The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-09-03
1.-THE OLD BLACK NANNY


In his great Boston speech, the las
utterance from the lips of the immor
tai Grady, the distinguished southern
Cicero, paid the following tribute t.
two lovable characters that are fast
vanishing from the stage of southern
life-the "black nanny" and the
body servant"
Mr.. Grady said:
THE love we feel for that race yor
can neither measure nor comprehend
As attest it here, the spirit of my ole
black nanny from her home up there
looks down TO bless me, and through
the tumult of this night steals the
sweet music of her croonings, as thir
" years ago she held me in her black
arms and led me smiling into sleep.
This scene vanishes as l speak
and / catch a vision of an old south
ern home, with its lofty pillars and
its white pigeons f1uttering down
through the golden air. | see women
with strained and anxious faces and
children alert, yet helpless. see
night come down with its dangers and
apnrehensions, and in a big lonely
home l feel on my tired brow the
touch of loving hands, now worn and
wrinkled, but fairer to me yet than
the hands of mortal woman and
stronger yet to lead me than the
hands of mortal man; and as they lay
a mothers blessing there while at her
hees-the truest altar l have ever
Known thank God that she is safe
in her sanctuary, because her slaves,
sentinel in the silent cabin, or guard
at the chamber door, put a black
mans loyalty between her and dan
ger.
But l catch another vision. The
crisis of battle-a soldier struck, stag
gering, falls. | see a slave, scuffling
through the smoke, winding his black
arms about the fallen form, reckless
of the hurtling death, bending his
trusty face to catch the words that
tremble on the stricken lips, so wrest-
ling meanwhile with agony that he
would lay down his life in his mas
tiers stead. | see him by the weary
bedside, ministering with uncomplain-
ing patience, praying with all his
humble heart, until death comes in
mercy and in honor to still the sol
dier's agony and seal the soldiers life
/ see him by the open grave, mute,
motionless, uncovered: suffering for
the death of him who in life fought
against his freedom. l see him when
the mound is heaped and the great
drama of his life is CxoSed turn away,
and with downcast eyes and uncertain
steps, start out into new and strange
fields, faltering, struggling, but NOV
ing on until his stumbling figure is
lost in the light of better and bright
eF day. And from the grave comes a
voice. saying: Follow him. Put your
arms about him in his need, even as
he puts his about me. Be his friend
as he was NINE and out into this new
world-strange to me as to him, daz-
cling, bewildering BOTH followl And
may God forget my people when they
forget thesei"
In later years another Georgian has
arisen to pay tribute equally as fer
vent and eloquent because sincere
and truthful, to the same functionary
that occupied so large a phase in
southern life, Mr.. Peter Francis
Smith.
Mr.. Smith said:
God bless the old black hand that
rocked our infant cradles, smoothed
our infant pillows and famed the fe-
yer from our cheeks. God bless the
Did tongue that immortalized the nur-
sery rhymes; the old eyes that guided
our truant feet; the old heart that
laughed at our childish freaks. God
bless the dusky old brow, whose wrin-
kles told of toll and sweat and sor-
row. May the green turf rest lightly |
on their ashes, and the wild flowers
ieck every lonely grave where "He |
yiveth His beloved sleep" May their |
golden dreams of golden slippers, of |
golden streets. of golden harps and |
1f golden crowns have become golden |
realities ["