The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-20
The Negro and Music.
Editor Messenger:

ural musical endowment of the negro.
The Fisk university jubilee singers
taught England of his wonderful gitt,
and the singing of Black Patti to for
eigners coming to this country has
helped in finally carrying his fame the
round of the world.
Making music with lard cans, tin
boxes, tunnels, quilts, bottles, harps
and sometimes using the mouth to
represent a band or to initiate a bird
in song, are musical traits peculiar to
the negro, and such as have added TO
his skill as a musical genius.
The cultured south ~applauded very
recently an editorial appearing in the
Atlanta Constitution. Commenting up
on the concert given at the Atlanta
Negro Congress" the paper said:
with an accuracy that would have
done credit to theS best choruses that
come from the musical centers Of the
United States, n from d the
training of so-called masters, the
chorus of negroes rendered the classics
such as EFT Camatus' 'Qui Tolls and
Others"
A trend of facts the length of his
article could be given complimentary
to the Negroes handling of this higher
art: but that is not my purpose. Ac-
companying this ~praiseworthy feature
in the negro's life there comes one very
sad fact that he must not allow to
continue. Thinking the candy striped
serpent IN reality a piece Of candy, the
child hurried to satisfy its appetite.
Hurrying to eat it-hurried to die.
The negro in his crave to satisfy his
musical passion has forgot to take
along his discretionary power, and
hJ1TrUlnO TO not ho 80 forf1,- L,1rr1inr
to death. In the days of old while
clearing h forests and making the
old earth sing at the approach of the
ploW, our fathers with a true melody
sang themselves every day through
the skies into heaven with God. About
the kitchen and in the big house the
songs of Israel kept our mothers
thoughts pure and chaste. But today,
going after a tune n forgetting all
moral sentiment, the average young
negro sings himself every day through
perdition into hell with the deviI.
! come now to speak Of the one
agent that's now at work and is to a
large degree sapping out the moral life
OF the young negro. And I do this not
to criticise but to call the attention of
the thinking part of US to the fact that
we should do something to stop his
evil which, if left alone, will overthrow
us.
Coon singing and Ragtime music. I
deplore the fact tina the colored girl
who works honestly in the kitchen
helping to support her aged mother
has been, by a hellish writer, portrayed
to the world as a moral leper. And I
deplore all the more the fact that
thoughtless negroes by singing this in
famous music help to make this lie a
verify. Every negro girl doing this
honored piece of work is represented
by this fiendish author thus: A para
mour OF a negro vagabond; stealing
for his support; expelling him at will
only to take up the same life with an
other little more bright in complex
ion. Such songs as this, connected
with others as: L Wish My Color
Would Change Pack Your Trunk
II Co." Il Don't Like no Cheap
Man." and others too ridiculous for
moral print are the agents that are
now deadening the moral ear OF our
young women and are opening UP a
thirsty hearing for the vulgar, and
consequently are making possible the
fall of the young negro girl concern
Ing whom we are so anxious. I have
heard our own mothers teaching these
songs TO their children because they
We're pretty in tune. I have heard them
sung IN our cultured (and yet / don't
see how that's true) negro homes. And
" pSol al L HSdIu II Olle VI our PROM
inent negro schools such song played
for the children to march by. Now |
appeal to every negro lover, every
mother, father. brother, sister and es-
pecially do I appeal to our negro
preachers; asking that We begin a cru
sade against this demon. 1t is to the
negro worse than whiskey. And let
us, II possible. create q sentiment that
will drive these songs from our ranks
and that will help US back to the place
which we have lost since the fathers.
Let US drive this music u of the
slums, out of every child, out Of our
parlors, knowing that his is but the
devils way of taking advantage Of the
negro society. I have just returned
from a trip reaching a thousand miles
over our southern section, where I
| have been speaking upon this question
and l complimented the record made
last year by the young colored men Of
Wilmington. Namely. that of stopping
| the midnight Serenade and braWling
upon the street n I take again
this chance to pitch publicly this
| flower to the same people. And now
that summer is coming on let US not
! lose the record already made. Let us
not fall again into the temptation Of
making ourselves the laughing STOCK,
| of the entire community: and let US
l protect our sisters, defying such songs
| to be sung in our homes and in their
| presence. JOHN ADAMS,
Pastor Christ Cong. Church.
i