The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-14
PLUNKETT'S TALK.
He and Brown Converse of Old
Times.
THE DAYS BEFORE ORGANS or CH0IRs

=
ued the old man, and as he ceased to speak
they began to sing
"On Jordnn's stormy banks stand,
And at a wistiul eye
To Canaans fair ana happy land.
Where my possessions lie
"That'S the kind of singing / like" contin-
ued Pllmkett, "if they are niggers"
After pause, the old man continued:
Owe not got er bit of use for this ere high
faluting way they've got nov Of having choirs,
and don't like this organ business orbit. They
didn't used to have no cLoirs, nor no organs
either, and folks didn't set up as stiff pokcrS
and play with their fingers and ne.er open
their mouths. Everybody sung, little and big,
and it my notion that folks had er happier
time then than they do now.
"Thar's too much dressing and too much
risky iXings erbout folks these days. I've
seed the day that one of these snce-the-war
wimin would or looked like er peafowl when
you've Just pulled its tail out if they'd er went
through one good days meeting. Folks went
! to church them days to praise God, and when
some OF them old wimn got happy it was er
caution, and they didn't care for finery they'd
er ruined these wimin that's been brought up
| since the war.
In my counting days" continued the old
man, "the young folks walked five and six
miles to church and thought nothing Of it.
| They didn't wear out their Sunday shoes
| either. for the girls ami boys both would toat
their shoes and stockings in their hands till
| they'd get pretty close to the meeting house
and then they'd sit down on er log by the little
spring branch and rince their feet and put en-
on and walk into church as neat us er pin and
as pure as or babe"
That's So chimed Bro'7n, "and they'd have
little baskets of fried chicken and ham and
| 4,4c, 4
dinner and we'd go out under the shades and
spread it all out on the grass and everybody
had er plenty, and there warnt no such thing
as 'tramps' them days, but if there had cr bin
they'd er bin as welcome as anybody and
would or bin made to feel at home"
Nobody never heard of err tramp in Geor-
gia till since the war;" continued Plunkett,
and l never heard of none of this dynamite
nor anarchists business and | never seed the
time but what any stranger could get er plenty
OF places TO stay er week if he wanted to,
whether he had money or not folks didn't
charge for err little old nights lodging and
supper and break fast in them days, and never
knowed one neighbor to sell another sich
things as seed potatoes and cotton seed, and [
don't believe in it yet.
1--WE used to hear C TIE niggers going to
rise, though" spoke up Brown.
yes" agreed Plunkett, thar used to be err
heap said about the niggerS er rising, but the
niggcrs have made us old ones feel mighty bad
erbout that. for when the war came Oh they
showed us different, for when all the men were
in the army, the old niggerS would er fought
for the wimin and children at the drop of er
hat, and hant never forgot it neither, and
that's what made me SO mad when these
agents come down here arter the war and
'suaded er heap of EN- off to new countries.
out west, and | know in reason that they never
found another country as good as old Georgia,
nor another people that had the same kindly
feeling for them that we did,
THAT'S so'' nodded Brown.
We seed the day when thoug:4 the abo-
litionists were about like the anarchists that
l hear EN- talk erbout, and that's why L don't
say any more erbout these fellows than [ do.
I've seed the day that if er fellow had err
been caught circulating the New York Tribune
Ground he'd er been hung to the first limb
that would er held him, and then I lived to
see these very same fellows what would er
done the hanging ready TO whip any man that
wouldn't throw up his hat for old Horace
Greeley and vote for him to be president of
these United States. This is er strange world,
tell you. and you never know what er fell
lows gwyne to be till he dies"
As Plpnllet ceased to talk the negroes again
broke out in song;
am bound for L promise land.
am bound for the promise land
Oh, who viii come and go with me
am bound for the promise land
Char haint no choir nor organ erbout
that?" spoke Pimkett
81 begrudge nggers that sort of or meet
ing spoke up Brown.
Plunkett continued:
THE preachers used so make your hair stand
on end er talking erbout hell. l don't hear
much erbout hell these days They used to be
satisfied with eighty-five orninety cents collec-
tons. That wouldn't buy the cigars for a
preacher these days. Old Robinsons clown
sung or song through here erwhile before the
war and we all thought it was mighty wrong
to speak of a preacher like the clown did, but
if he said that then what could he say now?
One verse wont:
"1here i, tie preacher, he reaches very bold.
He preach IS for your money, and not for your soul
Hell ride round his circuit twelve times year
And then you die I'm sure he don't care" etc
But" continued the old man. sit is not all
the preachers that the clowns song would fit
There are many, many good men who are
preaching. and love EN-, but I was list err
thinking that it wonld be JOY to strike er good
old fashioned fellow that would straighten his
legs out under the table and pitch into the red
ham gravy and fried chicken and fill his plate
ergin and crgin, and pass his cup two or three
times Tor the Old oman TO fill, and then after
breakfast go out to the lot and beat thunder
outcn you in a horse trade They'd put it
onto YOU in er horse trade. but they wouldn't
let nobody else do it, and it was all right.
These old preachers have erbout all passed
erway The old churches arc passing erway.
The springs are drying up and the shady slopes
that bordered the little spring branches are
things Of the past Tho horse blocks have
tumblel down and painted posts have taken
the place Of tho swinging limb The con-
gregations have almost passed erway but
when hear them niggers sing think Of them
and l wonder where they are tonight. VIII ]
ever know? SARGE.
WHY AARON BURR PLEASED.
4 Charming Grace Of Manner that Modern
society Men Might Copy.
W. l.. kiuslcy i'm New England.