Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29
"Gimmee good ole Georgy,
Where de barbecue is free;
o, roast dat lamb an HURRY UP
An pass er plate ter mel"

o. roast dat lamb an HURRY UP
An pass er plate ter me-"
HATS the way the youngsters used to
" sing it before the war-just before they
lined up around a big picnic table"
Eyes twinkling Captain Tip" Harrison one
Of the best known veterans in the State, leaned
across his desk in the Capitol building
THAT stanza was the great call to action"
he laughed. "And they certainly put soul into
it can shut my eyes and see that bunch of
hungry recruits yet"
And he described the appearance Of about
As gangling and happy youths armed with
bread and meat.
The Captain had been commenting on old
time barbecues. had spoken Of how they used
to be great calls to political gatherings and
how glad he was that Atlanta people still kept
up the enjoyable custom of giving them like
their forefathers did.
why, Georgia wouldn't be Georgia without
barbecues," he said. Next to watermelons.
that's her front name If she ever quits giving
them, she'll lose something of her personality"
He said that hardly notable parsonage had
ever come to Georgia and stayed here for any
length Of time who wasn't given a barbecue to
remember the State by. Whole pages Of his
tory had been built around Georgia barbecues.
The old-fashioned barbecue, he explained,
was really roasting Of meat in the form Of
whole calves and lambs over hot Goals, la
Indian. II was the signal for gala day when
crowds OF people, usually numbering hundreds,
would gather in some country spot for an in
formal time. The meat was roasted on the
grounds in sort Of ditch IS inches deep and
from so to 100 yards long, according to the
number Of carcasses, and was served with bread
and relshes either on cloths spread along the
ground or on rude tables
People nowadays give them mostly by invi
tadon TO their friends, but as they used TO be-
certain neighborhoods would get together and
prepare one and everybody who wanted to
come was welcome to-whether strangers or
not
The biggest barbecue he ever attended, the
Captain said, was back in the flftles when Ben
Hin was running against Joseph johnson for
Governor. The Wings and the Democrats were
hot on the warpath to elect their respective
candidates, and it was customary for first one
and then the other to give barbecue and have
the candidates on hand to speak.
COMMITTEES from each party would be- ap-
pointed TO levy on the farmers for calves and
lambs, and one man would be appointed TO go
out and kill squirrels for the FEAST said the
Captain. "Some odtime darkey would be
hired to roast the meat
"The ditch would first have to be dug and
the meat then cooked from about u o'clock one
day to Il o'clock the next-but it was certainly
fine when it was done. The meat would fairly
+ fall apart when it was ready to be eaten. The
old negro would he at work all night"
1.-THE committee used to tell the darkey to
put in plenty of red pepper-lots of it-so It
would hold out'-the Captain smiled-"and
the old darkey never failed to do it. Some
times it would bring tears to your eyes, but
il was always good"
On the day set for the political speaking"
the Captain said men and women, sweethearts
and children would all arrive early, and there