Items from a lady who has resided in North Carolina for some time, tells accounts of how slaves celebrate Christmas. One is a story of witnessing a slave celebration, which includes a slave dressed in mask and “grotesque” costume, whom the slaves address as John Cooner, whom the writer presumes to be acting the role of the Devil. Her account deprecates the slave actions: “They think singing and dancing in rags in mud so delightful! They being so foolish and stupid!…”
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