Article on minstrels imitating African-American speech

“Talking about war, many of our friends have heard Dan Bryant or Charley Fox imitate our ‘cullud breddern’ of the South in their harangues about the crisis, etc., and many of their ‘beloved hearers’ no doubt believe that Daniel and Charles do much exaggerate and give too high a coloring to their colored discourses. Not so, unbelieving friends, for here is an extract from a prayer made by an old contraband at a funeral ‘down South,’ after the Union boys had succeeded in driving out secesh. The prayer was actually delivered in the presence of many of the Union soldiers:—‘Master, Jew of Jews, like de people of de ole time, de Jews, we weep by de side ob de ribber, wid de strings ob de harp all broke. But we sing de song ob de broken heart, as dem people couldn’t do. Hear us, King, in de present time ob our sorrow. You know, King, Honey, we jess get froo de Red Sea and wander in de dark wilderness. . . .”  [The prayer continues.]