The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-24
EAHLY NEGRO MINsTRELs.
Edwin Forrest and Joseph Jefferson
Appeared ia burnt Cork.

Z From Tho Philadelphia Saturday Evening
Post.
About thirty or forty years ago. when
Edwin Forrest wos ia tho heyday Of his
popularity. be- went into "A Western town.
the oxact location OF which ] do not recall,
ara played 20 such large audiences dur
/ iug his stay that on the morning h. was
90 leave bee remarked to the manager that
he was surprised 90 find such a cultured
town ana that IL could furnish such large
audiences for Shakespearcan plays.
"The MINISTRIES are here" replied the
. manager.
What has that got to do with ~" ask
"a the tragedian.
why. the MINISTRIES play in the after
noon and the people come into town TO
see them. then. having nothing 20 do IN
the evening. they come here
Perhaps the manager was attempting 90
be- funny and exaggerated matters But
there ls "a foundation for the story, as one
whose memory goes back thirty or forty
year will admit
Negro mlnssreisy to-day has settled into
a regular thing, people 20 20 a show, en-
joy IL. memorzo the gags" work chem
on with an Unconscious and spontaneous
/ air on less fortunate friends and then
wait for the return Of the show 70 Jay In
a new supply. But shere was a time when
mlnstrelsy had a beginning just like the
earth and Adam and Eve. and ~ was a
beginning with boom. and everything
else gave way before Il.
There Is some disagreement as TO which
was the FIRST minstrel organization. but
undoubtedly % was Christy's MINISTRIES
thai FIRST spread the fame Of the organ
ized troupe and made an impression on
the country. And az for its impression
on the old World. where the band made
its home for several years. Thackeray
himself stands witness. Christy became
synonymous with the word minstrel. as
my own experience well attests
minstrel in this country has the salts
/ faction OF knowing that he T. working
in a kind OF amusement that "a the genp-
I the product OF America. I suppose. how
ever. that Shakespeare put the first ne
I gro on the stage Ga Moor 20 him was a
I negro. but othcl.o was not a minstrel.
/ be- played a heavier line OF business From
almost the beginning of American stage
I history there were negroes OF the min
/ sfrei variety impersouated on the stage.
] though IL was not until about the Cos that
! they were organized into bands. some
Of the greatest actors Of later days had
| their experience as minstrels among them
/ Joe jefferson and Edwin Forrest.
/ Forrest vas given a negro song and
I dance act" TO DO when he was very young.
ana after be had studied IL up be asked
where was the 'old negro lady that was
I 90 act as his assistant IN the piece The
/ management trted several OF the women
/ who were members OF the company. hut
/ none OF them would consent 90 blacken up.
anu. la fact, they were very indignant
over the proposition. The actor. however
! was not easily discouraged. aud on the
/ NIGHT Of the nrst performance ne black
/ ened up and went around the corner 60
/ an ola negro woman who did his washing
Hello. Diuah." he said on entering.
how you be er feclin' dis berry fine chen
ins1'
Hello. yo." replied the African lady.
" Pears to me yo' EN- or berry fresh Mig
ger"
Use no niger" answered Forrest. and
then. time being rather short. he assum-
| al his natural voice and told Dinah. much
TO her surprise that he was Forrest, the
| actor and that ne wanted her 20 20 on
the stage with him that night aud laug h
loudly at frequent intervals-which wac
al the female part called for The two
| made great hit. and were kept on for
some time. which goes to show thar For
rest might have been a good minstrel had
/ ne been - an ambitious nature.
| The point IS that when the minstrel
| bands were taking on character and snap
Ing Themselves for the future the women
/ refused to take part, which. without being
ungallant. I think was Just as we'll
The minstrel organization as 81 b. known
to-day was brought about By the wonder
ful success that certain men made az in
dividuals. Most OF these men are but
] dimly remembered to-day. one OF chem
| curious TO relate. was John -. Cough.
| afterword famous as temperance ora
| tor Another was the famous Thomas ID
| Rice. whose Jim Crow belongs 10 the his
tory o. nations. How Jim Crow found his
way on the stage Is an interesting part OF
| the story of mlnstrelsy
In iS9 while Rice was doing small ne
/ gro ACT az the Louisville Thenter. he hap
pened Go look ont 81 the back window.
| which faced "a stable kept By an old and
/ brokeu-down negro called Jim CROW one
81 Crows shoulders was much lower than
the other his ten leg was stin and crook
81 az the knee. go that when be walked
be went up ana down In most ludicrous
I fashion
THIS day he was standing IN tho ward
/ humming peculiar tune to himself the
words Of which were his own. when ne
I had finished verse be would give "A
jumping step. which has since become Ia
/ nous ~ ''rockln de heel" The refrain OF
lis song was:
wheel about. turn about.
/ DO ies' so.
An cherry time I wheel about
jump Jim Crow
Rice saw that here was something new.
He studied the old man. made the tune a
| little bit more lively wrote "a number OF
new verses. and copying the original very
! closely in makeup appeared as Jim CROW
at the Louisville Theater. He was recall
ed more than twenty times the first night.
/ ana always after was known as Jim Crow
I Rice.
fn 1893 when Joe Jefferson was only
| years OF age. Rice appeared "a a bench,
| at tho jefferson Theater IN Washington
/ ana carried tho little fellow on the Stage
in "a bias. costumed and hlackened exactly
/ like the Jim Crow Rice. As Rice sham
hled on the stage he sang this coupiet.
Ladies ana gentlemen. Ia have you for 10
know
Use got a little darly here to jump Jim
| Crow
Whereupon he empued che bag. and
| those who were present say that Utle
Joe Immediately assumed the attitude Of
/ the elder Jim Crow and danced and
mtmickcd Rice in o way that caused the
| audience 90 cheer.
j SO there was q great minstrel lost 10
| the world.
compulsory Proportions You're not
half 30 stout AZ you were. billy" no.
! we've moved into fat. and JUST had 10