New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-30
Negro slinstrcisy-

No doubt 4 very large portion OF The while
people of the North hare made their estimate
of the capacity Of the negro for Intelligence
and advancement from the exhibition 81
white men with faces bllckened bY burnt
cork. These men travel from one end OF the
country to the other advertising in high
sounding phrases that they are THE uhap-
preached and upproachable' deAneatoF> 'i
African characteristics on Southern riah'a-
tons. Their representations are from be-
ginning to end frauds upon the credniouS
audiences. BY negro minstrel trorpes the
negro is represented rs hideocS monster
STUPID, and n coward.
In the first wears Of the rebellion, when
colored men were talhed Of, by iew, Tor
soldiers, negro Ministries (whi'e men IN burnt
cork represented the negro az n great braS-
cart. who nj the sound of Il gun would throw
away his arms and fly from the field. This
was in keeping with the preiuaites Of the
white people against the negro, and It was
appIau,led To the echo. For the stupidity OF
the negro rs represented By the negro min
strels let the Federal soldiers, prisoners OF
war. escaping from the rebel prisons answer;
let the daring, and everything but stupid
exploit of Robert Small in Charleston E2r5aE
be a reply to the acted lies OF the Dan BTy-
ants Of negro minstrel fame. The cp"ardice
of the negro was shown to be the cewarijcc
of the negro MINISTRIES (white men in burnt
cork only. Fort Wagner, Niliaen' Bend.
Olustec, Petersburg. and the schooner
Waring prove that the ne-ro is not
coward, and Lis political action s;Ace re-
construction clearly shows that he Is not
such stupid fool as not 70 know & which
party to give his ballot.
The plantation singing Of slaves has never
been represented by negro Ministries, bus it
has been most cxtravaCaul'y burlosqucd;
the banjo is seldom to be found on 4 South
ern plantation; the clog-dancer and the
stump-sreaker have never been seen by the
plantation negro. IN short. the whole at
tempt at delincaton Of negro character in
the South by negro MINISTRIES is not only
bad imitation bat 4 base fraud. We have
had in this city an organization Ct co.oreI
men as negro minstrcls, rurporiUg . he cN-
slaves from Georgia. net one OF whom we
found upon inquiry were ever slaves nor DO
they belong to Georgia. IL, are from cities in
the North. Their flaming posters promised
a portrayal Of plantation negro life. We
found that this troupe Of c2lorcl men were
no more able to truly represent the average
plantation negro than the white lroupes,
their performance being Il copying oI the
style Of the white men who have hitherto
claimed TO represent the plantation negro.
This colored troupe have studied gro char
acter from the Christy's, Bryant's. Woods,
Buckley's and kunkel's negro HinslrclS, and
are as much sham representation Of the ne
gro race rs are the iattertroupcs. The musical
ability Of the colorcd people of the South has
been best shown by the jubilee singers Of
Fisk's University. Their songs ana music
are not the invention Of prejUdiccd white
men who do their utmost 10 make the negro
appear ridiculous; they are the words and
music Of the Southern colore1 people; they
have meaning and sensible object while
the songs Of negro mnstrels intending to
show plantation characteristics are uiscr-
able, meaningless nothings. Al who 90 to
see and hear the Georgia Ministries with the
expectation Of seeing and hearing the Plan
tation negro as he is, vii! find themselves no
nearer their object than when thew 90 to the
white burnt cork humbu@.