The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-12
JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.

JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.
Uncle Remus will never again call
the little boy to his knee In his rough
old cabin and tell him of Brer Rabbit
and Brer Fox. The strong. sweet spir-
it that invoked the old darkey has gone
away.
The passing of Joel Chandler Harris
last week brought a sense of personal
loss TO numberless people of many
tastes and many ages throughout the
English-speaking world. The folk lore
OF the southern negro, those wonderful
tales of Uncle Remus. so humorous and
so human. were told by Mr.. Harris
with consummate literary art, and will
live when work of a more ambitious
character viii have long persisted. Their
author began the Uncle Remus tales
with no thought beyond that OF pre-
serving stories that had interested him
as child, and the publication I'm the
Atlanta Constitution of the first of
them brought him letters. from far and
near. verifying the tales already told.
and suggesting others, and so the work
began.
The negroes have something OF the
reserve and shyness of children as TO
their more intimate life, and it is not
easy 10 make them tell real negro sto-
res or TO sing real negro songs. They
become either mute or self-conscious
when approached. So Mr.. Harris was
compelled TO use skill and adroitness
i'm learning the negro versions of how
Brer Rabbit became "ole man Spewter-
splutter." and "ole Sis Cow ran 'stract-
ed in de broad, open daytime, and
how come Brer Bar amt got no tail"
But the young man was persistent
and painstaking. and no story was pub
lished that had not been proven TO be
genuine folk lore He relates how.
one night. he was waiting at railroad
crossing where group of negro sec
ton hands. also waiting for a train.
sat around a fire singing and talking
Under the cover of the darkness he
Joined the group. and in an suspicious
moment. quietly. he himself told the
story u the Tar Baby. BY the time
he had finished. a half dozen of the
negroes were eager also to tell a story;
and so the hours passed. while tales
were recited that the young man nad
labored to verify, hitherto without sue
cess, and new ones were suggested
How he longed to get out his report
crs pad and pencil, But that, he knew,
would silence the negroes. and so he
listened and stored away in his mem
DRY the precious budget-passing the
tales afterwards through the alchemy
of his genius, and making them live
for always. Each one might have been
told by a real Uncle Remus-Dut that is
heresy. for Uncle Remus is real, and
so are the little boy, and Miss Sally,
and Daddy Jake. and Aunt Tempy.
Perhaps the creation of this setting for
the stories is as great as the telling of
them; for he has thus presented a pic
ture OF the old plantation life, and the
relation between masters and slaves
and children that is one of the truest
that literature records.
He has been called the Aesop of his
generation. but, unlike the Greek IA
bies, these negro folk tales have no
morals attached. Indeed. they are Oft
IN distinctly immoral Brer Rabbit
gains his ends by deceit and trickery:
Brer Fox is often cruel and unscrupu-
lous; but the deceit and trickery and
cruelty are those OF the unframed child
they are an epitome OF negro charac-
ter. After doubtful episode. the little
boy remarks one time, But. Uncle Re-
mus. that was cheating "Co'se, |
Honey" the old man replied; de crea-
lures gun ter cheat, en- den foxes tuck
1t 10. en- hit keep on spreadin'. Hit
mighty ketchin', en- YOU mine ye' eye. |
Honey, dat somebody don't cheat YOU
TO yo' ha'r git gray ez dis old mig
gers
Having all been children, We turn the
caves of life backwards and laugh till !
We cry like children when Brer Rab-
scares the other creatures-when the |
little Rabs plunge down cellar TO get |
away from Mr.. Wolf-when Brer Tar |
rypin deceived Brer Buzzard. The |
,lursy stupidity and good nature of |
Brer Bar Who has not known among |
his fellow mortals-or who has failed |
10 make the soQuaintance-of a Isrer |
Rabbit who spent his time "markin' an !
hnsd1uH (nneasurfng)~ while other folks |
Pun<sd& And 30 the stories 60, showing |