control
Plan* for the farunrs
rnd would like r return to the
old 'we of individuElism. They appear to be good
citisens, but do not vote.
rye nc him wife joined the church in the old
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community. Deve &aid he wee no lancer t churchmen but
'Teemed hesitant to discuss the setter. A neighbor said
they bed not been seen in the neer.by church. The
membere of the 3egro churches in this community hrve
to melee generous contributions to the church or else
"the niggers will be telkine ,.bout you." )eve vary
hrve dropped hir ohureh.going becsuee of leek of money
for contributions, but his leek of interest is further
shown by the fait that none of his children bed joined
the charoh.
Fortunetely tbie frmily bre 'pent little on
physiolens and drugs. About the only money so spent
wee in connection with the birth of the children. At
the birth of the first child e physioirn wee celled
in. The fee wee $25.00. Mid -wives were summoned when
the other children were born, the fees renging from
/5.00 to n0.00. The prrente seem to know little ebout
F brlenoed diet. There TFO too little provision for
fruits end vegetebles. There yrs no toilet on the
grounds, and no ecreenr in the howl', thougt there ere
meny flies snd mooeuitoss.
The house tr very elein, consisting of four rooms
rad s front ooroh. The livino-room contrined an ettrective
settee red three upholstered ohrire, ell of Isobel?. In
the bedrooms were three double beds of modern design,
clean in appeerance. I could ace no dressers. In the
kitchen was a cook.stove end e table covered with oilcloth.
Two floors were covered with attractive linoleum and
there were flowers in the yard.
Dave end his family were idle when I called but
Leve said there WES little "loafing.* I had seen many
fiegroee hanging arouna a store conduoted by a Negro
near by but Dave said that he and his boys went very
little time there. sith much enforced leisure and
nothing to reed, I wondered hos ther4 endured the
loneliness, especially in the winter. There ie no
rudio. Ihe family goes to Clintod about twice a
moat.
iiere ie c family that is cEpeble of progres.
eager for the good life but bola back by oircumetaricee
en4 t hopeless view of the future. The landlord
seemed to loom it to each of his tenants to *work out
bib own salvation,* his wife remarking that awe have
to let them do as they plesse.4