Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-01-04

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In those gloomy years thatfol
1 lowed the fall ofour Southern Con
federacy, Father Ryan, having
sung his requiem to 1.-The Con.
quered Banner" was still chanting
his musical dirges over the Lost
Cause and the men who wore the
Gray; John Esten Cook, in Virgin
| ia, was writing his historical ro-
mances; George Cable, in New
Orleans, was sending forth his
charming stories Of "O1d Creole
Days" not yet become so disloyal
to his own section that they could
not be accepted as distinctively
Southern; Gen. Dick Tavlor was
puDHshing his Destruction and
Reconstruction, than which no
more charming book has ever been
written) and ealf over our sunny
land, Southern thought was voicing
itself in prose and verse. About
this time, there began to appear in
the New Orleans papers very strik-.
ing negro dialect poems, written
over the signature OF Irwin Russell
and se.rtaout from his Mississippi
home, Port Gibson hsa.iaqni 99dH
: These poems showed such IA.
thorough knowledge of the negro
character, such perfect familiarity
with his dialect and were so full of
,homely philosophy and shrewd bits
lof,wisdom that they began to be
generally copied throughout the,
southern press, and finally found
their way into the northern market
where literary appreciation means
something more than empty praise
and where literary fame has, at
least, an approximate value in bank
notes. The description Of a "ChristSe
mas in the Quarters" was d life
like picture of a rollicking negro on
q holiday frolic, before a longer
experience of freedom had taken
away half his 9 merriment leaving
him sadder and it is questionable
whether any wiser. "De YalIer
Ohinee Gas discussed in the Cabin)"se
Wound up. with a, prophecy which
has been several times fulfilled .ian IN.
"An dar's gwlne to be racket wuf waltln, TO see
When the wukin' man butts gin de- yaler
fgri Chinee." ".........-., ....,, -. sg9g29
1.-The story of "Uncle Ned's and
his, cotton bale was true to lifeSI
and poem succeeded poem assjtl
the author were trying to show the
negro character in every possible
light ...'s...Precepts at PartingN]
isvl we'll worth copying. !, in1
full, with its comical mixture, Of
patersial affeetion,7 sound , advice
and the worldly wise warning with
whichoit concludes, sas1AN aEon-h9
ipp FREcErrs AT PARTINa, ....|
Well, son, SO yop's gwjpei for 70 leab, us,
I your inbbin' ol' mamniy AM me, ''' V
An. set lyopsef up asa walter, aboard
SH ohde Rubhutlse Lee. 10 sir..ll bus
Along. swib, dem fancy; Young niggers,;
what's shamed TO look at a hoe,
And acts iikei "a passed. oh rich folks, when
isn't eotnufflin' to shows ls9aa
Yoa's had Better traIhin' dan dcy hasinf1
dhopes1a you'll ,zlbbitmore senses 4 o
Sech .niggers IS like a yonngs rooster
up top OBJ a fence;. t...D,
He keeps on a-stretchin' and crowin',,
y andiwhileVhe's saAblowinginls horn oil
Dem chickens what amt arter fpssln' -
r,oi lpickin' up all ob dc the corn, yai,o i
Now Iisten' qunda min what tell you,
and don't you forgit what say; ;.a,i,
fake advice OBJ sperienced pusson, aud
IA youth ut aup do ladder an stay jaNl'31
Who knowsf nj Yon mought git Ito be |
. Precedent, oriestlce, perhaps, OBJ de
De man what keeps purih' de grapevine
7 4 shakes down a few ,lbunches7at at lens.J
n -gpin lsadgis ahf ,aamn toii p