Morris tribune., 1899-01-14
HOW THEY LEARNED TO SAG
A Negro Folklore Fable of the Owl and
the Moeking Bird.

the Mocking Bird.
We have received from a Florida
friend this negro bird fable, which
is new to us. The narrator is Uncle
Ned, a cook: Why, Dress your
souls, gemmen, 'twould be easier for
a rich man to enter de needles eye
den fo' me to sing one oh desc yer
follows, an you'll be 'bliged to
Ekuse me from dat part oh de pro
gramme But, as bein 'propriate to
de 'casion, I'ze gwine tell you how
come de birds to sing all de 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
bein de KNOWN est bird Oh de flock,
an bein hisSelf bent on eddication
an adwancement-he lowed he ain t
gwine to heb sech a state oh things
no longer. So he take his hat, an
he go roun, an he take up 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 range
bout de lessons, an den he call up
de classes. He call up de thrush
bird class, an he teach dem song;
he call up de jaybird class an teach
dem a song; he call up de robin
class, an he teach dem one song. An
when he go 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 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 doo', an Misser Owl he bring
up de rear wild stick in his han.
"Now, when Misser Owl git to de
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 OBJ dem songs. Yes, sab
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, Whoo,
WHO'D, WHO'D are you? 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 go
right on singin dat same ole song
from generation to generation, An
right heah, schoolteachers, femme
glib you jes' one little bit OBJ advice:
Wheneber you sees yure chilluns
a-settin across de street on de top
boa'd oh de fence, an a-kickin de
secon bead wild dere heels an
a-makin fun at "you-doan 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 amockin OBJ you
an amakin fun oh you, TO dem les
sons yuse wukked SO hard to larn,
doan' you frow your book one side
an say 1 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 e5bery body he say: Yes,
sab! Yes, sab! Good night, sab.
Springfield Republican.