Evening star., 1921-07-17
AROUND THE CITY

est red hands that showed for tubs
and a judicial capacity for spanking
babies. And both were Cumming
along as gay as a pair of old larks. f,
The loose lips had Quirked into some
humorous remark, and no slefghbcNs
that ever tinkled in poets verse
were SO joyous as her chuckle and
the retort that went with 1t. Com
radeship.
And that is the very best idea in the
world.
EMME H. SLAMM sends the song
L. asked for by Mrs. Falconer.
cannot sing that song tonight.
For in its words and music dwell.
While all your hearts are gay and light.
1t is the song ] used to sing
For him when all was love and truth.
Before ! knew that time would ding
One shadow DER my happy youth.
Amanda Patten Mock supplies the
entire song:
would not bring my SORROW here.
Amidst this bright and Joyous throng. =.
Then ask me not to sing that song.
II tells how hard IL is to part
From those TO whom We fondy cling;
Its notes dnd echo in my heart,
That song cannot. dare not sing.
"A copy WAS dlbO SuppllGu ny AmdHOd
In a mention of the "old maid Of
twenty-four," who died of heart
break, Mrs. Mock comments on the
black shadow that had its place along
with the tender sentiment of days
forever gone:
That was nothing uncommon. II
was fashionable to die of broken
heart. In fact. it was not considered
nice to live after ones heart was
broken by a faithless lover. A girl at
that time had. unless she married.
TO other occupation open to her-not
to be married placed stigma on one
that few cared even to try to live
down. These untimely deaths from
unrequited love furnished the theme
for the most beautiful and popular
songs of the period: witness Lucy
Gray" who says. in lifting measure:
He'll smile upon his new-made bride.
Forgetting all the past:
But. mother. tell him how died
And loved him to the last.
+ +
xNIADAM: am greatly interested
NI in negro folklore songs and
was surprised when told that Mary
land possessed few. If any. The far
southern states are SO rich. In primi5
time melodies that ! would consioer II
a favor IL you could tell me, or nnd
Out through your TedutISp thC NotsS -
| this misunderstanding for the fact
that Maryland was not a slave hold
| ing state, such as her sisters OF the
! Southland. Respectfully. VIM. Col
| lins."
rERE is where Maryland needs q
IL lance in her defense. The pres
| ent generation, of course, must rely
| upon memories of old songs which.
| in turn, were handed down from way
fragment of denial:
Years after the civil war there lived
in a cabin in the pines of southern
| Maryland a very black old man who
had been body servant to his Marse
Jeemes, and went to war with him.
| The master came out OF the army
wrecked in health and purse. and the
black man, scorning freedom. worked
for his Marse Jeemns. worshiped him
and finally buried him. In the farm
house lived a small girl. who. in turn.
worshiped the black man because he told
her wonder-tales about the Tar Ba-
by" and ''Brer Rabbit" and other
/, woodsy folk, long and long before
Joel Chandler Harris ever put them
in print. And when it wasn't stories.
it would be songs like. say:
de ole hare's fat. de ole hare's
greasy.
De ole hare slips his skin So easy.
Ole hare. you better be movin-
Befo' de break OBJ day.
| And the woman who used to be the
| small girl has never in all her years
| and years heard a more plaintively
| beautiful minor melody than the
| black man sang to his words.
| Another matutinal lyric began with:
l Good mawn'in. Miss Possum, an
! whar is you gwi-en?"
There were many such dear old
| things about animals and "hants"
ballads that had come over from Er:-
land with Marse Jeemes' family that
had come over with Baltimore, and
| occasionally he would wall out
| queer old chant that went like this.
| SO far as memory serves:
"Oh. de burnin' sand. an de burnin'
skill
And de burnin' sting oh de pizon
ay-ii."
AS there was no sand or poison
| flies in that green and happy place
| where the black man had lived his
life, the song was doubtless an in
heritance from some forbear who
had been stolen from Africa. And il
that isn't q FOLKLORE song. what
would you call it?
| MAMIE LANCASTER.