Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-02-15

do to aid the coming of the Erophes1ed time when
the people shall beat their swords into ploughshares
|" and their spears into pruning when nation
shall not lift up the sword against natlon nor learn
&c war any more"
College Trick of Phil Waters.
BY BUT.
The little village of B, not many miles from
Baltimore, has the honor of being the birthplace
and the home of Phil Waters one of the most lnvet-
crate practical okers the world has produced
not that Phil was a rough-and-tumble sort of fell
low who delighted in such low, practical jokes, as
the ringing of door-bes-the calling up of the old
doctor on a cold winters night to see sick female,
and after leading him for two or three miles
through the snow in the woods, to declare that
he must be mistaken. Not such a joker was
Phil Waters, but nice. quiet, unobtruslve, mod
est young man, that would have passed muster a.
mong host of ministerial candidates. Phil had
studied chemistry, and it his special delight to
form cause and watch its chemical effect on his de-
voted victim.
Not far from Pills paternal mansion situated
the B Academy or as the villagers called it,
:" the College" Among the students of which num-
Der Phil was One-at the Academy, was young
man from North Carolina, named Morris Kenny,
who had mbibed with his mothers milk a strong
| aversion to black To him 'nigger' was
an object of special aversion.
| Shortly after Morris Kennys arrival at the Col
lege he had the good fortune misfortune to become
intimate with Phil Waters so much so, that a day
did not pass that the two were not together. 10
Phil Morris impaired all his feeling of aversion to
the blacks and would talk for hours at time the
great curse of being born negro. Coming from the
South Morriss complexion did not rival loves lilly
white :; his dark curly hair and small features first
led Phil to think of giving his friend lesson on his
antipathy
The project was no sooner formed than executed.
Morris had read but little, had boundess creduli-
ty and would listen with rapt attention to PhlIs
wise quotations from authors, which no one but HIM
self had the pleasure of reading to be sure he
and fhn nf no
book but the library at B not fortunate
enough to contain all the works that Phil had read
especially those he quoted from.
:! Singular circumstances, is it not o. remarked
Phil one evening, when in company with several 9TH
er Students of which number Morris ''Sin-
gular circumstances, is it not, that Rafngsparfer
mentions in his history of North America, that the
inhabitants of the South have been known to turn
jet black, on being removed to a temperate
climate
. God bless my soul who says that 2" exclaimed
Morris, springing from his seat.
Rafingsparfer" repeated Phil, the fifty fourth
page of the second volume under the head Of Strange
PhenOmenOn.' :"
of that before q cried Charley Johns. ''Why man,
do you know that have been watching your most
interesting physiognomy attentively for the past
three weeks, to the great change come over the
spirit of thy face, as Byron says, or should have
said p
Morris made no reply, but the bait had taken the
iron had entered his soul
Next day, Phil found him looking over the library
for Rafhngsparfer,s History of the n American
Races which, unfortunately, he found Phil had
loaned to particular friend for a few days.
That night Phil obtained from the village apoth-
ccary some nutgalls, in solution of which he wash
ed MOrriss towel and then returned it to the wash
stand. There are few that don't know that when a
towel is washed in solution of gals and dried,
it possesses the power to turn the skin black when
wiped it; not black at once but slowly and surely
Before retiring for the night Phil looked in orriss
room and found him reading old catalogue of the
books in the British Museum and declared he could
not find Rafting sparfer's name among the authors.
''Never mind,'' said Phil my copy will be at
home next week, and then we'll know all about it
But goodness! Morris, how dark you look this even
ing-not been fishing in the sun, hope"
Fishing sun! dark eh -? o Lord Phil, what
do you mean! 0, no, I'm not" exclaimed the poor
Southerner, rushing to his mirror every poor joke
Phil very poor indeed never looked so white before
in my life, and then he spoke the truth, for Phil
had so frightened him, that his complexion would
have compared favorbly to a ',bit of chalk
''Well," says Phil, II may be mistaken, but see
ing's believing you know.-Good night, I'll see you
at prayers in the morning.
Morris retired for the night after determining to
rise earl in the morning and take bath to prove
to Phil that his complexion was improving. Early
next morning he performed the operation much to
his own satisfaction, and wiping himself dry on the
towel Phil had prepared with nut-gall, he strolled
out into the fields to take airing before the
ing service. After walking about for half an hour,
he turned his steps towards the College, deeply pom
derng in his mind if Rafngsparfer could be correct.
By this time the nut-gall had taken effect on his
complexion and he had gone through all the differ
ent stages of megrodom-yery light yellow-mush
and molasses, a dark cherry-a light walnut color
in the last stage, a confirmed darkee.
He had not got fifty yards towards the College,
when he met the daughters of of the professors
Toward Of these ladies he had kind of softness
though it had never existed yet, save IN looks
Imagine, then, how astonished he was to see them
cross the road he came towards them, and
now made one of his captivating bows to have no
notice taken of his polite salute, and to hear of
them remark
Il declare, sis, if that negro man did not bow to
US; wonder what the impudent fellow means 2"
No doubt old Priam astonished to hear that
Troy was on fire and none of the bhoys ready to put
it out Caesar rather astOnished when he saw
Brutus advancing to tickle him under the ribs Mr.
Macbeth has been seen to express considerable sur
prise, and justly so, to see that dagger in the
hair friend Dobb says but the essence of
their establishment added together could not equal
the total of Morris, when he heard himself call
ed a negro.
The Raffnsparfer was right Phil was not Joking,
it was STERN indubitable truth, he Mig
ger the TRUTH the whole truth and nothing but the
truth, burst on his mind at once, with such over
wheming power, that he had to catch hold of post
to support himself The next moment it struck him
it might be joke, and that he was not black. With
the speed of lightning he started for the College,
along the turnpike, through the lane, and into the
College he dashed like four year old Mazeppa his
speed considerably accelerated by some fond moth
er's future ragged "hopen shouting after him,
Go it, darkey, I'll hold your hat !"
No sooner had he entered the hall of the College
than the dreadful truth was but too evident for him