Sacred Texts  Americana 

The Spanish Escort, by Frederick Remington [1908] (Public Domain Image)
The Spanish Escort, by Frederick Remington [1908] (Public Domain Image)

Coffee in the Gourd

edited by J. Frank Dobie

[1923]


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This is a folklore miscellany originally published by the Texas Folk-lore society in 1923, and reprinted in 1935. The articles reflect the cultural diversity of Texas, including articles on African-American, Tejano, German and Native American folklore. One of the highlights is an interview with W.C. Handy, 'the father of the blues;' the lyrics in this piece foreshadow some of the great rock compositions of the sixties. The articles vary widely from academic to amateur in tone. As usual, the original text has been transcribed verbatim. It reflects the time and place in which it was written, and includes ethnic terms and characterizations which today would be considered wildly offensive, even in an ethnographic context. Caveat lector.

Thanks to Eliza Yetter for transcribing this collection.


Title Page
Contents
Rebaptized in Ink
The Texas Folk-Lore Society Since 1916
Texas Legends Number For 1924
One Evening As I Sat Courting, by L.W. Payne. Jr.
Human Foundation Sacrifices In Balkan Ballads, by Max Sylvius Handman
The Decline and Decadence of Folk Metaphor, by W. H. Thomas
Indian Pictographs of the Big Bend in Texas, by Victor J. Smith
The Cowboy Dance By J. R. Craddock
Miscellany of Texas Folk-Lore, by W. P. Webb
Brazos Bottom Philosophy, by A. W. Eddins
The ''Blues'' As Folk-Songs, by Dorothy Scarborough
Customs Among the German Descendants of Gillespie County, by Julia Estill
Customs And Superstitions Among Texas Mexicans on the Rio Grande Border, by Florence Johnson Scott
Pedro and Pancho, by Mrs. Mary A. Sutherland
Weather Wisdom of the Texas-Mexican Border, by J. Frank Dobie