Diddie Dumps And Tot

Details the daily life, stories and legends of plantations during slavery.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

I hope that none of my readers will be shocked at the seeming irreverence of my book, for that intimacy with the "Lord" was characteristic of the negroes. They believed implicitly in a Special Providence and direct punishment or reward, and that faith they religiously tried to impress upon their young charges, white or black; and "heavy, heavy hung over our heads" was the DEVIL! The least little departure from a marked-out course of morals or manners was sure to be followed by, "Nem' min', de deb'l gwine git yer." And what the Lord 'lowed and what he didn't 'low was perfectly well known to every darky. For instance, "he didn't 'low no singin' uv week-er-day chunes uv er Sunday," nor "no singin' uv reel chunes" (dance music) at any time; nor did he "'low no sassin' of ole pussons." The "chu'ch membahs" had their little differences of opinion.

Louise (nee) Clarke Pyrnelle (1850-1907) was the author of: Diddie, Dumps, and Tot; or, Plantation Child- Life (1882); The Courtship and Marriage of Aunt Flora (1900); and Miss Li'l Tweetty (1917). "In writing this little volume, I had for my primary object the idea of keeping alive many of the old stories, legends, traditions, games, hymns, and superstitions of the Southern slaves, which, with this generation of negroes, will pass away. There are now no more dear old "Mammies" and "Aunties" in our nurseries, no more good old "Uncles" in the workshops, to tell the children those old tales that have been told to our mothers and grandmothers for generations--the stories that kept our fathers and grandfathers quiet at night, and induced them to go early to bed that they might hear them the sooner."

Excerpt from Diddie, Dumps, and Tot: Or Plantation Child-Life IN writing this little volume, I had for my primary object the idea Of keeping alive many. Of the Old stories, legends, traditions, games, hymns, and superstitions Of the South ern slaves, which, with this generation of negroes, will pass away. There are now no more dear Old Mammies and Aunties in our nurseries, no more good Old Uncles in the workshops, to tell the children those old tales that have been told to our mothers and grandmothers for generations - the stories that kept our fathers and grandfathers quiet at night, and induced them to go early to bed that they might hear them the sooner. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.