St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-04
NEGRO HUMOR.
Amusing Instances In Which 1t Has
Almost Reached the Plane Of wit.

Amusing Instances In Which 1t Ha,
Almost Reached the Plane Of wit.
Chicago Times-Heraid.
Ihat the negro has humor goes
without saying; that he has wit some
VIII deny. When Frederick Douglass
was asked how he felt when some one
caiied him a niger" and replied, II
Ieit that q 5ackass had kicked and hit
nobody, he used wit, keen, biting.
wit ID a foil without the button:
humor foil with the button.
Negro humor is generally the broad
farcical hurtless fun of the unadu,ter-
ated negro-a humor which. blended
with pathos, makes up the negro's
psychic composition, for he osciIlates
from smile to tear
This humor one will find on the deck
Of the steaboats of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi rivers among the rough ronst-
abouts; UP in the Texas" among fhe
cabin boys; in the rude cabin of the
mountain mines OF the virginias and
OK the plantations Of Georgia and Mis-
issippi, and quite frequently In the
caofch 1requented by the more filter.
ate classes.
1t consists Of the most outrageous
nSperbole; OF bringing the most strik-
ing contrasts and the most ludicrous
sieuations before the minds eye and
Going 1t all with a twist Of African.
Hnsish which heightens the fun.
At isn't found In the mere n,ssneu-
ing or mispronounciation Of words as
OAR and "whar," as so MANY writ
ers OF negro dialect seem to think
Misspelled words. unless they con-
Vey the spirit, are as sounding brass
ana t1nkling cymbal."
"A rev examples Of negro hupor
Wnach nave been collected from the
oh,,u oeck, from cabin and from
church, are given: '
Charles Lambs famous hon mot -
almost equaled by a rough "rooster :,
Ohio river '-one the
Lamp, II Will be remembered. sat I'm
al night playing poker with Miller
VINO was very untidy. AS DAYLIGHT
streamed into the room through the
suu.ters Lamb caught sight Of Miller's
remarkably dirty hands
Miller" said the wit. "if dirt were
trumps, what hands you'd hold"
Inc negro roustabout, who Of course
mao never heard Of Lamb or his famous
Wltticlsm, was coming along with a
nan keg on his shoulder, when he STUN
oiso over the enormous brogans Of an
otner "rouster." who, being off watch.
was lying stretched out on deck TAX
ing sun bath. CHANGING down at
the colossal feet, he exclaimed admir-
lngiy: Eff feet was trumps dat niger
dab could play high, low, jack and the
game" >-'e
Coming up the Ohio river last fall
from Cincinnati on one Of the steamers
that run in the Pittsburg and Gin
clnnad trade, the negro cabin boys
were engaged in a surreptitious game
or craps, the great game Of the river
negro. Two Of the boys were chaff-
ing each other numerically, when
gave the other knockout blow which
put an end to the war Of words. Mig
gah," he said, you need'n' to talk;
wen you come on dis boat you done
been so long widout somepin' to eat
dat you des as light as er fodder. wy,
niggah, you could cut de Mobile Buck
on er lister crackah, an" nebbah bus de
crust
AT a certain colored church in West
Virginia the pastor announced that the
sacrament would be administered in
the morning instead of in the afternoon,
as was customary, as he would be call
ed away. Immediately an old elder
arose and said: "Bredderin, Use of'n
hyahd OBJ de Lawd's suppah, but neb-
bah urfo' hyahd oh de Lawds break
fus'"
The sacrament was administered at
the usual time.