The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-05
A sTAND.OFF.
Fun In an Ohio Coiored Debating Society.
From the Editors Drawer in Harper for APRIL

Fun In an Ohio Colored Debating Society
From the Editors Drawer in Harper for APRIL
The "Colored Debating Society,"" OF
Mount Vernon, Ohio, must have had
some very interesting meetings this
winter. Your correspondent, happening
to pass through Mount V. about Christ
mas time, was invited by friend to ac-
company him to one of the "debates. "
Your correspondent went The object
Of the argument on that particular even
ing was the settlement at once and for
ever of the question, (which am de
mightiest, de pen or de swoard ?"
Mr.. Laukins said about as follows
"Mr. Chairman, what's de use OBJ a
swoard unless you's gwyne to WAR
Who's hyar OATS gwyne to WAR?
isn't, Mr.. Morehouse isn't, Mrs. More
house isn't, Mr.. Newsome isn't; I'll bet
no Teller wot speaks on de swosrd side
is any ideer OBJ gwyne to WAR. Den,
tink dere's much show for argument in
de matter"
Mr.. Lewman said f: "What's de use
oh de pen less you know how to write ?
How's dat ? OATS what wants to know.
Look at de chillun OBJ Isr'l-wasn't but
one man in de hole crowd gwyne up from
Egyp' to de Promis' Lam Good write,
an he didn't write much" A voice in
the audience, "Wrote de ten comman'-
ments, anyhow, You bet" Cheers from
the pen ride. "Wrote 'em? wrote 'em {?
Not much; guess not; not on stone,
honey. Might p'r'aps cut 'em wild a
chisel Broke 'em all, anyhow, fore he
got down de hill. Den, when he cut a
new set, de chillun OBJ Isr'l broke 'em all
again. Say he did write 'em, what good
was ita So his pen no count nohow.
No, saar. De sWOards what fotched
'em into de Promis' Ian, saar. Why,
saar, it's ridiculous. Tink, saar, OBJ
David a.cuttin' off Goliah's head wild a
pen, saar! De ideer's altogether too
'posterous, saar. De sxOard, saar, de
sWoard mus win de argument, saar."
DR.. Crane said : ct tink Mr.. Lew
man leetle too fas'. He's a-speakin
oh de times in de dim pas, when de
mind oh man was crude, an de han OBJ
man was in de ruff state, an not tone
down to de refinement OBJ cibilized times.
Dey wasn't educated up to de use oh de
pen. DER hans was only fit for de ruff
use Oh de swoard. Now, as de modern
poet says, our swoards rust in DER cub
bards, an peas, sweet peas, covers de
lam. An what has wrot all dis change {?
De pen. Do take a swoard now to get
me peck oh weet-taters. pair OBJ
chickens, pair OBJ shoes? No. saar. L
jess take my. pen an write order for
'em. Do want money? don't git it
by de edge oh de swoarc L writes
check. want suit oh clothes, for in
stance-a stroke ob de pen, de mighty
pen, de clothes is on de way. rs DONE"
Mr.. Newsome said ovid all due
spect to de learned gemman OATS JUS
spoke, we mus all agree dat, for smoov-
in tings off an a-levellin' tings down,
dere's noting equals de swoard.
Mr. Hunnicut said 81 agrees en-
tirely wild Mr.. Newsome an, in answer
to what DIR. Crane says, would jess
ask what's de use oh DRAWN a check
unless you's got de money in de bank,
or a. DRAWN de order on de store unless
de store truss You? S'pose de store do
truss, amt it easier to SEN boy as to
write order? If you got no boy handy,
telegraf. No use for pen-not bit.
Who ebber heard of Mr.. Hills pen I?
Nobody, saar. But his sWoard, saar-
de swoard OBJ ole Bunker Hill, saar-is
known to ebbery chile in de Ian. Ii it
madden bin for de swoard OBJ ole Bunker
Hill, saar, WIZARD we niggers be to-
night, saar? whaar, saar? Not hyar,
saar. In Georgia, saar, or wuss, saar.
No cullud man, saar, should ebber go
back. saar. on de sWoard, saar."
Mr.. Hunnicuts remarks seemed to
carry good deal of weight with the
audience. After speeches by a number
of others, the subject was handed over
to "the committee" who carried it out
and "sot on it" In due time they re-
turned with the following decision
Ode committee decide dat de swoar'l
has de most pints an de best backin'
and dat de pen is de most beneficial, an
dat de whole ting is about stan off"