American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-03-23
A COIOred Debating Society.

The % Colored Debating Society," OF
Mount Vernon, Ohio, must have had
some very interesting meetings 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 'tde
bates" Your correspondent went. The
object of the ARGUMENT on that particu-
lar evening was the settlement at once
and forever of the question, (Which am
de mightiest, de pen or de swoard?''
| Mr.. Laukfns said about as follows
"Mr. Chairman, what's de use OBJ a
swoard unless you's gwyne to waar? ?
Who's hyar dat's gwyne to waar? 1
isn't, Mr.. Morehouse isn't, Mrs More
house isn't, Mr.. Newsome isn't; III bet
no feller wot speaks on de swoard side is
any ideer OBJ gwyne to waar. Den
what's de use OBJ de swoard? | don't
tink dere's much show for argument in
de matter"
Mr. Lewman said " What's de use
oh de pen less you knows how to write !?
How's dat? OATS what I 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. [Avoice in the audience, ''Wrote
de ten comman' 'ments, anyhow, you
bet" Cheers from the pen side.
Wrote 'em? urote 'em? Not much;
guess not; not on stone, honey. Might
p'r'aps cat 'em wild 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 itP 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
a pen, Saar! De ideer's altogedder too
'posterous, Saar. De sWOard, Saar, de
swoGrd mus win de argument, Saar.''
DIR. Crane said: &c 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 hams was only fit for de ruff use oh
de swoard. Now, as de modern poet
says, our swoards rust in deir cubbards,
an peas, sweet peas, covers de lam.
An what has wrot all dis change? De
pen. Do 1 take swoard now to get me
a peck OBJ sweet-taters, pair oh chick
ems, pair OBJ shoes? No, Saar. l Jess
take my pen an write order for 'em.
Do want money? 1 don't git it by de
edge of de swoard; l writes check l
want a suit OBJ clothes, for instance-a
stroke OBJ de pen, de mighty pen, de
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.. Newso me; an in answer to
what DR.. Crane says, 1 would jess ask
what's de use OBJ drawin' a 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 do
truss, amt it easier to send boy as to
write a orderP If you got no boy
handy, telegraf. No use for pen-not |
Il bit. Who ebber heard of Mr.. HiIl's |
pen? Nobody, Saar. But his S0oard,
Saar-de swoard OBJ ole Bunker Hill,
Saar-is known to ebbery chile in de
lam. If it madden bin for de swoard OBJ |
ole Bunker Hill, Saar, WIZARD we mig
gers be tonight, 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.. Hunnicut's remarks seemed to |
carry a good deal of weight with the
audience. After speeches by a number
of others, the subject was handed over
to the " committee" j." who carried it out |
and :" sot on it.'' In due time they re-
turned with the following decision:
De committee decide dat de swoard |
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 off"
Editors DrGcer, IN Harper's for Apr.