The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-04

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Mr.. ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS. Z:
West Broad street, At o O'Clock. :
.'"'''''
l ventured to inquire the nature of the
document.
did you ever attend a negro wedding
in Georgia? ?" asked my friend.
/ confessed that I had not.
WELL" said he, in a smile in which
there was something like triumph, that is
a card Of invitation. You might take ad-
vantage of it."
But" said I, what would people
think ?"
People be hanged! I am going. That
girl Leticia is the daughter of one Of my
old family servants. She's been running
after my wife every day for a week to find
out whether | am going to her wedding.
Shed be awtully cut up if | didn't go,
Say the word, and I'll call around at 8 and
pick you up"
GOING TO II WEDDING.
Promptly at s | stepped into my friend 4
carriage, and we rode to the church in the
southwestern portion of the city, where
the ceremony was to take place. We drew
up before a modest but substantially built
modern structure, near which was gath
cred a crowd of ragged urchins both white
and black, as if anticipating something un-
usual. The inside was very tastefully
decorated with evergreens and flowers, and
in front of the pulpit a fiowery arch had
been reared.
We arrived some time before the bridal
party, but quite a large audience had al
ready assembled. Instead of laughing and
talking, the congregation amused itself by
singing hymns. This continued until the
bride and bridegroom entered the door.
AS soon as one song was successfully dis
posed of, some ambitious brother would
launch another upon the air, everybody
joining in and carrying it to the very high
est point of vigorous and harmonious into
nation.
II MELODIES.
These hymns are peculiar combinations
of melody and nonsense. When we en-
tered the audience was singing the last
stanza OF a very popular song, as follows
oh, sisters, amt you happy,
An don't y0u want to go
For to leave dis world Of sorrow
An sin down here below
This ended, there was a short pause.
Then a quavering voice raised the song be.
ginning:
De Orbs of hebben am still a shinin'-
A shinin' in de new Jerusalem;
King Jesus come IN de cool oh de mOrniu'-
DE mornln OBJ dc new Jerusalem.
And SO on. 1t would be impossible to
describe the feryor with which these songs
were sung by the singers. Another hymn
runs as follows:
o, little chiliun, You better git home.
y, little ,chillun. you better git home,
o, little chillun, you better git home.
Deres room enough for you.
Dere,s a long white robe an a golden crown,
Dere's a long white robe an a golden crown,
Dere's u long white robe an a golden crown.
Awaitin In de hebben for you.
The chorus of this singular hymn runs
Room enough, room enough,
Room enough In de hebben for you:
Room enough, room enough,
Room enough for you.
This doubtless looks very much like non
sense, but the nonsense does not appear
when you hear the negroes sing it. On
the contrary, it is one OF the most effective
hymns l ever heard.
ii BRIDAL PARTY.
Finally, in the midst of the sing, a rus
tie was heard at the door, and the preach
a very large and very black negro, who
had been sitting in the pulpit with his eyes !
closed, stood up at the desk and raised his :
hands. This was the signal for silence, and ]
In the hush that followed the bridal party
swept up the aisle. The bride was an ex-
ceedingly comedy negro girl, and 'tastefully
dressed. l learned afteTward that the
finishing touches to her toilet had been
made by her old mistress. The groom was
also a hne specimen of his race.
There was some awkwardness displayed
by the two attendants of the bride, but
they were quickly set right by the preach
err, who appeared to be on his dignity.
ID ladies will please take dar places
on de LET said he, in a very uncoinpro-
missing tone. DE gemmen will stan on
de right"
In executing this evolution one of the =
attendants of the groom trod on the foot
of an old colored brother who acknowl-
edged the compliment by an 'Ugh!' so
sepulchral and apparently SO eratui,ous
that the congregation was first startled and ,
then convulsed.
Let ar be silence! p said the preacher.
"Et dar is any %scoffers in high places. dew
will now have an opportunity to retire.
Here the preacher paused. pulled ont an
Immense red handkerchief and proceeded .
with much apparent u~uaction to mon his !
lace. The %scoffers in high places refused j
70 retire, but it was evident from the 81
lence that tell upon the congregation thar 4
they had concluded to scoff no more Tbe q
preacher accepted the compromise. and i
with the nc party still standing and =
looking very uncomfortable, he launched '
i1to a lecture on matrimony. Much of i
TINS lecture was humorously incoherent. q
put the following will give a fair idea Of
the substance. As far as it goes it is lii. I
eral I
HOW DE MARRIAGE HAPPENS. {
"Bruderin and frens When two young t
people say TO deyseiyes dat dey have rived ,
at dat disposition whar dey can bar wild !
one anuders failins an inequities, dey mos t
always take a notion for ter marry. An !
a man muster up spunk enough fer i
ter go an buy de license, an de oman
hang her head an say she willin' To stan {
up an let de man claim her in dc eyes oh {
Hebben an de general public, den de mar .
rage happens l..
Here an old brother remarked, Oats .
the speaker.
Why does de man lub de oman? Case :
she pooty- Why does De oman lub de
man. Gaze he strong. WHY does De man
an dc oman bote hub cue 4 C.-a
de Scripters has prophesied /, TO- T.
foundation But dey don't always -
night along ike you tink dey "T,er mary
gals is mighty sly. Dey am ike H. ~, ~
rapln. DE Niger go long troo de swami
an he say 70 hiSsef dat he feel migb,v
hungry. Bimeby he see tarrapin on de-
log in DE sun wild he eyes shet. Den de-
mouf begin for ter water. an he
banker arter dat farrapin. 4
".Co0tsri' be Soy, i lab you j.