Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-07-23
COLORED FOLKS
SALT WATER DAY.
Written by Dr. NtcheL of this CITY and appeared m the New
ark Sunday CaL--Was Illustrated 6yMss KfcheI--A0
Interesting Story of Days Past and Gone When
Florida Grove in its Prime.

me behind, and dance all round me
and wind up by dancing me down,
and me- not half so old.
81 was surprised, and yet he WASH t
satisfied, but say: Git yo' gal, and
he hold out his hand to yaller gal
what was standing near ana git my
gal, and then we dance again. Vel,
Mistah Kelley, dance my best, and
my gal (she is as black as l is) she
dance her best, and she kin dance.
Yessir, but that old nan and that
yaller gal, / can't describe it, but
never see such cuttings up. We all
Just move back and give 'em the floor
and they used it all Come to find
out, the old man was what they call
a 'perfesh' in an Uncle Torn Com
pany, and the yaller gal belongs to
female minstrel show. Yit, and after
all we give dem a rub, but | don t
call that no fair game, Mistah Kelley.
Yessir, the folks is mighty nice folks,
even some of the WALLER ones, and they
dresses fine and drives they bosses
teams, but the behavior of some of
them trifing gals is certainly scandal
Gus, and sometimes the men get tightly
over 'em. Yessir, the white men too.
Why, boss, some of 'em yaller gals
will even dance with the white men.
They don't seem to have no proper
pride. Yessir, they fight some, but
nobody gifts hurt. A yaller man
drawded his razor. but the other man
hit him on the head with a bucket
Hurt him! No sir, the bucket broke.
"How come Saltwater Day? Well
poss, as near as l kin make out, a
long time back the white folks made
a picnic along shore and dig CLANS
and oysters and crabs. and have a
clam bake and salt water bath, and
then they think it only fair to let the
colored folks have the next Saturday,
(there was slaves in Jersey in them
days, Mistah Kelley), and ever since
on the third Saturday in July the
colored folks git together at Florida
Grove and lets themself loose. Some
of them drive miles and gifts there
early and some of them is just in time
for dinner. Yessir, they call it a
clambake, but there is all sorts of
things, chicken and fish and roastin
ears, and CLAIMS and oysters, and sweet
'taters and sometimes a roast hog, a
bobbecue. You know, Mistah Kelley,
only down South they roast steer,
but bobbecue hog is mighty good
and there is plenty of beer, and then
after dinner we dance.
"Yessir, all kinds of dancing, but
the white folks do certainly chase
them yaIler gals, and it amt right to
let them on the same floor with us,
but it makes it lively and lots of
white folks comes (I mean the quality }
and look ON and enjoy seeing us enjoy
ourselves.
Dance? No, Mistah Kelley, quail
ity is quality North or South, and
think that some of the quality in the
North is most as fine as our old
families in Virginia. Why, l even
hear that sometimes our young ladies
marry up North. l guess 1t must be
because there is more money up
North. They can't nachelly belong
to the same class of society as our old
masters in the South, Mistah Kelley. !
"Thank yo'. Mistah Kelley, l am
sho'ly oblige to yo'. Since / come
North and git used to manufacture
tobacker, just suffer if can t git it.
Yessir, am sure the colored folks
will he proud to see you at Florida
Grove next summer Yessir, it comes
on the third Saturday in July. / will
sho'ly remind yo', and l can show
you all the games and things and yo'
will see how came I didn't have a
cent left to buy tObacker. But it
certainly Twas a great day, Mistah
Kelley"