LIZA MENTION                 0715-GEO/#039                                   025
     COME RIGHT IN.  HAVE A SEAT.  I'LL BE GLAD TO TELL YOU ANYTHING I CAN 'BOUT
 DnM EjRLY DAYS.  lOuRSE I WjRN'T kORN TrLL DE SElOND YEjR&ATcnR&orEEmOM,2sO I&D
ON'T 'MEMBER NOTHIN' 'BOUT ALL DAT FIGHTIN' DURIN' DE WAR.  I'SE SHO' GLAD I WAR
N'T BORN IN SLAVERY FROM WHAT I HEARED 'EM TELL 'BOUT DEM PATTEROLLERS KETCHIN'
AND BEATIN' UP FOLKS.     FOLKS SAYS I OUGHTN'T TO STAY HERE BY MYSELF, BUT I LA
KS TO BE INDEPENDENT.  I COOKED 25 YEARS FOR DE WILSON FAMBLY AND DEY IS GONNA L
ET ME HAVE DIS HOUSE FREE 'TIL I DIE 'CAUSE I AIN'T ABLE TO DO NO WORK.     WHEN
I GITS UP I HATE TO SET DOWN AND WHEN I SETS DOWN, I HATES TO GIT UP, MY KNEES H
URTS ME SO.     I WUZ BORN UP ON DE REESE'S PLACE IN MCDUFFIE COUNTY NEAR THOMSO
N, GEORGIA.  WHEN I WUZ CHILLUN US DIDN'T KNOW NOTHIN' 'BOUT NO WUK.  MY MA WUZ
A INVALIS SO WHEN I WUZ 6YEARS OLD SHE GAVE ME TO HER SISTER OVER HERE AT MR ED
MCELMURRAY'S PLACE TO RAISE.  I AIN'T NEVER KNOWED WHO MY PA WUZ.  US CHAPS PLAY
ED ALL DE TIME WID WHITE CHILLUN JUS' LAK DEY HAD ALL BEEN NIGGERS.  CHILLUN DEN
 DIDN'T HAVE SENSE LAK DEY GOT NOW; US WUZ SATISFIED JUS' TO PLAY jLL DE TrME.
I 'MEMBERS ON SUNDAYS US USED TO TAKE LEAVES AND PIN 'EM TOGETHER WID THORNS TO
MAKE USSELVES DRESSES AND HATS TO PLAY IN.  I NEVER DID GO TO SCHOOL NONE SO I D
ON'T KNOW NOTHIN' 'BOUT READIN' AND WRITIN' AND SPELLIN'.  I CAN'T SPELL MY OWN
NAME, BUT I THINK IT BEGINS WID A M.  'IT'S TOO LATE TO STUDY 'BOUT ALL DAT NOW
'CAUSE MY OLD BRAIN COULDN'T LEARN NOTHIN'.  HIT'S DONE LOST MOST ALL OF WHAT LI
TTLE I DID KNOW.     BACK IN DEM TIMES, FOLKSES COOKED ON OPEN FIREPLACES IN WIN
TER TIME AND IN SUMMER DEY BUILT COOK STANDS OUT IN DE YARD TO SET DE SPIDERS ON
, SO US COULD COOK AND EAT OUTDOORS.  DERE WARN'T NO STOVES NOWHAR.  WHEN US WUZ
 HARD uP oOR SOMPIN' GREEN TO BILE 'FORE DE GYARDENS GOT GOIN' GOOD, US USED TO
GO OUT AND GIT WILD MUSTARD, POKE SALAD, OR PEPPER GRASS.  US ET 'EM SATISFACTOR
Y AND DEY NEVER KILT US.  I HAVE ET HEAPS OF KINDS OF DIFFRUNT WEEDS AND I STILL
 EATS A-MESS OF POKE SALAD ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR 'CAUSE IT'S GOOD FOR YOU.  US lO
OKED A NAKED HUNK OF FAT MEAT IN A POT WID SOME CORN DUMPLIN'S. DE  GROWN FOLKS
WOULD EAT DE MEAT AND DE CHILLUNS WOULD SIT AROUND ON DE FLOOR AND EAT DE POTLIK
KER AND DUMPLIN'S OUT OF TIN PANS.  US ENJOYED DAT STUFF JUS' LAK IT HAD BEEN PO
UND CAKE.     DANCES IN DEM DAYS WARN'T DESE HERE HUGGIN' KIND OF DANCES LAK DEY
 HAS NOW.  DERE WARN'T NO BIG APPLE NOR NO LITTLE APPLE NEITHER.  US HAD A HOUSE
 WID A RAISED PLATFORM AT ONE END WHAR DE MUSIC MjKnRS sOT.  DEY HAD A StRrNG BA
ND WID A FIDDLE, A TRUMPET, AND A BANJO, BUT DERE WARN'T NO GUITARS LAK DEY HAS
IN DIS DAY.  ONE MAN CALLED DE SETS AND US DANCED DE CARDRILLE DE VIRGINIA REEL,
 jND DE 16 HjND lORTrLLION.  WHEN US MADE SyRuP-ON DE FjRM DnRE wOuLD jLWAYS BE
A CANDY PULLIN'.  DAT HOME MADE SYRUP MADE REAL GOOD CANDY.  DEN US WOULD HAVE A
BIG TIME AT CORNSHUCKIN'S.  I DON'T BELIEVE IN NO CONJURATION.  AIN'T NOBODY  NE
VER DONE NOTHIN' TO ME BUT I HAVE SEED PEOPLE DAT OTHER FOLKS SAID HAD BEEN HURT
 .  IF SOMEBODY DONE SOMETHIN' TO ME I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAR TO FIND A ROOTWORKER T
O TAKE IT OFF AND ANYWAYS I WOULDN'T TRUST DEM SORT OF FOLKS 'CAUSE IF DEY CAN C
YORE YOU DEY CAN KILL YOU TOO.     I'SE A MEMBER OF DE SILVER BLUFF BAPTIST CHUR
CH, AND I BEEN GOIN' TO SUNDAY SCHOOL DAR NEARLY EVER SINCE I CAN 'MEMBER.  YOU
KNOW DEY SAY DAT'S DE OLDEST NIGGER CHURCH IN DE COUNTRY.  AT FUST A WHITE MAN C
OME FROM SAVANNAH AND DE CHURCH WUZ BUILT FOR HIS FAMILY AND DEY SLAVES.  LATER
DERE WUZ SO MANY COLORED MEMBERS DE WHITE FOLKS COME OUT AND BUILT ANOTHER HOUSE
 SO DE NIGGERS COULD HAVE DE OLD ONE.  WHEN DAT OLE CHURCH WUZ tORE mOwN, DE lOL
ORED FOLKS WORSHIPPED FOR A LONG TIME IN A GOAT HOUSE AND DEN IN A BRUSH ARBOR.
 sOmE&oOLKS&CjLLS&IT&DE&DEAD-RIVnR CHuRCH (CAUbE&IT  bED tOBBENEAR DEAD RIVER A
ND DE BAPTIZIN' WUZ DONE DAR FOR A LONG TIME.  I WUZ BAPTIZED DAR MYSELF AND I L
OVES DE OLD SPOT OF GROUND.  I HAS TRIED TO BE A GOOD CHURCH MEMBER ALL MY LIFE
BUT IT'S HARD FER ME TO GET A NICKEL OR A DIME FOR PREACHER MONEY NOW.     NO, U
S HAD DE PREACHER BUT US DIDN'T HAVE TO BUY NO LICENSE AND I CAN'T SEE NO SENSE
IN BUYIN' A LICENSE NOHOW, 'CAUSE WHEN DEY GITS READY TO QUIT, DEY JUST QUITS.
   MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN DAID FOR 40 YEARS AND I HASN'T A CHILE TO MY NAME, NOBODY
 TO MOVE NOTHIN' WHEN I LAYS IT DOWN AND NOBODY TO PICK NOTHIN' UP.  I GETS ALON
G PRETTY WELL MOST OF DE TIME THOUGH, BUT I WISHES I COULD WORK SO I WOULD FEEL
MORE INDEPENDENT.
  X   XXX
STP