Hide Article Text (OCR)
CAKE WALK IS FRENCH.Whrti It Orlcl:t:it4»i1. It Aluo Stooil For ii Murriam* Ceremony.The cake \v:ilk properly had its origin amour: tin* Fi nch negroes of Louisiana more than a century ago. There is little ilou'e! that it is :ui offshoot of some of the old Fr Job country dances. It resembles several cf them in form. From New Orleans it spread over tie.' mtire south and theuce north. It was found of convenience to the plamatiou negroes. Tliev were not wvddi.il by lie- use. and ic was seldom that the services of a preacher were called in.At a cake walk a man might legitimately show his preference for a woman and thus publicly claim her for a wife. In effect the cake walk was not different from the old Scotch marriage, which ii qnitcd only public acknowledgment from the contracting patties, ifo this festival becnuio in some sense a wooing, an acceptance or rejection and a ceremony. This explains its popularity with the blacks, outside of its beauties, with the accompaniment of music, which is competent at all times to command negro support.Cake walking lias improved, as do most tilings that are constantly practiced. It has 1 -fitsoldsignirienuro i:i the south. FVciv.' now get married, when tSuv marry a: all. in the white folks’ fas hi- n. It has. however, become a pantomime dance. ITurly performed, it is a Kami: 1 e.ne. The cake is not much of a prize. though tin? negro has a sweet d orb.—New Urhatis Times Democrat.
Newspaper Details
Richmond Enquirer
Richmond, Virginia, US
Tue, Nov 19, 1844
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Forrest O.
USA 26 Jan 2019
Other Publications Near Richmond, Virginia
Richmond Family Visitor
Richmond Evening Truth
Richmond Critic
Richmond Childrens Friend
Richmond Christian Observer
