The Washington herald., 1907-11-19
UNCLE REMUS DINED
Joel Chandler Harris Guest
at the White House.
DELIGHTS THE PRESIDENT
Mature Faker." the Little Boy"
and the Flushing Georgian Poet.
Don Marquis, Have the Time of
Their Lives-Latter Really Has "A
Dress Suit, and Has Lived Here.

Uncle Remus, the Little Boy.~ and a
poet dined with President Roosevelt ~
the White House last night This. il
should be understood at the beginning
is not second Booker Washington in
cident- Uncle Remus Is just another
name for Joel Chandler Harris. OF At
lanta. who writes stories and edits a
magazine named for the imaginary Old
darky whose tales Of B'rer Rabbit and
B'rer Fox delighted the particular Lit
tie Boy" who dined AT the White House
and thousands Of other little boys.
The particular Little Boy is Julian
Harris, son Of Uncle Remus. lie is
thirty years old The poet is Don Mar
quis, who dashes OF sonnets and such
things for Uncle Remus' Magazine"
and Of whose work the President had
heard
In spite OF his name. which n real.
and not titular. he is Just plain
American.
Joel Chandler Harris is easily the fore
most nature faker In the world For
years he has been talking about animals
which talked, and worse, still, has made
them talk in negro dialect. When Presi-
dent Roosevelt came out I'm a broadside
against the so-cdlled nature takers. or
yellow journalists Of the woods" as his
friend. John Burroughs. calls them. Mr..
Harris followed the example Of his IA
nous B'rer Rabbit In laying low and
saying nothing
Big stick Not Used.
But the big stick did not swish around
Mr.. Harris head after Il had thumpe6
Rev William G. Long, Jack London. and
others, because they told tales about
wolves and such varmints.
Mr.. Harris continued 10 LAY low"
however. for ,here was no telling when
something like lightning might strike
down his way. He was just beginning 20
feel easy in his mind, when he received
an invitation TO dine at the White
House, and to bring Julian Harris and
Don Marquis with him.
The elder Harris and the younger Har-
ris and Don Marquis left Atlanta Sun
day and got here yesterday. It was a
most reticent Uncle Remus who sat
around a local hotel and waited for the
time 20 come when no must depart for
the White House. He didn't care to dis
cuss nature-faklng or to say whether ba
thought the President wanted 10 ask him
IL he really and truly believed that =
rabbit and "a fox could hold conversations
in negro dialect.
He denied, however. that the President
had been urging him 70 dine at the White
House The newspaper story to that
effect was a human nature fake. he said
There had been one invitation only. he
explained. and that had been accepted
promptly.
Uncle Remus has an aversion 10 social
convontionalities, and is particularly set
against wearing evening clothes He was
a little worried when he got the Presi-
dents invitation for 20 him il suggested
wearing Il dress coat in some w3vs.
perhaps. Mr. Harris was Courageous
enough 10 make the fact known Pre5i- /
dent Roosevelt learned that Uncle Re
mus wardrobe did not include the gar
ment which fashion. custom and The
Of public buildings and
grounds DEGREES shall be worn at even /
ing functions at the White House.
So the President told Mr Harris not
to bother about such a little matter but
to come attired just as he wished. When |
Mr. Harris and his son and Don MARQUIS |
went to the White House they wore cut