Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-12-29
De OLE BANJO.
It Appears to Be Losing Favor With the
CoIored Population.

1t Appears to Be Losing Favor with the
Colored Population.
The young of the colored race
seem to think that it is their duty
to throw aside entirely everything
which has even the slightest resem.
blance to the customs of their par.
ents. This is a great pity, for the
traits which characterized their old
father and mother, or rather the
nanny" and daddy" of the old
en- time will linger with us sweet
memory as long as life lasts.
The banjo and the fiddle, too, as
once played by the faithful old serv.
ants of former days, will soon be q
thing of the past. 1t is true that
when the old darby "got 'ligion" he
charged up to the banjo all the sins
of every kind that he had ever COM
mitted, but before his conversion,
from every quarter on the planta-
ton you could hear the familiar
"plunkity PUNK.
Not one in a thousand of the
young negroes of today are trying
to learn the art, and those who do
attempt it see no music in the tunes
which their fathers played, such as
"Gwine Long Down to Town, %
Dan, the Boatman," Jordan Is a
Hard Road to Travel, and Jimmie,
Put the Kittle On, etc.
They initiate our college boys
and play "Peekaboo," after the
BALI and Down on the Farm. ="
There's nothing soul stirring about
any of these pieces. The mandolin
is growing in popularity with the
darkies, and in few years the ban
10 as the favorite instrument of the
negro will be matter of history.
When in a Kentucky town last
winter, remained on the platform
for some time after my entertain
ment to receive the cordial greeting
of old friends and acquaintance,
among whom were many old Vir-
ginians. A lady who had moved
from Virginia 80 years came up and
said:
'Mr. Miller, l brought my old
negro nanny out to hear you to-
night. She is waiting for the audi
ence to clear the middle aisle, when
she will come down and speak to
you The old woman is Sc years of
age and lives almost entirely in the
past. Several times during your en-
tertainment tonight she has turned
to me with the remark, Dat man
is sho'ly takin me back to ole Vir-
ginny an my young days dis
night. -
In few minutes I looked down
the aisle, and there came typical
old southern nanny, with a white
cap on her head, a bingham dress
and a clean white apron on. turned
from crowd of white friends, and,
reaching down from the stage, I
took the old woman's hand, saying
as I did so, why, nanny, how
dy?" With a kind of swinging to
and fro of my body, after the fash
ion of the colored folks in religious
meeting, struck up song, the old
negro joining me, which to all
Amelia county people, white and
black, would always "raise the
roof, " Rise and shine; I'm gwine
home to glory. y
The heartiness with which the old
woman LINED in was delightful,
and to those who were present it
was the best part Of show which
had been going on for more than
two hours. When we had finished
the ''duet," the old woman looked
up into my face and said:
'Son, sho' is glad to see you,
kase you come f'om ole Virginny,
whar I did come f'om. You ken
talk mo- like a niger den a niger
talk like hisself % Then her face as
sumed a serious look, and she said,
"My son, stop playin O. dat banjer
or you'll nevah git to heb'r POLK
Miller in Washington Post.