The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-07-26
origin of the White Race.

fellows Evangeline, there is within the
limits Of the parish of St. Landry a
stream called the bayou C%ourtableau.
tits formed three miles above Washing
ton-anciently called Niggerville, and
recently SOdOm-by the junction Of the
bayous B9uf and COcodrie or Croco-
die ; and after a %tortuous course of for
ty or forty-ive miles, it empties into
the A~tchafalaya river. On this bayou
are numerous plantations, and on or
near one of them and neal the bayou is
a church, called colored, we suppose,
from the complexion of the peculiar
people who frequent it. We are thus
particular in regard to locations, be-
cause it was on this bayou, made ia
nous in Longfellow's Evangeline, and in
this "little church not round the corner"
but among the liveOaks on the banks
of this beautiful stream inhabited by
alligators, CARS, catfish and the smaller
fry, that the manner of the origin of
the white race was firststAted, discussed
and proved, and that too by a black the
Ologian. This alone should give this
little bayou an Importance in the eyes
of the civilized world far greater than
that it derives from LOngfelloW's story.
Two steamboats,, with two stereotyped
sets of steambOatmen, ply up and down
this bayou in their weekly trips be-
tween our little SodOm and the Cres-
Lcent City. They are accustomed to
stopping at all the plantations on it's
banks, where freight has to be received
or discharged and a mission Of this
kind caused one Of these boats to land
neal our little church one Sabbath morn
ing "at the usual hour" and be de-
tanned there an hour or more. On this
boat is or was a pilot, not unknown to
fame, who has a retentive memory, an
inquisitive mind and a happy talent for
relating what he has seen or heard. On
this occasion he sauntered out, near the
church window, to hear the sermon.
Lately, while killing time, during a trip
on this boat, by lying on the p~ilOt-hOuse
sofa and listening to his narrative of in
cidents of a steamboatman's life, we
passed this little church, and it occurred
to him to tell us Of the sermon he had
heard there. AS we'll as we can recol-
lect it was about on this wise:
Ny brethren and sistren, christians
and sinners-Tm a gWine to discourse to
you to-day about folks-black folks and
white foIkS->lnd whar they come from
and I'm a gwine to tell you de Jacks Nv
de case an muffin but de Jacks. But be-
fore I perceed to do so, l want to say a
word to Mr.. Darwin who's writ a book
which says dat white folks come from a
monkey and all white folks dat admits
dat niggers is human says de black
folks come from de white folks. Now
if de black folks is de inferior race" as
de white folks say, and de white folks
have monkeys for der daddies and mann
mics and black folks for der chillun, il
seems to dis ERE niger dat de white
folks wild monkeys ON one side and mig.
7 gers on de oder, is in a purity tight place
and amt got no room to boast of der as,
cendants nor der descendants. Nov
dat's de reason why I says Mr.. Darwin
wild his monkeys, and de white folk
generally wild der ~"inferior race" il
; boat wrong. But, my christian friends
Pm gwine to tell you de Jacks of di
case, and de truth, de whole truth anC
! muffin but de truth.
In de fust place I'll show you wha.
de black folks come from, and den II
i show you whar de white folks com,
I from. To do dis, I amt a gwine to piel
out any pertickiler text III de Bible t.
) preach from, but I'll jest allude to sew
; eral passages of de Holy Scripturs TO
> de foundation of my discourse and TO
! your edication.
Now you all know or ought to know
/ If you've read de Bible or heard m
preach afore to-day, de fust man da
q ever lived was named Adam and de fus
q woman was named Eve, and de Lor,
made 'em wild his own blessed hand
6 and put 'em in de garden of Edoml
i Now you sinners what's in dis 'ere con
gregation, who's neber heard anythin
= on dis subjeck 'cept what ignoran
: white folks and white preachers has sale
and who believes what dey said, / wan
you to jest hold yer breaths while / per
: eeed to emphatically, truthfulIy and re
q ligiously state, wild. dis holy Book ope
before me for my guide and witness
and de Lord, who made dem and m
and all of us, looking down on me, da
r Adam and Eve was boat black mer
n boat niggers! bringing his fist dow
2 with a laundering blow on the book be
d fore him, and the old ones in the same
corner" crying "glory, hallelujah =
h Now if dere's any of you what dispute
dis fack, / want you to do it right her
e now whar can settle it, Or hold We
peace when you go way from here.
say Adam and Eve boat was black men
! and de reason for why? Well in d
! fust place de climate of Edom must
! been verv hot, OF de Lord wouldn't
! : turned 'em loose widout any clothes on
andd ewhitefolkssa twas de hotcimat
what made llack folks, and dis is proc
! dat Adam and Eve was boat black me
by what de white folks believes an
y says demselves. Now in de seeon
J place, you know you can't make a whit
tar baby outen black tar and de mu