Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-11-29
THE AMERICAN NEGROES.
Their Peculiar Capacity for Mirth. Arsrri-
ment aud Melody.
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predisposed to humor, v1vacitY and q
satisfaction with the DEGREES of fate.
The smile on his face and laugh on his
lips are strong bulwarks against the ills
that bleach the hair and dig burrows in
the brow. To "eat, drink and be
merry" is an ingrained capacity of the
darkey, stronger at birth than a theory,
and an article of faith through life,
though unwittingly He is built that
way, and is never SO happy as when in
any degree enabled to Illustrate the in
clination.
1t is with the approach of the holidays,
when, having received his money for his
crops, and feeling that he can get ad-
vances from "the store" during the
next summer, he is as improvident as
the tabled grasshopper, and lives like a
lord OF course, it must be understood
that the country darkey is referred to
here. His town brother lives hand to
mouth existence, and rarely has enough
money at any one time to indulge his in
clinations The lack of funds does not
detract from the disposition, but curtails
the scope Of indulgence.
The nature of the negro makes him
charming factor in literature, when some
student Of history awakens an echo of
the past, or a delicately attuned romance
or lay treats tenderly of individual lives.
Those of the north who know the darkey
only through Page, Edwards, johnson or
Cable have little opportunity of seeing In
life the characteristics depicted, unless
they leave the beaten route OF southern
travel and stray off into the bypaths,
where the scenes are irreconcilable with
the days of modern progress.
There, vending his way through cool,
outrageous lanes, carpeted with nee
dies from the tall, soughing pines, or un-
der the somber cypress, the traveller may
meet family of darkies going calling
or to the village to sell berries. They
will pass down the road in Indian file,
and, though the wayfarer be a total
stranger, he will be the recipient of the
most courteous and cordial salutation.
The mother will beam on him from be-
meath her bright bandana, which
matches, perhaps, a vivid pink gown.
He will meet many other faces like hers
at the cabin doors. where the cultivated
taste for viChy. settler, or carbonic will
meet with pieasurable surprise when
quafling deep drdughts of spring water
from sweet gourd' dipper. Toappre-
ciate a drink Of water, one should drink
it from the gourd.
The singing and dancing of the darky
on the plantation is in striking contrast
to that of the drawing room performance
of the white folks. | have seen a group
sitting quietly. holding their hands, when
one of the party would take up some
queer chant, tle words of which would
be lost in persistent dwelling on the aspi-
rates. At first the measure would be slow
and haltins, bu,, us others joined in and
took up the chorus, the rude melody of
the song w0ald be rounded out and swell
with penetration carrying its burden
to Others ~ work IN the fields, who would
take upthe familiar air till the neighbor-
hood would puis,te in song.
Some OF these songs are largely recita-
tive, with Il weird, lonesome chorus;
others breathe Gauce steps SO plainly
that only a few oars are finished before
the singers are patting for some of their
number, who are on the boards or sand
shutting, cutting The pike, 1.-The pigeon
wing ana other popular steps.
The negro is a lover of melody, and it
is not an iI.rt4Gent thing to find them
grouped about the front piazzas when
there is company at the big house"
and the piano is giving forth favorite
Chopin. Strauss or Gottschalk. Long
after the echoes Of the melody have
died away on the night they will remain
spe!.bound Manuscript music was
sore puzzle to our general utility man,
who was styled Cupid, for the reason,
perhaps, that he was totally unlike that
little god both in appear
ance and prowess believe / could
have conveyed to him more clearly an
understanding of the cosmogony of
Paradise Lost than of the method of
writing music
With their naturally joyous tempera-
ment one might believe that allegro
would be their favorite musical move
ment, but penseroso is more frequently
voiced in their efforts. When by them
selves, safe from an audience. they yield
to the spirit of song, and a pathos of
yearning pleading and protesting is
thrown into their homely lay, and comes
10 the hearer as the voice of u soul in
travail With the end of the song a
merry laugh will disp,'I these vague fan
cics and deepen the perplaxity of the
;uTl., Ls.aner.
h. "a; with the advent of the
,a Iaii.drs. which the darby
81 investing in fireworks and
!! 3d., fpadnvss for sweetmeats,
az. ',.a:dS untll after New Years,
,iI,r.. .'.." ""l& performed en- the farm.
II is rnr ioaud Of sa!~y Hunting in
.he day and dancing III night The New
Years. which isc,leor&tal by that queer
'ustom called waiting Egypt comes
Ill too soon This custom il ralitous |
ceremonial. mt Is Srntrally denounced
'y the cier5F as'IGor;hotlox They lind it |
relic of NoodGu practice. and the frenzy !
which lis Music AMI marching seem TO |
ring on is discour;r"aHced 10y the pull !,
1t The congregations IN many in !
tances however, insist on walking" or |
make their pastor w.iii. and they gener. |
lily have their lay
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