Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-11
QUAINT NEGRO PROVERBS.
A DoIefuI Fatality the Keynote Of Many
of Them,

A race In its youth always expresses
itself in proverbs, parallels, fables and
aphorisms. The very old negroes of
the plantations are still young enough
in race development to use this styls u
expression,
1 recall the daily farewell Of one old
house woman who for a time served
me faithfully and we'll. She always
bade me adieu as II the waters Of eter-
nal parting would roll between Us ere
the dawn Of tomorrow. At evening
it would be: Good night, miss, IL I
don't never see you no mo- try to git
quainted wild de Lord" or Good bye
miss; If amt wild you in de mornin'
I'll be wild my Maker" Despite this
quivering balance on the border Of the
great unknown, she still lives. This
was her cynical definition Of home;
DE place whar I'm best known, least
thought on"
I'm goin' to do somethin' now de
devil amt never done for you," she
said once to a fellow servant. What's
that?" asked the young servant, not so
familiar with old plantation jargon.
go off and let you lone" said the old
woman. De devil amt never done dat
for you!"
A fixed fatality, one not to be argu-
ed with or fought against, lives in the
old negro sayings, as:
Better let we'll do done.
Live, learn, die and forget all.
Des so de tree falls des so it lie.
Hard times set in de road for you
both gwine and comm.
What's comin's comm, up de road or
down de road, you can't travel pas 1t.
You may save all yo' days, but yo'
can't save yo' life!
You can turn de stream around. but
you can't twist it back.
Some sayings have reference to GER
tain superstitions of the race. for in
stance:
"Tain't no good to kill de crane after
he done fly over de roof er de house
and call fer corpse.
Whickerin' mares don't halter ak de
read to de cabin wrar de old folks live,
None but a fool IL hang a horse
shoe on de limb of a belted tree.
1t Is an old belief that 1t Is a death
sign for some member Of the family
dwelling in the house over which a
crane flies, uttering his doleful note,
which to the negro ear spells corpse!
corpse! corpse!
The whickering mares are little
brown birds known by that name to
the plantation hands. They are said
to fly in fiocks and to come about a
cabin only when some old dweller
therein approaches death. At such
times they fly and whicker a-near and
can not be driven away.
A horseshoe hung on a tree Is said
to make it grow faster and bear fruit.
OF the rapid passage Of time we have
these:
Day Is short as ever, times long as
it has been.
Days des a arm long, you can reacn
clean across 1t.
Nights a shadder, days a shine.
Gone 'fo' you catch it gwine.
Some odds and ends Of wisdom are
garnered in these:
Mistakes amt haystacks. or dar'd be
mo- fat ponies dan dar is,
Burn up de ak helve dat can't hold
up de blade.
Let de fiat iron rust dat puts cat
faces on de clcZe.
Don't fly so high dat you hit on a
candle.
Trouble follers sin as sho' as fever
follows a chill.
Fire don't crack a full pot.
Des hold up yo' end er de beam and
de world'll roll on.
De foorll hang a horseshoe on dead
mans do for luck
A fool n his ways
Like a donkey m his neishs--
Des like sense to gaze
And Craze.
Vile bird smell de woods in de midst
er de gyarden.
That we grow wise with labor and
sorrow the following sayings teach: