The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-10-08
CHiCkEN-SLIBE: RAZOR-FLING.
When It's Cotton Blossom Time in
ZambeSi and Charleston.

For some unknown. yet slGnltlCant
reason. the irst night Of the working
week is called among circles Of the
Gusky initiated, ''washerwoman 5
night" Whether the sobriquet is
merely gentle tribute to the Prov
ess of a profession. or commentaries
in a monument more noisy than
brass the charms of an individual
beauty, has not been ascertained.
Ten dancing acts at ten separate
halls is no uncommon occurrence in
Charleston on "washerwoman'
night" No hall is overlooked in the
round of entertainment, but over
shadowing in their popularity at
present are the arenas at Line street,
CARPENTERS hall: State street. Long
shoremen's hall: Society street, Odd
Fellows hall. and Chalmers street,
Carolina hall.
Up to the last word and sometimes
ahead of it are the dances that are
permitted by the chaperone. remark
ably original are the costumes, and
in the hot and lengthy reaches of the
early dawn, it is to wheeze for fresh
ozone. String bands, refreshments,
colors that are not fast. and lnnum-
cradle rows of grinning worries per-
wade the scene. The good humor
that accompanies the local entertain
ments-even after supper has been
served-has proved very noticeable
feature in the past.
All dances are given for the bene-
fit of some church, society, charitable
or otherwise. by the black purchaser
of licenses who appears periodically
at tae office of the city assessor in
the city hall and produces his five
dollars which obtains permission and
a policeman Admission prices vary
from 10 to 25 cents per ticket, but
the admission price is always there.
Jus1 to what percentage the oft-re-
peated charities participate in the
spoils is not known, but it's a safe
bet that Caesar remembers to "ren-
der unto Caesar the things that are
Caesars
In round numbers, the city asses
sor has collected S1,400 as revenue
for local co!ored dances, during the
past II months.
When the sun in mid-July beats
down upon the tangled banks Of the
Zambesi river-which is in South
Africa-the dusky bucks and maids
of the region congregate and dance
fine new steps. The old women OF
the tribe sit around the jewellers,
chew refreshments, such as hippopo-
tamus hide, and complain that the
lame duck was not like that in their
era Of. terpsichorean activity. Ex-
cept for the fact that there is no ad-
mission and the performance is for
the benefit of no charitable organiza-
ton, great is the parallel.
When the sun of mid-July beats
down between the level banks OF the
Ashley and Cooper rivers-which are
in South Carolina-the dusky and
yellow bucks and maids of the region
congregate and execute fine new
.x1-. NJoyho hn 70 draTQ itc
origin from the continent across the
Atlantic. The fact remains indisput-
able.
When the warm weather approach
es, City Assessor Daniel Sinklec be-
comes aware of a startling boom
that steadily swells among the dusky
inhabitants Of the city or Charleston,
dwindling to a perfunctory echo ere
the season of frost and cold winds
arrives. Averaging about 290 dances
to the year, the colored population
of the city make the most of the
hot season. AS many as ten purvey-
ors of popular dancing have been
known to pay their five dollar tax
for the privilege of staging enter
tainments upon Monday night. 1t
may be that numerous Charleston
families have come to dread the ap-
proach of the Tuesday breakfast
hour; for in their heart of hearts.
experience has taught them to feel
that that hour would never come;
in other words no servant arrived on
Tuesday morning. The answer lies
not in Tuesday morning but in the
mysteriously potent attraction of
Monday night for dancing revelers.
Charleston Post.