The news & observer., 1896-12-27
l6[UJINH ,[E, [F}[gN]U992 AT G1O61ll5a

copied the article was the New YORK
Evening Post. This surprised me, as the
Post, you know, is q very sedate paper,
and it seems to keep as far as posslDle
from the frivolous Well, | wrote more
of the sketches. They were also quoted,
and within short time Uncle Remus
and his tales became regular feature OF
my work"
HIS FIRST BOOK.
sWhen were the Uncle Remus stories
first published in book formT
at was in 1880. The .Appietons thsn
published the book entitled Uncle kemus,
His Songs and His Sayings. Inc book
was well reviewed by the press, and the
Saturday Review, of London, gave II
page. This started it well in America.
The Boston papers followed with good
reviews, and was surprised to see that
it was everywhere fairly spoken OF.
'You must have been dehgated,
said L.
Il was" replied 'eUncle Remus." And
was a little scared, too. The surprise
was so great that / did not know what
90 make Of 1t.
How did the book SELF
cit had quite large eireulatiea," re-
UNCLE REM MUS-TWO -. ........
piled Mr.. Harris. II wrote, yen know,
several more along the same lines, and
they all have steady sale, both in Eng
land and the United States"
ORIGIN OF "UNCLE REMUS."
Where did Uncle Remus' come from,
MIR. Harris" said /.
'.IIe was born, | think, at my home
~
reply.
But, Mr.. Harris, tell me. did he ever
really exist in the flesh, or is he simply
the creation Of your fancy?"
Both" replied Mr. Harris. The
Uncle Remus' of nay stories is composite
of three or four old negroes, whom
knew as a boy. | have combined them
and perhaps have added something to
them. But the Uncle Remus' of fiction
is chiefly made up from them.
IT suppose he really exists rs an Fndi-
yiduality in your nindg said ].
"Yes, indeed" replied MIR. Harris, !
can see him before my eyes as plainly
as | see you. ] know him. | can hear
him talk, and his voice rings in my ears
as / write"
THEY ARE GENUINE NEGRO
TALES.
.But Mr. Harris, are the stories those
which are really told on the plantations
by the darkies, or are they made mp OF
whole cloth:"
"Ihey are in most eases the stories of
plantations, replied Mr. Harris. They
are the folk lore sof the negro. ! sup
pose many of them have come down
throggh the ages from Africa. | am
tald That some or them are almost the
same as the stories OF the folklore Of
India"
why is It. Mr.. Harris, that .Brer Rab-
bit IS generally the hero &c these tales
WHY do the negroes pick him out at the
most intelligent and cunning of the ami
maIs?''
Il don't know?" was the reply. 'The
fact is, the rabbit has low, rather than
a high, degree of animal intelligence. The
hero OF many of the folklore stories OF
the orientals is the hyena, which, you
know, is the meanest of beasts
UNCLE REMUS" DEAD.
but you have not written any Uncle
Remus stories for some years, Mr.. Har-
ris?"
mo, | am done with writing them.
Uncle Remus' has finished his story
telling. He has posed before the public
for more than fifteen years, and it is
time now that he stepped down and out.
You may say. in short, that Uncle Re-
mus is dead"
NEW BOOKS BY JOEL CHANDLER
HARRIS.
.'But you do not intend to stop writ
ing, Mr.. Harris?"
mo- indeed" was the reply. II shall
write, suppose, as long as / live. | have
a book which is of somewhat the same
character as the Uncle Remus' stories,
entitled Aaron published this fall; and
/ am now writing a novel entitled Aaron
and His Wanderings in the Wild Woods
This is story for boys. 1t relates to an
old runaway negro, who gets lost in the
woods, and who has adventures with
the animals, which talk somewhat as
they do in Uncle Remus' stories. There
is a little boy in it. The work of writing
it is interesting, and / hope that the chill
dren will like it. 1t is not wildly ex-
citing. You know you cannot have very
exciting adventures in Georgia. Then
have in press long story, which will be
out next December. This is entitled
Sister Jane; Her Friends and Acquaia-
tances.' / suppose it will be ready for
the Christmas trade. have also written
a book entitled Stories Of Georgia His
tory which will, suppose, be to some
extent school book, as it is for the
American Book Company. So you see
that have plenty to do, and in addltion
to my editorial work on the Atlanta Con-
stitution."
WHY "BRER TARRYPIN" FAILED
TO FLY.
Here / asked Uncle Remus" to write
me little story for the child readers Of
my newspapers. He thought for a mo
ment, and then taking his pencil he rapid
ly wrote the following, which / give you
verbatim as he penned it:
Mr.. Carpenter has asked me to write
some sort of a sentiment-a piece OF my
mind for the children.
We'll, l remember the story where
Brer Tarrypin wanted to learn to fly. He
had seen Brer Buzzard sailing in the
air and he thought he could sail, too. SO
he persuaded Brer Buzzard to take him
on his back and give him start. This
was done. Brer Buzzard carried Brer
n a in ba sir nd drax.uaJ h;r,a IL