Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-04
AMONG THE NEGROES.
Remnants of Picturesque Barbarity Stiil
Visible In the South.

Visible In the South.
visited colored church last winter
expecting to be entertained with some
quaint plantation specimens of devotion;
but. bless you. everything was modern
and proper. The preacher. handsome
young mulatio, was correct in his
speech, and his logic was just as good
and uninteresting as l might have
heard from any of his white contem-
poraries.
As reward of perseverance | found
my type of old-fashioned worship in a
colored love-feast, where each one got
happy after the manner of his own heart
without regard to previous condition of
servitude or the restraints of emancipa-
ton. One old aunty shook herself from
side to side, making strange noise
with her mouth like the initiating of a
bellows. "Aunty," said some one to
her on coming out, you've been very
happy, but why did you make that
queer noise with your month";" 80,
honey, Use suckin' in de breff OBJ de
Lord
found another pious old uncle who,
thought his devotion seemed sufficiently
ardent, assured me shit was nothin'
like hit was 70 de wah." | said, by way
of drawing him out: '.The innocent
seem to suffer with the guilty; how do
you account for it?" YES, MISS said
he. "but de Bible say de wheat and de
tares am lowed to grow up together til
dc harvest time come, den de wheat
am gcddered into de barn and de tares
am frowed into de unquenshable fire. !"
Capt. Price Williams. of the celebrat-
ed Mobile Rifles. who led them in their
victorious drills, in his office rs Judge
of the Probate Court often meets with
amusing incidents from both the going
and the coming race. A colored man
taking out marriage license was asked
the usual questions: .'How old is the
woman you want to marry?"
''Well, boss! 'spose she's bout 10"
"Then she is under age, and you will
have to get the consent of her parents"
20, boss, you knows dc gals always
try to make dar selves young, but |
kin swar she's 90"
DO you swear to thatP" Up went
the hand.
'How old are youp"
well, Use So, but / kin be older if
necessary"
walked into my room one day and
found a rcspectable-looking young col
ored man had been employed to wash
the windows | thought if 1t were in
his line he might do some other work
for me; so | said in a patronizing way:
Uncle, what is your businessP' He
raised himself to his full height on the
ladder, and, fourishing the mop over
his head. he answered with proud
smile, Politician"
Ye gods! l fell wn-mctaphorical-
ly-in dead faint.
At the exposition in New Orleans
saw an old black man. friend of form
er days, trying to set in motion patent
swing l said; Uncle Steve, you
haven't studied science?"
mo. miss" said he, II has others TO
do dat for me-"
Notwithstanding the advantage of
education, the negro dialect dies hard.
A colored modiste, who was fitting n
dress for me, stood off admiringly, and
IN a burst of enthusiasm exclaimed: at
do tit beautiful" l looked at her and
said: You are graduate of Emerson
Institute, | believe She took the re-
Duke at once. but answered: That's
the way they talk at home" ''But what
was the use of your going to SCHOOL," |
asked. She said: Yes, they were proud
to send me, but sometimes, when | use
different language from them, they say
am full of stuck-up-a-tiveness, so just
drop down to them"
Twas calling upon lady. The serv-
ant who answered the door had evident
ly come from her sweeping. She had n
red tablccover tucked around her waist
over blue dress; newspaper twisted
into a sugar-loaf peak made a cap for
her well-shapcd head: she wore a pair
of large hoop earrings; her face was
bronze; she stood erect and looked an
Ethiopian queen. Politely she said:
"Mrs. - is out, but during her ab-
stinence / can invite you IN"
No Southern landscape is without the
gay coloring, the picturesque barbarity
of the African race. So much splendid
rubbish is in their lives it would seem
as If some day in the course of human
progress that from that far-off isle of
spices, from the eternal summers of
Africa's burning sands would come a
development of art, more gay in splen-
dor, more warm in color than our colder
race has ever dreamed of.
The Queen Of Africa is the Goddess
Isis. and her throne is decked with the
attributes of fecundity. The lotus is her
scepter, the calax of the flower of love.
She wears yulture on her brow, the
bird that never cries enough, and above
this she wears the insignia of the fruit
full COW to denote maternity.
From the Goddess Isis to the old negro
nanny just going off the stage of life
the symbols are the same With round,
shining face, fat and full Of years,
crowned with maternity, she is queen
regent of the little cabin home, taking
care of the black babies, the heroes and
statesmen in disguise of the coming
race.
She still depends on the basket of
food and bundle of clothes sent by the
pretty white lady who was once baby
at her breast and who realizes that the
good Lord often gives his blessing twice
over, but he never gives but one old
nanny.
The picture of home life in the South
will be incomplete when they have en-
tirely disappeared. The going race
who have watched over your infancy,
decked you for marriage, and wept over
your graves. -Ltzzie York Case, IN De-
f3.oJf Espo Drooo