The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-25
BROTHER eaRDsER's LECTURES.
Tie L. Down ON Cake Walks and Gives
HIS Reason Why.

BROTHER GARDgER's LECTURES.
Tie L. Down ON Cake Walks and Gives
HIS Reason Why.
What want 10 speak 10 yo' about dis
cavenin." said the president OF the Lime
kiln Club after the regular business OF the
meeting had been disposed of, "am in re-
gard 10 cakewalks Tze bin informed dat
ssrtin members Of dis club hey got TO-
| gedder an planned out a cakewalk fur sy-
cry Saturday night doorin' de winter. an
~ant il known right yere an now dat
I'm opposed to de idea. I'm opposed to It
on gineral grounds an not bekase I'm
down on amusements. / dunno who in
vented de cakewalk but / reckon IL was a
white man who wanted TO make fules OF
all de niggers. men an women alike.
! Hevin' heard a heap about sich entertain
ments an nebber hevin' tended one, 1
vent 10 watermillyon Hall de odder
eavenin' as an onlooker.
What was de fust spectacle dat greeted
my eyes? Heaps an heaps Of Guild folks
all dressed In deir Sunday clothes an
4 : win an GRIMM like 30 many monkeys.
/ Oar wasn't nun dignity in all dat crowd
10 jump a cat ober de alley fence. One
Of de fust pussons my eyes lighted on
was our Pickles Smith. He dun come to
me de day befo' dat cakewalk to borry s.
TO git shoes fur his chii'en, but he had
used de money to buy a yaller necktie an
4 a dimun pin TO show him off While his
Ole wife was at de washtub an groanin'
wild de backache an his chil'ren couldn't {
go OutdOahs fur de want of shoes Pickles
was squirtin' around like young man of
twenty an tellin' how cakewalks had bin
de salvashun Of America.
zone Of de pussons who contested fur
/ de cake was our Samuel Shin. Look at
him ober dar. He sits all bumped ober,
as II a house had fell on 10 MIN. Two
days befO' dat nonsense he come ober 10
my house an borryed a dollar to git medi-
cine fur his rheumatic. He limped in both
| legs an couldn't stralghten his back My
dollar went fur blue suspenders an a
/ freckled shirt. an from de way he twisted
hissef around / couldn't believe he ever
/ had pain or an ache A man fifty vars
/ old ought 10 hev some dignity. no matter
what his color. but Samuel was playin'
de fule as bad as de young folks of If
| teen.
IAN our Waydown Bebee was dar.
Brudder Bebee didn't come to ne 10 borry
any money, but IL amt ober a week since
| his wife was tellin' me dat he had con-
symposium an couldn't work no mo-. She
reckonei dat one Of his lungs was clean
gone an de odder pullin hard on de hal
ter to break away an follow arter. an 1
| had laid away TO- bushels of taters to help
/ him frew de winter Yes; Brudder Bebee
was dar. an he was tWistin' an dodgin'
an GRIMM an enjoyin' de occashun bout
| fo'teen times mo- dan a camp meetin'. He
was workin' harder dan as If he had an
ak in his hand. an believe dat he an his
| partner cum mighty nigh takin' de prize
/ fur bein' de two biggest fuies on de fioah.
/ 1t am needless to add dat dem TO- bushels
of taters won't find DER way 10 his cabin
dis winter.
| LAS / cast my eyes ober de crowd 1
also obsarve Sorghum Johnson. Three
| days ago / met him gwine into a pawn
shop wild some beddin', an he told me a
woeful tale bout sickness an hard luck
De money he got fur dat beddin' went into
a pair of shiny shoes. an dem shiny shoes
was jest slingin' deirselves all ober de
hail like a cat walkin' on a hot stove.
"An' / noticed kumfurt White in de
thichest of de crowd. Bout two weeks
ago Brudder White come ober TO my
cabin one eavenin' an gin me to under
stand dat he had sebenteen sorts OF dis
eases an was not long fur dis world. He
wanted me to promise dat he should hev
q headboard at his grave an dat | would
send his bereaved an grief-stricken
family a gallon of soft soap an bushel
Of turnips. i hev bin waitin' eber since TO
h'ar dat de grim destroyer had carried
him off, an my surprise at seem him
present de odder night was as great as
DAT of de man who runs agi'n sleepin'
hog on de sidewalk. Yes; Kumfurt was
right in de swim an had fogotten all
| about his sebenteen diseases, an de ruby
ring on his finger 'nebber cost less'n seb
enty cents. ! has got turnips an soft soap
in de cellar. but dey am not fur Brudder
Whites grief-stricken famly-not dis
year.
81 am one who believes dat all men an
women must hev social enjoyment an air
made better fur 1t. but il grieves me to
see either white or black folks make fules
OF deirselves an pay an entrance fee to
boot. A cakewalk am tomfule nonsense.
1t might do we'll nun fur boys an gals,
but when grown up folks go into 1t de
case am different. 1t would be Jest as
sensible to play leapfrog or 10 stand on
yo'r head 'longside de wall. / amt got de
power to stop 'em, an / ean't prevent
members of dis club from attendin' 'em,
but I'm gwine TO say 10 yo' dat de next
niger who borrys money of me TO fuie
away on cakewalk has got to be nailed
to de airth or l shall trip him ober wild a
crash.
''Dar was a time when de hull GUILD
race was treated as chiren an amused as
chiPen, but dat time has passed. We's
growed up an progressed an am suppos-
ed 70 hev' mo- dignity dan monkey on a
hand-organ. ! amt gwlne TO do no
shoutin' at yo'. an dis kentry aint gwine
TO splinters u yc' decide to keep up desc
cakewalks. Fze jest bin givin' yo' my in
dividual opinyun, an / jest want 10 add
dat II yo' feel yo' must make fnles OF
vo' rselves once In a while or bust it would
be far easier an cheaper an mo- to de
credit of de race 10 sit on de cellar stairs
in de darkness an bob about an grin at
de empty tater bin. Dat's all I've got TO
say, an We will now blow out de lamps
an break de meetin' in two"