New-York tribune., 1909-09-05
OLDTlME NEGRO SONGS
THEY FEEL THE EFFECT
OF CONMERCI4LISM
Melodies Still Heard en- the Little
Clapboarded ChapeEs of the
South.
By III. 5. Trezevant.

by III. >. 1rezevant
In the mad rush after business wherein the South
erner OF to-day has Joined the race led by his new
neighbo-s from the mighty East and the strident
West rather than be left behind. that same South
erner even now pauses once in while and listens
for something that is past though he often hardly
knows himself what that something is But when
he has time 10 think. lie realizes that is uncon-
eciously wondering what has become of the tuneful
songs Of the open air that memory insists were a
part Of his aud lang syne. For there was time
in the long ago, before our Southern towns put
city dignties that every stretch OF street held
its dusky singer. Now. alas. the African OF the
southern city initiative, like all his race has fallen
under the spell Of trade. and more lifts his
voice in heaItsone melody as he works
once upon time the drayman. he drove his
bad Of cotton bales bumpingly along the uneven
freets' would accentuate his melody and punctu-
ate his verse with the very whacEs that urged his
team through rut and mudhole. but with the ad-
vent Of asphalt and the consequent of holes to
whack and sing mules OF the driver remains
mute Clop. clop. clop. clop," drone the hoofs and
the wheels roll smoothly the teanster is coaxed
70 sumber rather than melted TO aidful bursts OF
mingled melody and objurgation. And the one
time easy-goinG white Southerner hustles the hard
er half-consciously envying the drowsy negro
brother on the dray and vaguely Obsessed with the
idea that things were some how different. once
and better
II is said by experts In the music world that no
other race on the known globe possesses the same
power Of accurate, yet instant, voice blending as
the negro. Indeed IL has astorished masters more
than once. as written records show Part of
negro assemblage may start song that is abso-
lutely unknown to other portions. and never heard
until the very moment Of the singing, Yet those
who hear Il for the first soon be raising
their voices as tunefully the others They may
not have the exact air, but the time and the har-
.nony viii be there
Both foreign and native musicians have noted the
fact that solosts the negroes voices are apt 10
be somewhat harsh but this stridency is buried in
enc
Even 10 this day the essence OF their harmonious
sweetness is TO be found way down on de OF
plantation" where, simple and unaffected. the
negro singers are still found al their best
Near certain steamboat landing. under a cluup
OF walnut trees. stands a little whitewashed
'clap-bode" building, boastng a crooked belfry OF
raksh and unclerical appearance. and you cannot
but wonder why that undgnihed tilt exists until
the ''pahsn" later enlightens you. Along the big
roads" the lanes. turn-rows and each soft-soiled
field path, come men, women and children, afoot
and mlleback, or in ante-bellum buggies. whose
loose spokes rattle Ike many OF castanets
each advancing column easily traceable by the
Eshen dust cloud overhanging it. Without awaiting
formal opening Of the ''Ineet'n those already
gathered within the walls beguiling the time
melcdiously with some oIden favorite one that
needs no 'linin' out such as Don't git a-veary
chlun. 20 wes a-gwine home" And the plain
tive refrain floats from the little windows you
may hear II swellingly tossed back again by the
ousky, dusty ones approaching.
The PARSONS STORY.
-Yasseh; dat's de meet'n' house. sab Been de
plantation chU'ch sence long fo' de wah' Thus
gays the ',1allsn.'
fat. discordant jangle proceeding from an
overhead tree limb calls slight start OF aston
.shment from the visitor. and the white-woolled
'pahsn" Is not yet quite due within. he ventures
word OF explanation. DIgnifed and stately is the
pahsn." in his long frock OF shiny black. his
high white collar, whose sawlike edge is possibly
regarded by the wearer in the same light OF pen
Rnce that his predecessors OF the early Middle Ages
looked on hair shirt, and his tall silk hat, the
nap whereof has been memory for a generation
and which is nevertheless his proudest possession
Dat war a fine bell. onct when hit hung II de
steeple, sah an you could tell hits ring from de
Ear aidge O de Upper Place clar down 10 do new
EToun clearin Big Bayou Neshoba- Mahse
Jeems built he chUch fo' de hans an jess 10 de
wah broke out he bought de bell an had hit hung.
De Sunday what twas crissened niggers come
al de way from de Homewood Plantation, fo'teen
miles. sab. help N de singin'. an hit pintedly
singin'. 20 sho'. White folks come from plan
tations all roUn'. an Mahse Jeems. an de madam
an dey little folks, an OF Miss. Mahse Jeems s
nav, all dar. 70 sll on em loved TO lisn 10
de niggers singin,' speshully TO de hymns. war
young and Tampag!n' dose days, but de slngin DAT
night sho did grip me hard and Jined de chu en-
de ve'y mex Ino'neh's meet'n. De white folks had
chairs sot Jess outside de winders, an from whar
I could Mahse Jeems. an know DAT
tears war runnin' down his cheeks. IT war de
onies' tine he ever hyar dat bell an de singin at
de same time fo' muskit ball TUX him spang
thoo &c lungs at Shiloh an desc black arms toted
him from de battlefield, dis OF bress held his head
70 de las an dis OF niger fotch him home In his
coffin.
E0 square feet.
But dat aint got nothin' do wild De bell an de
steeple De bell too heavy. anyways. and we
had some pow fu zortehs dem days an de niggers
havin' mighty little work to do TUX 10 goin to
neet'ns a lot-an' a good thing, TOO; hit kep EN-
out z mighty lot o meaness. But what via dt
puw'ful reachin de mo'nehs a-wrasseln' Wild de
sper-it de gtarpin' an de thuTnpin o de helpers
&c roclr' on de benches an de shown dem benches
thoo de Hinders 10 keep dem war speriencin
de sperftt from hurtin deyselyes. an de conse-
Qgenshul shakin de walls an de buildln. dat al
seeple Jess come a-inchin over an a-inchin over
iwel one speshull lanbageous night de bell broke
thoo an drappeo on pulpit. Den we hangs hi
10 de walnut tree An'-Iawzee. HIT wur WI
bein' IN de pulpit git de fun'ral we glf
dat zorteh whut war preachin' DAT night. Hit sno
wuz de out-shinnest buryin' dis county ever see.
TUX to de pulpit dat night myself. De singin
orawed me- de preschin' helt me an de bell fallin
scotched me- H-a-a-ah. Dey wuz singers in den
days."
HAS AN APPEAL OF ITS OWN.
And IN these little. lowly, clapboarded chapel
there IS singing in these days. 1t seems to have al
. ou,p which the emotional natur