Well, Earl, there are some Stephen Foster songs that don't need changing at all. I think "Nellie Was a Lady" is one of those. I really love "Old Black Joe," and I kind of identified with it since it's one of the nicest songs with the name "Joe" in it - but it is uncomfortable to sing it in many situations, because the small-minded could view the singer as prejudiced.

You know, as a theology major who claims to be a liberal, I have similar problems with St. Paul. My personal opinion is that Paul was disgustingly sexist - but you have to look past his flaws to see all the profound ideas he expressed. Maybe that's our problem - we won't listen to others unless they fit our definition of "perfect," and we ourselves are the only ones who come close to our definition. It's easy to demonize people - it's much harder to see the good in them. Overall, I'd say Stephen Foster wrote a lot of songs that should be preserved.
-Joe Offer-