News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1881-12-29

folks turn to angels when they die. HI
points with triumph to all the pictures
of ANGELS ever pointed, in which not {
single colored angel is seen. He says
he defies even old Bro. Gardner, the
greatest living logician, to prove thai
colored men have souls all samee as
Mclean men. VIII ypn accept the
challenge? p
CoTToNs&
There was deep silence in the hall for
long minute, during which the
thermometer went up thirteen degrees.
Then the President said:
eyes, I 'cept the challenge. Let dat
Texas man prove to me dat white folks
hev souls an I will prove dat black
folks hev de same. 1t am jest as easy
to prove one as de odder. AS to the
picters of angels, de black faces am not
de only ones left out. Whar' am de
Cinnamon, de Arabs, de Injuns, de Lap
landers, an all de odder folks I? No
body eber saw a red-headed angel, an
vet do all our red-headed citizens go to
de bad placep I'll defy dat Texas white
man to show me any face among de
angels cher painted resembling Texas
man. He can't show me de face of a
Dutchms.n or Irishman, or Frenchman
or Spaniard, but does dat prove dat
Heaben was built for de use of few
Americans? We doan' take our black
skins to heaben any mo- dan white folks
take der mutton-chop whiskers, glass
eyes an false teeth. When we arrove
at de gate death has giben all de same
color, an de poo old black man who
has shaved an hungered an suffered all
his life STAINS clus beside de white man
who has had riches and contentment. A
piece oh white chalk kin be wrapped up
in black velvet as well as in bleached
cotton.
"I tell you, my trens, de road to
Heaben am long an full of pitfalls an
quick-santls an steep hills an lonesome
hollers, an de soul which reaches de
golden gates am SO cleansed an purified
dat de poo ole body left behind on
airth would neber know it. It isn't de
money, de raiment, de white skin or de
fine talk dat helps de pilgrim ober de
quick-sands an pass de thickets filed
wild darkness an de skeletons OF de lost.
It am the heart an its kind thoughts an
good deeds. Let us now plrceed to
bizness."
THE CHAMPION POET.
The committee IN whose Charge the
prize POEMS on the WateIGpff5n have
been given as fast as received since Au-
gust l, reported that 126 poems had
been altogether received, ea$h one writ
ten by colored man. The choice of
the committee had rested on the three
following named efforts:
First prize" Softly Stealing Through
the Melon-patch," by Juneberry Smith,
of Arkansas. Mr.. Smith can take his
choice between hand-painted, back
action autograph of Capt. Kidd or IS in
money.
Second prize = "Down Where tho
Melon Pined," by Killem Davis, of Ten
nessee. Mr.. Davis is privileged to
,hoose between a pen-wiper used by
Oliver Cromwell when he signed the
Declaration of Independence or 81
Dill with corner torn off.
Third prize BURY me Whar' de
Melons Grow" by Destruction Skivers,
If Illinois. Mr.. Skivers has the choice
an eight-dollar note OF hand
against William Penn or silver dollar
With hole III it.
While the committee we're limited to
hree prizes, and while they endeaVored
% select the best, the other 123 poets
need not feel discouraged. There is
DOM for all, and those who continue to
court the muses. must some day achieve
success. Any one of the rejected poems
would bring the highest cash price per
pound even when the market was over
tocked.
SPECIAL OFFER.
Waydown .Beebe arose to question
# privilege. He was not only poet
himself, but he had feeling OF deep {
for that down-trodden class. {
He would therefore offer special prize
If So in cash Or an eighteen gallon keg s
# cider for the best poem on "Ihe
Neglected Grave" He didn't care j
yhere the grave was situated. or what
lind of an occupant it contained, or {
low long the dead had been buried. 1
+ any of the poems on the watermelon
ould be cut in two with an ak, split
engthwise with buzzsaw, or altered
yer in any way to fill tsao bilsssssss 9 The
Neglected Grave" he was perfectly
Wiling. His offer would hold good
lntl the LIST of March, and all poems |
should be plainly addressed:
sWaydown Beebe, Detroit, Mich 5
pecial prize"
AGRICULTURAL.
The Committee on Agriculture were !
,iven the following respective queries
rom various points to investigates:
1. "What sell is best adapted to 6
aising land-sharks?" t
2. Ibid Gen. LIE Duo succeed in ,
rowing onions favored with winter I
reen ?" 9
8. "Do sunfowers act as electric c
/
4. "Can't cucumbers be crossed +
7ith turnips in way to give us new s
ruit or vegetable ?" L
TO NQUIRING FRIENDS.
II should like to grab de opportunity I
light yere to say" observed Brother /
fardner, as he unlinked himself, "dat a
ny few an feeble remarks on de sub
eek of charity las week created consid- c
rabul indignashun in sartin quarters, Z
n L has been denounced as selfish an
TO all inquarin' frens on
is subjeck 1 wish simply to remark dat !.
all de orders issued by de Director of Il
q Poo on grocery stores in favor of ap-
licants fur charity, ninety cents OF
berry dollar has bin traded out in pipes, :
obacco, cigars. iellies, honey, white su- :
ar, gilt-edged butter, fancy tea an oof- g
ee. an imported pickles an sauces. n
Iobody need take my word fur it, but u
a pTOparq ON, IL, o.Jara can easily he