San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-03-30
A COlOred Debating Societ ~.

! sonho 'oiy AaSotihSs this
winter. Your correspondent happen.
ing to pass through Mount V. about
Christmas-time, was invited by friend
to accompany him to one of the "de.
bates" Your correspondent went. The
object of the argument on that particu.
lar evening was the settlement at opca
and forever of the question, (which am
de mightiest, de pen or de swoard?n
Mr.. Laukins said about as follows.
"Mr. Chairman, what's de use OBJ
swoard unless ,you's gwyne to WARP
Who's hyar dat's gwyhe to WARP I
isn't, Mr.. Morehouse isn't, Mrs. More.
house isn't, Mr.. Newsome isn't; III bet
no teller wot speaks on de swoard side il
any ideer OBJ gwyne to WAR. Den
what's de use OBJ de swoardp I don't
tink dere's much show for argument in
de matter"
Mr.. Lewman said: "What's de use
OBJ de pen less you knows how to write?
How's datp OATS what 1 wants to
knowP 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. [Avoice in the audience, "Wrote
de ten comman 'ments, anyhow, you
bet" Cheers from the pen side.1
Wrote 'emp urOte 'emp 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 new set,
de chillun OBJ Isr'l broke 'em all
again. Say he did write 'em, what
good was it? So his pen no count no.
how. No, Saar. De swoard's what
fotched 'em into de Promis' Lam, Saar.
Why, Saar, it's ridiculous. Tink, Saar,
OBJ David a-cuttin' off Goliah's head wild
pen, Saar! De ideer's altogether too
'posterous, Saar. De swoard, Saar, de
swoard mus win de argument, Saar."
DR.. Crane said: I" 1 tink MI. Lewman
leetle too fas'. He's a-speakin' OBJ de
times in de dim pas, when de mind OBJ
man was crude, an de ham 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 OBJ de pen.
DER hans was only fit for deruff use OBJ
de swoard. Now, as de modern poet
says, our swoards rust in DER cubbards,
an peas, sweet peas, covers de lam.
An what has wrot all dis change? De
pen. Do 1 take swoard now to getm
a peck oh sweet-taters, pair OBJ chick.
ems, pair OBJ shoes? No, Saar. l jess
take my pen an write a order for 'em.
Do want money? 1 don't git it by de
edge of de swoard; 1 writes a check. l
want a suit oh clothes, for instance-a
stroke OBJ de pen, de mighty pen, de
clothes is on de way. rs DONE"
Mr.. Newsome said: "Wid all due
'spect to de learned gemman dat's JUS
spoke, we mus all agree dat for smoov-
in tings off an a-levelin' tings down
dere's noting equals de swoard."
Mr.. Hunnicut said: 81 agrees entire
ly wild Mr.. Newsome; an in answer to
what DR.. Crane says, l would jess ask
what's de use OBJ DRAWN check unless
you's got de money in de bank, or
a-drawin' de order on de store unless de
store truss youP S'pose de store 40
truss, amt it easier to send boy as to
write a orderp If you got no boy
handy, telegraf. No use for pen-not
bit. Who ebber heard of Mr.. Hills
pen? Nobody, Saar. But his swoard'
Saar-de swoard oh ole Bunker Hlll'
Saar-is known to ebbery chile in de
lam. If it madden bin for de swoardoo
ole Bunker Hill, Saar, WIZARD we nlg-
gers be tonight, Saar? whaar, SaarF
Not hyar, Saar. In Georgia, Saar' OF
wuss, Saar. No cullud man, Saar'
should ebber 60 back, Saar, on DC
swoard, Saar."
Mr.. Hunnicut's remarks seemed "
carry a good deal of weight with tne
audience. After speeches by NUMBER
of others, the subject was handed over
to the " committee" who carried 1t out
and "sot on it." In due time they IT,
turned with the following decision:
"De committee decide dat de swoaru
has de most pints an de best backin,
and dat de pen is de most beneficial an
dat de whole ting is about a stan'-on'
-Editor'S DraUer, in Harper'S for Ap''
PARsNIP FRITTERs. 4 or pars
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mash them fine add n teaspoonful Of