The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-04

land. The Girl With the Angel Voice
parts her hair in the middle, and let's 1t
fall close and pTettily about her head,
binding it in a sort of diadem of ribbon
with a star glisteninS just above her
forehead.
On occasion the Girl with the A. v.
floats about on a crescent moon, but she
can sing quite as well on a BOkhara rug
or a pine plank. And that is singing
very well. She has a cOntralto voice of
richness and considerable feeling. She
begins by singing a song called "Eter-
nifty" than which she could hardly do
less, considering her costume and sur
roundings. Coming to Just for Day"
she gets nearer to US. When she finally
sings about games of childhood days we
feel she has come quite out of the skies.
Still, the Girl With the Angel Voice may
have died young and received her vocal
education from Saint Cecilia or st. Paul,
instead of Madame Marchesi or Jean de
Reszke. II really does not matter
though, as long as the result is singing
as pleasing as this nameless young wo-
mans.
A little aside from the noisy center Of
Coney Island, yet sided by beer gardens,
1 came to a big tent inscribed Genuine
Negro Camp Meeting" At the open flap
stood an ole d--E-y, glib with the
phrases of revivalistic exhOrtatiOns, who
in fervid sing-soIz, as he moved to and
fro with shufing feet and clapping
hands, urges the thTOng to enter and be
saved. Have you seen either southern
blacks or northern whites in thTOes of
emotional worship till they got the
power" and fell Senseless? This seemed
for five minutes or so he ragged and
for five minutes or 50, he ragged and
ranted with increasing fury, not to
finally drop on the ground, but to stag
ger back into the tent with a climax
yell of "Hallelujah"'
To the crowd that had assembled, a
young man explained that Old Uncle
Jess Good was a famous camp meeting
revivalist in Mississippi, where his piety,
zeal and elOquence had gained a large
following among the people of his race.
They were very poor, alas, and so he
had come with a band Of devoted men
and women, to do what good they could
to the multitude at Coney Island, and
incidentally to raise money for a church
at home. Was it a catch-penny show?
No, indeed-so he said.
EFF youah feel so incline ez t drop
dime in de basket at de entrance" he
went on. 1--WE viii thank yo' jes' as kim
/
An we don bar scoffers, ner jibers. but
hab a glad han TO wors' sinners widin
de SCUM of my voice. FO' we wanter
save yo' souls. Walk in. deah ones
walk in an fin salvation" Then, a mo-
ment later, to a woman who offered
nickel: mo. sister, move don make
no half price, 'cept fO chin under
seben."
fake2 No, we don't say so. II sure
~ was an entertainment, however. even
though the quarter of an hour that il
lasted was filed with the prayers and
exhortstions. The singing and shouting
wouldn't have been suspected Of insin-
certify if the place had been a camp
meeting at a high pitch Of excitement.
A platform ran across the tents rear
and a chanCeI sort Of space separated it
from the audience, or congregation
There lay Old Uncle Jess Good still en-
tranced, apparently, but when the bark
CT, or exhOTter, had ended his appeaI
and announced that the services would
now begin, the aged revivahst arose 10
/ his feet. took possession Of the platform
and was Joined by a dozen black men
and women. Nowhere among then. could
detect any token OF miscegenatfon
/ Raciauy they were no takers.
The prayer at the opening was brief
/ the ensuing remarks were few. and with
no further prelude the camp meeting
was fin full, fast and very noisy head
I ccmmotion. The company sang, with
/ the unframed melody Of negroism. a lot
/ Of those primitive imprinted hymns that.
I I suppose, are still to be heard in re-
l ligiOus worship at the south. But moth
! ing so secular as the Old-time plantation
! ballads vitiated the air Of piety. AS the
/ performers. or worshippers. became i'm
/ bued with what was in them, as with
| their leader, looked ike overwhelming
/ fervOr. they clapDed their hands, shout
/ ed unctuously and circled round and
I round with dangerous resemblance TO
/ walking. Yet without proof. who
/ had a right TO say the Genuine Negro
/ Camp Meeting was merely a show
/ Anyway. it was singular and it was
thriving on its oddly.