The Newtown bee., 1878-11-07
Bridgeport.
nnrpouposr. Oct. le. 1878

nRIpdEpoAf, Oct, lG. 1878,
 The Rev. John Henry Thomas deliver cd very interesting lecture on shakes- psare. to a very appreeIatiye audience, isat night The Reverend gentleman sn' nounecd that he would not eonane him self exclusively to the subject. but would smwsr any question put to him q "a George Francis Train, but uniihs Train, he wss unable to subsist on . peanut and glass of water day. and thpt the small est donations would be thankfully re- celved, and ndmonIshed his audience not to put trade dollars Into hls hat as they were worth only g conts. After making q very graceful bow that would have done honor 10 French waiter boy, the lee- turer spoke as follows
 Shakespeare was born in Slratford among the mosquitoes. Tho reason ho was called Shakespeare was because his father whipped him, for firing or fire crackers and torpedos and singing Hail Columbia" and shouting for Gen. Grant and Horace Greedy on tho 1th of July. His father licked 50 bad that he shook NlNn icuit tHhhr lh' A'aApVH be "s' N"AA'H Shakespeare shake-with- h-fear---dat's how he got his name. Now lot me read from this little book befefe mo, de work of Shakespeares own right hand. Do man who lent It to me borrowed It from Shakespeare himself and forgot to return 1t, and Shakespeare nevOr cOmed after 1t. So de man said. Sec you'er to read or rather excite to you gentlemen what Shakespeare said to Mcduif on de banks of de Potomac, down South, durin dc war for de color folks. Lead on Mcduif and damn be he who aint got enough" !" Who got enoughp Shakespeare? No! Mcduif. was the man dat got enough, Shakespeare knocked him down and bur jed him 80 deep dat ark angels Gabriels trumpet wont hear him. l tako my stand before you dis evenin and tell you dat I an de Rev. John Henry Thomas, and am gon' to be famous all over de world. Is goin' to travel from sea to sea. De man dat travels all over the world from sea to sea and know nothin', ain | nobody. I'm goin' to be somebody. l don't know all de history of de world to de present day. If Is goin to mako mis- takes 'cuse me. Green corn and green grass-grass, am green grass? It am q flower. I'll tell you, green grass and green ;corn don't connect together, one half of de doctors, can't tell you what Il flower is. Shakespeare belongs to de dead bodies. De flower grows and fade, and den it is among de dead bodies. What am a dead body? You will find dem in de doctors-in de drug stores. What am dead body? Tis skeleton wid de flesh off-Shakespeare am among de dead bodies. My mind am my own, my time am my own. I walk along de street and Ise thinking something something you don't know nuthin' about my mind is my own. I got a great speculation on my mind. De world com menced in 1866, when you and me and my fore ancestors were dead and gone. l don't speak for no disgrace. De white man say to me l: you can't marry my daughter cause you are nigger. What got to do with it. Greenbacks, they tell us is worth money-Dollar for dollar, six cents on the dollar. If I get dollar changed they 'spect six cents on the dol lar. l stand here before you and say give me de cid paper money of de army six cents on de dollar of de poor harC working laborin man dat work for dol lar day.