The morning times., 1895-10-27
"BEFo' DE wAH" CAKE WALKS.
They Were just as That to BE Seen in
Black America.

Biuck America.
Away back in the silken days OF Dixie
land, when cotton was king and slavery
the colossal sin OF the new world, cake
walks occupied peculiar place in the rela-
tons between pidster anu slave. Alter
the weary toll of a long day in the ficids.
the negro forgot his wrongs and dreamed
OF liberty in practIcing with his partner
intricate steps for tue cake walk tnat
usually took place every Saturday night.
Tue sensible planters encouraged tnis
amusement, for sucn simple advertisement
often sortened the stubborn spirits. but
the grand cake walk, the one tnat aroused
the most intense rivalry, and was looked
forward to by the darkIes with the same
feeling that children wait for Christmas,
was tue function that took place after
..Massas" return from his annual trip
North, where he went TO sell his cotton
and buy new machinery and implements for
the coming season. The CONNECTION that
graced tue walks on Saturday nights was
nothing more than O corn pone, enriched
with few eggs and butter. on this
occasion the CAKE was massive structure
covered with icing, SO delect3ble that
look at it widened every slaves eyes and
uDlipped his shining teeth. The master
ami all the ladies of the household attended
the contest that every participant had
been prepafing for in months past.
Io-uay The cake " ak is as Unlnipresent
as in the eos and many man " no III the
old days witnessed them with q heart
ache, knowing what was TO follow SO soon,
now looks upon them with infinite amuse-
ment, and goes home contrasting the two
different conditions that the law OF progress
has made. Now here has the cake walk
been reproduced with such close fidelity
and natural effect as in Nate Salsbury's
Inrp into tir,rr
than the cake walk is the effect it has
upon certain of the spectators. In Conven-
ton Hall the other night, seated in one OF
the first rows, were three Southern men,
who passed service in the best and worst
days of the gray cause. Near them was
an old negro couple of the most pronounced
'sUncler and Nanny type. Time had
aged their heads with covering whittier
than the cotton they picked In their youth.
The Southerners showed as much fervor as
this humble pair in the programme rem
dered. When the magnificent chorus sang
the old-time melodies the gentlemen kept
time with their feet and "Uncle" and
Nanny" nodded their heads in unison
with the voices.
But the pinnacle of ecstacy was reached
when the soprano of the aggregation,
Bessie Lee, sang the "Suanee River"
As the sweet notes Of that song sounded
through the big hall, SO silent with all its
great concourse of people, down the shin
ing black cheeks of the old colored couple
the tear drops splashed until their faces
looked like whitewashed ebony. Hardly
less affected were the gentlemen. One of
them leaned back in his seat and closed
his eyes while he softly beat time on his
knee with one hand.
What retrospect did he see behind those
closed eyelids? Youths golden hours,
wealth, affluence, the turmoil of war,
the sting of defeat, then peace, new for
tunes and-then Bessie stopped singing,
while the applause surged over the hall
led by the Southerners and the old col
ored couple. Distant in environments as
the two poles, yet brought together by
the reminiscent music
''Lawd breSs yo' soul, Sue; amt dat man
wild de watahmllion mouth Jess like ole
brack Phil what Marse Peyton owned?"
remarked uncle.
''Yaas, indeedy," returned nanny; "an
Jess look at dat brazing wench wild her low
cut dress. An dem steps, dat gals got de
debil In her sho'."
''KurneL" remarked the older of the
two Southerners, to his companion, that's
the finest cake walk, sub, I've seen since
the wah. I used to own, sub, a uiggah Just
like that fellow on the end. He was the
greatest cake walkah in the South. Po'
old boy Jack, de died befo' he got bis
freedom"
.