Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-04-30
Negro Children.

The most frequent complaint was that some
one was cussin'-that being the chosen word of
the whole negro race to describe any ohense of
the tongue. :" Dis yer boy cussin' ~ we would
he informed, and on investigation would find the
offender had been calling names something of
the kind-not proper, to be sure, but still
scarcely answering to the charge made by the in
suited party for instance, when one day a
little ebony finger, half asleep, raised its morsel
of hand and drawled out:
boy a-cussin called me foo-oo-l ~
Once, without any premontory signal to at
tract attention, boy exclaimed, in wide-eyed
horror.
"Cussinl cussin' is dis yer corner gal a
cussin'!'
"Oh teacher, nebber bit; my many
don't low me to cuss boy jes' a-cussin hese'f!
indignantly responded the accused.
The almost invsriole answer Of the children,
when charged with any misdemeanor is, deed
] neber; my many don't low me ter do it,"
The boy persisted 4" Gal yer done cuss
knows yer dio; deed, teacher, she cuss a
heap"
Well, what did she say?' asked.
" Say done took her book, an my many
buyed dis yer book she own se'f at de sto' yes
terday )" then in stage whisper to the girl,
&" Gal, Ise gwne to mash yer moui when gets
yer outside de do. >
Threatened with such an assault, the girl took
up the complaint.
" Teacher, cant yer make dis boy have his
self? he cussu me here say be gwine smash
my mouf.
$50 is gwine mash yer mouf, yer ole black
niger"
1t difficult to tell which was the backer
of the two but it is curious how universally
children and grown people use this as a term OF
reproach in their qnarrels "you ole Niger,
or you black nigger," are household words
with them, and a. Sc gwine TO mash yer mouf"
is the grand climax O their VenUpance.
This is capital, but the following is equally
faithful and quite as amusing:
Changing of names is one of the most curious
fances of the colored people, old as well as
young. 1t will undoubtedly wear off as they
grow accustomed to their freedom, but it seemed
if they were desirous in exercising their new
privileges in this as in everything else, and
would take name whenever it suited
them, giving sometimes most original reasons
for so doing. boy belonging to our school
came one day and informed his teacher:
My name amt Lewis Jackson any more"
" Well what is it now?'
It's Lewis Taylor"
MY sister done got married last night, so
now my names gwine to be Lewis Taylor"
have known a whole family change their
name on occasion of one member getting mar
ried. Some would have two three names
which they used ndiscriminately. We fre-
quently went to look for children whom we
NNUi" NV hid ~ "iI pJ thO uaIipS lueJ hnu
given us. Some of them had name for
school, another among their playmates, and a
third for home use-as a boy who entered under
the name OF Joseph Marshall the boys called
him Marshall Black and the name bestowed
upon him by his parents, and by which he was
called at home, was Joseph Black Thomas.
We wrote good many letters for the colored
people, and often they would dictate at the
close
"Tell her to write so and So"
"Why !" we would ask, " don't you want her
90 write to you ?'
Yes miss, dat's me-"
" But that not yorr name"
OATS my name now; done change the ole
one"
" What do you do that for2'
Dunno, zactly fought jes try dis yer an >
see ei likes it better. ."-Putaan.'s Monthly.