The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1898-02-17
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. SING
Negro Folklore Fable of the Owl and
the Mocking Bird.

the Mocking Bird.
We have received from Florida
friend this negro bird fable, which
is new to US. The narrator is Uncle
Ned, cook: "Why, Dress your
souls, gemmen, 'twould be easier for
rich man to enter dc needles eve
den TO me to sing one oh desc yer
so-lows, an you'll be 'bliged to
skuse me from dat part oh de pro-
gramme. But, as bein propliate to
de 'casion, I'ze gwine tell you how
come de birds to sing all dc song
wut dey sing. Hit war long while
ago-mus' ha' bin some time fore
Adam and Ebe wuz in de gyardin.
All de birds, dat time, didn't sing
no mo- song dan old turkey buzzard
de only bird dat neber done learn
no song. But ole Misser Owl, he
beln de KNOWN est bird oh de flock,
an bein hisself bent on eddication
an adwancement-he lowed he amt
gwine to heb sech state oh things
no longer. So he take his hat, an
ne go roun, an he take up a collec-
ton, an when he git de collection
took up, he git to work an he build
a powerful schoolhouse. An den he
notify all de birds to. come an GIT
sum eddication an larn sum songs.
when he done got all de birds
in de schoolhouse, den he Tango
bout de lessons, an den he call up
de classes. He call up dc thrush
bird class, an he teach dem a song :;
he call up de jaybird class an teach
dem song; he call up de robin
class, an he teach dem one song. An
when he so on till he done larn all
de birds one song apiece, wild dat he
GIBBS dem sum berry good advice
bout eddication an advancement
an he tole 'em come mex day an git
sum more eddication an larn a new
song. An den he ring de bell an
dismiss dem. So de birds all file
down the aisle an roun de room an
out de doc, an Misser Owl he bring
up de rear wild stick in his han.
"Now, when Misser Owl git to dc
doc, he cast his eye up in de tree,
and dere sit ole Missis Mockin Bird.
Sir, dat ERE bird amt bin in dat
schoolhouse tall; he jes' bin playin
truant, an when he see Misser Owl
IN de doc, he jes' lit in, an he sing
cherry one oh dem songs. Yes, sah-
he sing cherry one OBJ dem. An ole
Misser Owl, he SO mad dat he eyes
jes' swell up wild passion SO dat dey
catch dere. An he say, WHO'D,
WHO'D, WHO'D are youl' An Misser
Owl nebber hab bin able ter gwout
in de daytime no time sence, cause
de light hurt his eye
Den all de birds, dey so mad dat
dey all go off, stiffy like-dey jes'
walk off, an dey nebber come back
to larn nary udder song. Dey &c
right on sinsin dat same ole song
| from generation to generation. All
| right heah, schoclteachers, lemme
glib you jes' orc little bit oh advice:
Wheneber you sees yure chilluns
a-settin across de street on de top
boa'd oh de fence, an a-xickin de
secon boa'd wild dere heels an
a-makin fun at you--doa:l you git
mad, doan' you let your angry pas.
sions rise, else your eyes gwine
swell up, jes' like Misser Owl's-an
dey nebber will come no mo-. An
now, little chilluns, whenebber you
see your playmates a-mockin OBJ you
an a-makin fun oh you, TO- dem les.
sons yuse wukked SO hard to larn,
doan' you frow your book one side
an say I amt gwine study no mo-
You go right on wild dat lesson-else
yuse gwine froo dis world sayin
dat same ole song ober an ober
agin, till ebberybody he say: Yes,
sahl Yes, sab! Good night, sab. F."
Springfield Republican.