St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-04-24
NEGRO HuMoR.
A Few Specimens Picked Up ON ths
River Hnnfn

River Boats.
That the negro has humor goes with-
out saying; that he has wit some will
deny.
When Frederick Douglass was asked
how he felt when some one called him
a "nigger" and replied: 81 felt that a
jackass had kicked and hit nobody," /"
he used wit, keen, biting.
Wit is a foil without the button; hui
NOR a foil with the button.
Negro humor is generally the broad,
farcical, hurtless fun of the unadulter-
ated negro-a humor which, blended
with pathos, makes up the negroes
psychic composition, for he oscillates
from smile to tear.
This humor one will find on the deck
of the steamboats, of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi rivers among the rough rousta-
bouts; up in the Texas among the
cabin boys; in the rude cabin of the
mountain mines of the Virginias and
Of antations of Georgia and Mis-
sSsIppi, and quite frequently in the
church frequented by the more litter
ate classes.
It consists Of the most outrageous
hyperbole; of bringing the most strik-
ing contrasts and the most ludicrous
situations before he minds eye and
doing it all with. a twist of African
English which heightens the fun.
1t isn't found in the mere misspelling
or mispronunciation of words as sdar'
and "whar," us SO many writer's of ne
gro dialect seem to think.
Misspelled words, unless they con-
vey the spirit, are as sounding brass
and tinlsling cymbal."
A few examples of negro humor which
have been collected from steamboat
deck, from cabin, and from church are
given.
Charles Lambs famous bon mot was
almost equaled by a rough rooster, !"
as roustabouts are called along the
Ohio river.
Lamb. it will be remembered, sat up
all night playing poker with Miller,
who was very untidy. AS daylight
streamed into the room through the
shutters Lamb caught sight of Miller's
remarkably dirty hands.
''Miller," said the wit, ''if dirt were
trllmps what hands you'd hold!"
The negro roustabout, who of course
had never heard, of Lamb or his famous
witticism, was coming along with a
nail keg on his shoulder, when he stum-
bled over the enormous brogans of an
other rooster" who. being off watch.
was lying stretched out on deck taking
sun bath. Glancing down at the colos-
sal feet he exclaimed, adIniringly: EFF
feet wuz trumps dat niggah dar could
play high, low, jack an de game"
Coming up the Ohio river last fall
from Cincinnati on one of the steam-
ers that run in the Pittsburgh and Gin
cinnati trade the negro cabin boys were
engaged in surreptitious game of
craps, the great game of the river ne
gro. Two Of the boys were chatting
each other numerically, when one gave
the other Knockout blow which put
an end to the war Of words: "Niggah,"
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
ez light ez ur fedder. Wy, niggah, you
could cut de Mobile Buck on ur eister
crachah an nebbah bus de crus'!'
At certain colored church in West
Virginia the pastor announced that the
sacrament would administered in the
morning instead Of in the afternoon,
as was customary, as he would be called
away. Immediately an old elder arose
and said: 'sBreddcrin', I'se of'n hyahd
oh de LaWd's suppah, but I nebbah urfo'
hyahd OBJ de Lawd's brakfus!"
The sacrament was administered at
the usual time Chicago Times-Herald.