Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-04-10
A Colored Debating Society.

a VoAOroO O0O9t108 OOc1eCy.
The "Colored Debating Society" O
Mount Vernon, Ohio, must have som
very interesting meetings this winter
Your correspondent happening to pas
through Mount v. about Christmas time
was invited by Q friend to accompan,
him to one af the "debstes." Your cor
respondent went. The object of tn.
argument ON that particular evening VA
the settlement at once and forever Of ths
question, (Which am the mightiest, d.
pen or de sword?"
Mr.. Larkins said about az follows
Mr.. Chairman, what's de use OBJ Q
swoard unless you's gwyne to waar
Who's hyar dats gwyne to waar?
isn't, Mr.. MorehOuse isn't, Mrs. More.
house isn't, Mr.. Newsome isn't; I'll bet
no feller wot speaks on de swoard side il
any ideer oh gwyne to waar. Den what's
de use OBJ de swoard? Idon't tink dare's 3
much show for argument in de matter" J"
"Mr. Lewman said: "What's de use
oh de pen less you knows how to write
How's dat? OATS what l 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"
la voice in the audience, "Who wrote
de ten comman' ments, anyhow, you bet. I"
Cheers from the pen side. "Wrote
'em? wrote 'ems Not much; guess not /;
not on stone, honey. Might p'raps cut
'em wild a chisel. Broke 'em all, any
how, fore he got down de hill. Den
0vh h0 ont nof Ia oh IL
Is'rl broke 'em all again. Say he did
write 'em, what good was it? So his pen
no count nohow. No. Saar. De s,coard's
what fotched 'em into de Promis Ian,
Saar. Why, Saar, it's ridiculous. Tink,
Saar, oh David a-cuttin' of Goliah's
head wild a pen, Saar! De ideer's alto
gedder too 'posterous, Saar. De swoard,
Saar, de s,codrd mus win de argument,
Saar."
DR.. Crane said: 81 tink Mr.. Lewman
leetle too fas'. He's q speakin' oh de
times in de dim pas, when de mind OBJ
man was crude, an dc 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 of de pen.
Deir has was only fit for de ruff use OBJ
de swoard. Now, as de modern poet
says, our swoards rus in deir cubbards,
an peas, sweet peas, covers de lam. An
what has rot all dis change? DE pen.
DO carry a swoard now to get me a
peck OBJ sweet taters, a pair OBJ chickens,
pair OBJ shoes? No, Saar. jess take
my pen an write order for 'em. Do
want money? Idon't get it by de edge
oh de swoard; ! writes q check. / want
a suit oh clothes, for instance stroke
OBJ de pen, de mighty pen, de clothes is
on de way. rs done"
Mr.. Newsome said: ovid all due
spect to de learned gemmen dat's JUS
spoke, we mas all agree dat for smoovin'
tings off an setellin' tings down dere's
noting equals de swoard."
Mr.. Hunnicut said: al agrees en-
tirely wild Mr.. Newsome; an in answer
to what DIR. Crane says, would Jess ask
what's de use OBJ drawin' check unless
you's got de bank, or a drawin' de order
on de store unless de store truss you?
S'pose de store do truss, amt it easier to
sem boy as to write an order? If you
got no boy handy, telegraf. No use for
pen-not bit. Who ebber heard OBJ
Mr.. Hills pen? Nobody, Saar. But
his swoard, Saar-de swoard ob ole Bun
ker Hill, Saar-is known to ebbery chile
in de Lam. If it hadn't been for de
swoard oh Bunker Hill, Saar, WIZARD
we niggers be tonight, Saar! whaar,
Saar? Not hyar. Saar. In Georgia,
Saar, or wuss, Saar. No cullud man,
Saar. should ebber 60 back, Saar, ON de
swoard, Saar.
Mr.. Hunnicut's remarks seemed to
carry good deal of weight with the au-
dience. After speeches by . number of
others, the subject was handed over to
and "sot on it," In due time they re-
turned with the following discision:
DE committee decide dat de swoard
has de most pints an de best backin', an
dat de pen is de most beneficial, an dat
de whole ting is about STAN -of."-Har-
per's Magazine for April.