The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-15
A Goop srNrrMENT.

AG0oD SENTIMENT.
 In our judgment there are few of the Southern white people. at least of the older generation. who will not agree with this sentiment expressed by Booker washineton at a recent speech to negroes in. Atlanta:
 I hope the negroes of this country will never cease to sing the old plan their mothers and fathers when they were slaves. The Irishman loves his Irish songs, the Scotchman loves his natye the .sn s Ss sstSs land- and the negro should always love to sing the old time songs of the plantation days in the South.
 We hear much nowadays about the -coon songs." and much of the, criti- cism bestowed on them is undoubtedly deserved. Many of them are jingling nonsense which bear no resemblance to the melodies and luliabies of the old time negroes which many of us yet re- member with feelings of pleasure, not unmixed with sadness. Even the corn songs" of those old days were inspiring. and no one who ever heard dozens or scores of lusty male voices roaring out these songs and refrains as they sat or stood about the great pile of corn. and. with rhythmic mo- tion of body and hands kept time to the song as they stripped the full ears mo one. we repeat. who heard this in the long ago can eyer forget 1t.
 We do not know whether such sights and sounds can yet be seen and heard or not. In most places. at least. the change of conditions has banished the old.time corn shuckins. but in the days of slavery it was one of the gen. uine en3oyments of the year. It meant a few hours of uninterrupted fun and enjoyment while the work was in progress, and a feast and frolic af- forwards. It was to eat and drink. fiddle and dance, throw all care aside and have a good time. No country negro who was able, to go would miss a corn shuckirg. and the whites en- joyed 1t almost as well.
 But still dearer to the memory of
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 the old generation of Southern whites are the Iuliabies crooned by the black mammies and nurses of other days. No maker of music of any nation or time could so soothe the childish sor- rows or calm the infants restless nerves as could these black and na- e-taight singers of slavery times. No word could they read and no note of music could they recognize, but they could sing melodies that went to the heart and that will never be for gotten by those who were so fortunate as to hear them. Some of their songs were religious, some were mythical. probably inherited memories from a long line of savage ancestors, but all of them had the quality which went to the heart and the soul and left an impress never to be effaced.
 Washington is right. There are some things of the past that the ne- groes may well forget. but those old songs are not of them. There is no reason why they should either forget or Q1SCafQ them. AS washington SdSSs the immigrants or settlers from the old world fondly cling to the songs and music of their native land, nor will time or circumstance ever entire- ly divorce them from the melodies of their childhood. or cause them to en- tirely forget the homes of their youth.
 The negro has no former land to look back to. but they have a former condition. and though there was in that condition much that seemed hard and perhaps cruel. there was also much of real pleasure and genuine en- joyment. If any of the present gen. eration think 1t lowers them to sing the songs of their mothers of long ago they take very improper view of 1t. They would do well to discard some things that they have learned in these latter days and betake them to the melodies and lullabies of the mothers and grandmothers who sang as nature taught them, with hearts in their sing ing and the true spirit of music in their souls.
 Let the colored youths of today heed the sensible counsel of Washington. for 1t Is good.