, 1876-12-09
AFRICAN HUM0R.

AFRICAN HUMOR.
The Ameri ,an brain is fertile in in
ventions; nor are those inventions con-
fined to the mechanical arts. America
has her own peculiar school of high liter
ature, headed by Irving, Cooper and
Kennedy among prose writer's and Bry-
ant, Longfellow and Whittier among
poets. Her school of low literature is
of more recent creation, led of by Jonca
Hooper, Fenton Noland, T. B. Thorpe,
Chas. F. Brown and James Bailey of
Danbury. We do not include Sam Glenn
ems Mark Twain) in this category, be.
cause he is such an outrageous pnrloin>
er of other mems ideas. He claims the
authorship Of the story of the "Jump-
ing Frog" which originally appeared in
the New York Spirit of the Times in
1889. just one year after MARK Twain"
was born. If he wrote it, he was Ger
tainly most precocious genius.
The latest candidate for honors risi-
BILE, is a writer on the Atlanta Ga,
Constitution. His name we do not know
but his humor is the real stuff. BE con-
fines his writing to the negro character
and makes it overwhelmingly funny.
=, rol1o-,ro.
JEEMs RoBERsoN's LAST ILLNESS.
A Jonesboro negro, while waiting for
the train to go ont last night, struck up
with several old acquaintances. "How
is Jeems Roberson?" asked one after
the usual "time of day" had been
passed.
"Did'n you hearn bout Jim?" queried
the Jonesboro darkey.
II amt heeId tum Jim since he cut
loose fun de chain gang. He amt down
with de bllliousness, is her"
"Oh. no! Jim amt sick. an he amt
been sick. He jes wanted fer ter ride
Mars Bob Proctor's mule de udder Sun
day, an de mule 'peered to have anud-
der Engagement. l done been fool Wild
dat mule before and tole Jim he better
not git tangled up wild her. But he
lowed he wuz boss doctor; an den
he axed me for a che of terbacker, an
got de bride. an cotch de mule, and
got ON her-well. spec better 60 git
my ticket. Dey tell me dis train goes
a callyhootin.
Hold, on, you amt tole us bout
Jim, remarked one of his dusky audi
tors.
Il done tole you all I know. Jim got
on de mule, an she sorter hump her.
self, an dun der wuz ia scuffle, and
when de dus' blow why see de niger
on de groun', and de mule eatin' at de
troff wild one wv Jim's galluses wropped
roun' her hine leg. Den afterwards de
kurn 'er he cum an sed Jim died sorter
accidental-ike. Hits des like tell you
de nigger wuzn't sick a minnit. Well.
1 got ter be gittin' on. So long boys!'
But the grave and quiet wit that atcrops
out of his delineations Of Uncle ST.
shows this writer-whoever he is-to
be more philosopher than Jester. His
sketches are pen chromos, or rather
canoes. so distinct and individual are
they in their mastery outline. Here
is the old mans homily:
OLD 81 AND THE YOUNG DARKIEs.
As old 81 was passing along by the
car shed, one of the colored gamins
there attache d paper tail to the old
man coat. 81 ascertained why he had
suddenly become so conspicuous to the
crowd, and shaking his finger at the
boy, said:
'Lookee heah, chile, IN ole 'nuff fer
to be yer grandaddyv'
The boy gyrated his fingers from the
tip end of his nose.
Oats right; you jes wobble dem fin
gers till ye learns de motion. OATS de
gallus grab dat you's goin' on wild, ef
yer only kno'd it!'
The boy laughed and danced around
the old man.
Go on wild yourffoolishness. fer dc
times comm when all sich young colts
as you is gwine ter, be hsrnessed up an
broke. an yer'll be moughty glad ter
bress de Lawd eff yer necks amt broke
in de fnst trial!'
Hey! whar's de pig what eat de co n
often dat ole cob pipe. say?" yelled the
boy.
"Netber mine; dat wern't de pig dat
you II be tuck up fer steelin'. ! teel
yer dis yung gin ration OBJ darkies is
too free wild der tungs, an too sabin OBJ
der hands ter do emmy good Der police
Is draggin' ob 'em round hyar like pups
wild ropes ter der necks, an I'm lookin'